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This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,
located at http://www.cdrinfo.com.
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Appeared on: Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Pioneer DVR-112


1. Introduction

Pioneer enters the 18x DVD recording market with a new Super-multi DVD burner. The Pioneer DVR-112 DVD/CD writer will burn at a maximum speed of 18x with DVD-R/+R single layer media, up to 12x on DVD-RAM Ver2.2 [RAM2(Class1)] media, and is the first DVD burner that writes up to 10x on DVD-R/+R (DL). The drive is available in beige and black (DVR-112BK) in Europe as an OEM, while it is also available in Japan (retail version).

Pioneer has also released another version of the drive, without writing support for DVD-RAM, the DVR-112D (DVR-1810 in the U.S.).

Pioneer engineers claim that the DVR-112's combined specifications deliver one of the highest levels of all-round DVD-writing performance and quality currently available.

Let's take a look at the drive's specifications, which appear to be quite impressive.

Key features DVR-112
  • Writes and reads DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW, +R/RW and CD-R/RW formats
  • Buffer under-run protection for CD/DVD
  • Performance Adjusting Firmware - automatically optimises the disc’s rotation speed depending on the user’s application – for example, if watching a movie or listening to music, the disc velocity is reduced in order to keep background noise to a minimum.
  • Multi-effect Liquid Crystal Tilt Compensator - further improves recording and playback characteristics by compensating for discs that are warped or of uneven thickness (operates at high speeds and with Dual/Double layer discs).
  • Ultra-DRA (Dynamic Resonance Absorber) - suppresses vibration caused by imbalanced discs.
  • Disc-Resonance Stabiliser - controls the airflow generated by the disc-rotation to minimise disc-warping effect that can occur when a disc rotates at high speed.
  • Max. 18x writing speed for DVD-R/+R*
  • Max. 10x writing speed for DVD-R DL (Dual Layer) and +R DL (Double Layer) Discs
  • Max. 6x writing speed for DVD-RW
  • Max. 8x writing speed for +RW
  • Max. 12x writing speed for DVD-RAM**

    * It is required to use a cable corresponding to U-ATA66 (80-wire conductor cable)
    **DVD-RAM Ver2.2 [RAM2(Class1)] media
  • DVD data capacity: 4.7GB Single-Layer disc. 8.54GB Dual/Double Layer disc. DVD-RAM 4.7GB disc (Ver 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, (Class0) and Ver 2.2 [RAM2(Class1)], non-cartridge versions). CD-R (Type 74, 650MB & Type 80, 700MB). CD-RW (Type 74, 650MB & Type 80, 700MB, including HS, US, US+).
    Software bundle not included (European OEM version)
    Specifications DVR-112
    Write Support
  • DVD-R (4.7GB, Ver 2.0 & 2.1 for General)
  • DVD-R DL (8.54GB, Dual Layer, Ver 3.0)
  • DVD-RW (4.7GB, Ver 1.0, 1.1 & 1.2)
  • +R (4.7GB, Ver 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3)
  • +R DL (8.54GB Double Layer, Ver 1.0 & 1.1)
  • +RW (4.7GB, Ver 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3)
  • +RW High Speed (4.7GB, Ver 1.0)
  • DVD-RAM (4.7GB, Ver 2.0, 2.1 & 2.2 (Class0) and [RAM2(Class1)], non-cartridge versions)
  • CD-R (Type 74, 650MB & Type 80, 700MB)
  • CD-RW (including HS, US, US+)
  • Read Support
  • DVD-ROM (Single & Dual Layer, Single & Dual Sided)
  • DVD-RAM (Ver 2.0, 2.1 & 2.2 (Class0) and [RAM2(Class1)], non-cartridge version)
  • DVD-R, DVD-R DL (Dual Layer), DVD-RW
  • +R, +R DL (Double Layer), +RW
  • CD-ROM Mode 1, CD-ROM XA Mode 2 (Form 1, Form 2)
  • CD-Text, Photo-CD (Single & Multiple Session), CD-DA, CD-Extra, CD-Text, Video CD, CD-R, CD-RW (including HS, US, US+)
  • Write Speed DVD-R
  • 18x CAV (24.93 MB/sec)*
  • 16x CAV (22.16 MB/sec)*
  • 12x PCAV / Zone CLV (16.62 MB/sec)
  • 8x PCAV / Zone CLV (11.08 MB/sec)
  • 6x CLV (8.31 MB/sec)
  • 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)
  • 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec)
  • 1x CLV (1.385 MB/sec)

    *It is required to use a cable corresponding to U-ATA66 (80-wire conductor cable)
  • Write Speed DVD-R Dual Layer
  • 10x Zone CLV (13.85 MB/sec* )
  • 8x Zone CLV (11.08 MB/sec*)
  • 6x CLV (8.31 MB/sec)
  • 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)
  • 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec)

    *This specification describes the maximum speed in one zone
  • Write Speed DVD-RW
  • 6x CLV (8.31 MB/sec)
  • 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)
  • 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec)
  • 1x CLV (1.385 MB/sec)
  • Write Speed 8cm DVD-R/RW with Adapter
  • 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec)
  • 1x CLV (1.385 MB/sec)
  • Write Speed +R
  • 18x CAV (24.93 MB/sec)*
  • 16x CAV (22.16 MB/sec)*
  • 12x PCAV / Zone CLV (16.62 MB/sec)
  • 8x PCAV / Zone CLV (11.08 MB/sec) MB/sec)
  • 6x CLV (8.31 MB/sec)
  • 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)
  • 2.4x CLV (3.32 MB/sec)

    *It is required to use a cable corresponding to U-ATA66 (80-wire conductor cable)
  • Write Speed +R Double Layer
  • 10x Zone CLV (13.85 MB/sec*
  • 8x Zone CLV (11.08 MB/sec*
  • 6x CLV (8.31 MB/sec)
  • 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)
  • 2.4x CLV (3.32 MB/sec)

    This specification describes the maximum speed in one zone
  • Write Speed +RW
  • 8x Zone CLV (11.08 MB/sec)
  • 6x CLV (8.31 MB/sec)
  • 4x CLV (5.54 MB/sec)
  • 3.3x CLV (4.57 MB/sec)
  • 2.4x CLV (3.32 MB/sec)
  • Write Speed DVD-RAM
  • 12x PCAV (16.62 MB/sec)
  • 8x PCAV (11.08 MB/sec)
  • 6x CLV (8.31 MB/sec)
  • 5x CLV (6.92 MB/sec)
  • 3x CLV (4.15 MB/sec)
  • 2x CLV (2.77 MB/sec)
  • Write Speed CD-R
  • 40x CAV (6.00 MB/sec)
  • 32x PCAV / Zone CLV (4.80 MB/sec)
  • 24x PCAV / Zone CLV (3.60 MB/sec)
  • 16x CLV (2.40 MB/sec)
  • 10x CLV (1.50 MB/sec)
  • 4x CLV (0.60 MB/sec)
  • Write Speed CD-RW
  • 32x Zone CLV (4.80 MB/sec) (US+)
  • 24x Zone CLV (3.60 MB/sec) (US and US+)
  • 20x Zone CLV (3.00 MB/sec) (US)
  • 16x CLV (2.40 MB/sec) (US and US+)
  • 10x CLV (1.50 MB/sec) (HS and US)
  • 4x CLV (0.60 MB/sec) (Normal and HS)
  • Write Speed 8cm CD-R/RW with Adapter 4x CLV (0.60 MB/sec)
    Read Speed DVD-ROM (Single Layer) Max. 16x CAV (22.16 MB/sec)
    Read Speed DVD-ROM (Dual Layer) Max. 12x CAV (16.62 MB/sec)
    Read Speed DVD-Video (with CSS, Single / Dual Layer) Max. 5x CAV (6.925 MB/sec)
    Read Speed DVD-RAM 12x PCAV (16.62 MB/sec)
    Read Speed DVD-R, DVD-R Dual Layer, DVD-RW Max. 12x CAV (16.62 MB/sec), Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec), Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec)
    Read Speed +R, +R Double Layer, +RW Max. 12x CAV (16.62 MB/sec), Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec), Max. 8x CAV (11.08 MB/sec)
    Read Speed 8cm DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD-Video with Adapter Max. 3.4x CAV (4.70 MB/sec)
    Read Speed CD-ROM Max. 40x CAV (6.00 MB/sec)
    Read Speed CD-R, CD-RW Max. 40x CAV (6.00 MB/sec), Max. 32x CAV (4.80 MB/sec)
    Read Speed 8cm CD-ROM CD-R/RW CD-DA with Adapter Max. 6.1x CAV (0.91 MB/sec)
    Read Speed CD-DA CD-TEXT Mixed CD CD-Extra (Play audio) Max. 9.3x CAV (1.39 MB/sec)
    Read Speed CD-DA CD-TEXT Mixed CD CD-Extra (Data extraction) Max. 40x CAV (6.00 MB/sec)
    Read Speed Video-CD Max. 9.3x CAV (1.39 MB/sec)
    Access Time DVD-ROM 130 msec (Random Average)
    Access Time DVD-RAM 210 msec (Random Average)
    Access Time CD 120 msec (Random Average)
    Interface ATA/ATAPI-7, SFF-8090
    IDE Data Transfer Mode PIO Mode 4, Multi Word DMA Mode 2, Ultra DMA Mode 2, Ultra DMA Mode 4 (Ultra-DMA66)*

    It is required to use a cable corresponding to U-ATA66 (80-wire conductor cable)
    Data Buffer 2 MB
    Mounting Orientation Horizontal and Vertical (+/- 5 degrees)

    *80mm discs cannot be used when the drive is vertically mounted. The case remains even when an adapter is used.
    Power Requirement +5V 1.4A
    +12V 0.85A (Average during 18x CAV DVD-R writing process)
    Power Consumption 17.2W (Average during 18x DVD-R CAV writing process)
    Dimensions (W x H x D) (Including height of Front Bezel) 148 x 42.3 x 180  mm
    Net Weight 0.9 kg

    The drive

    The beige version of the DVR-112 is illustrated in the pictures below.

    Our test sample was manufactured in China in December 2006.

    This drive is built on the NEC MC-19041Chipset.

    Click for High Resolution Image

    Click for High Resolution Image

    Installation

    The Pioneer drive was connected as a typical IDE drive and was recognized as "PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-112 ". For the tests we installed the latest v1.09 firmware, available from Pioneer Europe here .


    2. CD/DVD Reading tests

    For our CD transfer rate tests, we used the Nero CD-Speed utility and a set of Pressed CDs. The drive can read CD media at a maximum speed of 40X. For reference, we present a comparison of the Pioneer DVDRW drive with the LiteOn LH-20A1P, Memorex 525GE and Samsung SH S182D drives.

    Pressed CD

    Press for Larger Picture

    US RW CD

    The following CD Speed graph shows the reading performance with US-RW media. For all the CDSpeed graphs, you can click on the image to see the full CDspeed snapshot.

    Press for Larger Picture

    - AudioCD

    In the CD Speed Advanced DAE quality test, the drive's average speed was 26.67X with a quality score of 100.

    A typical DAE task with an 80min non-protected Audio CD produced 29.4X average ripping speed.


    - 90/99 mins Audio disc

    Both the 90min and the 99 min audio CDs produced an error, as you can see in the screenshots above.

    - DVD Format

    Now let's have a look at how the drive performs with DVD media. This time, a set of SL and DL DVD media was used. The drive is capable of reading at 16X maximum speed for single layer DVD ROM and at 12X for dual layer DVD ROM media.

    DVD-ROM SL media -

    PTP DVD-ROM -

    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 its outer range.

    The Pioneer drive is the fastest in this task.

    OTP DVD-ROM -

    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 and progresses towards the inner part of the disc.

    Again, the DVR-112 is fastest.

    - DVD-R

    DVD-RW

    - DVD+R

    - DVD+RW

    - DVD+R DL

    -DVD-R DL

    -DVD-RAM

    - DVD Ripping speed.

    Average - 11.780 kB/s (8.5x)
    Maximum - 16.259 kB/s (11.7x)


    3. CD Error Correction

    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: 1171052
    Errors (Loudness) Num:56942 Avg: -73.4 dB(A) Max: -34.9 dB(A)
    Error Muting Samples Num:3684 Avg: 1.0 Samples Max: 40 Samples
    Skips Samples Num: 0 Avg: 0.0 Samples Max: 0 Samples
    Total Test Result 76.5 points (of 100.0 maximum)

    A good score for the Pioneer drive with the scratched audio CD.

    - ABEX TCD-726

    Errors total Num: 870
    Errors (Loudness) dB(A) Num:47 Avg: -66.4 dB(A) Max: -50.4 dB(A)
    Error Muting Samples Num: 0 Avg: 0.0 Samples Max: 0 Samples
    Skips Samples Num: 0 Avg: 0.0 Samples Max: 0 Samples
    Total Test Result 92.0 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

    The performance is average here, with the drive reporting errors quite early on. But the severity of the errors (level) is low, meaning that no audible problems will make it to your speakers, at least with these types of defects.

    - CD-Check Audio Test Disc

    The CD-Check Test Disc is another 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-112
    5/5
    5/5
    5/5
    5/5
    0/5

    The drive achieved flawless reading with the first 4 tracks. Playing the fifth track produced audible sound interruptions and clicks.

    - Summary

    Overall, the drive appears to have acceptable CD Error correction capabilities.


    4. DVD Error Correction

    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.

    Respectable reading with no read errors from the Pioneer drive.

    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.

    No issues for the DVR-112 drive, continuing its good performance:

    - 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.

    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.

    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.

    This is not the expected behavior from the Pioneer drive. The second layer of the disc was read at a much lower speed, in order to compensate the reading difficulties with the test disc, as the artificial scratch gets wider towards the end of the data addresses. Despite the difficulties, the drive finished the test.

    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.

    - Summary

    Overall, a good error correction mechanism with DVD media.


    5. Ritec CD-R

    For this test, each CD-R disc was burned to its maximum capacity and at its maximum speed. Then the same disc is read with the CDSpeed software, and the disc was scanned for digital errors (BLER, C1 and C2) with our system provided by Clover Systems. To simplify the presentation, we present the BLER, E31 and E32 error rates for each disc, which unveil the most serious errors on each disc.

    Disc Info

    Manufacturer
    Ritek
    MID
    97m15s17f
    Capacity

    79:59.70

    703 MB

    Writing speed - 24.06X Average
    Writing time - 4:10 min

    Reading speed - 32.02X Average


    Writing Quality - Clover Systems

    Low E31 and no E32 (uncorrectable) errors. A good burn with the specific disc.

    - About Clover Systems

    The Clover Systems CDX Compact Disc Analyzer is a 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 speed of 4X.

    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.


    6. Verbatim CD-R

    Disc Info

    Manufacturer Verbatim
    MID

    97m34s23f

    Capacity

    79:59.73

    703 MB

    Writing speed - 30.34X Average
    Writing time - 3:15 min

    Reading speed - 31.83X Average

    Writing Quality - Clover Systems

    Another good result for the Pioneer DVR-112, when burning on the Verbatim CD-R disc at the muximum speed of 40x.


    7. Taiyo Yuden CD-R

    Disc Info

    Manufacturer
    Taiyo Yuden
    MID
    97m24s01f
    Capacity

    79:59.72

    703 MB

    Writing speed - 30.17X Average
    Writing time - 3:19 mins

    Reading speed 32.03X Average

    Writing Quality - Clover Systems

    Nearly perfect writing quality with the Taiyo Yuden CD-R disc.


    8. Mitshubishi US-RW

    Disc Info

    We weren't able to retrieve information about the inserted media through CDSpeed.

    The disc is a Mitsubishi 32X US-RW.

    Writing speed - 24.49X Average
    Writing time - 3:48 mins

    The disc is a Mitsubishi US-RW 32x, although the CDSpeed tool recognized it as CD-R. This is also confirmed by the writing strategy graph, which indicates Z-CLV method with a maximum of 32x.

    Reading speed 25.46X Average

    Writing Quality - Clover Systems

    An overall nice burn, with no uncorrectable errors.


    9. The DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x

    The DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x is one of the cornerstones in DVD quality control equipment, and is truly unique in the industry. It allows checking of replicated DVDs with single and dual layer structure (DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10, DVD-14, DVD-18) and written DVD recordable, at 1X and 2X speed. It is based on the Pulstec Reference Pickup and Drive, developed in close co-operation with Pulstec and according to the standards of the DVD Forum.

    In short, the device's features include:

    An explanation of the various parameters the DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x offers is available here. At the same page, you can read more details about the error signals and a brief analysis the possible meaning of its parameter in the overall quality of each burn.

    In the following pages, we present the writing quality measurements of various DVD recordable and rewritable media, burned with the Pioneer DVR-112 DVD burner.


    10. CMC MAG M01 (000) DVD+R

    We start our DVD writing quality measurements with DVD+R media. A variety of different MIDs were selected and were burned at the maximum allowed speed. In each of the following pages you can find detailed information about each disc, the burning and reading procedure as well as the related signal measurements that construct the overall quality picture of each disc.

    You can always navigate across the different MIDs of this test, using the page navigation drop down menu.

    Media Info -

    Click For larger Image

    Writing - 12X (9.86X average) in 7:06

    Click For larger Image

    The drive chose the 12X Z-CLV strategy for the CMC MAG M01 DVD+R disc. Note that the drive's specifications indicate support for both Z-CLV and PCAV writing strategies at 12x speed, depending on the inserted MID.

    Reading - 12X (9.36X average)

    Click For larger Image

    DaTARIUS Scans -

     

    According to the measurements, increased PISum8 errors were reported at the addresses where the drive jumped to higher recording speeds in the Z-CLV writing strategy. Very high digital errors were reported at the 44mm radius of the 4.7GB disc, where the recording speed was increased to 12x. In addition, jitter was beyond limits at the same positions. However, no POF (uncorrectable) errors were reported, and the disc was readable.

    As we have mentioned on several occasions in past reviews, the limits for the various measurements are quite strict. So a "negative" result does not always mean that the disc is unreadable. But certainly, the amount of PISum8 errors reported here is high and could lead to uncorrectable errors on important discs, such as for archiving.

    The measurements are summarized in the below table. You can see the limits for each signal, the average and maximum value as it was reported by the DaTARIUS equipment and the values at three specific positions on the disc (radius 25.0mm, 40.0mm and 55.0 mm)

    Click For Larger Image


    11. DAXON AZ3 DVD+R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 12X (9.71X average) in 7:02 mins

    Click For larger Image

    Reading - 12X (9.31X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    POFs were reported for this disc, while the PIF value was high at around the 56mm radius of the disc, as you can see in the corresponding graph above. These PIFs caused some small anomalies in the CDSpeed reading graph, although reading was not suspended.

    Click For Larger Image


    12. MAXELL 003 (000) DVD+R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 16X (11.80X average) in 5:42 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.36X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Both PISum8 and Jitter Combined values were out of specs for this disc. The drive read the disc but had some difficulties in the problem areas.

    Click For Larger Image


    13. MCC 003 000 (00) DVD+R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 12X (9.69X average) in 7:06

    Reading - 12X (9.15X average)

    There was difficulty reading the disc at the outer addresses.

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    This should be considered as a bad burn, since the amount of uncorrectable errors made the disc almost unreadable.

    Click For Larger Image


    14. MCC 004 (000) DVD+R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 18X (13.15X average) in 5:15 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.36X average)

    DataRIUS Scans -

    Increased digital errors with the first DVD+R that was burned at 18x. The errors were increased towards the outer areas of the disc, as the recording speed gradually rises to reach the maximum 18x (CAV). While the disc was readable with the Pioneer drive, it failed in other drives.

    Click For Larger Image


    15. PRODISC R05 (001) DVD+R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 12X (9.80X average) in 7:06 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.34X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Click For Larger Image


    16. RICOHJPN R03 004 DVD+R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 12X (9.76X average) in 7:06 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.37X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Not quite a perfect burn but it is considered as acceptable, although we expected less errors for a 12x burn.


    17. YUDEN000 T03 (000) DVD+R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 18X (12.61X average) in 5:36 mins

    As you can see in the CDSpeed writing graph, the drive decided to drop the burning speed just before it reached the maximum 18x, in order to finish the burning process.

    Reading - 12X (9.35X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    The Datarius system could not read the "suspicious" areas, where the burning speed dropped in the outer addresses (see CDSpeed writing strategy graph). POFs were reported at around 50mm radius (4.2GB address).

    The DaTARIUS Analyzer couldn't read the disc at radius 51mm -55mm.


    18. OPTODISC R016 DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

    Writing - 12X (9.71X average) in 7:03 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.25X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Despite the reading problems in the CDSpeed reading graph, no digital errors were reported for the Optodisc R016 disc.


    19. DAXON016S DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

    Writing - 16X (11.77X average) in 5:44 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.34X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    The PISum8 error rate exceeded the limit several times.


    20. CMC MAG AE1 DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

    Writing - 12X (9.74X average) in 7:05 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.28X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -


    21. CMC MAG AM3 DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Click For Larger Image

    Writing - 16X (11.74X average) in 5:47 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.32X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -


    22. MCC 03RG20 DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Click For Larger View

    Writing - 18X (13.04X average) in 5:23 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.36X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -


    23. ProdiscS05 DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 16X (11.69X average) in 5:46 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.32X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -


    24. RITEKF1 DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 12X (9.66X average) in 7:05 mins

    Reading - 12X (9.31X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Nice writing quality with no uncorrectable errors.


    25. TTH02 DVD-R

    Media Info -

    Writing - 16X (10:54X average) in 6:24 mins

    Reading - 12X(8.64X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    The reading problems reported previously find an explanation here, looking at the POFs and the high PISum8 error rate.

    Too many digital errors, bad writing quality.


    26. MKM 01RD30 DVD-R DL

    Media Info -

    Click For Larger View

    Writing - 8X (6.62X) in 18:13 mins

    The drive burned the disc at 8X, double the speed that the disc's manufacturer suggests (4x). However, this came at a cost as you can seee in the CDSpeed reading graph below.

    Reading -

    The drive was unable to read the disc.

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Layer 0

    Layer 1

    Unlike the drive itself, the DaTARIUS Analyzer read the disc successfully. The test reported uncorrectable errors in the first layer of the disc, at the point where the Pioneer drive returned a read error. The data on the second layer of the disc were read correctly.


    27. MKM 03RD30 DVD-R DL

    Media Info -

    Click For Larger View

    Writing - 10X (8.27X) in 15:45 mins

    The MKM 03RD30 disc is 8x certified, and the drive tried to burn it at 10X. However, the speed dropped to 8x at the start of the second layer.

    Reading - 8X (5.67X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Layer 0

    Layer 1

    Both layers showed very good writing quality.


    28. MKM 003 (000) DVD+R DL

    Media Info -

    Click For Larger View

    Writing - 10X (8.27X average) in 15:03 min.

    Reading - 8X (5.68X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Layer 0

    Layer 1

    Again, both layers showed very good writing quality.


    29. RITEK S04 001 DVD+R DL

    Media Info -

    Click For Larger View

    Writing - 8X (6.64X average) in 19:02 min.

    Reading - 8X (5.68X average)

    DaTARIUS Scans -

    Layer 0

    Layer 1

    Good writing quality for the first layer, while the second layer wasn't readable near the end.


    30. MKM 01RW6X01 DVD-RW

    Media Info -

    Writing - 6X (6.02X average) in 10:12 mins

    Reading - 8X (6.23X average)

    Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

    The quality test reported no POF.

    About 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:

    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.


    31. RITEKW06 DVD-RW

    Media Info -

    Writing - 6X (6.01X average) in 10:17 mins

    Reading -

    The drive wasn't able to read the disc.

    Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

    The quality test reported many digital errors.The quality of the burned disc is bad.


    32. MKM A03 (000) DVD+RW

    Media Info -

    Writing - 8X (7.83X average) in 7:58 mins

    Reading - 8X (6.24X average)

    Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000


    33. RICOHJPN W21 (001) DVD+RW

    Media Info -

    Writing - 8X (7.82X average) in 7:56 mins

    Reading - 8X (6.21X average)

    Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000


    34. MXL 16 DVD-RAM

    Media Info -

    Writing - 5X (2.08X average) in 26:32 mins

    The drive recognized the media as 5X compatible DVD-RAM, the writing process logs in speeds at around 2X due to the write and verify that takes place with this medium.

    Reading - 5X (4.97X average)


    35. Burned Media List

    In the following table we have gathered the findings of the DVD quality measurement tests. Note that each disc was measured under the same conditions with the DaTARIUS equipment. On the left side of the table you can find the discs that did not return uncorrectable digital errors, while on the right side are the rest of the discs. For detailed measurement data, visit the corresponding pages.

    Media type
    Digital errors within limits
    Digital errors exceed limits
    DVD+R

     

    CMC MAG M01 (000) burned at 12X
      DAXON AZ3 000 (00) burned at 12X.
      MAXELL 003 000 (00) burned at 18X
      MCC 004 000 (00) burned at16X
      MCC 003 000 (00) burned at 12X
      PRODISC R05 001 (01) burned at 12X.
      RICOHJPN R03 004 (04) burned at 16X

     

    YUDEN000 T03 (000) burned at 16X
    DVD-R OPTODISCR016 burned at 16X CMC MAG. AE1 burned at 12X.
    RITEKF1 burned at 12X CMC MAG. AM3 burned at 16X.
      DAXON016S burned at 16X
      MCC 03RG20 burned at 18X.
      Prodisc S05 burned at 16X.
      TTH02 burned at 16X
    DVD-R DL   MKM 01RD30 burned at 8X
    MKM 03RD30 burned at 10X  
    DVD+R DL MKM 003 burned at 10X RITEK S04 burned at 10X
    DVD-RW MKM 01RW6X01 burned at 6X RITEKW06 burned at 6X
    DVD+RW   RICOHJPN W21 (001) burned at 8X
      MKM A03 000 (00) burned at 8X

    - Burning times

    Here we have gathered the results of the burning tests for DVD media. The values in bold indicate the best recording time for each format.

    For more information about the test done with each disc, you can visit the corresponding pages in this review.


    DVD+R BURNING RESULTS
      Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
    Pioneer DVR-112 CMC Magnetics DVD+R 16X CMCMAG M01 000 (00) 9.86X 7:06
    Daxon DVD+R 4.7GB 16X DAXON AZ3 000 (00) 9.71X 7:02
    Maxell DVD+R 4.7GB 16X MAXELL 003 000 (00) 11.80X 5:42
    Verbatim DVD+R 4.7GB 12X MCC 003 000 (00) 9.69X 7:06
    Verbatim DVD+R 4.7GB 16X MCC 004 000 (00) 13.15X 5:15
    Prodisc DVD+R 4.7GB 16X PRODISC R05 001 (01) 9.80X 7:06
    Ricoh DVD+R 4.7GB 16X RICOHJPN R03 004 (04) 9.76X 7:06
    Taiyo Yuden DVD+R 4.7GB 16X YUDEN000 T03 (000) 12.61X 5:36

    DVD+R DL BURNING RESULTS
      Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
    Pioneer DVR-112 Ritek DVD+R DL 8x RITEK S04 001 (01) 6.64X 19:02
    Verbatim DVD+R DL 8x MKM 003 (000) 8.27X 15:03

    DVD+RW BURNING RESULTS
      Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
    Pioneer DVR-112 Verbatim DVD+RW 4.7GB 8X MKM A03 (000) 7.83X 7:58
    Ricoh DVD+RW 4.7GB 8X RICOHJPN W21 (001) 7.82X 7:56

    DVD-R BURNING RESULTS
      Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
    Pioneer DVR-112 CMC Magnetics DVD-R 16X CMC MAG. AE1 9.74X 7:05
    CMC Magnetics DVD-R 16X CMC MAG. AM3 11.74X 5:47
    BenQ DVD-R 4.7GB 16X DAXON016S 11.77X 5:44
    Verbatim DVD-R 4.7GB 16X MCC 03RG20 13.04X 5:23
    Optodisc DVD-R 4.7GB 16X OPTODISCR016 9.71X 7:03
    Prodisc DVD-R 4.7GB 16X Prodisc05 11.69X 5:46
    Ritek DVD-R 4.7GB 16X RITEKF1 9.66 7:05
    TDK DVD-R 4.7GB 16X TTH02 10.54X 6:24

    DVD-R DL BURNING RESULTS
      Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
    Pioneer DVR-112 Verbatim DVD-R DL 8.5GB 4X MKM 01RD30 6.62x 18:13
    Verbatim DVD-R DL 8.5GB 8X MKM 03RD30 8.27X 15:45

    DVD-RW BURNING RESULTS
      Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
    Pioneer DVR-112 Verbatim DVD-RW 4.7GB 6X MKM 01RW6X01 6.02X 10:12
    Traxdata DVD-RW 4.7GB 6X RITEKW06 6.01X 10:17

    - Booktype Settings

    The DVR-112 does not support the Booktype feature with DVD media..

    - DVD Overburning

    The Pioneer drive does not support overburning with DVD recordable media, according to CDSpeed.


    36. Conclusion

    Pioneer has been a respected company in optical storage, thanks to its high-quality DVD burners. But this time, the DVR-112 left us with some doubts and failed to fulfil our expectations.

    The drive appeared to have satisfactory CD and DVD error correction capabilities, although at times it needed to slow down in some extreme cases, in order to cope with the defective DVD media. The output however, was reliable enough. So the Pioneer DVR-112 can do the job with those slightly damaged CDs and DVDs.

    The relatively low reading speeds of 12X for DVD±R and 8x DVD±R DL should not be a problem for the majority of users, since this should make the drive a more accurate reader.

    The drive's compatibility with the RAM2 12x DVD-RAM media must be mentioned as a positive, although we have not tested this due to lack of such media in the European market.

    The drive performed very well in the CD-R writing tests, delivering almost excellent writing quality.

    The results are mixed when it comes to the writing quality with DVD recordable and rewritable media. On the bright side, we should mention the very fast 10x burning with DVD R DL discs, which also gave very good writing quality results in the corresponding tests. But that's not exactly the situation with the DVD±R discs. The drive burned the majority of the 16x certified discs we tested at a speed of 12x. This could be considered as reliable behavior, provided that the drive burns with higher quality at lower speed. However, the Z-CLV writing strategy used in 12X recording seems to cause many problems, with the majority of the discs producing high digital errors, which affected the playability of the discs in some cases. This does not mean that the discs were not readable, but they all tended to be outside the DVD specification limits. This has been reported by many other drives lately, but it was not expected to happen with a drive that burns at 12x.

    The drive managed to write at the maximum supported 18x speed with selected media, with good writing quality. Pioneer provides a complete listing of the media that are supported by the current v1.09 firmware here .

    To conclude, the drive left us with mixed impressions as an average drive, not really justifying its creator's claims. However, a firmware update can help this drive eliminate its flaws.



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