VXI BlueParrott B100 Specifications download pdf (Page 46)

ith the failure of the two compet-

ing next-gen DVD standards to

merge into one consumer-friendly

format, and what will no doubt be designer

prices on the ﬁrst drives and media, we’re

quite happy to see even modest speed

increases in single- and double-layer DVD

burning. In fact, if you’ve got a ﬁrst-gen-

eration DVD burner, we think it’s time to

consider trading up to today’s Nascar-level

speed demons. Let’s see how the latest

from Sony and Lite-On pace in the great

race to ﬁll your disc space.

—LOGAN DECKER

SONY DRU-810A

It seems someone at Sony decided to

start kicking ass and taking names—the

DRU-810A beat the crap out of several of

our benchmarks and made a daring, if not

entirely successful attempt to snatch the

gold from Plextor’s majestic PX-716A.

Writing 4.25GB of data to a single-layer

DVD+R disc at 16x took 6:08 (min:sec), well

behind the swift 5:50 turned in by Plextor’s

PX-716A. But the DRU-810A turns in its

ﬁnest performance writing at 8x to both dou-

ble-layer DVD+R and double-layer DVD-R

discs; DVD+R DL clocked a stunning 15:45

to write 7.5GB of data, two and half minutes

faster than the PX-716A.

DVD+RW speeds also got a hefty boost

to 8x, knocking out 4.25GB of data in 7:56—

at last, rewriteable DVDs have become a

practical backup medium. And at a scant

2:50, you can burn a CD-R faster than you

can print a label for it.

The DRU-810 supports bitsetting to

increase compatibility with set-top play-

ers, overburning (a somewhat dangerous

way of squeezing a few extra megs onto a

disc), and overspeeding, which allows you

to burn at speeds higher than the media is

rated for, an option

only available with

speciﬁc types of

media, listed in the

documentation.

Plextor’s PX-

716A remains

the power user’s

weapon of choice

with its lower access

times, broader range

of overspeeding options, and the extremely

powerful suite of utilities available in the

bundled Plextools software. We’re a little

troubled over the DRU-810A’s extremely

high CPU utilization. But Sony’s drive, which

is bundled with the excellent Nero suite,

breezes past the competition at double-layer

disc burning, and would make even the

snootiest rig proud.

LITE-ON SHW-1635S

Optical drives from Lite-On may not always

tear up the competition in the benchmarks,

but they come pretty damn close, and at

prices that make its burners a shoo-in for

frugal folk. The SHW-1635S continues this

admirably utilitarian tradition. It’s rated for

the same speeds as the DRU-810A above,

but falls behind by a notch or two in most

categories. Writing 4.25GB to a single-layer

DVD+R was completed in 6:15 (min:sec),

just behind the DRU-810A. Burning 7.5GB of

data to a double-layer DVD+R took almost

two minutes longer than Sony’s drive, at

17:32. The SHW-1635S enjoyed a heady

victory burning to 8x DVD+RW, however, at

a satisfying 7:33.

Like the DRU-810A, Lite-On’s drive

supports bitsetting and overburning, but

its overspeeding capabilities are scant,

allowing us to burn a 2.4x double-layer

disc at 4x, but not permitting us to exceed

the write speed of a DVD+R rated for 8x.

The drive comes bundled with the Nero

disc-mastering suite, and the six-inch

deep enclosure is ideal for small formfac-

tor PCs. If access times had been kept

below three digits, SHW-1635S would

have merited applause and a higher ver-

dict. Even so, only optical drive fanatics

will suffer from the slightly behind-the-

curve numbers—if you’re really itching for

speed, you could always put the money

you save toward a really fast car.

Earnest Burners

Sony and Lite-On throttle up their top-shelf burners

Hot-looking, strong, and full of fire, Sony’s DRU-810A is the

Angelina Jolie of optical drives.

Stout, homely, but full of talent, Lite-

On’s SHW-1635S is more like Billy Bob

Thornton than Angelina Jolie.

$80, www.liteonit.com

LITE-ON SHW-1635S

OYSTERS

Plenty fast, if not top-notch;

tidy six-inch enclosure.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN OYSTERS

High access times, slim

overspeeding pickins.

$110, www.sonystyle.com

SONY DRU-810A

VIENNA

Extremely fast burning

to double-layer and

DVD+RW discs.

VIENNA SAUSAGES

Few overspeeding options,

and rather noisy.

Best scores are bolded. The data CD burn test uses the bundled applications to create a 700MB CD-R. The single-layer data DVD burn test uses the bundled applica-

tions to create a 4.25GB disc. The dual-layer data DVD burn test uses the bundled applications to create an 8.3GB disc. The DVD-Video extraction test uses a 6GB

commercially stamped DVD. All tests were performed using Verbatim media, except where noted.

BENCHMARKS

CD DVD

SONY LITE-ON SONY LITE-ON

WRITE SPEED AVERAGE 29.32x

29.32x 11.20x 11.89x

READ SPEED AVERAGE 31.43x

32.55x 12.07x 12.14x

DVD-VIDEO EXTRACTION n/a n/a 5:49 (min:sec) 5:59 (min:sec)

ACCESS TIME (RANDOM/FULL) 106/173ms 111/202ms 120/190ms 120/198ms

CPU UTILIZATION

6% (8x) 10% (8x) 22% (2x) 7% (2x)

reviews

TESTED. REVIEWED. VERDICTIZED

82 MAXIMUMPC HOLIDAY 2005

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