1. Introduction
NEC ND-6500A -
Page 1
NEC
introduced in June of 2004 their first, ultra compact double layer burner, with
the aim to bring high quality, fast DVD burning to laptop users, without
the need
for
external drive enclosures. It is extremenly light weight, adding only 0.19kg
to your laptop. Although you might notice several similarities with the
ND-2510A model, in order to minimise its size, NEC has used a totally
different laser
pick-up mechanism.
"High
resolution writing strategies" are again incorporated into the
ND-6500A, just as with the ND-2510A, which is in fact an improved version
of Active
Optimized Power Control (Active OPC). Active OPC constantly monitors the sensitivity
of the media and adjusts the laser strength to achieve the best possible results.
It does this by analyzing
the reflection from the media's surface. Anti "buffer under run error" system
ensures safe burns.
- Features
This
internal burner can write up to 8x with DVD-R and DVD+R media, while it can
re-write at 4x. Although this is not the maximum writing speed available,
it is the maximum speed for a drive of this size. Afterall, speed is not an
issue for this product, since notebooks are commonly used for professional
reasons. So, reliability is needed, even if speed performance has to be reduced.
It can also write CD-R media at 24x and re-write CD-RW media at 16x. Of course,
double layer media is supported, and it can write DVD+R9 media at 2.4x.
- Specifications
Drive |
NEC ND-6500A |
Media |
DVD |
CD |
Transfer Rate Read |
8x max (max 11000 kb/s) |
24x max (max 3600 kb/s) |
Transfer Rate Write |
DVD-R 8x ZCLV (max 11000 kb/s) |
CD-R 24x ZCLV (max 3600 kb/s) |
DVD-RW 4x CLV (5500 kb/s) |
DVD+R 8x ZCLV (max 11000 kb/s) |
CD-RW 16x CLV (max 2400 kb/s) |
DVD+RW 4x CLV (5500 kb/s) |
DVD+R9 2.4X CLV (3300 KByte/s) |
Access Time |
160ms |
130ms |
Mechanism |
Tray load mechanism - Vertical operation possible Anti - dust seal PC 2001 Certification MultiRead
compliant |
Interface |
IDE/ATAPI Interface with UltraDMA 33(max. 33 MByte/sec transfer rate) |
Cashe Memory |
2MB - Anti "buffer under run error" system |
Media/Modes supported |
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-Video, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-Audio, CD Extra, CD Text, CD-IReady, CD-Bridge, Photo-CD, VideoCD, Hybrid CD |
Writing methods |
DAO(disc at once), SAO(session at once), TAO(track at once) with zero gap, variable or fixed packet, multisession |
Compatibility |
MPC Level 3, MultiRead, PC2001 |
Dimensions |
128mm x 12.7mm x 129mm |
Weight |
0.19kgr |
The drive cannot read DVD-RAM media, it does not support Mount Rainier and
it uses the well known RPC II region control, allowing a user to change the
drive's region at most 5 times. Below are the drive's main specs as given by
NeroInfoTool, VSO Inspector and DVDInfoPro:
- The drive
We
received the bulk version of the ND-6500A, which includes the bare minimum.
It only includes the drive without any accompanying software discs.
On the other hand, since the product is intended to be used with notebook
PCs,
no cables are required and no mounting screws are needed. We would like to
see some software support though, but nowadays, burning software is not so
hard to find over the internet.
NEC uses a black front bezel. Observant users might notice that this is
a dummy bezel, used for transportation reasons. This bezel can easily be replaced
with your laptop DVD bezel. You can see the eject button and the emergency
eject hole. The activity led lights up green when the drive is writing
or reading.
On the rear panel you will find the one and only universal
connector that provides power supply and data communication. This is the standard
interface used on all notebook PCs
The following picture shows the rotation mechanism and the laser lens assembly
on the NEC ND-6500A. By clicking on the picture, you can see a higher resolution
image.
- Installation
The device was connected to our test notebook PC and was identified
as "NEC DVD+RW ND-6500A" under
WinXP. You can see that the booktype option is supported, just as with the
NEC ND-2510A.
The drive arrived with v2.22 firmware revision, meanwhile NEC had contacted
us to inform us that a new version was available. We flashed the drive successfully
with their latest firmware version, v2.23.
In this review, we will be comparing the drive with the LiteOn 832S and the LaCie d2 drive, since all these drives have similar specifications.
- Testing software
In order to perform our tests we used:
- Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.55
- CDVD Benchmark v1.21
- ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
- Nero Info Tool v2.27
- KProbe v2.4.2
- PlexTools v2.17
- DVDInfoPro v3.16
- Nero Burning Rom v6.6.0.3
- DVD Decrypter 3.5.1.0
- CopyToDVD 3.0.29.48
2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests
NEC ND-6500A - Page 2
Transfer Rate Reading Tests
- CD Format
The NEC ND-6500A supports up to 24X reading speed (3600kb/sec). Below are the transfer
rate graphs along with the comparative results for the LiteOn 832S and the LaCie d2 drive:
The NEC ND-6500A cannot compete with the other two drives when it comes to
reading speed, but this was more or less expected since the other two drives
support higher reading speeds
than
the ND-6500A. On the other hand, for a 24X reader, the NEC model performed
rather well.
- DVD Format
All three drives can read DVD media discs at 8X. The ND-6500A
was the slowest of all and with a significant speed difference. In fact, the
ND-6500A is the slowest reader at 8X among all drives that have this as
their maximum read speed. On the other hand, as stated in the first page of
this review,
speed
should not be a deciding factor for a drive like this, since it is intended
more for professional use where reliability should be the key issue.
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 ND-6500A's reading performance was again not the best with this disc
type also.
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 on 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. Again, similar behaviour as before. The NEC burner was the slowest of all three burners.
The ND-6500A can read DVD ±R/±RW media up to 8X. It reported
very good reading performace with +R and -R media, but with -RW and +RW media,
it was again slower than the other two drives.
As you can probably see in the graph above, reading speed is not a strong
point of the NEC ND-6500A.
Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs
3. CD Error Correction Tests
NEC ND-6500A -
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:
1456413
|
Errors
(Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 173349 |
Avg:
-80.3 dB(A) |
Max:
-18.6 dB(A) |
Error
Muting Samples
|
Num: 5992 |
Avg:
1.2 Samples |
Max: 18 Samples |
Skips
Samples
|
Num: 34 |
Avg:
6.0 Samples |
Max:
6 Samples |
Total Test Result |
64.1 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
98.5 % |
The drive did not perform well with this test disc, giving high loudness
level (-18.6dB) as well as a high overall error total. The Total Test Result
score of 64.1 is also somewhat disappointing.
- ABEX TCD-726
Errors total
|
Num:
8435
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 12256 |
Avg:
-85.3 dB(A) |
Max: -11.4 dB(A) |
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 322 |
Avg:
4.2 Samples |
Max:
18 Samples |
Skips Samples
|
Num: 2 |
Avg:
6.0 Samples |
Max: 6 Samples |
Total Test Result |
73.4 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
94.7 % |
Usually, most DVD burners can read more easily the Abex TCD-726 test disc,
but again, the NEC ND-6500A had problems reading this disc. The drive managed
to compile a score of 73.4, which is rather low.
- 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 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
|
2/5
|
0/5
|
0/5
|
Again, the NEC ND-6500A did not perform well with this test disc. Although
the fifth track is not easily read by most burners, we expected to read at
least track 3 without problems. However, the NEC burner passed only the first
two out of
the five check levels for this test.
- Summary
Unfortunately, CD error correction with the ND-6500A is below average.
Since this NEC model is used as a notebook internal drive, it is meant to be
used
as a reader as well. We expected to see better performance from a drive of
this kind.
4. DVD Error Correction Tests
NEC ND-6500A -
Page 4
DVD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the NEC
ND-6500A 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 ND-6500A managed to complete this operation without errors.
It did not even need to lower its speed to read over the scratched area. Very
good performance.
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 from 65 to 75 micrometers.
Again, the clean, straight line indicates very good DVD error correction
capabilities, since no errors were reported throughout the reading process.
- 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.
.
The NEC drive read the scratched media without problems, as if there
were no scratches at all.
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.
Once more, excellent performance from NEC at this point.
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 on 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 ND-6500A read this test disc as if there were no scrathes on it. Usually, NEC based drives lowered their speed after the layer break-point, but in this case, there were no speed drops reported. It started to read at a speed of 1.90X, reached a highest
reading speed of 4.56X at the end of the first layer, and reported an average
speed of 3.42X.
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 has also 65 - 75 micro meter fingerprints.
Not even this disc was a problem for the ND-6500A model.
- Summary
Although CD error correction was not a strong point of the ND-6500A, it seems
to perform extremely well with defective/scratched DVD media. High DVD
error correction capabilities from NEC.
5. Protected Disc Tests
NEC ND-6500A - 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 |
01:04 min |
1340 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
32:53 min |
166 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
3:11 min |
1864 sectors/sec |
The NEC-ND-6500A was almost as fast as the LaCie drive with PSX games. However,
the LiteON drive was the slowest with PSX games, but the fastest of all three
with SafeDisc protected games. SecuROM protection was not a problem for the
ND-6500A, but it performed slightly slower than the other burners.
- Writing Tests
The NEC ND-6500A supports 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 |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Creative CD5233E |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
NEC ND-6500A |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
The NEC ND-6500A cannot produce working backups with the newest v2.8x, v2.9x
and v3.1x builds. This was more or less expected since all NEC based drives have the same behaviour with these copy protection methods. Partially working backups were produced for SafeDisc v2.51.051 & v2.51.020.
6. DAE Tests
NEC ND-6500A -
Page 6
DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
The ND-6500A supports up to 24X CAV DAE speed. The following results were reported when using Exact Audio Copy.
The NEC ND-6500A was slower with both Pressed CD and CDR media. On the other
hand, all other drives in this comparison matrix support a faster DAE speed,
so this difference in speed was expected.
The NEC ND-6500A drive can report C2 errors, but caching is not supported.
- Advanced DAE Quality
Although very good burners can achieve a perfect quality score of
100, the ND-6500A achieved a score of 95.3, which is good but not perfect.
The ND-6500A
cannot read Leadin data or Leadout data, but it can read CD Text and Subchannel
data. The reported average speed
was
12.16X, and it was once again the slowest in the comparison matrix.
- Ripping 90mins AudioCDs
The ND-6500A reported an average reading speed of 14.06X, starting the
reading process at 9.40X and achieved a maximum speed of 19.55X. 90mins media
was not
a problem for the NEC ND-6500A.
- Ripping 99mins AudioCDs
Unfortunately, the drive cannot read/rip 99mins CDs, reporting wrong time length and giving the following error message.
It should be noted that 99min Audio CDs have been a problem with all
NEC based drives.
7. Protected AudioCDs
NEC ND-6500A -
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 v0.9 beta5.
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, the drive recognized
the 13th track.
The test results are shown in the following table:
|
Key2Audio |
CDS200 |
NEC ND-6500A |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison successful for all tracks |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison not the same for all tracks |
The ND-6500A managed to rip accurately Key2Audio protected discs, and Read&Test CRC comparison was the same for all tracks. On the other hand, the CDS200 protection system could not be 100% accurately copied. Read&Test CRC comparison 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 which create problems 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 v1.05).
|
CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a |
NEC ND-6500A |
Reading performed without any errors. |
- C1C2 Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712SA (8X CLV reading speed)
- BETA/Jitter Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712SA
The ND-6500A managed to produce an error free back-up disc, according to the
C1/C2 graphs.
We then tried to extract all wav files with the Plextor PX-712SA and PlexTool DAE Error Correction 5th Level enabled:
No errors were reported after extracting all files. The drive can backup the
disc 100% accurately.
8. CD Recording Tests
NEC ND-6500A - Page 8
CD Recording Tests
- CD-R Format
The NEC ND-6500A supports up to 24X CAV writing. It also uses the JustLink
buffer underrun protection technology.
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive clocked in an average speed
of 19.52X.
The test started at 11.44X and finished at 25.81X.
- 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 depicting all recording times with
various media.
Not all media could be recorded at the maximum 24X writing speed. Waitec
52X media could only be recorded at 16X. Best performance was reported with
Maxell
48X and MMore 52X media, returning a time of 5:01 minutes.
Good performance at this speed.
- Other features
The NEC ND-6500A supports overburning up to 90mins at full speed and can
both read and write CD-Text.
Unfortunately, the drive cannot overburn more that 90mins, giving the following error message.
- CD-RW Format
The ND-6500A supports up to 16X (Z-CLV) rewriting speeds,
with Ultra Speed Rewritable Media
(US-RW). Below you can see the Nero CD-DVD Speed writing simulation test
with blank 24x US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.
- CD-RW Mount Rainier
The NEC ND-6500A does not support the Mount Rainier feature.
9. Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
NEC ND-6500A - Page 9
Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
On this page we present the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs when
using various media burned at 16X and 24X writing speeds.
- 3T Pit results
Most media performed very well with the ND-6500A, reporting 3T Pit Jitter
values lower than the Red Book limit (35nsec). However, some media reported
higher 3T Pit Jitter values, such as Traxdata media that gave a maximum
value of 40nsec. Generally, the ND-6500A showed very good performance with
these
media.
- 3T Land results
Again, average Land Jitter values were lower than the Red Book limit, but
with certain media, Land values reached a maximum of 42nsec. However, this
was an exception, and the drive performed very well with almost all media tested.
It should be noted though, that the drive can only burn at 24X maximum writing
speed, so such good performance was expected since, the lower the
writing speed, the better the quality results.
10. Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
NEC ND-6500A - 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
v2.18, and in particular the built-in Q-Check utility. The reader
was the Plextor PX-712SA (firmware v1.05).
BenQ 80min 52X @ 24X
Creation 80min 48X @ 24X
MAXELL 80min 48X @ 24X
MMore 80min 52X @ 24X
Traxdata 80min 52X @ 24X
TY 80min 48X @ 24X
Verbatim 80min 52X @ 24X
Verbatim 80min 52X @ 16X
- Summary
Most media reported very good results, marking the ND-6500A as a
good quality CD writer. On the other hand, Maxell and Verbatim media reported
C2
errors, but this behaviour does not apply to all media.
- Appendix
11. DVD Recording Tests
NEC ND-6500A - Page 11
DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
The NEC ND-6500A can burn DVD+R and DVD-R media at a maximum speed of 8X, and can Re-Write DVD+RW and DVD-RW media at 4X. Ahead's Nero Burning Rom reported speeds are shown
below.
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see the 8X
ZCLV recording strategy being used by the recorder for
-R and +R media.
- Burning Tests
The ND-6500A uses a rather strange DVD-R writing strategy, with the final
Z-CLV "step" achieved towards the end of the writing process.
This final "step" is not at 8X but at 5.44X. This means that
the burner is writing at 4.5X most of the time, and changes to 5.44X near the
end
of the disc. With this writing strategy, the burner needs more time than other
8X burners to complete a successful burn, which is why the reported burning
times are more than 13 minutes. On the other hand, it
should be noted that
burning quality is the prime consideration with such a burner
and not burning speed. Best performance came with TDK DVD-R media (13:35mins).
Again, burning times were slower than with other 8X burners. This happens
because the burner cannot in reality use 8X writing speed. The maximum
speed allowed with all the media we tested was 6.22X. Best results came with
Taiyo
Yuden 8X media (10:34mins).
- DVD Overburning Tests
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed, we tested if the NEC ND-6500A can overburn using DVD+R
and DVD-R media. The drive does not support overburning, giving the following
errors
with all inserted media.
- DVD+MRW Tests
The NEC ND-6500A does not support the Mount
Rainier feature.
12. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
NEC ND-6500A - Page 12
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used
the
latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed,
BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing
dropoffs.
Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T,
such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
8X DVD-R Writing Speed
- Summary
Very good performance by NEC. Best quality was achieved with Verbatim media.
Red peaks are not PO failures but PO correctable errors. All media could be
read successfully by our LiteOn reader.
13. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
NEC ND-6500A - Page 13
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest
Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST
mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities
of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer
area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
6X DVD-R Writing Speed
- CMC Magnetics 8X DVD-R @ 6X
- Summary
Again, the NEC burner reported very good quality results with all media burned at 6X. Best performance was achieved with CMC Magnetics 8X media.
14. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3
NEC ND-6500A - Page 14
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest
Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST
mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities
of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer
area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
4X DVD-R Writing Speed
- Summary
Low PI error values and good quality scans are becoming a key feature
of the ND-6500A. On the other hand, a small exception is the Optodisc DVD-R
4X
media
that could not be scanned with the Plextor burner, but could be read with the
LiteOn reader.
15. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4
NEC ND-6500A - Page 15
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest
Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST
mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities
of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer
area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
8X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Summary
DVD+R burned media quality seems to be as good as with DVD-R burned media.
All media tested reported very low PI error values and no PO failures.
16. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5
NEC ND-6500A - Page 16
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest
Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST
mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities
of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer
area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
6X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Summary
Although Waitec (CMC Magnetics) 8X media reported worse results than Verbatim
8X media, PI error values for both were rather low, and all media could be
successfully read by our drives, without generating any errors.
17. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 6
NEC ND-6500A - Page 17
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 6
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest
Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST
mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities
of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer
area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
4X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Summary
Although Infosmart media gave the worst quality scan, there were no PO failures
with any disc, and most media performance was more than satisfactory. The good
news about this drive is that it produces good quality burns with most of the
media,
at
different speeds, although speed is reduced compared with other 8X burners.
18. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 7
NEC ND-6500A - Page 18
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 7
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest
Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST
mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities
of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer
area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
2.4X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Summary
When 8X and 4X writing speed was used, the burner reported very good quality
scans. However, we were expecting to see better results as the writing speed
is further reduced. Of course, this does not mean that results were not acceptable,
but they were worse than all the 4X and 8X scans. It should be noted that except
for Philips media, all other media cannot be clasified as "A" grade.
19. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 8
NEC ND-6500A - Page 19
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 8
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to
16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest
Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the
disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST
mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve,
very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though
a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth
containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities
of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer
area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the
burning quality, but as an indication level.
DVD+RW and DVD-RW Media
- Summary
Writing re-writable media is a key issue for this drive. Since the drive is
geared towards notebook users where data storage and
reliability are a prime consideration, we
were happy to see that all quality scans were rather good with this media type.
20. DVD+R DL - Page 1
NEC ND-6500A - Page 20
DVD+R DL - Page 1
- Writing Tests
We burned some DVD+R DL discs with DVD-Video content. The source disc was "Gladiator
Movie - Special Edition" disc1 with a total size of 6.86GB. First we transferred
the movie to the hard disc with DVD Decrypter as ISO format (single file).
We used Double Layer media provided by Traxdata and Verbatim (MKM). The following
snapshot shows the media code for these Double Layer discs.
We then used the latest version of CopyToDVD with Traxdata Double
Layer media, and specifically the "Movie & Pictures" option,
and then "Write
DVD Video".
The software prompts us to select Video_TS/ISO image folder. We chose the "GLADIATOR.ISO" image
and we selected the NEC ND-6500A burner.
After pressing "OK", the burning procedure started. It should be noted that
we did not change the default booktype setting prior to writing the disc to idenify the default booktype setting for this media type.
The writing process finished after 37:48 minutes, a very
good time for 2.4X double layer writing. The average speed was 2.34X as
reported by the CopyToDVD software.
The second disc we burned was Verbatim Double Layer media. Recording time
was reduced to 37:42 minutes and the average speed reported
was 2.35X:
For comparison reasons, we post DL burning results from other
writers, with the same disc content and same recording software:
Drive |
Time (mins) |
TDK 1616N
|
22:51
|
NEC ND-3500A
|
22:52
|
ASUS DRW-1604P (4X)
|
23:10
|
Pioneer DVR-108A (4X)
|
23:10
|
NEC 2510A |
37:17 |
NEC ND-6500A
|
37:42
|
ASUS DRW-1604P (2.4X)
|
38:08
|
LG GSA-4120B
|
38:12
|
Pioneer DVR-108A (2.4X)
|
|
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD+R DL BookType |
38:33 |
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD-ROM BookType |
38:36 |
SONY DRU-700A |
|
BenQ DW830A
|
39:14
|
BenQ DW1620A
|
40:03
|
BenQ DW1600A DL
|
40:16
|
As you can see, the ND-6500A is not the fastest double layer burner,
but for 2.4X writing speed, it performs very well.
21. DVD+R DL - Page 2