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1. Package - Installation

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 1

Memorex is a well-known supplier of storage and multimedia solutions. The True 8X Dual Format DVD is the company's latest DVD writer and supports both +R and -R formats at the maximum speed of 8x.

- Features

Buffer Memory: Equipped with 2MB buffer memory, virtually eliminating buffer underruns and preventing loss of time and media.

Smart-Burn Buffer Underrun Protection: Comprehensive Buffer Underrun Management system which monitors and adapts Recording Technology for burnings.

Precision Recording Technology: claimed to offer good overwrite performance, significantly supporting more advanced technology.

Defect Management: This drive features the DRT-DM (Distributed Real Time Defect Management) system, offering the higher reliability for recorded discs.

Vibration Absorber System (VAS): Imbalanced discs can cause vibrations that affect performance during high-speed recording and playback. VAS is designed to the resonance frequency of the drive rotating speed. The vibration will be inducted into the absorber to get the minimum vibration.

Smart-X Function: technology adjusts CD-DA/VCD data extraction to the fastest allowable speed according to both data request rates from host and disc quality.

Interface	ATA/ATAPI-5	IDE Data Transfer Mode PIO Mode 4, Multi Word DMA Mode 2, Ultra DMA Mode 2
Buffer Size		2MB
Write Speed	DVD-R	8X Z-CLV
	DVD-RW	4X CLV
	DVD+R	8X Z-CLV
	DVD+RW	4X CLV
	CD-R	24X Z-CLV
	CD-RW	24X Z-CLV
Read Speed	DVD-ROM (Single)	12X CAV
	DVD-ROM (Dual layer)	8.0X CAV
	DVD-R (4X media)	8.0X CAV
	DVD+R/+RW	8.0X CAV
	DVD-RAM	2.0X CLV
	DVD-Video (Single)	5X CAV
	DVD-Video (Dual)	5X CAV
	CD-ROM/-R	40X CAV
	CD-RW	32X CAV
	CD-DA (DAE)	40X CAV
	Video CD	4.0X CLV
	8cm CD (with Adapter)	6.2X CAV
Disc Format		DVD single layer/Dual layer DVD-R (Ver.1.0 for authoring 3.95GB & Ver.2.0 for authoring 4.7GB and general 4.7GB; But in case of write, General disc only.) DVD-RW (Ver.1.0 &1.1) DVD+R (Ver.1.0 & Ver.1.1) DVD+RW (Ver.1.2) DVD-RAM (Ver.2.0 & Ver.2.1) CD-ROM Mode 1 CD-ROM XA Mode2 (form 1, form2) Video CD Photo CD (single and multiple session) CD-DA CD-R CD-RW (Supports AM2, Supports High Speed CD-RW, Support Ultra Speed CD-RW) CD-Text
Write Format		DVD-R: Disc at Once, Incremental recording, Multi-border recording DVD-RW: Restricted Overwriting DVD+R: Incremental recording, DVD+RW: Random recording CD-R and CD-RW: Disc at Once, Track at Once, Session at Once, Packet write
Random Seek Time		DVD (-R/RW)(+R/RW): 130 msec DVD-RAM: 140 msec CD: 120 msec

The drive uses a 2MB buffer memory. The RAW DAO 96 writing (CD) is supported while Mount Rainier is not. Memorex uses the RPC II region control, allowing a user to change the drive's region at most 5 times. For our tests, we set the region code to 2 (Europe).

- Retail package

All software and hardware parts, except from the writer are bundled in a smaller box inside the retail package. That box contains a Memorex blank DVD+R disc, an IDE cable, an audio cable, mounting screws, a quick setup map and a very detailed installation manual among with an extended Nero Vision Express guide.

On the software part includes Nero Express Software Suite

• Nero Express 6
• NeroVision Express 2
• InCD
• Nero BackItUp
• Nero ShowTime
• Nero Cover Designer
• Nero Recode 2
• Nero Media Player

- The drive

The drive's front panel is colored black while the loading tray is gray. On the tray you can see the CD-RW, DVD+R/R, DVD-R/RW and Memorex logos, from right to left. Below the tray door, on the right is the eject button and next to it two ventilation holes.Next to them is the busy led indicator and finally the emergency eject hole is placed on the left side.

On the rear panel there are the analogue audio outputs, the IDE connector and the power input.

Removing the screws and opening the drive's cover voids the drive's warranty. For reference reasons, we post the following pictures. The comparison with the Pioneer DVR-10D is unavoidable.

- Installation

The Memorex drive was connected to our test PC and was identified as "Memorex DVD+/-RW True-8x" under WinXP. All tests were done with firmware v1.06.

The following pages include the test results of the Memorex drive in comparison to two other dual DVD burners, the Pioneer-107D and the Nec-2500A

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2. Data CD Reading Tests

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 2

Data CD Reading Tests

- Pressed CD results (Click for CDSpeed results)

The reading speed of Memorex True-8x is 40x for the cd media, according to the manufacturer. This was confirmed after the end of the reading process. The software we used, Nero CDSpeed v2.11, reported 31.66x average reading speed and 41.91x ending speed. The pressed disc was read accurately, under CAV mode.

The above results were taken from the reading process of a pressed disc. The graph shows the seek times of Memorex True-8x in comparison with Pioneer and Nec. Memorex and Pioneer returned similar results regarding Random and 1/3 seek times, while both drives needed more time than Nec to finish the Full seek test.

- CD-R Media results (Click for CDSpeed results)

In order to present the reading strategy of Memorex True-8x with CD-R media, we made a copy of the previous pressed disc and we run it using NeroCDSpeed. The software reported that the disc was once again read under CAV mode , at the ending speed of 42.3x. From the graph we can conclude that all three drives are almost equal on the reading process of a CD-R media.

Memorex True-8x and Pioneer DVR-107D were slower than Nec ND-2500A in all three modes of the Seek times test. The result was predictable, since both drives returned high Full seek times with the previous tested pressed disc. For the CD-R disc, Memorex and Pioneer needed 300 and 301ms respectively to finish the Full seek test.

- ReWritable Media (Click for CDSpeed results)

For the rewritable reading test we used 32x High Speed rewritable media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.

Memorex read all test CD's under CAV mode including the RW media. The US-RW media from MC was read faster by Nec ND-2500A reporting 34.66x ending speed, while Memorex and Pioneer returned 33.79x and 33.66x ending speeds respectively.

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3. CD Error Correction Tests

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Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when reading scratched / defective audio discs. The test discs are the ABEX series from ALMEDIO.

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total	Num: 1114555
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 54122	Avg: -73.7 dB(A)	Max:-34.9 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 3512	Avg: 1.1 Samples	Max: 40 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	76.6 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

Memorex proved to be a stable drive on the CD error correction tests. Although Abex 721R test disc is hard to be read by most drives, both Memorex and Pioneer returned very good scores, 76.6 and 76.4 respectively. As far as it concerns Nec, Almedio awarded the drive with 65.0 points on the part of the 721R CD error correction test.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total	Num: 231
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num:12	Avg:-57.8 dB(A)	Max: -50.4 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	93.5 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

The 726 Abex test disc is easier to be read by most drives. The total score of Memorex for this test is 93.5 points out of 100. During the test, no errors such as muted or skipped sequences were reported and only the -57.8dB(A) noise spike was reported. The total errors pending the reading process were only 231.

- 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 in sound reading and reproduction. Five tracks on the disc contain a sequence of progressive difficulty tests. These tracks are referred to as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.

The tracks are reproduced (played) through Winamp, Windows Media Player and Power DVD. Each level is considered as passed, if the tone reproduced from the speakers 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
Memorex DVD+/-RW True-8x	5/5	5/5	5/5	5/5	1/5

The drive successfully passed the first 4 check levels for this test. During the playback of the fifth level the sound of the track playback was smooth not more than one time. We repeat the test four more times and only one click was audible. That click was enough to consider that the drive failed on the that level.

- Summary

Test Disc	Reading Speed	Score
ABEX TCD-721R	Max	76.6
ABEX TCD-726		93.5
Average Score		85.05

The average score of Abex tests is 85.05 points for the Memorex True-8x. The average score of Pioneer DVR-107D was 83.25 while Nec returned only 73.1 out of 100.

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4. DVD reading tests

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x- Page 4

DVD reading tests

- Single Layer DVD-ROM (Click for CDSpeed results)

The reading strategy of Memorex True-8x is CAV for single layer DVD-ROM media. The disc was read accurately reporting an average speed of 9.46x. The above graph shows that Memorex and Pioneer gave back almost the same results in all three reported speeds.

Just like CD media seek times, here too the seek times of single layer DVD-ROM needs a lot of improvement. For Full seek, Memorex needed 308ms and this value is much higher in comparison with the 178ms of Nec's. The results returned for Random and 1/3 modes are acceptable but higher than Nec's values.

- Dual Layer PTP DVD-ROM (Click for CDSpeed results)

The two layers of a PTP DVD-ROM disc are read sequentially with the drive starting the read process from the inner tracks of the disc, which is the beginning of each layer, and progressing outwards towards to the outer tracks for each layer.

On the Dual layer DVD-ROM reading test both Pioneer and Memorex gave back faster average reading speed values than Nec ND-2500A. Memorex reading strategy was CAV and the drive reached the maximum reading speed of 8.45x at the end of the test.

As expected from the single layer DVD-ROM, Memorex True-8x returned level Full seek times that overrun the acceptable level. The drive needed 305ms for Full seek, 132ms for Random seek and 157ms for 1/3 seek. On the seek times test of Dual layer DVD-ROM, Nec gave back the fastest access times in Full and 1/3 mode while on Random seek, Memorex proved to be the fastest.

- Dual Layer OTP DVD-ROM

The first layer of an OTP dual layer DVD-ROM is read in the exact 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 inwards towards the inner tracks of the disc.

 

Dual layer OTP written disc was read by Memorex with and reported 6.28x average speed. The starting speed at the begriming of second layer was 8.37x. The above screen shot was taken from NeroCDSpeed indicating that the disc was read accurately, under CAV mode. The access times of Memorex with Dual layer OTP are 306ms for Full seek, 136ms for Random and 158ms for the 1/3 seek test.

- DVD Ripping Tests

We measured the DVD-Video ripping speed of the Memorex True-8x using the latest version of DVD Decrypter. The DVD Video title is the "Matrix" pressed DVD-Video.

On the above graph we can see that the Nec is the fastest among the three drives on the DVD ripping test. The results of Memorex and Pioneer are similar with average ripping speed about 4.3x

- DVD Recordable / Rewritable reading Tests

The chart below shows the Nero CDSpeed average reading speed results with the following media.

• 8x DVD+R
• 4x DVD+RW

• 8x DVD-R
• 4x DVD-RW

All recordable / rewritable media tested were read under CAV mode by Memorex True-8x. On the plus DVD format the rewritable media was read faster than the recordable while on the minus format both recordable and rewritable media gave back alike average reading speed.

- DVD RAM reading test

According to manufacturer Memorex True-8x supports DVD-RAM reading. To test the reading performance of Memorex we used NeroCDSpeed and Maxell DVD-RAM certified at 3x.

The disc was readen under CLV mode with average reading speed 1.98x. Again, the Full seek times are increased.

 

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5. DVD Error Correction Tests

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DVD Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of Memorex DVD+/-RW True-8x with scratched / defective DVD media. For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark and Nero CDSpeed. The testing media come from ALMEDIO.

- Single Layer media

ABEX TDR-821

This is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with a 4.7GB capacity, and its surface has an artificial scratch of dimensions varying from 0.4 to 3.0 mm. The following transfer rate picture comes from the CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test.

The drive managed to read the disc accurately without any read errors. As shown on the above graph the drive reached the 13x maximum reading speed at the end of the single layer disc.

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 the surface but defective areas ranging in dimensions from 0.5 to 1.1 mm. There are also fingerprints with height between 65 and 75 micrometers.

Memorex managed to read Abex TDR-825 test without any errors. The drive passed the effective areas with high accuracy, but when the reading process reached the fingerprints area at the 1.450.000th sector, the reading speed decreased from 11x to 5x. The drive maintained that reading speed until the end of the effected area and increased it again when it passed it.

- 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.

Memorex True-8x once again performed well and managed to finish the test without posting any errors. The drive reached maximum reading speed 8.6x, at the end of each layer.

ABEX TDR-845

This disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc with capacity of 8.5GB. The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the first includes both defective areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defective areas range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints have height sized from 65 to 75 microns (micrometres).

On the previous tested Abex 825 TDR test disc, Memorex needed to slow down it's reading speed while on the fingerprints area, in order to finish the reading test without errors. On this test despite the fact that fingerprints and defected areas have exactly the same dimension, with the 825 test disc the drive managed to read accurately the two layers and passed both effective areas and fingerprints without slowing down the speed.

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 layers 0 to 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 sized from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

 

The dual layer 541 DVD-ROM was read under CAV mode. NeroCD Speed reported high Full seek times, something that seems to be a characteristic of the drive, with Full seek returning 309ms. However the graph above shows a perfect result without reading problems when switching from layer 0 to 1. After the test ended the reported average speed was 6.33x.

ABEX TDV-545

The TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer Video/S-2 disc with a capacity of 8.5GB. The TDV-545 includes artificial black dots on the disc's surface, sized from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65 - 75 micrometres high fingerprints.

 

 

Once again the reading test ended without read errors. NeroCDSpeed reported CAV mode for reading strategy, high Full seek times and average speed at 6.34x.

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6. Protected Disc Tests

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 6

- Reading Tests

To create an image of the various protected titles onto the hard disk, we used CloneCD v.4.3.1.9 software and the appropriate settings, depending on the protection type of the inserted discs. Below the capabilities of Memorex are summarized, according to CloneCD software. Notice that the drive supports writing of CD+G under RAW DAO:

The game titles we used for testing the image creation speed for each protection scheme are given in the table below:

Game Title	Protection Scheme
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme"	Lybcrypt
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07	SafeDisc v.2.60.052
Fifa 2004	SafeDisc v3.10
VRally II	SecuROM v.2

PSX Pressed Media

SafeDisc v.2

SecuROM v.2

Memorex proved to be a fast backup device for PSX games although Nec was faster. In addition, regarding the Safedisc protected game, Memorex drive needed 33:57 minutes to finish the ripping process. Although this is not the slowest ripping speed we have experienced, the other two drives returned faster ripping speed values. From the above graph we can conclude that Nec was the fastest drive among the three devices of the roundup while Pioneer speed is resembling to Memorex. With the Securom protected disc both Memorex and Pioneer gave back the exact same ripping speed, faster than Nec.

- Writing Tests

The Memorex True-8x supports the DAO-RAW writing mode. For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 4 different game titles with different SafeDisc 2 and SafeDisc 3 versions having the latest software patches installed. After making the images of the various titles to the hard disk, we burned them (maximum speed) using CloneCD. Two different discs were created for each title; one with the "Amplify Weak Sectors" enabled and one more with the function disabled.

The table below shows the results of the attempted backups and whether they ran (game installed / played normally), or not.

Drive	Game Title	SafeDisc Build	Settings
			Amplify Weak Sectors On	Amplify Weak Sectors Off
Memorex True-8x	Max Payne	v2.51.020	Yes	Yes
	Serious Sam - The Second Encounter v1.07	v.2.60.052	No	No
	The Sims Unleashed	v.2.8	No	No
	The Sims Superstar	v2.9	No	No
	Fifa 2004	v3.10	No	No

Memorex True-8x is surely not a good backup device for protected games. After the end of the writing process the only game that was playable was Max Payne protected with Safedisc v2.51.020. The drive made invalid copies of all other games we tested either with CloneCd Amplify Weak Sectors on or off.

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7. DAE Tests

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 7

DAE Tests

- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results

Memorex supports the CAV reading strategy for DAE discs, while the maximum DAE reading speed is 40x. These specifications were confirmed by Nero CDSpeed.

Nero CDSpeed reports that the reading process of Audio disc started at 18.07 and ended at 41.29x under CAV strategy. Just like the data pressed discs we tested before, the software reported high seek times with Full seek at 282ms.The resultant graph also shows some undulations during reading.

 

 

In order to test the average ripping speed of Audio CDs with Memorex, we used a pressed Audio disc and a clone of it, on a CDR media.

- Advanced DAE Quality

Nero CDSpeed Advanced DAE Quality test returned quality score 100(perfect) for Memorex and confirms that the drive can be safely used for On The Fly Copying. On the advanced features tab, the software reports that Memorex reads CD Text and Subchannel Data but is not able to read Leadin and Leadout area information.

- Support of 90/99mins AudioCDs

The Memorex drive managed to rip the contents of our 90/99min test discs successfully.

- Reading/Ripping Protected AudioCDs

For the test procedure we used two audio discs with different audio protection schemes. We conducted the test for both recognition and ripping to the hard disk. The software used was Exact Audio Copy.

* Pressed Audio disc protected by Sony Key2Audio (Celine Dion - New Day Has Come)

* Pressed Audio disc protected by Cactus Data Shield 200 (Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island)

	Key2Audio	CDS200
	EAC
Memorex True-8x	OK	Recognize the disc but cannot rip or play the contents
Pioneer DVR-RW DVR-107D	NO	Recognize the disc but cannot rip or play the contents
NEC ND-2500A	OK	OK

On the above table we summarized the results of all three drives of the roundup. Only Nec managed to read and rip the contents of both protected discs. Memorex had no problem with the Key2Audio disc while CDS200 tested disc could not be ripped or playbacked.

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8. CD Recording Tests

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CD Recording Tests

- CD-R Writing Tests

Memorex supports 4X , 8X ,16X CLV and 24X maximum writing speeds. At all speeds the writing method is Z-CLV. Below you can see the CDSpeed writing simulation graph with Taiyo Yuden 48x CD-R media.

The characteristic of Z-CLV is a series of zones that look like steps, each one reaching closer to the maximum speed of the drive. When the maximum speed is reached, the drive speed levels off and remains constant until the end. According to the graph, Memorex True-8x started the writing process at 15.90x. The speed was increased at the 10min of the disc to 20.5x and was kept constant until the 19min. On the final step the speed was increased again to 24x until the end of the process.

 

- Recording Times

We created an 80min data compilation with Nero Burning Rom and recorded it on a 700MB disc. Both Memorex and Pioneer support 24x writing under Z-CLV and therefore the time both drives needed to complete the writing task is similar. Nec was about one minute faster because it supports 32x maximum writing.

Below are the best writing times at all available writing speeds of all three drives. The graph shows that Memorex and Pioneer finished each writing process at almost the same time while Nec was faster in all speeds.

In the following graph you can see the recording times with various media brands. All tested media were written at the maximum allowed speed which means very good media compatibility.

- CD-RW Writing Tests

The Memorex True-8x supports 10x, 16x, 20x and 24X rewriting speeds with Ultra Speed rewritable media. Below you can see the results from the CDSpeed writing simulation test with blank 24x US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals. The test confirmed the drives specifications for 24x rewriting. The simulation process started at 16.01x and finished at 24.42x resulting the average speed of 22.33x. The drive reached the maximum 24x writing speed at the 19th minute of the disc and as Nero CdSpeed confirms the writing strategy is Z-CLV.

 

In order to provide a comparison of the three drives when writing on HS-RW media, we used Nero Burning Rom software to burn a 651MB data compilation using 24x US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals. Both Memorex and Pioneer support 24x rewriting speed and finished the writing process at exactly the same time, 6:01min, while Nec was 70sec slower due to the fact that it supports 16x max rewriting speed. On the quick erase test , Memorex proved to be 4sec faster than Pioneer.

- Packet Writing Tests

For the packet writing test we used the InCD packet writing software from Nero and Mitsubishi Chemicals 24x US-RW media. The test file was a 403 MB file (412.822 KB) and we used the drag and drop method from Windows Explorer to write the file from our hard disk to the RW media. Memorex was faster on the writing process with 16.4x average speed, while the read process average speed reported was 13.7x.

 

Operation	Duration	Average speed
Read	3:20 min	13.7 X
Write	2:48 min	16.4 X

- Other features

Overburning	Does not support
CD text reading/writing	Yes

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9. Writing quality - 3T Jitter Tests

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 9

Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests

In order to test the writing quality of the written discs with Memorex True-8x we summarize the 3T Pit & Land Jitter of the written discs in the following graphs.

- 3T Pit results

Memorex proved to be a qualitative writer on all tested CD-R media. None of the discs exceeded the 35ns Red Book limitation, as it shown on the above graph. The highest Pit value (32ns) comes from the Ritek media at the beginning of its surface while the most stable measurements were indicated with the Fuji media.

The average 3T Pit Jitter values for all recording speeds are illustrated in the following graph.

On the above graph the average Pit Jitter of each media is presented. Memorex and TY media returned the highest average values but these values are lower than the 35ns Red Book limitation. This means that the specific media can safely be used for quality writing. On the other hand MAM and Fuji gave back low average Pit Jitter, 23.05 and 23.98 respectively.

- 3T Land results

Just like the previous Pit values measurements, the Ritek disc gave back the highest Land Jitter value, 35ns, while the Fuji disc gave the most stable measurements. None of the written discs exceeded the 35ns Red Book limitation.

The following average graph confirms the low levels.

The average Land Jitter values for all written discs were good. The highest average values were indicated with Memorex, written at 24x, while the lowest comes from Fuji.

Recording Speed	Average 3T Pit Jitter (ns)	Average 3T Land Jitter (ns)	> 35ns	Max 3T jitter values (ns)
TY 48x	27.10	27.54	No	31 Pit,31 Land
TDK Printable 48x	24.37	24.83	No	29 Pit, 28 Land
Fuji 52x	23.05	23.90	No	25 Pit, 25 Land
MAM Golden Dye 52x	23.98	25.73	No	33 Pit, 35 Land
Memorex 52x	27.44	28.05	No	30 Pit, 30 Land
Ritek Mutlispeed	25.32	26.83	No	30 Pit, 30 Land

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10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 10

Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements

We measured the C1 / C2 error rate for the media burned during the previous writing tests (jitter). The software used was UMDoctor Pro II, and the reader the Optorite DD0203 drive.

• Taiyo Yuden 48x recorded at 8x

• Taiyo Yuden 48x recorded at 16x

• Taiyo Yuden 48x recorded at 20x

• Taiyo Yuden 48x recorded at 24x

• TDK 48x recorded at 24x

• Fuji 48x recorded at 24x

- Summary

The C1C2 values of all written discs with the Memorex True-8x drive are very good. None of the above tested media gave back C2 errors and all C1 values are in low levels. This proves that all discs were written in good quality.

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11. DVD Recording Tests

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 11

DVD Recording Tests

- Writing Performance

Memorex supports both minus and plus format for DVD writing. The available speeds are 8x for DVD±R and 4x for DVD±RW

Currently, only few 8x certified DVD+R media are available on the market and even fewer DVD-R 8x.

8x DVD-R

In order to be able to show the writing process of a DVD-R disc we used the latest version of NeroCDSpeed and a certified 8x DVD-R media. The disc was written under CLV mode with start speed at 6.00x. The speed was increased after the 600MB mark of the disc to 8.19x and the drive kept that speed until the end of the writing process. The reported average writing speed was 7.70x

 

 

8x DVD+R

Memorex True-8x uses the same writing method on both DVD-R and DVD+R media. On both media the drive increased the writing speed at the exact same area of the discs. After the end of the test NeroCDSPeed reported the same outcome. All three measurements from both discs are the same and therefore the writing method used by the drive.

 

 

4x DVD+RW

With DVD+RW media the drive supports 4x CLV writing. After the end of the test the manufacturers specifications were confirmed with start and end speed at around 4x.

 

 

 

4x DVD-RW

For the DVD-RW writing test we used a JVC-RW media certified writing at 4x. CDSpeed reported an average writing speed of 4x CLV. This is the first drive we tested that supports 4x DVD-RW writing.

 

 

 

- Burning Tests

The following graphs show the maximum writing speeds for all available DVD formats for the Pioneer drive. For comparison, we also include the writing times for the Sony DRU-530A and Plextor PX-708 drives.

Because of the writing speed specifications for DVD-R/-RW, the Pioneer drive gave the lowest writing times amongst the three drives. For DVD+R/+RW media where all drives support 8x and 4x respectively, Plextor drive was the fastest on the DVD+R writing with burning time of 7:53 while Sony leads in the DVD+RW writing with burning time at 13:44

The following screenshots were taken from Nero, after successful burnings. The recording project is the same dvd-video compilation for all the tests.

• JVC 8x DVD-R

• MC 8x DVD+R

• MC 4x DVD-RW

• MCC 4x DVD+RW

Media	Code	Recording Speed
Mitsubishi Kagaku 8x DVD+R	MCC003	8x
JVC 8x DVD-R	TYG02	8x
TDK 4x DVD-R	TTG01	4x
Mam 4x DVD-R	MCI4XG01	4x
Ritek 4x DVD-R	RITEKG04	4x
Verbatim 4x DVD-R	MCC01RG20	4x
CMC 4X DVD-R	CMCMAG.AF1	4x
CMC 8X DVD+R	CMCMAG EO1	4x
N-Tech 4x DVD-R	MXLRG01	2x
TY 4x DVD+R	YUDEN000T01	4x
PHILIPS DVD+RW 4X	PHILIPS 041	4x
JVC DVD-RW 4X	JVC0VictorD7	4x

The table above presents the writing speeds of the drive for the various media formats.

- Packet Writing Tests

For this test we copied a 403 MB file (412.822 KB) from Hard Disk (on the same PC as the recorder) to the formatted RW media through Windows explorer (drag and drop).

DVD-RW	Duration	Average speed
Read	2:31 min	2X
Write	2:57 min	1.99X

DVD+RW	Duration	Average speed
Read	2:02 min	2.5X
Write	1:26 min	3.5X

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12. KProbe PI/PO quality tests

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 12

KProbe PI/PO quality results

The following screenshots show the PI/PO scans for the various DVD-/+R and DVD-/+RW media, recorded with Memorex True-8x at the maximum permitted speed.

The software used for the measurements was the KProbe v1.1.26, the ECC was set to 8 and the reader was LiteOn LDW-811s. The specific methodology is very dependable on the drive used as a reader, while the reliability of the PI/PO provided output is not also technically confirmed. Hence as a result, we cannot come up with fully reliable conclusive results, although we do make a comparison of the drive's behavior when using various DVD recordable/rewritable media.

The discs used came from Verbatim, TDK, Ritek, CMC, Mitsubishi Chemicals, Taiyo Yuden and Maxell. Further details about each disc's type are presented at the bottom of this page.

• TDK 8x DVD-R (Recorded at 8x)

• TY 4x DVD-R (Recorded at 4x)

• Ritek 4x DVD-R (Recorded at 4x)

• TDK 4x DVD-R (Recorded at 4x)

• MCC 4x DVD-R (Recorded at 4x)

• MC 4x DVD-RW (Recorded at 4x)

• MITSUBISHI KAKAGU 8x DVD+R (Recorded at 8x)

• Maxell 4x DVD+R (Recorded at 4x)

• TY 4x DVD+R (Recorded at 4x)

• MKM 4x DVD+RW (Recorded at 4x)

Media	Code
TDK 8X DVD-R	TTG02
TDK 4X DVD-R	TTG01
RITEK 4X DVD-R	RITEKG04
TY 4X DVD-R	TTG01
MCC 4X DVD-R	MCC01RG20
MITSUBISHI KAGAKU 4x DVD-RW	MCC01RW4X
MITSUBISHI KAGAKU 8X DVD+R	MCC003
Maxell 4X DVD+R	YUDEN000T01
TY 4X DVD+R	TY T01
MITSUBISHI KAGAKU 4x DVD-RW	MKM A02

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13. Conclusion

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Memorex DVD±RW True-8x - Page 13

Conclusion

Pros	Cons
8x DVD+R writing 8x DVD-R writing 4x DVD+RW/-R writing Very Good CD/DVD error correction Supports CD-Text (reading/writing) Supports Key2Audio CD-R media compatibility Quality CD writing DVD-RAM reading Supports reading of 99min audio discs Good DVD writing quality	Increased CD seek times Cannot playback/rip CDS200 CD Increased DVD seek times High price Not working backups with SafeDisc protected games Does not supports read leadin and read leadout information Overburning

Memorex True-8x proved to be a quality writer on CD and DVD media. The drive supports both plus and minus format at maximum available speed 8x, for the recordable media. Although the availability of 8x DVD-R media in the market is limited, the drive reached the maximum writing speed of 8x on a TDK 8x DVD-R while the CMC 8x certified disc was written at 4x. No problems occurred on the plus format where the market availability is wider.

The compatibility of the recorded DVD media was also high, and the recorded discs were readable to all the PC DVD readers we tested.

As for the CD format, the 24x writing speed was supported with all media we tested, although this was expected for an average writing speed. On the rewritable media Memorex supports 24x for the CD family and 4x for the DVD family and all the rewritable media tests were conducted with no problems. The weak point here is the lack of overburning.

On the reading part Memorex read all discs we tested without encountering any problems. On both CD and DVD, Memorex True-8x proved to be a fast reader but with seek times above normal especially on the Full seek test. Also notice that the drive is capable of DVD-RAM reading.

The CD and DVD error correction tests were not a problem for Memorex which managed to read all defective discs. The drive finished all tests and therefore the average error correction score of the drive is good.

With protected game titles, Memorex didn't make any working backups. The only game that was successfully backuped was Max Payne protected with SafeDisc v2.51.020. All other games above that protection were not valid.

On the DAE tests the drive ripped the Key2Audio disc but was not able even to read the contents of the CD200 protected disc. Other than that, it managed to rip the contents of our 90/99min test discs and its overall speeds for audio extraction were satisfying.

The suggested price of Memorex True-8x according to Memorex Web site is $299.99. Although the high price, the provided quality probably deserves the extra expense.