1. The drive at a glance
With the release of the DVR-110D Burner, Pioneer has made another stride in the DVD-REC race. This latest model, the 110D which is to be officially released early this September, is not simply an 8X/6X DVD±RW enabled drive, but it is also an 8X/8X DVD±R DL Burner, offering the highest -R DL writing speed available on the market. Other than that, the Pioneer 110D is a typical 16X/16X ±R drive, also capable of reading DVD-RAM at the maximum speed of 2X.
Along with the release of the DVR-110D, Pioneer will release four other models, two SuperMulti format and two Dual format. These are the DVR-110DBK (Dual), the DVR-110DSV (Dual), the DVR-110 (SuperMulti) and the DVR-110BK (SuperMulti). The first two drives are to be released around the same time as the reviewed drive, while the other two drives are to be released later on this year (late september).
Name |
Type |
Color |
DVR-110DBK |
Dual format (without DVD-RAM write) |
Black front bezel |
DVR-110DSV |
Dual format (without DVD-RAM write) |
Silver front bezel |
| DVR-110 |
SuperMulti format (with DVD-RAM write) |
Beige front bezel |
DVR-110BK |
SuperMulti format (with DVD-RAM write) |
Black front bezel |
Throughout this review, we will see how the Pioneer DVR-110D performs against two other latest releases, the NEC model ND-3540A and the BenQ 1640.
- Features
The DVR-110D features the Precision Recording Technology, which utilizes an auto-adjustable writing technique to enable recording under the best conditions for each disc characteristic at all times. This technology, first introduced in the DVR-A06, enables the DVR-110D to achieve optimal initial writing performance and helps to minimize the normal deterioration of re-recordable discs due to repeated writing. As a result, the quality of repeatedly used DVD-RW discs is up to 10 times better than with previous writers.
- Specifications
| DVD |
DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R DL (Dual Layer), DVD+R DL (Double Layer) DVD+RW |
| CD |
CD-R 700(type 80), 650MB(type 74), CD-RW, Ultraspeed CD-RW, Highspeed CD-RW |
| Read Support |
| DVD |
DVD-ROM (single layer and DL), DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R DL (Dual Layer), DVD+R DL (Double Layer), DVD+RW, DVD-RAM (Non-cartridge DVD-RAM Version 2.0/2.1 only) |
| CD |
CD-ROM(Mode 1), CD-ROM XA Mode 2 (form1, form 2), CD-DA, CD-Extra (CD Plus), Video CD, PhotoCD (single/multi-session), CD-Text, CD-R, CD-RW (High-speed CD-RW, Ultra Speed CD-RW) |
| Write Speed |
| DVD-R |
16x, 12x, 8x, 6x, 4x, 2x, 1x |
| DVD-RW |
6x, 4x, 2x, 1x |
| DVD-R DL |
8x, 6x, 4x, 2x |
| DVD+R |
16x, 12x, 8x, 6x, 4x. 2.4x |
| DVD+RW |
8x, 6x, 4x, 2.4x |
| DVD+R DL |
8x, 6x, 4x, 2.4x |
| 8cm DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW with Adapter |
2x, 1x |
| CD-R |
40x, 32x, 24x, 16x, 10x, 4x |
| CD-RW |
32x, 24x, 20x, 16x, 10x, 4x |
| Read Speed |
| DVD-ROM (single) |
Max 16x CAV |
| DVD-ROM (dual) |
Max 12x CAV |
| DVD-R, DVD+R |
Max 12x CAV |
| DVD-RW,DVD+RW |
Max 8x CAV |
| DVD+DL |
MAX 8x CAV |
| DVD-RAM |
Max 2x CLV |
| DVD-Video (Single Layer) |
5x CAV |
| DVD-Video (Dual Layer) |
5x CAV |
| CD-ROM, CD-R |
Max 40x CAV |
| CD-RW |
Max 32x CAV |
| Video CD |
9.3x CAV |
| Installation |
| Mounting Orientation |
Horizontal and Vertical |
| IDE Interface |
ATAPI PIO Mode 4, Multi word DMA Mode 2 16.6 Mbytes/sec. Ultra DMA mode 4 66.6 MBytes/sec. |
| Data Buffer (size) |
2 MBytes (Write, Read) |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) |
148mm x 42.3mm x 180mm |
- Specific application program(s) that support above format(s) required.
- Supported media required for specific DVD & CD writing speeds.
- To perform DVD writing at 12x or 16x speeds, use Pioneer-designated disc media.
As Pioneer suggests "...To achieve the specified writing and reading performance it is important that the DVR-110 is connected to the IDE port via an 80 way ribbon cable and that the IDE port is at least UDMA 66 or above...". Lets now see the drive's main characteristics as given by NeroInfoTool.
and DVDInfoPro:
- The Drive
We received our beige coloured drive (the DVR-110D), bulk version with no accompanying bundled software. As Pioneer informs.. "If required a Software Installation CD containing Nero 6.6 OEM Suite 3 is available as an optional extra (NOT FREE) and needs to be requested at the time of purchasing the drive. Be sure to request the official Pioneer software CD (refer image opposite) otherwise you may receive a lesser alternative or no software at all.."
The front of the drive is quite simple, no Pioneer logo (much like the Pioneer DVR-109 model released some months ago).
On the rear you can find the analogue audio output, the IDE selection pins, the IDE connector and the power input. As Pioneer suggests, the use of an 80pin IDE ribbon cable is required to get max performance from the DVR-110D drive.
The manufacturing label on the drive, top view.
- Inside view
Now, let us take a look at the interior of the drive, a quick glance
under the hood of this OEM release. Don't open the cover of your drive
as it will void the warranty. One can clearly discern a NEC-based chipset,
also used in the previous model, the DVR-109. The new chip, however,
is the next version of the D63641GM (DVR-109), the D63645GM. Click
on the picture below for a larger, more detailed view of the drive's
board and chipset.
- Installation
The device was connected to our test PC and was identified as "PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-110D" under WinXP.
The drive came with firmware version 1.08 installed and since no further releases have been made, this was the one used for this review.
2. Reading Tests
- CD Format
Using both Pressed and CDR media along with the Nero CD-DVD Speed utility, we got the following values regarding the DVR-110D's transfer rate capabilities.
Just like the DVR-109, the DVR-110 supports 40X max reading speed for the CD format and was slower than the other two drives, both of which support 48X. With USRW media, the max supported speed is 32X for the Pioneer drives while for the other two comparison drives, it is up to 40X. Nevertheless, in all three tests, the Pioneer drive reached its max reading speed.
- DVD Format
We repeated the procedure, this time using Pressed Single and Dual layer DVD media, as well as DVD±R-RW media. The results are presented in the following graphs.
All three drives support up to 16X CAV reading speed with DVD SL media. The BenQ was the fastest but speed differences between the three drives are negligible.
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.
Max supported speed is 12X in this case. The Pioneer drive gave its best and managed to achieve fastest reader, making fast work of the PTP DVD test media.
The above graph shows the reading performance of
the drive with OTP dual layer media. The first layer of an OTP dual layer DVD-ROM
is read exactly the same way as the first layer of the PTP disc we tested previously.
The difference here is the reading strategy of the second layer of the disc.
The beginning of the second layer is located in the outer part of the disc,
so the drive starts reading from the outer tracks towards the inner part of
the disc. Once more, the Pioneer drive was the fastest reader.
Unfortunately, the Pioneer drive is not that fast with both write once and rewritable DVD media.
You may remember that the DVR-109 had the riplock feature, restricting the drive from achieving a fast ripping speed. With the DVR-110D, riplock has been removed, so the fastest ripping speed was achieved. The Pioneer DVR-110D has now taken over from the Plextor 740A as the fastest ripper. Great performance indeed.
- DVD-RAM
The drive can read read DVD-RAM but at only 2X CLV, according to the specs.
For our test, we used a 5X DVD-RAM disc from Maxell burned with the LG GSA-4120B.
The disc was read without any problems at 2X CLV.
-Appendix
Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs
3. CD error correction tests
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.
Unfortunately the DVR-110D could not complete the 721 & 726 CD error correction tests. Results will be updated after a new firmware release.
- 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 (e.g.
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 |
|
Pioneer DVR-110D |
5/5 |
5/5 |
5/5 |
5/5 |
1/5 |
This is certainly an improvement on Pioneer's previous release, the DVR-109 and a great "score" as well. Most drives do not even reach the fifth level. The DVR-110D reached the fifth level and produced only two audible clicks.
4. DVD error correction tests
In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the drive with
scratched / defective DVD media. For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark
and Nero CDSpeed. The reference test media comes from ALMEDIO.
- Single Layer media
ABEX TDR-821
This is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with a 4.7GB capacity, and its surface has an artificial scratch of dimensions varying from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The following transfer rate picture comes from the CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test.
The Pioneer drive managed to complete this error correction test without any problems what so ever. Reading speed climbed all the way up to 16X while no major drops in speed were noted.
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.
With this Single Layer media, the DVR-110 showed near identical performance to the previous error correction test, proving that it is a very good reader.
- 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.
No errors in this case either. Note that the reading speed in this case goes as far up as to 12X (as indicated in the drive's specs), which is the max effective reading speed with Dual Layer media that the 110D can provide.
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.
Excellent performance once more with a speed fluctuations over the fingerprints area on the first layer of the error correction test media, while the test once more reached a reading speed of 12X.
ABEX TDV-541
The TDV-541 is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with a capacity
of 8.5GB.The disc is based upon the TDV-540 series which is designed for inspection
and adjustment of DVD-VIDEO players. The disc checks the layer switch operation
from layer 0 to layer 1 and also includes test pictures and test signals for
DVD sound files.
The current TDV-541 also checks the error correcting capabilities of
the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
An almost smooth graph with a slight drop in speed just after the layer change. Very good performance with test media that presents problems for many drives on the market.
ABEX TDV-545
The TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc with a capacity of 8.5GB.
The TDV-545 includes artificial black dots on the data surface, sized from
0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65 - 75 micrometer fingerprints.
This is a bit of a paradox, since with the 545 test media, the majority of market drives manage to produce a smooth line. Average performance due to the drop in speed.
Overall good error correction mechanism, capable of reading over most defective areas, even though some drops in speed may occur from time to time.
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 |
1:00 min |
1506 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
57:48 min |
97 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
2:39 min |
2162 sectors/sec |
Overall, average to good reading performance with the DVR-110D drive with protected games media. PSX ripping was good as was SecuROM. For SafeDisc ripping, we can not say the same. This is always a tough nut to crack for most drives and the Pioneer is no exception with 97 sectors per sec.
- Writing Tests
The drive supports the DAO-RAW writing mode. For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 5 different game titles with different SafeDisc 2 versions having the latest software patches installed. After making the images of the various titles onto the hard disk, we burned them (at 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 |
Pioneer DVR-110D |
No |
Yes |
The drive can backup accurately, only up to SD v2.51.201.
6. Audio Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
The drive supports up to 40X CAV DAE speed. The following results were reported while using a Pressed Audio CD along with its copy and the Nero CD-DVD Speed utility. The results are given in the graph below.
Confirming the manufacturers specifications, the drive reported an average speed of 30X, with a end speed of 40X. The BenQ drive dominates though, due to its max supported speed of 48X with this media.
- Advanced DAE Quality
The following results came once more from the Nero CD-DVD Speed utility while using the advanced DAE quality test.
Pioneer received a perfect quality score of 100. Unfortunately, the Pioneer
drive can't read Lead-in/out but can read CD Text and Subchannel
data.
- Ripping 90/99mins AudioCDs
The drive has problems reading 90/99min Audio CDs.
As it can be seen from the transfer rate graphs, the drive failed to finish both readings.
7. Audio protection tests
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:
| Audio Discs |
Protection |
| Celine Dion - New Day Has Come |
Sony's Key2Audio |
| Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island |
Cactus Data Shield 200 |
| Aiko Katsukino - The Love Letter |
Cactus Data Shield 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a |
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 drive recognized up to the 13th Audio track of the CDS200 disc and with the "Retrieve Native TOC" option removed, the drive recognized
the 14th track.
The test results are shown in the following table:
| Pioneer DVR-110D |
Key2Audio |
CDS200 |
| Ripping process completed, EAC reports timing problems, Read&Test CRC comparison failed. |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison successful 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 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 v1.08).
| Pioneer DVR-110D |
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 and Betta Jitter test graphs show that the Pioneer DVR-110D managed to produce an error free backup of the original protected media, with some C2 reported.
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 10x CLV (1.50 MB/sec), 16x CLV (2.40 MB/sec), 24x PCAV / Zone CLV (3.60 MB/sec), 32x PCAV / Zone CLV (4.80 MB/sec), 40x CAV (6.00 MB/sec) writing speeds.
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive ended the test after 3:00mins. The test started with a speed of 17.80X and finished at 40X having an average of 30.46X.
- CD-R Writing Strategy
- CD-R Recording Times
We created an 80min data compilation with Nero Burning Rom and recorded
it on a 700MB disc. The writing performance varies according to the inserted
media. Below is a chart demonstrating all recording times with various media.
Fastest burn was accomplished when using TY 52X CD-R media, burned at 40X.
- Other features
The drive can overburn only up to 82mins:
- CD-RW Format
The drive supports both the HS-RW and US-RW formats. With RW media, 4x CLV, 10x CLV, 16x CLV, 20x ZCLV, 24x Z CLV and 32x ZCLV writing speeds are available.
- CD-RW Writing Strategy
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive ended the test after 3:38mins. The test started at 16X and finished at 32X having an average speed of 24.43X.
- CD-RW Mount Rainier
The drive doesn't support the Mount Rainier feature.
9. CD recording quality tests
We measured the C1 / C2 error rate on the recorded discs we burned at the
maximum supported writing speed of 48X. The software we used is PleXTools Professional
v2.24, and more specifically the built-in Q-Check utility. The
reader was the Plextor PX-716A (firmware v1.08).
- Maxell 80min 48X @ 40X
- Philips 80min 52X @ 40X
- Ridisc 80min 52X @ 32X
- Traxdata 80min 52X @ 40X
- TY 80min 52X @ 40X
- Summary
According to Plextools, the CD writing quality is high with all inserted media. In the case of Maxell media, some C2 errors were reported. Excellent writing capabilities from the DVR-110D. Now lets move on to the next page and see what Clover Systems CDX reports with the same burned media.
- Appendix
- Media
Media Label |
Manufacturer Name |
Lead Out TIme |
Maxell 48X |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
Philips 52X |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
| Ridisc 80min 52X |
Ritek Co. |
79:59:70 |
Traxdata 52X |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
TY 80min 48X |
Taiyo Yuden |
79m59s72f |
10. CD quality - Clover Systems tests
This is the first time we include the following tests in a burner review. 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.
- Summary
The CDX Clover Systems scan is very strict with high criteria regarding CD writing quality. Only really good burners manage to achieve a pass mark with most of the burned media. The 40X burning speed with the DVR-110D did the trick in this case and managed to produce three out of five good burns.
- Appendix
Media Label |
Manufacturer Name |
Lead Out TIme |
Maxell 48X |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
Philips 52X |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
| Ridisc 80min 52X |
Ritek Co. |
79:59:70 |
Traxdata 52X |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
TY 80min 48X |
Taiyo Yuden |
79m59s72f |
11. DVD recording tests
- Writing Performance
The Pioneer DVR-110D supports 16X CAV, 12x ZCLV, 8x ZCLV for both DVD±R media. Below is the supported burning speed reported by Nero upon media insertion.
By using Nero CD-DVD Speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see the supported writing strategy for each speed and format for this burner.
- DVD+R media @ 16X
- DVD+R media @ 12X
- DVD+R media @ 8X
- DVD-R media @ 16X
- DVD-R media @ 12X
- DVD-R media @ 8X
- DVD+RW media @ 8X
- DVD-RW media @ 6X
- Burning Tests
We burned 4315MB of data on various DVD±R, DVD±RW media. We used the maximum allowed writing speed for each disc.
Note here that the media lists for both formats will be updated later on with more media, as soon as a firmware release is made available.
- DVD-R/-RW media
As we will see in the next pages, the supported media list is somewhat limited. Only several media are supported at the 16X burning speed (five to be exact) while we have a variety of media that can be oversped. Best burn (fastest) came with the MKM media @ 16X in 6:02mins.
- DVD+R/+RW media
Once more, a limited media list. We burned three out of five media supported in the drive's media list. Again we have a variety of oversped capable media with the DVR-110D drive. Best case here, Verbatim media burned @ 16X in 6:24mins.
- Comparison with other drives
The Pioneer DVR-110D was the fastest with DVD±RW media, though speed differences are marginal. With Write Once media, the DVR-110D managed to achieve good times, although it wasn't the fastest in this comparison test.
- DVD Overburning Tests
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed, we tested to see if the drive can overburn using DVD+R and DVD-R media. Unfortunately, the drive does not support overburning.
- DVD+MRW Tests
The drive doesn't support the Mount Rainier feature.
12. Supported media list
When referring to the media list and when reference is made to a media ID code, this code is only accessible by using software designed to interrogate and display such information from a piece of blank media in the drive. It is possible that not all, particularly low cost media will contain a recognisable media ID. As for the brand information some manufacturers make OEM for various media distribution companies so the actual printed name on the disc or packaging may not be the actual disc manufacturer.
The media list can be updated at any time with later firmware revisions.
The complete media list can be downloaded from here.
- DVD-R 8X
 |
On discs other than the above, 4X writing is possible |
- DVD-R 16X
 |
On discs other than the above, 4X writing is possible |
- DVD-R DL
 |
On discs other than the above, 2X writing is possible |
- DVD-RW
| DVD-RW Ver.1.2 Rev2.0 (4X Format disc) |
| On all discs, 2X, 4X writing is possible |
| DVD-RW Ver.1.2 Rev3.0 (6X Format disc) |
| On all discs, 2X ,4X, 6X writing is possible |
- DVD+R 8X
 |
On discs other than the above, 4X writing is possible |
- DVD+R 16X
|
On discs other than the above, 4X writing is possible |
- DVD+R 2.4X DL
 |
On discs other than the above, 2.4X writing is possible |
- DVD+R 8X DL
- Not available
- DVD+RW
 |
On discs other than the above, 3.3X writing is possible |
The media list also covers CD media compatibility. For further details refer to it using of the link listed at the top of this page.
13. 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
- MKM 16X DVD-R @ 16X
- Maxell 16X DVD-R @ 16X
- Summary
Writing quality with DVD-R 16X media is actually very good, according to the
Plextools graphs where the PI levels are below 60 while some PO were reported.
CD-Speed though does not fully confirm the outcome reported by the Plextools
utility, having some distorted graphs with many drops in speed. Additional
16x recording tests will be performed as soon as the next firmware version
will be released.
14. 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
- Maxell 8X DVD-R @ 12X
- TY 8X DVD-R @ 12X
- Summary
The DVR-110D supports overspeeding with a wide variety of 8X media as we saw in its media list earlier on. At the 12X burning speed, the Pioneer drive performed well with TY media, while with Maxell media the results were not as encouraging.
15. 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,4X DVD-R Writing Speed
- MKM 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Ridisc(Red) 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Traxdata 8X DVD-R @ 8X
- Optodisc 8X DVD-R @ 4X
- Summary
Good writing quality is noted at the 8X burning speed. We used Optodisc media to see the 4X burning quality, and the results were average.
16. 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
- MKM 16X DVD+R @ 16X
- TDK 16X DVD+R @ 16X
- Summary
The writing quality at 16X is average according to the CD-Speed and Plextools scans.
17. 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-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
- Ricoh 16X DVD+R @ 12X
- CMC 8X DVD+R @ 12X
- Maxell 8X DVD+R @ 12X
- MKM 8X DVD+R @ 12X
- TDK 8X DVD+R @ 12X
- TY 8X DVD+R @ 12X
- Summary
Overspeeding with DVD+R 8X media this time and average to good quality according to Plextools and CD-Speed scans.
18. 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-4X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Traxdata 8X DVD+R @ 8X
- Ricoh 8X DVD+R @ 8X
- Optodisc 8X DVD+R @ 4X
- Summary
Not many media were available @ 8X. Once again we burned optodisc media to see how the drive performed at the 4X burning speed. In both cases, 4X and 8X, all burns proved to be of good quality.
19. 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-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.
DVD±RW Writing Speed
- Traxdata 6X DVD-RW @ 6X
- Verbatim 6X DVD-RW @ 6X
- Ricoh 8X DVD+RW @ 8X
- Summary
Only with the Verbatim -RW media did the drive manage to produce a good burn. With +RW media and the Ricoh +RW in specific, results are bad. Average overall outcome.
20. DVD 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 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.
- Maxell
16X DVD-R @ 16X
- Verbatim 16X DVD+R @ 16X
- Verbatim 16X DVD-R @ 16X
- TDK 16X DVD+R @ 16X
Using the Almedio "ALChecker", we got the above results. Two out of four tested media reported bad quality.
21. DVD R DL tests - page 1
The Pioneer DVR-109 was among the first DVD burners that supported 6X DVD±R DL with Verbatim's 2.4X DVD+R DL media. Now, the DVR-110D goes one step further and offers 8X writing support for both DL formats.
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 in ISO format (single file).
We chose the "GLADIATOR.ISO" image file and we selected the Pioneer
burner to start burning.
When we pressed "OK", the burning procedure started:
The DVR-110 finished the burning task after 20:01 mins, not the time we expected to see at 8x burning speed, with Verbatim DVD-R DL 8X media.
Now lets take a look at the writing strategy for both +R and -R DL.
- DVD+R DL
- DVD-R DL
For comparison reasons, we post DL burning results from other writers,
with the same disc content and same recording software. Note that the burning times are achieved with the faster burned media regardless of the format (DVD+R DL or DVD-R DL)
| Drive |
Time (mins) |
| BenQ DW1640 |
14:14 |
| NEC ND-3540A |
15:17 |
| Pioneer DVR-109 |
16:29 |
| NEC ND-3530A |
17:48 |
| Pioneer DVR-110D |
20:01 |
| TDK 1616N |
22:51 |
| LG GSA-4120B |
38:12 |
22. DVD R DL tests - page 2
In order to test the Pioneer's DVR-110 DL writing quality, we used the LiteOn SOHD-167T and the Plextor PX-716A drives, to scan the burned media.
- Verbatim +R DL media @ 8X
We scanned the media used for the writing strategy and we got the above scan. Fairly good graph.
- Verbatim -R DL media @ 8X
Again the Plextools and CD-Speed tests reported good quality burn with -R DL media at 8X burning speed.
- Summary
Average quality burns overall, with slightly higher PO values than we would like to see.
23. Bit setting tests
- Bitsetting Feature.
Much like the DVR-109, the DVR-110D does not support the Bitsetting feature for DVD+R/+RW media. As with the DVR-109, it supports the automatic change of DVD+R DL media to DVD-ROM in order to maximize compatibility with stand alone players.
 |
| notice the booktype change after inserting the burned media.. |
24. Summary
DVD-R DL writing at 8X burning speed is currently the fastest DL writing speed for the -R DL format thanks to the DVR-110D, the latest release from Pioneer. This is the major difference between this drive and its predecessor, the DVR-109. Apart from that, it is a 16X/16X enabled drive and can re-write DVD media at 8X/6X for DVD+RW and DVD-RW respectively.
As discussed earlier, the supported media list for the DVR-110D is quite limited and as soon as a firmware release is made, we will be posting more results in an update to this review regarding the burning capabilities with various media for both formats.
The DVR-110D is not the fastest drive on the market when it comes to reading CD media, due to its 40X max reading speed. With DVD media, the drive supports SL reading speed up to 16X, as do most of the other market drives, while the max supported reading speed for DL media is 12X. Pioneer enthusiasts will be glad to hear that the riplock feature has been removed and higher ripping speeds can now be achieved.
Unfortunately, we could not gauge the CD error correction capabilities of the drive due to what we believe is a firmware issue when it came to the ABEX 721 & 726 test discs. So we had to evaluate the drives CD error correction mechanism only with the CD-Check Audio Test Disc and the results were pretty good, as the drive managed to reach the fifth check level. Last, but not least, the Pioneer DVR-110D can read DVD-RAM media at 2X max speed.
In the protected media backup tests, the DVR-110D did not perform so well. Protected games were an issue here, as the 110D took about an hour with the safedisc backup. The other two games in our list were ripped quickly and successfully with PSX being ripped in 1:00. With protected audio media, the drive failed to successfully rip the Key2Audio protected disc, resulting in an unplayable backup. Both the other protected audio discs were ripped flawlessly while the drive managed to produce an error free backup as the plextools scans reported.
Fast reader? May be, but fast CD writer? No, this is not the case with the DVR-110D. The potential buyer must take a closer look at the available media list prior to burning any CD media and look at the max support speed, that of the 40X. The supported media list for this burner can be found in the DVD Rec page in this review or on the official Pioneer website.
DVD burning quality ranges from average to good, depending on the inserted media. Speed is not an issue for the drive as it manages to write a full SL image in 6:00 mins. On top of that, the DVR-110 can overspeed most of the 8X inserted media for both the DVD-R and +R formats. On the other hand, with DVD±RW media, the reported quality was not as expected resulting in average quality. DL writing quality is quite good, even at 8X burning speed for both formats, while the bitsetting for +R DL media is automatically changed to DVD-ROM prior to burning.
DVD-RAM writing is not supported with the DVR-110D version. As discussed earlier in this review, Pioneer will soon release four other drives, with two of them supporting DVD-RAM writing.
The Pioneer DVR-110D can be found on the market ranging in price from US$48 to US$54 including VAT.
Note that we will not evaluate the Retail package since the drive comes in bulk version.
- The Good
- Supports 8X DVD±R DL
- Very good DVD error correction
- Supports reading of DVD-RAM media
- Supports overspeed for 8X media at 12X
- No Riplock.
- The Bad
- Cannot accurately backup newest SafeDisk v2 protected titles
- Limited overburning for CD format (82mins)
- Doesn't support DVD-ROM booktype for DVD+R/+RW formats
- Limited media list for 16XDVD±R, DL and RW media
- No bundled software included
- Like To be fixed
- Writing quality for CD-R and DVD±RW media
- More media compatibility through firmware release
| Reading |
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| Error Correction |
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| Protected Discs |
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| Writing |
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| Features |
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* Updated - Check the drive's performance with fw1.17 here.