1. Retail Package - Installation
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 1
has
been leading the DVD recording race, especially when we consider that
almost all of the previous models supported the fastest DVD-R writing
speeds.
The
A07 was the only recorder that supported 8X±R recording speeds
and the A08 continues the tradition by supporting 16±R writing
speeds along with 4X DL writing, making it, the fastest DVD recorder
announced yet.
Having already tested the ASUS DRW-1604P and waiting for a new batch
of 16X recorders to popup, we compared both drives in our usual suite
of benchmarks, checking the reading and recording performance with all
formats and speeds.
Let's start :-)
- Official press release
According to the posted press release on 13/7/2004: "...Pioneer
launches its new multiple format DVD writer. The DVR-A08XL is the industry's
first DVD writer to support 16x write speeds on both DVD-R/+R along
with the option to write at 4x speed on Double Layer media. This extends
Pioneer's track record of establishing key performance benchmarks when
introducing new DVD writers.
With the facility to write 4.7GB of data to write-once media in seven minutes, or store up to 8.5GB on Double Layer media, the DVR-A08XL enhances a wide range of DVD applications including the authoring, editing and storing of video files, developing digital music catalogues, building image libraries and backing up data.
"Writing speed and data capacity are the key performance
factors for DVD writers and understandably manufacturers have focused
on these issues in the build up to the launch of next generation writers.
Indeed, with its 16x write-speed complemented by the flexibility to
store up to 8.5GB - equivalent to four hours of Standard Play (SP) video
quality - the DVR-A08XL leads the pack. At the same time, customers
are also concerned about the overall technical capabilities and the
design of DVD drives and with a range of color options and advanced
technology improving the form and functionality of the product, we are
confident that the DVR-A08XL will become the premier DVD writer for
professionals and consumers alike," observes Chris Tampsett, Senior
Manager, Pioneer Europe NV, Multimedia Division.
Enhanced technology and features
The DVR-A08XL is available in beige and black colors to
complement the contemporary design of new PCs and offers a wide range
of technologies to produce a fast yet quiet DVD writer. Improved writing
speeds can generate higher noise levels due to the increased velocity
of disc rotation and consumer research indicates that the background
ambient noise of DVD drives is becoming more noticeable. The DVR-A08XL
incorporates Pioneer's QuietDrive technology that was first introduced
in the DVR-A07XL. QuietDrive features a honeycomb design in the unit's
top outer casing that reduces vibration from the drive mechanism. Together
with noise dampening firmware and a lack of integral fan, ambient noise
from the DVR-A08XL is significantly reduced.
The DVR-A08XL also features a range of innovations, "Precision Recording Technology", that improve DVD writing performance. Precision Recording Technology includes:
- Smart Laser Driver - the drive circuitry has been moved to the laser pick up to prevent signal distortion between the main board and the drive pick up.
-
- Liquid Crystal Tilt/Thickness Compensator - the mechanism helps to ensure precise writing onto the surface of discs that have become warped or are of uneven thickness. Such media can also cause vibration in the drive mechanism that impairs recording quality.
-
- Ultra Dynamic Resonance Absorber (Low Vibration Mechanism) - this acts to reduce the instability and vibration which is caused by imbalanced or damaged media, to achieve and maintain the integrity of the recording and playback performance.
The drive will be available in September for under €200 through Pioneer resellers and retailers. An OEM version of the drive - the DVR-108 - will also be available through PC manufacturers. (The DVR-108 does not include the honeycomb chassis or the front bezel design of the DVR-A08XL, as it is an internal drive intended for OEM manufacturers to install in their PC's.)..."
- Features
The Pioneer DVR-108 supports 16X DVD±R, 4X DVD±RW
and 4X DVD+R DL writing according to the official specifications. As
a CD recorder it supports 32X CD-R and 24X US-RW writing along with
40X CD-ROM reading. Below are the full specs for the drive:
Drive |
Pioneer DVR-108 |
Media |
DVD |
CD |
Transfer Rate Read |
16X CAV SL DVD-ROM
12X CAV DL DVD-ROM |
40X CD-ROM CAV |
12X CAV DVD±R |
8X CAV DVD±RW |
32X CD-RW CAV |
2X CLV DVD-RAM |
8X CAV DVD+R9 |
Transfer Rate Write |
16X DVD±R Z-CLV |
32X CD-R Z-CLV |
4X DVD±RW CLV |
24X CD-RW Z-CLV |
4 DVD+R9 CLV |
Access Time |
145ms |
125ms |
Mechanism |
motorized Tray load mechanism for horizonal and vertical use |
Interface |
ATA/ATAPI-5
|
Burst Transfer Rate |
PIO Mode 4, Multi Word DMA Mode 2,
Ultra DMA Mode 4 (Ultra DMA 66 |
Cashe Memory |
2MB |
Supported Media formats |
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-Audio, CD Extra, CD Text, CD-IReady, CD-Bridge, Photo-CD, VideoCD, Hybrid CD |
Audio |
headphone jack and volume control at front plus digital-out and line-out at the back (MPC compatible) |
Writing methods |
DAO(disc at once), SAO(session at once), TAO(track at once) with zero gap, variable or fixed packet, multisession |
Weight |
1.1kgr |
Dimensions |
148(W) × 42.3(H) × 198(D) mm |
The drive does not support Mount Rainier, as is the case with most new DVD
recorders, for either of the CD or DVD format. It uses the well known RPC II
region control, allowing
a user to change the drive's region at most 5 times. Till now, there is no
known way to make the drive region free.
Below are the drive's main characteristics as given by NeroInfoTool.
and DVDInfoPro:
- The drive
We received the bulk (OEM) version of Pioneer DVR-108 from Pioneer. We
would like to thank Pioneer HQ for providing this engineering sample
for
our review. Below is a picture of the final retail package for
the DVR-A08XLA:
The drive is also available with black bezel under a different
code name (DVR-A08XLB):
Both retail packages (DVR-A08XL A and B), include MyDVD Deluxe v5.3,
DLA (Drive Letter Access) v4.9, RecordNow! v7.2, Simple Backup v5.0
and CinePlayer software v2.0.1. If you are wondering what the differences
between DVR108 & DVRA08XL are, Pioneer explains:
"...Apart from the cosmetic differences and Honeycomb Chassis
for reduced drive resonance the retail version DVRA08XL also contains
blank high speed media 8x DVD-R & 4x DVD-RW in the carton and
additional software bundle as listed above. The DVRA08XL also includes
Performance adjusting firmware, which allows for quiet playback of
commercial DVD video..."
The front of the drive is rather simple, without the Pioneer logo but
with the DVD-R, DVD+RW and USRW logos.
Below are the pictures of the retail drives, DVR-A08XLA:
and DVR-A08XLB:
On the rear you can find the analogue and digital audio outputs
(SPDIF), the IDE selection pins, the IDE connector and the power input.
There's even vent holes for a fan, however one isn't
installed.
The top of the drive includes the identification sticker with code
number, serial number, manufacture date and place of manufacture ("Made
in China"), as well as various approvals among
other things:
Removing the screws and opening the drive's cover voids the drive's warranty. For reference reasons, we post the following pictures. Click on the photos for an enlarged view.
The main chipset comes from NEC and its part number is NEC
D63635GM in combination with the NEC C333500:
Model name |
C3335
|
Process |
Bi-CMOS 0.35
|
Voltage |
5V
|
Package |
120-pin TQFP (14x14mm)
|
Power consumption |
0.66W (8x DVD playback)
|
| 0.74W 8x DVD recording)
|
Speeds |
DVD playback |
16x CAV |
DVD-RAM playback |
4x |
DVD recording |
16x |
CD playback |
48x |
CD recording |
48x |
Model name |
D63635
|
Process |
CMOS 0.15
|
Voltage |
1.5V core, 3.3V I/O
|
Package |
216-pin LQFP (24x24mm)
|
Power consumption |
0.35W (8x DVD playback)
|
| 0.95W (8x DVD recording, LVDS)
|
Interface |
Host |
ATA/ATAPI5 |
Buffer |
16Mbit SDRAM |
Speeds |
DVD playback |
16x CAV |
DVD-RAM playback |
4x |
DVD recording |
16x |
CD playback |
48x |
CD recording |
48x |
Below is a close up photo of the drive's pickup/lens
system:
- Installation
The device was connected to our test PC and was identified as "PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-108" under WinXP.
The drive arrived with v1.04 firmware revision,
which was updated to v1.06 and used to perform all
the reading/writing tests. Its quite possible that soon, newer firmware
versions will be released from Pioneer to improve the drive's reading/writing
performance.
In this review, we will be comparing the drive with the BenQ DW1600A and ASUS DRW-1604P.
- Testing software
In order to perform our tests we used:
- Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.12
- CDVD Benchmark v1.21
- ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
- Nero Info Tool v2.24
- KProbe v2.2.2 (Reader: LiteOn LDW-811S firmware vHS0Q, LiteOn SOHD-167T firmware 9S14 Reading speed 8X CAV)
- PlexTools v2.15 (Reader: Plextor PX-712A firmware v1.03, Reading speed 8X CLV for CD-R)
- DVDInfoPro v2.54
- Nero Burning Rom v6.3.1.17
- DVD Decrypter 3.2.2.0
- CopyToDVD 3.0.26
2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 2
Transfer Rate Reading Tests
- CD Format
The Pioneer and ASUS drives have almost the same reading performance with
pressed, CD-R and US-RW media, with the ASUS drive being slightly faster
but by a very small margin of 0.05X. Both drives read US-RW media
at 32X, which is rather
slow by today's standards.
- DVD Format
All the tested drives support 16X CAV reading speed with SL
discs. Again, there is very little between the drives, with the fastest being
the BenQ and the slowest the Pioneer where the difference in average speed
with the ASUS DRW-1604P is only 0.02X. With DL media, the Pioneer
The two layers of a PTP DVD-ROM disc are read sequentially
with the drive starting reading from the inner part of the disc, which is the
beginning of each layer, progressing towards the outer range, for each layer.
The ASUS and Pioneer drives once more display similar performance.
The graph shown above indicates the reading performance of
the drive with OTP dual layer media. The first layer of an OTP dual layer DVD-ROM
is read exactly the same way as the first layer of the PTP disc we tested previously.
The difference here is the reading strategy of the second layer of the disc.
The beginning of the second layer is located in the outer part of the disc,
so the drive starts reading from the outer tracks towards the inner part of
the disc. The average reading speed was 9.40X, with a perfect reading graph.
Both the ASUS and Pioneer drives performed according to their specifications
for 12X CAV DVD±R and 8X CAV DVD±RW discs.
The Pioneer couldn't read the CSS DL media at 12X and the average ripping
speed drops to 5825Kb/s.
- DVD-RAM
The drive can read read DVD-RAM but at only 2X CLV, according to the specs.
For our test, we used a 5X DVD-RAM disc from Maxell burned with the LG GSA-4120B.
The disc was read without any problems at 2X CLV.
-Appendix
Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs
3. CD Error Correction Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 3
CD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when reading
scratched / defective audio discs. The test discs used were the ABEX series
from ALMEDIO.
- ABEX TCD-721R
|
Errors
total |
Num:
1219671 |
|
Errors
(Loudness) dB(A) |
Num: 54764 |
Avg:
-73.2 dB(A) |
Max:
-9.6 dB(A) |
|
Error
Muting Samples |
Num: 3909 |
Avg:
1.6 Samples |
Max: 1101 Samples |
|
Skips
Samples |
Num: 2 |
Avg:
30 Samples |
Max:
30 Samples |
Total Test Result |
67.8 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
|
C2 Accuracy |
- |
The performance with the 721R test disc is about average. The drive
reached a very high -9.6 dB(A) Error Loudness level and also skipped samples.
The drive cannot return C2
error
pointers, so there's no C2 Accuracy score.
- ABEX TCD-726
Errors total |
Num: 749 |
Errors (Loudness) dB(A) |
Num: 36 |
Avg: -68.4 dB(A) |
Max: -57.1 dB(A) |
Error Muting Samples |
Num: 0 |
Avg: 0.0 Samples |
Max: 0 Samples |
Skips Samples |
Num: 0 |
Avg: 0.0 Samples |
Max: 0 Samples |
Total Test Result |
92.2 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
- |
The Abex TCD-726 test disc is much easier for drives in general to read. The
Pioneer DVR-108 drive reached 92.2 score (out of 100), a good score.
- CD-Check Audio Test Disc
The CD-Check Test Disc is a very useful tool for evaluating the Sound Reproduction
/ Error correction capabilities of a CD player. The disc offers a signal combination
with disc error patterns to rate the drive's abilities to read music and reproduce
it completely. Five tracks on the disc contain a sequence of progressively
more difficult tests. These tracks are referred to as Check Level-1 through
Check Level-5.
The
tracks are being reproduced through a software multimedia player (i.e.
Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone
is smooth, continuous without interruptions, skipping or looping. The higher
the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound reproduction
of the tested drive.
|
Error Level
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
|
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
1/5
|
The drive showed a good ability to correct errors and reached the 5th level
where it managed one out of five.
4. DVD Error Correction Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 4
DVD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the drive with
scratched / defective DVD media. For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark
and Nero CDSpeed. The reference test media comes from ALMEDIO.
- Single Layer media
ABEX TDR-821
This is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with a 4.7GB capacity, and its surface has an artificial scratch of dimensions varying from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The following transfer rate picture comes from the CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test.
The drive can read DVD media up to 16X. The scratched area did
not affect the reading process. The drive showed very good behavior with this
disc, and no errors were produced.
ABEX TDR-825
This is also a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM of 4.7GB
capacity. The data structure of the disc is exactly the same as that of the
TDR-821, with the difference that there are no scratches on it but instead,
defective areas of dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm.
There are also fingerprints sized between 65 and 75 micrometers.
Again, the drive didn't have problems reading this test disc. The drive
drops its reading speed when passing over the "coarser" defective area but
afterwards increases its reading speed again, back up to 16X.
- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841
This is an 8.5GB dual layer, single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm, on both layers.
. 
As seen above, the drive didn't have, again, problems reading the test
disc.
ABEX TDR-845
The disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc with a capacity of 8.5GB.
The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the first includes
defective areas and fingerprints.
The dimensions of the defective areas range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints
are sized from 65 to 75 micrometers.
The Pioneer drive slowed its reading speed when reading the defective area
in
Layer0
although it didn't slow down when reading the corresponding area in Layer
1.
ABEX TDV-541
The TDV-541 is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with a capacity
of 8.5GB.The disc is based upon the TDV-540 series which is designed for inspection
and adjustment of DVD-VIDEO players. The disc checks the layer switch operation
from layer 0 to layer 1 and also includes test pictures and test signals for
DVD sound files.
The current TDV-541 also checks the error correcting capabilities of
the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The drive dropped its reading speed when it entered the scratched
area and continued till the end of the disc without reporting any reading problems.
ABEX TDV-545
The TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc with a capacity of 8.5GB.
The TDV-545 includes artificial black dots on the data surface, sized from
0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65 - 75 micrometer fingerprints.
No problems here for the drive, only some very minor glitches near the
Layer0-1 switch.
5. Protected Disc Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 5
Protected Disc Tests
- Reading Tests
To create the image of the various protected titles to the hard disk, we used Alcohol 120% software and the appropriate settings, according to the protection type of the inserted discs. Below you can see the duration of each process as well as the transfer rate in each case.
Game Title |
Protection Scheme |
Duration |
Reading speed |
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme" |
Lybcrypt |
3:40 min |
411.02 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
48:04 min |
117.12 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
2:37 min |
2191 sectors/sec |
The Pioneer drive is slow when reading Safedisc2 and PSX discs. With Securom2 the drive is very fast.
- Writing Tests
The drive supports the DAO-RAW writing mode. For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 5 different game titles with different SafeDisc 2 versions having the latest software patches installed. After making the images of the various titles onto the hard disk, we burned them (maximum speed) with Alcohol 120% v1.9.2.1705. Two different discs were created for each title; one with the "Bypass EFM error" enabled and one more with the function disabled.
- Fifa 2004 - Safe Disc v3.1x
- The Sims Superstar - Safe Disc v2.9x
- The Sims Unleashed - Safe Disc v2.8x
- Serious Sam Second Encounter - Safe Disc v2.51.021
- Max Payne - Safe Disc v2.51.020
The table below shows the results of the attempted backups and whether they worked (game installed / played normally), or not.
Drive |
Fifa 2004
SD v3.1 |
Sims Superstar SD v2.9 |
Sims Unleashed SD v2.8 |
Serious Sam-Second Encounter
SD v2.51.051 |
Max Payne
SD v2.51.020 |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
Toshiba
SD-M1502 |
No |
Yes |
Creative CD5233E |
ASUS DRW-1604P |
The drive can backup accurately only up to SD v2.51.201. Newer version of
SafeDisc 2 cannot be accurately backed up either by using the EFM Correction
option or not.
6. DAE Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder -
Page 6
DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
The drive supports up to 40X CAV DAE speed. The following results were reported when using Exact Audio Copy.
The Pioneer DVR-108 came in first with 28.8X and 28.7X
when reading the pressed and CD-R media respectively. As EAC reports, the drive
doesn't
support C2 error reporting, but caching and accurate stream are supported.
- Advanced DAE Quality
All tested drives received a perfect quality score of 100. The Pioneer
drive can't read from Lead-in/out area, and can read CD Text and Subchannel
data.
The reported
average speed was 27.54X.
- Ripping 90mins AudioCDs
The drive has problems reading 90min Audio CDs under NeroCDSpeed, while
it can rip them with EAC but reports numerous timing problems.
With 99min CDs, it was possible to produce the Nero CDSpeed graph but again
there were timing problems when we tried ripping with EAC:
7. Protected AudioCDs
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder -
Page 7
Protected AudioCDs
For the test procedure we used three audio discs with different audio copy protections. The ripping process on all protected Audio discs was carried out with Exact Audio Copy v0.9beta5.
The tested protected Audio discs were:
- Sony's Key2Audio from "Celine Dion - New Day Has Come"
- Cactus Data Shield 200 from "Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island"
The Cactus Data Shield 200, contains artificial errors that are not easily bypassed by the reader, while the Key2Audio contains a second session, causing problems for readers when trying to read the Table Of Contents (TOC).
The tested tasks are:
- Recognition of the inserted disc (Yes/No).
- Ripping all wavs (with EAC's Burst Mode) to the hard disk with copy&compare function.
- Listening to the produced wavs for any click/skips.
The drive recognized up to the 12th Audio track of the CDS200 disc,
and with the "Retrieve Native TOC" option removed it recognized
the 13th Data track.
The test results are shown in the following table:
|
Key2Audio |
CDS200 |
Pioneer DVR-108 |
Recognizes process ok, tracks are
not possible to rip |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison not the same for all tracks |
The Pioneer DVR-108 needs improvement when reading protected Audio discs.
Key2Audio contents were recognized but ripping wasn't possible to the HDD,
while with CD200 discs, the Read&Test CRC check
comparison between corresponding tracks was not the same for all tracks.
- Cactus Data Shield 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a (Aiko Katsukino - The Love Letter)
This
is a "special" CDS200 build, since it doesn't contain any artificial
errors during the ripping process. Most problems occur when trying to write
the ripped wav files, since the produced CD-R disc contains C2 and CU errors!
This "problem" is rumored to be connected to specific chipset
weaknesses.
We ripped the disc contents with EAC and burned the wav file produced from the Cactus Data Shield 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a disc with the latest Nero version as AudioCD+CD-Text. The burned media was checked for C1/C2 errors and for BETA/Jitter errors with PlexTools software using Plextor PX-712SA (firmware v1.04).
|
CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a |
Pioneer DVR-108 |
Reading/Writing performed without any errors |
- C1C2 Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712A (8X CLV reading speed)
- BETA/Jitter Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712A
The C1/C2 error graphs shows that the drive did not manage to produce
a 100% error free disc. A C2 spike after 36mins appears, while the Jitter
graph is
clean.
We then tried to extract all wav files with the Plextor PX-712A and PlexTool DAE Error Correction 5th Level enabled:
No reading errors were reported after extracting all files meaning, the drive
can backup the disc without any problems.
8. CD Recording Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 8
CD Recording Tests
- CD-R Format
The drive supports 4X, 8X, 16X (CLV), 24X and 32X (Zone-CLV) writing speeds.
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive ends the test after 3.45mins. The test started at 15.94X and finished at 32.42X having an average speed of 24.89X.
- CD-R Recording Times
We created an 80min data compilation with Nero Burning Rom and recorded
it on a 700MB disc. The writing performance varies according to the inserted
media. Below is a chart demonstrating all recording times with various media.
The best recording time was with BenQ media at 4:17mins.
Below is another graph that displays the recording times for the same project
with all the tested drives. The BenQ drive has the lowest recording time,
due to its 40X CAV writing technology.
- Other features
The drive supports overburning, writing up to 90mins and can read/write CD-Text.
- CD-RW Format
The drive supports both the HS-RW and US-RW formats. With US-RW media,
10X, 16X (CLV), 20X and 24X (Z-CLV) writing speeds are available, as Nero
reports.
Below you can see the Nero CD-DVD Speed writing simulation test with blank 24X US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.
We also used Nero Burning Rom in order to burn a data disc at 24X. The data compilation we burned had a size of 651 MB and the duration of the recording process was 4:03 minutes.
- CD-RW Mount Rainier
The drive doesn't support the Mount Rainier feature.
9. Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 9
Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
In this page we present the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs when
using various media burned at 32X Z-CLV writing speed.
- 3T Pit results
Levels with all media brands is rather high, but best performance came with
Verbatim 52X CD-R media. Below are the average 3T Pit Jitter of the various
used media:
- 3T Land results
The average 3T Land results are high, with the best results coming again
with Verbatim media.
10. Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 10
Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
We measured the C1 / C2 error rate on the recorded discs we burned at the various supported writing speeds. The software we used is PleXTools Professional v2.16, and particularly the built-in Q-Check utility. The reader was the Plextor PX-712SA (firmware v1.04).
BenQ 80min 52X @ 32X
Maxell 80min 48X @ 32X
SKC 80min 52X @ 32X
Taiyo Yuden 80min 48X @ 32X
Verbatim 80min 48X @ 32X
Waitec 80min 52X @ 32X
- Summary
The C1/C2 graphs show that the drive performed well with most of the tested
media. We noticed high C2 errors with the Waitec 52X media, however the specific
media was readable in CDSpeed.
- Appendix
Media Label |
ID Code |
Manufacturer Name |
Lead Out TIme |
BenQ 52X |
97m22s67f |
Daxon |
79m59s74f |
Maxell 48X |
97m15s17f |
Ritek Co. |
79m59s70f |
SKC 52X |
97m26s26f |
SKC Co., Ltd. |
79m59s73f |
TY 80min 48X |
97m24s 1f |
Taiyo Yuden |
79m59s72f |
Verbatim 52X |
97m34s23f |
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation |
79m59s73f |
Waitec 80min 52X |
97m28s26f |
Multi Media Masters & Machinery SA |
79m59s74f |
11. DVD Recording Tests
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 11
DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
The Pioneer DVR-108 supports 16X ± R (Z-CLV) writing speeds among with 4X CLV for DVD±RW, 4X CLV for DVD+R9 media.Nero Burning Rom reported speeds, are shown below, after inserting a DVD-R media.
By using Nero CD-DVD Speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see the 12X/8X Z-CLV recording technology being used by the recorder.
The Pioneer DVR-108 uses Zone-CLV recording strategy, meaning the disc area is devided to zones, where the speed is linear. In order to reach the 16X recording speed, the drive uses 4 zones (6X->8X->12X->16X).
As Pioneer explains "...ZoneCLV is a method for data writing in which the writing area within a disc is separated into "zones", between the inner, mid, & outer circumferences. Within each zone, writing speed is maintained at one fixed speed, this allows for the writing speed to be perfectly stable. Pioneer considers ZoneCLV writing as an important method for ensuring high quality writing and maintaining data integrity..."
The 16X speed will be reached at the 4.15~4.20GB point, meaning that unless
you are burning a full 4.36GB project, you will most likely never reach the
promised 16X speed.
By using the Maxell 8X DVD-R media that is supported by the Pioneer DVR-108
at 16X writing speed, we can see the writing strategy graph. As you
might notice,
the drive
didn't reach the 16X writing speed but only 13.66X.
By using the TY 8X DVD+R media, the Pioneer DVR-108 again didn't reach
the 16X writing speed. Below is a table that lists the maximum average writing
speeds from other tested drives.
Drive |
Writing Strategy |
Writing Speed |
Average
Writing Speed |
Plextor PX-712A |
P-CAV |
12X |
10.62X |
LG GSA-4120B |
Z-CLV |
12X |
9.87X |
BenQ DW1600A |
CAV |
16X |
11.44X |
ASUS DRW-1604P |
Z-CLV |
16X |
10.11X |
Pioneer DVR-108A |
Z-CLV |
16X |
10.03X |
The BenQ DW1600A is the fastest 16X +R recorder since it uses CAV writing
strategy, while Plextor PX-712A comes second with P-CAV writing strategy. All
Z-CLV recorders
are slower than CAV/P-CAV, which affects the writing times.
According to the condition of the used media, the drive may drop its writing speed from 12X to 8X, especially at the end of the disc. We have seen this with various media, including TDK's 8X DVD-R media:
The writing speed drops to 8X at 3.8GB and stays there till the end of the project. The drive seems to have some kind of WOPC, checking the burning quality, mostly at the outer area.
- Supported media list/Burning Tests
We burned 4315MB of data on various DVD±R, DVD±RW media. We
used the maximum allowed writing speed for each disc. With current firmware
(v1.06) not many media are supported at 16X, we decided to burn only ±R
media supported at 8X+ speeds and not at 4X. All 4X rated media will burn
only at 4X, while new ±R media only at 4X (like RitekG06 and PhilipsC16):
DVD-R
- Pioneer 4X-R PVCR001002 -> 4X
- Maxell 4X-R TYG01 -> 4X
- Princo 4X-R PRINCO->4X
- CMC 4X-R CMC MAG. AF1 ->4X
- Promedia 4X-R AML ->4X
- RitekG06 8X-R ->4X
- RitekG04 4X-R ->4X
- Mam 4X-R MAM4XG02 -> 4X
- Mmore 4X-R MBI 01RG20 ->4X
- Optodisc 4X-R OPTODISCR004 ->4X
- BenQ 4X-R SONY04D1 ->4X
- 3X 8X-R POMS3A ->4X
- SKC 4X-R SKC Co.,Ltd. ->4X
DVD+R
- TY 4X+R YUDEN000T01 ->4X
- Optodisc 4X +R OPTODISCOR4->4X
- MMore 4X MBIPG101R03 ->4X
- 3A 4X+R POMSC001002 ->4X
- 3X 8X+R Plasmon1C01 ->4X
- SKC 4X+R BeAll000P40 ->4X
- BenQ 4X+R DAXON AZ1 ->4X
- PHILIPS 16X+R PHILIPS C16->4X
- MCC 4X+R MCC002 ->4X
- CMC 4X+R CMC MAG F01 ->4X
Future firmwares expected to support more media at 12X/16X. You can also visit Pioneer's DVD Supported media website.
- Writing Time Results
Disc Label |
Disc Information |
Max Allowed Writing Speed |
Total Recording Time (mins) |
CMC Magnetics 8X |
CMC MAG AE1 |
12X |
6:55 |
DataWrite 8X |
FujiFilm 03 |
8X |
7:59 |
Maxell 8X |
MXL RG03 |
16X |
7:07 |
TDK 8X |
TTG02 |
12X |
7:48 |
TraxData 8X |
RITEKG05 |
12X |
7:14 |
Taiyo Yuden 8X |
TYG02 |
12X |
6:54 |
Verbatim 8X |
MCC 02RG20 |
12X |
6:55 |
MKM 4X RW |
MCC 01RW4X |
4X |
14:35 |
TraxData 4X RW |
RITEKW04 |
4X |
14:36 |
- The only media we had in our labs and allowed 16X burning was Maxell
8X -R. As we have seen earlier, the Maxell 8X-R media won't reach 16X at
the
end,
but 14X...Despite that didn't gave the lowest recording time.
- The lowest recording time comes with TY 8X -R with 6:54mins. We can
easily notice the variation between the 12X writing speed results. This happens
since the drive may lower the recording speed after 4GB from 12X to 8X.
- It's clear that the drive at 12X is faster than at 16X.
As Pioneer also explains why 12X is faster than 16X:
"...The DVR-108 and DVR-A08XL writers utilize a check system which confirms each and every media's ability to maintain high quality at high write speeds, therefore at times it may take longer to write to media. However, when at 16X, the transfer rates are faster than that at 12X. When attempting 12X/16X writing on 8X certified media, the writer selects the appropriate media specific write strategy. This is accomplished based on Pioneer's unique technology, however what must not be overlooked is the media's quality. It is also a key factor in determining transfer rate (the ability to switch to 12X/16X) and overall write time.
When it comes to DVD Writing speeds regardless of what method is used the actual
time taken to complete the write is not a linear scale based on the X speed of
the writer. That is from a time point writing at 8x does NOT mean that compared
to 4x the time it will take to fully write a disk would be half of the 4x time.
So to extend this 12x would not complete in one third of the time. As writing
speed increases the actual delta decrease realized in the time taken to complete
a disc write is not a direct division based on the X maximum writing speed of
the disc or capability of the writer.
For example 16x writing to DVD-R compared to 8x will take from 60-90 seconds less time (at 8x the total writing time is around 9 minutes). So to extend this from 12x to 16x (based on using 8x certified media) the time saving is negligible if not a few seconds longer. The 16x writing zone only becomes active writing to the very final part of the disc.
In order to write at 12 to 16x reliably Pioneer has upgraded the power output of the laser diode from 160mW (DVR-107D/A07) to 240mW for the DVR-108/A08XL. This initiative prepares these drives for future high speed writing and ensures much improved writing reliability for existing media..."
According to our information, only three (3) media are supported at the
16X writing speed, which unfortunately were not in our tested media (besides
Maxell). It's quite possible that using other -R media could give lower (better)
recording times.
- SONY 8X -R (ID Code: SONY08D1)
- Maxell 8X -R (ID Code: MXL RG03)
- TDK 8X -R (ID Code: TTH01)
Disc Label |
Disc Information |
Max Allowed Writing Speed |
Total Recording Time (mins) |
BenQ 8X |
DAXONAZ2 |
8X |
8:17 |
BeAll |
BeALL000P80 |
8X |
8:17 |
Intenso 8X |
PRODISCR03 |
8X |
8:16 |
Maxell 8X |
MAXELL002 |
12X |
7:11 |
Optodisc 8X |
OPTODISCOR8 |
8X |
8:16 |
Philips 8X |
PHILIPSC08 |
8X |
8:17 |
TDK 8X |
RICOHJPNR02 |
12X |
7:22 |
TraxData 8X |
RITEKR03 |
12X |
7:20 |
Taiyo Yuden 8X |
YUDEN000T02 |
16X |
7:24 |
Verbatim 8X |
MCC003 |
12X |
7:14 |
Waitec 8X |
CMC MAG E01 |
16X |
7:14 |
Optodisc 4X RW |
OPTODISCOP4 |
4X |
15:17 |
Maxell 4X RW |
PHILIPS041 |
4X |
15:16 |
TraxData 4X RW |
RICOHJPNW11 |
4X |
15:16 |
- Only two media reached max allowed 16X writing speed. As we saw with CDSpeed,
Waitec 8X media burned at 12X, not at 16X. There is 10secs difference
between
the
two burns.
- The lowest recording time comes from Maxell 8X media at 7:11mins.
- Again the 12X is faster than 16X.
- The burning times with DVD+R are higher than with DVD-R for the same
speeds.
Below are various screenshots from Nero, burning our usual project at various speeds.
8X DVD+R
12X DVD-R
16X DVD+R
- Comparison with other drives
The BenQ DW1600a is the fastest 16X +R recorder with 358secs, while the Pioneer
DVR-108 comes second with 431 seconds. The ASUS drive was slower by 10secs.
With DVD-R format, the DVR-108 is faster by 7secs than ASUS DRW-1604P (the
DW1600A doesn't support -R writing). It's clearly that the drive is faster
with DVD-R
than with DVD+R format.
With DVD re-writable media, the Pioneer and ASUS burners had similar performance.
Again the drive is faster with DVD-RW than with the DVD+RW format
- DVD Overburning Tests
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed, we tested if the drive can overburn using DVD+R and
DVD-R media. Unfortunately, the drive does not support overburning, giving
the following
error with all inserted media.
- DVD+MRW Tests
The drive doesn't support the Mount Rainier feature.
12. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 12
KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
In the following screenshots you can see the PI/PIF scans for the burned DVD±R
media . The software we used for all measurements is KProbe v2.2.5, and
the reader is the LiteOn LDW-811S with "HS0Q patched" firmware, being
able to read DVD±R/RW media up to 8X CAV. All scans have been performed
at 8X with PI/PIF Sum8. In addition, all discs have been scanned with the PX-712A
(v1.04 firmware) using PlexTools v2.16 for comparison levels.
Comparing the KProbe and PlexTools scans we can see major differences in the
reported PI/PIF error rates. The main explanation is that we have two different
readers, with different pickup/chipset combinations, scanning at different
reading speeds (8X CAV for KProbe, 2X CLV for PlexTools). It's interesting
to see the disc scanned at low & high speeds, since when the error rate
increases at a specific disc area, it should appear in both scans...else it
would be,
perhaps, a reading glitch of the tested reader.
Note: PI/PIF errors only give us a quick look at the error rate of the burned media. Those scans should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality but as an indication level.
16X DVD-R Writing Speed
- Summary
With both Kprobe and Plextools, the error rates are increased for the regions
where the drive moves into the 12X writing speed. At the end, we can
also see a high PIF spike,
while
POF errors were reported.
13. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
Pioneer DVR-108 DL Recorder - Page 13
KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
In the following screenshots you can see the PI/PIF scans for the burned DVD±R
media . The software we used for all measurements is KProbe v2.2.5, and the
reader is the LiteOn LDW-811S with "HS0Q patched" firmware, being
able to read DVD±R/RW media up to 8X CAV. All scans have been performed
at 8X with PI/PIF Sum8. In addition, all discs have been scanned with the PX-712A
(v1.04 firmware) using PlexTools v2.16 for comparison levels.
Comparing the KProbe and PlexTools scans we can see major differences in the
reported PI/PIF error rates. The main explanation is that we have two different
readers, with different pickup/chipset combinations, scanning at different
reading speeds (8X CAV for KProbe, 2X CLV for PlexTools). It's interesting
to see the disc scanned at low & high speeds, since when the error rate
increases at a specific disc area, it should appear in both scans...else it
would be, perhaps, a reading glitch of the tested reader.
Note: PI/PIF errors only give us a quick look at the error
rate of the burned media. Those scans should be taken not as the absolute criteria
of the burning quality but as an indication level.
12X DVD-R Writing Speed
- CMC Magnetics 8X DVD-R @ 12X
- Summary
The PIF scans with Plextools show low levels, while the KProbe scans in most
cases, were the opposite.
14. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 3