1. Introduction
NEC, the well known burner manufacturer, recently announced their newest model, the NEC ND-3530A. Although there are already many NEC models that can burn DVD+R and DVD-R media at 16x, which is considered the maximum speed that single layer media can achieve, the new ND-3530A has even more to offer. Re-Writing speed is increased to 8x for DVD+RW and 6x for DVD-RW media. The drive supports both -R DL and +R DL media at 4x and 6x burning speeds respectively.
- Features
As with any other NEC based burner, WOPC is introduced to further improve burning quality. You can see a simple WOPC
schematic here. The drive can also use overspeed burning for a wide range of media to support higher burning speeds than any disc's given speeds.
- Specifications
Drive |
NEC ND-3530A |
Media |
DVD |
CD |
Transfer Rate Write |
+R |
16x (9 - 22MBytes/sec) |
-R |
48x (3000-7200kBytes/sec) |
+R9 |
6x (8.2MBytes/sec) |
4x (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
2.4x (3.3 MByte/sec) |
+RW |
8x (11 MBytes/sec)
|
-RW |
32x |
-R |
16x ( 9 - 22MBytes/sec) |
-R9 |
4x (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
-RW |
6x (8.2MBytes/sec) |
Transfer Rate Read
|
DVD-R 16x CAV (max 22000 kb/s) |
CD-R 48x CAV (max 4800 kb/s) |
DVD+R 16x CAV (max 22000 kb/s)
|
CD-RW 40x CAV |
DVD+R9 4X CLV (5500 KByte/s) |
Mechanism |
motorized Tray load mechanism for horizontal and vertical use |
Interface |
IDE / ATAPI |
Burst Transfer Rate |
PIO mode 4 / Ultra DMA 33 |
Cache Memory |
2MB |
Audio |
digital-out and line-out at the back (MPC compatible) |
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, multi-session |
Compatibility |
MPC Level 3, MultiRead, PC2001 |
Weight |
1.01 kg |
Dimensions |
148mm x 42mm x 190mm |
Unfortunately, Mount Rainier is not supported and the drive cannot read/write DVD-RAM media. The RPC II region control is used, 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 drive in our labs and as you can see below, the drive is black in colour.
The drive unit uses the same casing that former NEC models did. You can see the eject button, the activity led and the eject hole.
On the rear panel you will find the analogue and digital audio outputs (SPDIF),
the IDE master/slave/cs selector pins, the IDE connector and the power input.
Opening the device case will void the warranty, so we advise against it. Instead, use the photos in this review for a closer look under the hood. Clicking on the image below will reveal a high resolution image.
Bad news for all ND-3500A owners is the fact that the drive uses a new NEC
D6364 chipset series, which is known for its good burning quality capabilities.
- Installation
The drive we received came with firmware version 2.10. Since there was a firmware update available, we updated the drive to firmware version 3.01 with no problem. Below you can see the writing strategies that this latest firmware supports.
The device was connected to our test PC and was identified as "NEC DVD_RW ND-3530A" under WinXP, with firmware version 2.10. Below is a screenshot of Nero Burning Rom's specs for the drive.
In this review, we will compare the new NEC ND-3530A with the Plextor PX-716A and
the Pioneer DVR-109 drives, since all these burners have similar specifications.
You can always post your opinion about this burner by clicking here.
- Testing software
In order to perform our tests, we used:
- Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.70
- CDVD Benchmark v1.21
- Nero Info Tool v3.00
- PlexTools v2.21
- DVDInfoPro v2.63
- Nero Burning Rom v6.6.1.2
- CopyToDVD 3.0.51
2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests
- CD Format
Reading speed for both pressed CDs and CD-Rs is very good, almost reaching the Plextor PX-716A. The Pioneer burner was the slowest.
As with pressed CDs and CD-Rs, so too with Ultra-Speed ReWritable media, the reading speed was good, slightly lower than the Plextor drive.
- DVD Format
All three burners can read single layer media at 16x, so the reading speed of all three drives is very similar. Speed differences are not significant here.
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.
Again, all three drives performed in a similar way, since their reading speed for this type of media is the same.
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. It should be noted that this new NEC model can read this kind of media faster than any former NEC model, reporting almost the same speed as the other two burners.
The ND-3530A shows its teeth with DVD-R/+R and DVD-RW/+RW media. It is the fastest of the three drives here and in this case, the speed difference is significant. The NEC burner reached almost 12x reading speed with write-once discs, while the Plextor PX-716A and the Pioneer DVR-109 burners could only achieve 9x~9.5x average reading speeds.
Most optical storage enthusiasts would already know about the "rip-lock" function that NEC uses with all their burners. This makes the drive very slow when ripping DVD-Video. The Plextor burner dominates the comparison chart with an outstanding 13329kb/sec ripping speed.
-Appendix
Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs
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:
1521355
|
Errors
(Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 160568 |
Avg:
-77.5 dB(A) |
Max:
-16.0 dB(A) |
Error
Muting Samples
|
Num: 6098 |
Avg:
1.5 Samples |
Max: 554 Samples |
Skips
Samples
|
Num: 90 |
Avg:
6.0 Samples |
Max:
6 Samples |
Total Test Result |
71.0 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
97.2 % |
Not the best performance from the ND-3530A. The maximum error loudness level
was -16.0dB, which is high enough, and the total error count is also high at 1,521,355 while there were 90 skipped samples.
- ABEX TCD-726
Errors total
|
Num:
8595
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 6602 |
Avg:
-81.0 dB(A) |
Max: -14.9 dB(A) |
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 158 |
Avg:
10.9 Samples |
Max:
462 Samples |
Skips Samples
|
Num: 1 |
Avg:
6.0 Samples |
Max: 6 Samples |
Total Test Result |
77.5 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
98.3 % |
Although there was only one skipped sample, the total score of 77.5 was low enough to indicate poor CD error correction capabilities. Most drives manage a score close to 100 for this test.
- 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
|
NEC ND-3530A
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
0/5
|
With this test disc, the drive reported good results, managing to read flawlessly 4 out of 5 tracks. We should add that with most NEC based burners, track No4 and up have always posed a problem.
- Summary
Although the drive performed better than other NEC drives, CD error correction capabilities can be further improved with a future firmware update. In any case, this burner is not recommended for scratched CD reading.
4. DVD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the NEC ND-3530A 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.
Some minor speed deviations over the last portion of defective area as well as at the end of the disc, but this test disc was not a problem for the NEC ND-3530A, which managed to read the disc, without producing any errors.
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 read the disc without problems. With both single layered test discs, the ND-3530A reached its maximum 16x reading speed. Very good error correction capabilities with single layered DVD media.
- 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.
In this case, the drive needed to lower its speed over the defective areas to read the disc. The second layer was particularly troublesome, but on the other hand, no read errors were produced.
ABEX TDR-845
The disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc of 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 micro meters.
Very good correction with this disc where drive easily bypassed the defective areas and fingerprints without the need to lower its speed. Very good performance from the NEC drive.
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 scratched area was read without any
errors. This indicate excellent DVD error correction capabilities.
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.
Again, the ND-3530A proved to be a very good reader when it comes to problematic media. Black dots and fingerprints were not a problem.
- Summary
As you can see from all the graphs above, the ND-3530A managed to pass all these demanding tests without problems. However, it is not the fastest reader around but it sure does the job. After all, with these tests, we aim to see DVD error correction capabilities, and not reading speed performance. As many of you may think,: better late than never from NEC.
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 |
00:55 min |
1643 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
32:28 min |
172 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
2:36 min |
2204 sectors/sec |
SafeDisc v2 protected discs was a major headache for the NEC ND-3530A burner, while the PX-716A reported outstanding, high speed reading. On the other hand, SecuROM v2 copy protection will not bother you anymore, and PSX ripping speed was even faster than the Plextor drive. In general, the NEC burner showed very good performance concerning SecuROM and PSX ripping.
- Writing Tests
The NEC ND-3530A 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 |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Creative CD5233E |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
NEC ND-3530A
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Like most NEC based drives, the ND-3530A cannot produce working backups with the newest v2.8x, v2.9x
and v3.1x builds. Partially working backups were produced for SafeDisc v2.51.051 & v2.51.020.
6. DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR Audio CD results
The ND-3530A supports up to 40X CAV DAE speed. The following results were reported when using Exact Audio Copy software.
The Plextor PX-716A supports up to 40X DAE speed, but it seems that it reaches its maximum reading speed earlier than the NEC model. This is why it is the fastest reader in this comparison chart. However, for 40X DAE speed, the NEC performed quite well.
The NEC ND-3530A drive can report C2 errors, but caching is not supported, just like most NEC based drives.
- Advanced DAE Quality
In this test, the Pioneer DVR-109 was the slowest burner, and the ND-3530A almost reached the speed of the PX-716A. The quality score for the NEC was not 100, but again, considering the quality score from other NEC burners, this is a big improvement.
The ND-3530A cannot read Leadin data or
Leadout data, but it can read CD Text and Subchannel data. The reported average
speed
was
29.21X. Although it is not the fastest reader, performance has increased from former NEC burners, such as the ND-3520A and ND-3500A models.
- Ripping 90mins Audio CDs
Although reading speed was reduced near the 67 min mark, the disc was successfully read, reporting 24.77X average reading speed while reaching a maximum speed of 37X.
- Ripping 99mins Audio CDs
With 99min Audio CDs, the burner could not even start the reading
process, 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
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:
NEC ND-3530A |
Key2Audio |
CDS200 |
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 successful for all tracks |
According to the table above, the ND-3530A can rip 100% accurately both CDS200 and Key2Audio protected discs. It should be noted that this is the first NEC based model that can actually copy flawlessly CDS200 discs, since with ND-3520A and ND-3500A, the Read&Test CRC check comparison was not the same for corresponding tracks between the original and backup CDs.
- 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 Audio CD+CD-Text. The burned media was checked for C1/C2 errors and for BETA/Jitter errors with PlexTools software using Plextor PX-716A (firmware v1.05).
NEC ND-3530A |
CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a |
Reading performed without any errors. |
- C1C2 Error rate from PleXWriter PX-716A (8X CLV reading speed)
- BETA/Jitter Error rate from PleXWriter PX-716A
The C1/C2 error graphs show that the ND-3530A managed to produce a 100% error
free disc.
We then tried to extract all wav files with the Plextor PX-716A and PlexTools 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
- CD-R Format
The drive supports 8X, 16X, 24X, 32X, 40X and 48X (CAV) writing speeds.
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive clocked in an average speed
of 36.50X.
- 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.
A quick look at the above graph indicates that not all 48X or 52X certified discs can be recorded at the maximum 48X speed. However, this is a common problem with most high speed burners, such as the new ASUS DRW-1608P. The burner
needed 3:01mins to complete a successfully burn at 48X
and 3:33mins at 32X.
- Other features
Overburning writing |
Up to 90min |
CD text reading/writing |
Yes |
- CD-RW Format
The ND-3530A supports 4X, 10X, 16X (CLV), 24X (Z-CLV) and 32X (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 32x US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.
- CD-RW Mount Rainier
The NEC ND-3530A does not support the Mount Rainier feature.
9. 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 the latest PleXTools Professional
and in particular the built-in Q-Check utility. The reader
was the Plextor PX-716A.
BenQ 80min 52X @ 48X
Intenso 80min 52X @ 32X
MMore 80min 52X @ 48X
Philips 80min 52X @ 48X
SKC 80min 52X @ 32X
Traxdata 80min 52X @ 48X
Verbatim 80min 52X @ 48X
Waitec 80min 52X @ 24X
- Summary
5 out of 8 discs we burned reported C2 errors. This, of course, is not acceptable for a good quality burner. We think that CD writing quality should be further improved by NEC's engineers, with a new firmware release. It is strange that even A-Grade media like Verbatim produced such errors. On the other hand, SKC, Philips and MMore CD media reported very good results.
10. Writing Quality Tests - Clover System Tests
The Clover Systems CDX Compact Disc Analyzer is a high-speed tool to quantitatively measure the quality of a CD. It will analyze CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, CD-R, Photo-CD, Enhanced CD and CD-RW discs at 4X, 8X, 24X, 32X or 40X speed. It effectively measures disc quality by examining the quantity and severity of CIRC errors generated during playback. It also provides the capability to measure signal parameters related to pit geometry, such as asymmetry and reflectivity. Together, all these bits of information provide a thorough analysis of disc quality. The Clover Systems Analyzers can also perform various format-checking tests on data discs, and do bit-for-bit data comparison on all types of CDs. All tests are carried out at the maximum speed of 40X.
CIRC error correction uses two principles to detect and correct errors. The first is redundancy (extra information is added, which gives an extra chance to read the disc), and the second is interleaving (data is distributed over a relatively large physical area). The CIRC error correction used in CD players uses two stages of error correction, the well known C1 and C2, with de-interleaving of the data between the stages.
The error type E11 means one bad symbol was corrected in the C1 stage. E21means two bad symbols were corrected in the C1 stage. E31 means that there were three or more bad symbols at the C1 stage. This block is uncorrectable at the C1 stage, and is passed to the C2 stage. Respectively, E12 means one bad symbol was corrected in the C2 stage and E22 means two bad symbols were corrected in the C2 stage. E32 means that there were three or more bad symbols in one block at the C2 stage, and therefore this error is not correctable.
BLER (Block Error Rate) is defined as the number of data blocks per second that contain detectable errors, at the input of the C1 decoder. Since this is the most general measurement of the quality of a disc, you will find BLER graphs for all media tested below. If you click on the images you can see a more detailed table, indicating error levels. The Red Book specification (IEC 908) calls for a maximum BLER of 220 per second averaged over ten seconds. Discs with higher BLER are likely to produce uncorrectable errors. Al low BLER shows that the system as a whole is performing well, and the pit geometry is good. However, BLER only tells us how many errors were generated per second, and it does not tell us anything about the severity of those errors.
BenQ 80min 52X @ 48X
Intenso 80min 52X @ 32X
MMore 80min 52X @ 48X
Philips 80min 52X @ 48X
SKC 80min 52X @ 32X
Traxdata 80min 52X @ 48X
Verbatim 80min 52X @ 48X
Waitec 80min 52X @ 24X
- Summary
The tests we ran with the Clover System's equipment verify the results of the Plextools tests, since the CDx equipment is considered to be more professional and reliable. Most discs came up with uncorrectable errors, indicating a poor quality burner for CD media. As previously stated, we hope to see these problems corrected in a future firmware release.
11. DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
There are no big surprises with the DVD-R and DVD+R writing speeds, since from old (ND-3500A), NEC was the first to support 16x CAV writing speed, and since then, all NEC models have supported this speed. You can see the full range of supported speeds on
the first page of this review. Nero Burning Rom's reported speeds are shown
below.
By using Nero CD-DVD Speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see
the 16X CAV recording technology in action for -R
and +R media. You can clearly see that WOPC is activated.
The ND-3530A supports 8x DVD+RW writing speed, while DVD-RW media can be burned at 6X. Below, you can see the writing speed graph, as reported by Nero CD-DVD Speed.
- Burning Tests
Full Media Support list will be discussed later on in this review.
By using overspeed burning technology, the ND-3530A managed to burn a wide range of media at higher speeds than the disc's certified speed. However, it took almost 9:40 minutes to burn a disc at 8x while there are other burners available on the market that can achieve much faster writing times at this speed. Another drawback is that Traxdata 16x certified media can only be recorded at 12x. Best times came with TDK 8x media (recorded at 16x).
With -RW 6X media, it took 10:27mins to complete a successful burn, a rather good time compared to other burners that can write such media at 6x.
Again, using the overspeed burning feature, the burner can burn at higher
speeds than the media indicated speed although CMC Magnetics 16x media could only be recorded at 12x. Best times came with Verbatim 16x media. What most users might not know is that there are two different Ricoh 8x media on the market (ID: RICOHJPN R02 Rev 3 & 4). Although both of them were burned at the same speed (12x), it is interesting to see the writing quality for both revisions.
Writing times reported with 8x DVD+RW media were even better than Write-Once 8x media. It took only 7:26mins to perform recording. Very good performance by NEC in this case.
- Comparison with other drives
All three drives can burn DVD-R and DVD+R media at 16x, but as you can see, the Plextor burner was slightly slower in both cases.
Comparing these three drives against DVD+RW media writing times, the NEC burner is the fastest of all, actually achieving 8x writing speed. The Plextor burner, again, was the slowest. However, it should be noted that this performance for the Plextor drive is obtained with the firmware that CDRinfo used when the Plextor review was posted. It was the latest firmware available for the PX-716A at the time of that review.
- DVD Overburning Tests
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed, we tested if the NEC ND-3530A can overburn using DVD+R
and DVD-R media. Unfortunately, the drive does not support overburning.
- DVD+MRW Tests
The NEC ND-3530A does not support the Mount
Rainier feature.
12. Media Support list - -R/-RW/-R9 (DL) media
You can see a comprehensive
list of media supported by this recorder in the following tables (these tables
apply for firmware version 3.01).
ND-3530A Support media (DVD-R Single Layer)
|
1FUJIFILM |
2x4x |
2FUJIFILM |
2x4x |
3FUJIFILM |
2x4x |
4FUJIFILM |
2x4x |
4MSYS202C1 |
2x4x |
5FUJIFILM |
2x4x |
???????????? |
2x |
???????????? |
2x |
???????????? |
4x |
AML |
2x4x |
AN31 |
2x4x |
AN32 |
2x4x |
AN33 |
2x4x |
AN34 |
2x4x |
AN35 |
2x4x |
AUVISTARM01 |
2x4x |
Auvistar |
2x4x |
BeAllG00001 |
2x |
BeAllG00002 |
2x |
BeAllG00003 |
2x |
BeAllG00004 |
2x |
BeAllG00005 |
2x |
BeAllG16001 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
BeAllG40001 |
2x4x |
BeAllG40002 |
2x4x |
BeAllG40003 |
2x4x |
BeAllG40004 |
2x4x |
BeAllG40005 |
2x4x |
BeAllG80001 |
2x4x6x8x |
CMCMAG |
2x |
CMCMAGAE1 |
2x4x6x8x |
CMCMAGAE2 |
2x4x6x8x |
CMCMAGAE3 |
2x4x6x8x |
CMCMAGAE4 |
2x4x6x8x |
CMCMAGAE5 |
2x4x6x8x |
CMCMAGAF1 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF2 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF3 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF4 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF5 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAM1 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
CMCMAGAM2 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
CMCMAGAM3 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
CMCMAGAM4 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
CMCMAGAM5 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
CMCMAGCO |
2x |
CMCMAGAF01 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF02 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF03 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF04 |
2x4x |
CMCMAGAF05 |
2x4x |
CMC00RG200 |
2x |
CMC00RG201 |
2x |
CMC00RG202 |
2x |
CMC00RG300 |
2x |
CMC00RG301 |
2x |
CMC00RG302 |
2x |
DATATRACK |
2x |
DATATRACK |
2x4x |
DAXON4x |
2x4x |
DAXON004 |
2x4x |
DAXON008 |
2x4x6x8x |
DAXON008S |
2x4x6x8x |
DAXON016 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
DAXON016S |
2x4x6x8x12x |
DDDDVDR |
2x |
DKMZ01 |
2x4x6x8x |
DKMZ01 |
2x4x6x8x |
DKM_01 |
2x4x |
Dvsn |
4x |
DvsnA001 |
2x4x |
Dvsn-80 |
2x4x6x8x |
EDM1 |
2x4x |
EDM_02 |
2x4x6x8x |
ENGAGE1 |
2x4x6x8x |
FORNEX101 |
2x4x |
FUJIFILM02 |
2x4x6x |
FUJIFILM02 |
2x4x6x |
FUJIFILM03 |
2x4x6x8x |
FUJIFILM04 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
FUJIFILM05 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
FUJIFILM06 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
FUJIFILM07 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
GSC001 |
2x4x |
GSC001 |
2x |
GSC001 |
2x4x |
GSC002 |
2x4x |
GSC002 |
2x |
GSC002 |
2x4x |
GSC003 |
2x4x |
GSC003 |
2x |
GSC003 |
2x4x6x8x |
GSC004 |
2x4x |
GSC004 |
2x |
GSC004 |
2x4x6x8x |
GSC005 |
2x4x |
GSC005 |
2x |
GSC005 |
2x4x6x8x |
IMCJPNR01 |
2x4x6x8x |
INFODISC-R01 |
2x4x |
INFODISC-R20 |
2x4x6x8x |
INFOMEDIAR20 |
2x4x6x8x |
INFOSMART01 |
2x4x |
INFOSMART02 |
2x4x |
INFOSMART03 |
2x4x |
INFOSMART04 |
2x4x |
INFOSMART05 |
2x4x |
INTERSOMPGPS |
2x4x |
ISSM1 |
2x4x |
ISSMR02 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
KDTVVV |
2x4x6x8x |
KIC00RG200 |
2x |
KIC01RG080 |
2x4x6x8x |
KIC01RG20 |
2x4x |
KIC01RG21 |
2x4x |
KIC01RG22 |
2x4x |
KIC02RG20 |
2x4x |
KIC03RG20 |
2x4x |
LD |
2x |
LD01 |
2x |
LD02 |
2x |
LD03 |
2x |
LEADDATA |
2x |
LEADDATAS03 |
2x4x6x8x |
LEADDATAS04 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
LEADDATA01 |
2x4x |
LEADDATA02 |
2x4x |
LEADDATA03 |
2x4x |
LEADDATA04 |
2x4x |
LEADDATA05 |
2x4x |
LGE |
2x |
LGE04 |
2x |
LGE05 |
2x |
LGE06 |
2x |
LGE07 |
2x |
LGE08 |
2x4x6x8x |
LONGTEN1 |
2x4x |
LONGTEN2 |
2x4x |
LONGTEN3 |
2x4x6x8x |
LONGTEN4 |
2x4x6x8x |
LONGTEN5 |
2x4x6x8x |
LONGTEN9 |
2x4x |
LeadData |
2x |
MAM4XG01 |
2x4x |
MAM4XG02 |
2x4x |
MAM4XG03 |
2x4x |
MAM4XG04 |
2x4x |
MAM4XG05 |
2x4x |
MAM8XG01 |
2x4x6x8x |
MAM8XG02 |
2x4x6x8x |
MAM8XG03 |
2x4x6x8x |
MAM8XG04 |
2x4x6x8x |
MAM8XG05 |
2x4x6x8x |
MBI |
2x |
MBI01RG20 |
2x4x |
MBI01RG21 |
2x4x |
MBI01RG22 |
2x4x |
MBI01RG40 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MBI02RG20 |
2x4x |
MBI03RG20 |
2x4x |
MBI03RG40 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MBI03RG30 |
2x4x6x8x |
MCC00RG200 |
2x |
MCC01RG20 |
2x4x6x8x |
MCC02RG20 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
MCC03RG20 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MCC04RG20 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MCC05RG20 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MCC06RG20 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MCI4XG01 |
2x |
MCI4XG02 |
2x |
MCI4XG03 |
2x |
MCIG01 |
2x |
MCIG02 |
2x |
MCIG03 |
2x |
MEI00V001 |
2x |
MEI00V002 |
2x4x |
MEI00V003 |
2x4x |
MEI00V004 |
2x4x |
MJCME |
2x4x6x8x |
MUST1 |
2x4x |
MUST2 |
2x4x |
MUST3 |
2x4x6x8x |
MUST4 |
2x4x6x8x |
MUST5 |
2x4x6x8x |
MUST6 |
2x4x6x8x |
MUST7 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MUST8 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MUST9 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MXLRG01 |
2x |
MXLRG02 |
2x4x |
MXLRG02 |
2x |
MXLRG03 |
2x |
MXLRG03 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MXLRG04 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MXLRG05 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MXLRG06 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
MXLRG07 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
NANYAA01 |
2x4x6x8x |
NANYA-JC001 |
2x4x |
NANYA-JC002 |
2x4x |
NANYA-JC003 |
2x4x |
NANYA-JC004 |
2x4x |
NANYA-JC005 |
2x4x |
NSDR40 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
OCTOPLUS |
2x4x |
OMP4KG001 |
2x4x |
OMP4KG002 |
2x4x |
OMP4KG003 |
2x4x |
OMP4KG004 |
2x4x |
OMP4KG005 |
2x4x |
ONIDTECH |
2x4x |
OPTODISC |
2x |
OPTODISCK001 |
2x |
OPTODISCK001 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCK002 |
2x |
OPTODISCK002 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCK003 |
2x |
OPTODISCK003 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCK004 |
2x |
OPTODISCK004 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCK005 |
2x |
OPTODISCK005 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCR004 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCR005 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCR006 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCR007 |
2x4x |
OPTODISCR008 |
2x4x6x8x |
OPTODISCR016 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
POMS3A |
2x4x6x8x |
POSG04 |
2x4x |
POSG05 |
2x4x |
POSG06 |
2x4x6x8x |
POSG07 |
2x4x6x8x |
POSG08 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
POSG09 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
PRINCO |
2x |
PRINCO |
2x |
PRINCO |
2x |
PRINCO |
2x |
PRINCO |
2x |
PRINCO |
2x |
PRINCO |
2x4x |
PRINCO8X01 |
2x4x6x8x |
PRINCO8X02 |
2x4x6x8x |
PRODISCG02 |
2x |
PRODISCG03 |
2x |
PRODISCG04 |
2x |
PVC001001 |
2x4x |
PVC001002 |
2x4x |
PVC001003 |
2x4x |
PVCR001002 |
2x4x6x8x |
PVCR001003 |
2x4x6x8x |
PVCR001004 |
2x4x6x8x |
PVCR002001 |
2x4x6x8x |
PVCR002002 |
2x4x6x8x |
PlasmonLV3 |
2x4x |
PlasmonLV4 |
2x4x |
PlasmonLV5 |
2x4x |
PlasmonLV6 |
2x4x |
PlasmonLV7 |
2x4x |
Plasmon-Gen |
2x |
Plasmon1A |
2x4x6x8x |
ProdiscF01 |
2x4x6x8x |
ProdiscF02 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscF03 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscF04 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscF05 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscS03 |
2x4x |
ProdiscS04 |
2x4x6x8x |
ProdiscS05 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscS06 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscS07 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscS08 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ProdiscS09 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
RITEKF1 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
RITEKF2 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
RITEKF3 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
RITEKF4 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
RITEKF5 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
RITEKG01 |
2x |
RITEKG02 |
2x |
RITEKG03 |
2x |
RITEKG04 |
2x4x |
RITEKG0401 |
2x4x |
RITEKG05 |
2x4x6x8x |
RITEKG06 |
2x4x6x8x |
RITEKG07 |
2x4x6x8x |
RITEKG08 |
2x4x6x8x |
RITEKG09 |
2x4x6x8x |
RITEKM02 |
2x4x |
RITEKM03 |
2x4x |
RITEKM04 |
2x4x |
RITEKM05 |
2x4x |
RITEKM06 |
2x4x |
SKCCo,Ltd |
2x4x |
SKCM801 |
2x4x6x8x |
SONY |
2x |
SONY04D1 |
2x4x |
SONY04D2 |
2x4x |
SONY04D3 |
2x4x |
SONY04D4 |
2x4x |
SONY04D5 |
2x4x |
SONY08D1 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
SONY08D2 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
SONY08D3 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
SONY08D4 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
SONY08D5 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
SONY16D1 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TAIYOYUDEN |
2x |
TAROKO-MX4 |
2x4x |
TDKG010000d9 |
2x |
TDKG02000000 |
2x |
TDKG03000000 |
2x |
TDKG04000000 |
2x |
TMI0012003 |
2x4x |
TTG01 |
2x4x6x8x |
TTG02 |
2x4x6x8x |
TTG03 |
2x4x6x8x |
TTG04 |
2x4x6x8x |
TTG05 |
2x4x6x8x |
TTG06 |
2x4x6x8x |
TTH01 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TTH02 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TTH03 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TTH04 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TTH05 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TTH06 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TYG01 |
2x4x6x8x |
TYG02 |
2x4x6x8x12x |
TYG03 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TYG04 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TYG05 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
TYG06 |
2x4x6x8x13x16x |
ULTRAN102 |
2x4x6x8x |
UME01 |
2x4x6x8x |
UTJG01001 |
2x |
UTJG01002 |
2x |
UTJG01003 |
2x |
UTJG02001 |
2x |
UTJG02002 |
2x |
UTJG03001 |
2x |
UTJG03002 |
2x |
UTJR001001 |
2x4x |
UTJR001002 |
2x4x |
UTJR001003 |
2x4x |
UTJR002001 |
2x4x |
UTJR002002 |
2x4x |
UTJR003001 |
2x4x |
UTJR003002 |
2x4x |
VANGUARD |
2x4x |
VANGUARD01 |
2x4x6x8x |
VDSPMSAB1 |
4x |
VDSPMSAB2 |
2x4x6x8x |
VDSPMSAB3 |
2x4x6x8x |
VDSPMSAB4 |
2x4x6x8x |
VDSPMSAB5 |
2x4x6x8x |
VIVASTAR |
2x |
WFIA40001 |
2x4x |
WINGSHING04 |
2x4x |
YiJhan1 |
2x4x |
YiJhan2 |
2x4x |
YiJhan3 |
2x4x |
YiJhan4 |
2x4x |
YiJhan5 |
2x4x |
ND-3530A Support media (DVD-RW Single Layer) |
0 |
1x |
0 |
1x |
0 |
2x |
0 |
2x |
CMCW02 |
1x2x |
CMCW03 |
2x4x |
CMCW04 |
2x |
DAXON_RW2X01 |
1x2x |
INFOMEDIA |
1x2x |
JVC/VictorT7 |
1x |
JVC0VictorD7 |
2x4x |
JVC1Victord7 |
2x4x6x |
JVC_VictorW7 |
1x2x |
MCC00RW11N9 |
1x |
MCC01RW11n9 |
1x2x |
MCC01RW4X |
2x4x |
MKM01RW6X01 |
2x4x6x |
OPTODISCK001 |
1x |
OPTODISCK001 |
1x2x |
OPTODISCW002 |
1x2x |
OPTODISCW004 |
2x4x |
PRINCO |
1x |
PRINCO |
1x |
PRINCORW0004 |
2x4x |
PRINCORW2X01 |
1x2x |
PVCW000001Q9 |
1x |
PVCW000002A9 |
1x |
PVCW00D002K9 |
1x2x |
PVCW00V00245 |
1x2x |
ProdiscDW04 |
1x2x |
ProdiscDW06 |
2x4x |
ProdiscDVDRW |
1x |
RITEKV11 |
1x |
RITEK000V11A |
1x |
RITEK004V11 |
1x |
RITEK005V11 |
1x |
RITEKW01 |
1x2x |
RITEKW04 |
2x4x |
RITEKW06 |
2x4x6x |
SKCCo,Ltd |
1x |
SONY000000U9 |
1x |
TDK401saku=3 |
1x |
TDK501saku |
1x |
TDK502sakuM3 |
1x2x |
TDK601saku |
2x4x |
TDK701saku |
2x |
ND-3530A Support media (DVD-R Double Layer) |
MCC02RG20 |
2x4x |
MKM01RD30 |
2x4x |
13. Media Support list - +R/+RW/+R9 (DL) media
You can see a comprehensive list of media supported by this recorder in the following tables (these tables apply for firmware version 3.01).
ND-3530A Support media (DVD+R Single Layer) |
0 |
2.4x |
AML1 |
2.4x4x |
AML1 |
2.4x4x |
AML2 |
4x |
AML2 |
4x |
BEALLP0001 |
2.4x |
BeAll000P40 |
4x |
BeAll000P40 |
4x |
BeAll000P80 |
2.4x4x |
BeAll000P80 |
2.4x4x |
CMCMAGE01 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
CMCMAGE01 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
CMCMAGF01 |
2.4x4x |
CMCMAGM01 |
4x6x8x12x |
CMCMAGR01 |
2.4x |
CMCMagR01 |
2.4x |
DATATRAK001 |
2.4x |
DAXONAZ0 |
2.4x |
DAXONAZ0 |
2.4x |
DAXONAZ1 |
2.4x4x |
DAXONAZ2 |
2.4x4x |
DAXONAZ2 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x |
DDDessauV10 |
2.4x |
DDDessauV20 |
2.4x4x |
DDDessauV30 |
4x6x8x |
DKP0 |
4x6x8x |
DT-D022 |
2.4x4x |
DT-D022 |
2.4x4x |
DT-D034 |
4x6x8x |
EMDP0 |
4x |
GSC503H01 |
4x |
GSC503H01 |
4x |
IMCJPNR01 |
4x6x8x |
INFODISCR10 |
2.4x4x |
INFODISCR10 |
2.4x4x |
INFODISCR20 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
INFOMER20 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
INFOMER30 |
4x6x8x13x16x |
IS011 |
4x |
IS011 |
4x |
ISSM1 |
4x6x8x |
LD1 |
2.4x |
LDA02 |
4x |
LDS03 |
4x6x8x |
LONGTEN2 |
4x |
LONGTEN2 |
4x |
MAMM02 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
MAM4XG01001 |
2.4x4x |
MAXELL1 |
2.4x4x |
MAXELL2 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
MAXELL2 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
MAXELL3 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
MBIPG101R03 |
2.4x4x |
MBIPG101R04 |
4x6x8x |
MBIPG101R05 |
4x6x8x13x16x |
MCC1 |
2.4x |
MCC2 |
2.4x4x |
MCC3 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
MCC4 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
MCC4 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
MPOMEDIA001 |
2.4x |
MPOMEDIA040 |
2.4x4x |
MPOMEDIA040 |
2.4x4x |
MPOMEDIA080 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
MUST2 |
4x |
MUST2 |
4x |
MUST2 |
4x |
MUST2 |
4x |
NANYACHX |
4x |
NANYACHX |
4x |
NANYACL1 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
NANYACLX |
2.4x4x6x8x |
NANYACLX |
2.4x4x6x8x |
NANYADR |
2.4x4x |
NANYADR |
2.4x4x |
NANYARJB |
2.4x4x |
NANYARJB |
2.4x4x |
OPTODISCF16 |
4x6x8x13x16x |
OPTODISCOP1 |
2.4x |
OPTODISCOP2 |
2.4x |
OPTODISCOR4 |
4x |
OPTODISCOR8 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
OPTODISCR16 |
4x6x8x13x16x |
PHILIPSC08 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
PHILIPSC16 |
4x6x8x13x16x |
POMSC001002 |
2.4x4x |
POSR01 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
PRODISCR01 |
2.4x |
PRODISCR01 |
2.4x |
PRODISCR02 |
2.4x4x |
PRODISCR03 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x |
PRODISCR03 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x |
PRODISCR03 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x |
PRODISCR03 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x |
PRODISCR04 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
Philips81 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
Philips81 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
Plasmon1C01 |
4x6x8x |
RICOHJPNR00 |
2.4x |
RICOHJPNR00 |
2.4x |
RICOHJPNR00 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
RICOHJPNR01 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
RICOHJPNR02 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x |
RICOHJPNR02 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x |
RICOHJPNR03 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
RITEKM02 |
4x |
RITEKM02 |
4x |
RITEKR01 |
2.4x |
RITEKR02 |
2.4x4x |
RITEKR03 |
2.4x4x |
RITEKR03 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
RITEKR03 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
RITEKR04 |
4x6x8x13x16x |
SASTS01 |
2.4x4x |
SKYMEDIAR03 |
4x6x8x |
SONYD01 |
2.4x4x |
SONYD11 |
4x6x8x12x |
SONYD21 |
4x6x8x13x16x |
TDK1 |
2.4x4x6x8x
|
TDK2 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x16x |
TDK2 |
2.4x4x6x8x12x16x |
TDK3 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
ULTRAN202 |
2.4x4x |
VANGUARD001 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
VDSPMSAB001 |
2.4x4x |
VDSPMSAB001 |
2.4x4x |
VDSPMSAB002 |
4x6x8x |
VIVA2 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
WINGSHIN0011 |
4x6x8x |
YUDEN000T00 |
2.4x4x |
YUDEN000T01 |
2.4x4x |
YUDEN000T01 |
2.4x4x6x8x |
YUDEN000T02 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
YUDEN000T02 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
YUDEN000T03 |
2.4x4x6x8x13x16x |
ND-3530A Support media (DVD+RW Single Layer) |
0 |
2.4x |
0 |
2.4x |
0 |
|
CMCMAGW01 |
2.4x |
CMCMAGW01 |
2.4x |
CMCMAGW02 |
2.4x4x |
DAXOND42 |
2.4x4x |
INFODISCA01 |
2.4x |
INFODISCA10 |
2.4x4x |
MBIPG101W03 |
2.4x |
MBIPG101W04 |
2.4x4x |
MCCA01 |
2.4x |
MKMA02 |
2.4x4x |
MKMA03 |
6x8x |
NANYADRW |
2.4x4x |
NANYASCDRW |
2.4x |
OPTODISCOP1 |
2.4x |
OPTODISCOP4 |
2.4x4x |
PHILIPS010 |
2.4x |
PHILIPS041 |
2.4x4x |
PHILIPSRW8 |
|
PRODISCW01 |
2.4x |
PRODISCW02 |
2.4x4x |
PRODISCW03 |
|
RICOHJPNW01 |
2.4x |
RICOHJPNW11 |
2.4x4x |
RICOHJPNW21 |
6x8x |
RITEK001 |
2.4x |
RITEK004 |
2.4x4x |
SENTINELW01 |
2.4x |
SENTINELW02 |
2.4x4x |
SONYS11 |
2.4x4x |
ND-3530A Support media (DVD+R Single Layer) |
0 |
|
CMCMAGD01 |
2.4x |
MKM1 |
2.4x4x6x |
MKM2 |
|
PHILIPSCD2 |
2.4x |
RICOHJPND00 |
2.4x |
RICOHJPNR00 |
2.4x |
RITEKD01 |
2.4x |
14. 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-716A 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.
16X DVD-R Writing Speed
- CMC Magnetics 16 X DVD-R @ 16X
- Summary
All discs reported very good results, except for Maxell 8x media. Of course, this should not concern most users, since that disc is recorded at 16x through the overspeed burning feature. We assume that even Maxell 8x discs would report very good results if burned at the certified speed (8x), or even 12x. Best results came from TDK and Verbatim.
15. 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-716A 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.
12X DVD-R Writing Speed
- Summary
All media burned at 12x was oversped, except for Traxdata 16x media. NEC burners have a bad relationship with Traxdata media and even the ND-3530A model supports 4x writing speed with 2.10 firmware revision. With the latest 3.01 firmware revision, Traxdata 16x media can be recorded at 12x.
In general, quality results are rather good, but worse than in the previous page (16x). This is strange, since it is more reasonable to expect that with reduced burning speed, you would achieve higher quality. We hope to see this improved with new writing strategy modifications included in a future firmware release.
16. 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-716A 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
- CMC Magnetics 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Datawrite (CMC Magnetics) 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Datawrite (Fuji) 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Datawrite (Prodisc) 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Datawrite (TTG02) 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Traxdata (Fuji) 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Summary
Best results came with Datawrite (TTG02) 8X media. However, burning quality was again down compared with the 16x results. The Traxdata media came up with the worst quality, since it reported uncorrectable errors. Once again, the bad interaction between the NEC burner and Traxdata media is verified.
17. 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-716A 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.
16X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Summary
It is not common to see such good results with DVD+R 16x media. All discs reported very low PI/PO error levels, and especially the Maxell 16x discs came up with the best quality scans. Worst results came with Optodisc 16x discs, but again, quality score was more than acceptable. In general, this burner proves to be a very good quality writer at 16x with both DVD-R and DVD+R media formats.
18. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
are using 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-716A 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.
12X DVD+R Writing Speed
- CMC Magnetics 16X DVD+R @ 12X
- Ricoh (Rev. 3) 8X DVD+R @ 12X
- Ricoh (Rev. 4) 8X DVD+R @ 12X
- Summary
All media burned at 12x was read successfully by our LiteON reader, but unfortunately, CMC Magnetics 16x media could only be recorded at 12x. You can see that there are two revisions for RICOH media on the market with the same ID code. With both of these discs, quality scans were similar, but the new revision 4 discs are slightly better. In any case, there were no uncorrectable errors with any media we tested.
19. 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-716A 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
- CMC Magnetics 8X DVD+R @ 8X
- Traxdata (printable) 8X DVD+R @ 8X
- Summary
With the DVD-R media format, burning quality was reduced when writing speed was reduced. We were happy to see that this was not the case with the DVD+R media format. Excellent performance by NEC with almost all the media we tested, except for Traxdata (printable) media. But again, even with these Traxdata discs, burning quality was acceptable.
20. 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.
DVD+RW and DVD-RW Media
- Summary
Some minor problems appeared when we scanned ReWritable media. Burning quality at 8x with DVD+RW media seemed to be great, similar to the burning quality of 6x writings with DVD-RW media. Unfortunately, these media are not easily found on the market and only Verbatim (MKM) and Traxdata (RITEK) actually manufacture discs supporting these speeds. Traxdata 6x DVD-RW media was unreadable with our LiteON reader, but the Plextools scans indicated rather good writing quality. So, we will have to assume that the disc is unreadable because of the drive's limitations and not because of the disc itself. On the other hand, Traxdata 4x DVD+RW media was a headache for the ND-3530A and we had the worst results with these particular media. Once again, bad interaction between Traxdata media with NEC burners.
21. Writing Quality Tests - Almedio AEC-1000
The AEC-1000 consists of a DVD Drive and the "ALChecker" error measurement application which can check the written data quality. The application is capable of 1X CLV measurement as well as 4X CLV on DVD-Video/ROM and finalized DVD+R/-R media.
There are three measurement modes:
- Fine Mode: checks a series of eight consecutive ECC blocks,
- Rough Mode: checks eight consecutive ECC blocks every 100h ECC blocks
- Quick Mode: checks three specified areas
The checking status is shown graphically in real time while you can save the error graph at the end of the test. The reported errors are the PI and the UncPO. In the case of PI, it counts the number of rows corrected by the PI error correction in each group of eight consecutive ECC blocks. In the case of UncPO, it counts the number of ECC blocks in which more than one byte is uncorrectable in eight consecutive ECC blocks. For our quality scans, we set it for 1X CLV and Fine Mode which is the slowest and with the safest results. Also, we chose to measure all the media burned at the maximum available writing speed, namely 16X.
- Summary
Judging from the quality scans above, you might notice some differences between the Plextools scans and the Almedio scans. This points out the need for using professional equipment for scanning, since there are errors that the Plextools suite cannot identify, whereas a more professional and reliable DVD checker shows the true image of the disc's quality.
Ricoh media reported excellent results. It should be reminded that according to the database of VSO software, Ricoh media are considered to be the most reliable media for producing successful burns.
22. DVD+R DL - Page 1
- Writing Tests
We burned some DVD+R DL and 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, CMC Magnetics and Verbatim (MKM). The following
screenshots show the media codes for these Double Layer discs.
According to the supported media list we presented earlier, only Verbatim +R DL media can be burned at 6x, while Verbatim -R DL media can be recorded at 4x.
We then used the latest CopyToDVD, and specifically
the "Movie & Pictures" option, and then "Write DVD Video".
The software prompts us to select the Video_TS/ISO image folder. We chose the "GLADIATOR.ISO" image
and we selected the NEC ND-3530A burner.
After pressing "OK", the burning procedure started without any unexpected
delays. It should be noted that
we did not change the default booktype setting prior to writing the disc to DVD-ROM
booktype, in order to investigate the default booktype setting for this media type.
The writing process was finished after 17:48 minutes when writing at 6x, and 24:22 minutes when writing at 4x. The average speed was 5.04x and 3.57x respectively, as
reported by the CopyToDVD software.
We then repeated the same procedure for all media shown above. The following
table indicates the recording times for double layer media. As you can see,
the Verbatim double layer media was the fastest of all, since it was the only
one that could be burned at 6X.
For comparison reasons, we post DL burning results with other
writers, with the same disc content and same recording software. As you can see, this is not the fastest recorder available, but it is one of the fastest overtaking most recorders on the market.
Drive |
Time (mins) |
NEC 2510A |
37:17 |
BenQ DW1600A DL |
40:16 |
BenQ DW830A |
39:14 |
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD+R DL BookType |
38:33 |
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD-ROM BookType |
38:36 |
SONY DRU-700A |
38:39
|
LG GSA-4120B |
38:12 |
ASUS DRW-1604P (4X) |
23:10 |
ASUS DRW-1604P (2.4X) |
38:08 |
Pioneer DVR-108A (4X) |
23:10 |
Pioneer DVR-108A (2.4X) |
38:23
|
NEC ND-3500A |
22:52 |
TDK 1616N |
22:51 |
NEC ND-3520A |
22:35
|
NEC ND-3530A |
17:48 |
Pioneer DVR-109 |
16:29 |
BenQ DW1620A |
40:03 |
23. DVD+R DL - Page 2
- Writing Quality
In order to test the NEC ND-3530A DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL writing quality, we used
the LiteOn SOHD-167T and the Plextor PX-716A drives.
- CMC Magnetics DVD+R DL @ 2.4X
Unfortunately, the LiteOn SOHD-167T cannot read -R DL media and this is why we can only do a quality scan with the Plextor PX-716A burner.
As you can see, only Verbatim media reported acceptable results for both the -R DL and +R DL media formats. We should note that both Traxdata and CMC Magnetics, which produced high PI error values, were recorded at 2.4x and much better writing quality was expected. According to NEC, writing strategies will be further improved for these media types in the next firmware release.
In the following screenshots, you can see for reference reasons, the
media info reported by DVDInfoPro software for the Double Layer discs we burned.
You can
see that the default booktype setting for +R DL media is set to DVD-ROM.
This ensures maximum compatibility with stand-alone DVD Players.
24. BookType Setting
As always, NEC based burners allow the booktype setting to be changed, but only for double layer media. The default booktype setting for +R media is set to +R, for +RW media to +RW and for +R DL media to DVD-ROM, increasing the compatibility with stand-alone DVD Players.
Below you can see some screenshots from Nero CD/DVD Speed software and DVDInfoPro software. Both can be used to change the default booktype setting of the ND-3530A.
25. Conclusion
Former NEC models are known to be good quality burners, and the new ND-3530A
comes to continue this tradition. It offers all the goodies of the ND-3520A
model, like 16x DVD+R and DVD-R writing speed, while it supports 8x DVD+RW
and 6x DVD-RW writing speed for DVD+RW and DVD-RW media. The new -R DL media
format can be recorded at 4x, while +R DL media format writing speed is increased
to 6x.
The ND-3530A reported very good reading speed, but DVD-Video ripping speed
is reduced because of the Rip-Lock feature that is introduced to ensure safe
reading. DVD error correction capabilities are very good, and only small speed
drops changed the impression of a good safe reader. However, all "defective"
discs we used were read with no problem. DAE speed is increased from all other
NEC
based model, and now reaches 40x with the 3530A. CD error correction could
be further improved. The burner does not support 99mins discs
and it cannot make SafeDisc 2.60+ backups, due to the NEC chipset's limitations.
DVD writing quality was very good, but can be improved, since disc quality
at 16x burning speed seemed higher than 8x and 12x writing speed. On the other
hand, DVD+R DL burning quality should be improved, as the drive produced high
PI error values. The default booktype setting for these media format is set
to DVD-ROM, ensuring maximum compatibility with stand-alone DVD Players.
You can always read other users opinions and share your thoughts on this burner in our forum section.
- The Good
- Can burn DVD+RW media at 8X, and DVD-RW media at 6X
- DVD-R DL support at 4x, and DVD+R DL support at 6x
- Very good DVD error correction capabilities
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Supports audio protected discs
- Good Single Layer DVD writing quality
- Can overburn up to 89min CDs
- Faster copy protected games ripping than former NEC burners
- Fast DAE speed
- The Bad
- Does not support quality scan measurements
- Poor CD error correction
- Slow ripping CSS DVD-Video performance (Rip-Lock feature enabled)
- Mount Rainier is not supported
- Cannot recognize 99min Audio CD's
- Cannot create working backups with SafeDisc protected games over v2.60
- Cannot overburn DVD recordable media
- Can only burn Verbatim double layer media at 6X
- Like To be fixed
- Official firmware release to improve burning quality with ReWritable media and DL media
- Official firmware release to support PI/PIF scanning
- Official firmware release to support higher burning speed for certain DL media
Retail Package |
|
Reading |
|
Error Correction |
|
Protected Discs |
|
Writing |
|
Features |
|