1. Introduction
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder -
Page 1
Plextor
was the first manufacturer to release a dual-format 8X/4X DVD recorder,
the PX-708A. Now, Plextor has released the first 12X/8X burner,
the
very promising
PX-712A. This is the first drive to support 12X DVD+R recording in combination
with 8X DVD-R. In addition, it is the first DVD recorder with 48X maximum
recording speed for the CD-R format. Plextor usually puts a lot of effort in
the correct hardware implementation and firmware design, so our expectations
are high for this model.
- Features
VariRec feature can be applied not only with Audio CD-R discs but also with DVD±RW media. The user can select some settings during recording preparation in order to obtain a more
personalized sound tone. The feature is fully controlled within the PlexTools
software, available in the Plextor retail package, and works for CD at 4X and 8X and for DVD at 2X and 4X writing speeds.
Nero and other programs support this feature as well.
The
PoweRec technology ensures the quality of CD and DVD recordings. Low quality
media is often the source of disc errors during high speed recording. PoweRec
checks the quality of the inserted CD/DVD media and automatically selects the
optimum (maximum) writing speed, giving the highest quality results.
Other interesting features of the PX-712A, used only with PlexTools are:
- allows high capacity storage of up to 1 GB on a 700 MB disc. With this advanced feature, you can increase the maximum writing capacity up to 40%*
- offers password protection for your disc and other valuable data*
- checks and reports written disc quality ? C1/C2, PI/PO, track and focus errors*
- enables users to vary tray load/unload speed, spin up/down speed and write/read speeds*
* More information about each function later at its own pages.
Of
course, the most awaited feature of the new Plextor PX-712A is the supported
higher reading / writing speeds. The new drive offers 12X DVD+R (6~12
P-CAV) recording, the highest DVD recording speed available today. Not many
manufacturers will jump on the 12X DVD+R writing speed wagon, since there is
no official standard. It must be noted that in the next couple of months, 16X
full CAV DVD+R writers will hit the market.
DVD-R can be written up to 8X and DVD±RW at 4X
CLV, while. DVD-ROM reading
goes up to 16X CAV - for SL (single layer) media - and 12X for DL (double
layer) media. This drive has also very impressive capabilities when viewed
as a CD-RW
recorder, offering 48X/24X/48X speeds.
- Specifications
Interface: |
E-IDE/ATAPI (Ultra DMA Mode
2) |
Writing Speed: |
DVD+R: 12X / -R: 8X, DVD+RW: 4X, DVD-RW: 4X
|
|
CD-R: 48X, CD-RW: 24X |
Read Speed: |
DVD+R/-R/+RW/-RW: 12X
|
|
DVD-ROM: 16X, CD-R/RW: 40X/48X |
Random Access: |
DVD: 150msec, CD: 100msec |
Buffer Size: |
8MB |
Supported Disc Formats: |
DVD: DVD-ROM, DVD Video,
Multi Border (closed disc read only), Multi-session, DVD+VR, DVD-VR
(Read only) |
|
CD-R/RW: CD-DA, CD-Extra,
CD-ROM Mode 1, CD-ROM Mode 2, CD-ROM XA, Photo CD, Video CD, CD-I,
Multi-session,
CD-Text, UDF, CD+G |
Supported Writing Types: |
DVD+R/+RW: Sequential
write, Random access write, Multi-session and DVD+MRW (Mt. Rainier)
|
|
DVD-R/ -RW: Disc-at-once,
Incremental recording, Multi-border recording, Restricted overwriting |
CD-R/RW: Track-at-once, Disc-at-once,
Session-at-once, Multi-session, Fixed and Variable Packet Writing, CD-MRW
(Mt. Rainier) |
Apart from the specifications mentioned above, Plextor PX-712A supports Mount
Rainier for CD-R/RW and DVD+R/+RW (DVD+MRW). The drive also uses 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). Below are the drive's main specs as taken from NeroInfoTool
and DVDInfoPro:
PlexTools
v2.13 was used to support the drive's new testing abilities as well. Below
you can see the supported subpages for the PX-712A drive.
A new interesting feature of PlexTools v2.13 is that after right clickingn
on the drive and selecting the "Status" option, you can check
the drive's main features, such as reading/writing speeds and GigaRec/VariRec
on/off:
When a blank DVD recordable/rewritable media is inserted, the user can check
which writing speeds are supported under the CD/DVD Info page. When an already
burned disc is
inserted, PlexTools will report various information about the disc:
Below you can see all the available CD reading speeds, according to the data
type of a disc as presented within PlexTools. The maximum reading speed for
CD-R is 48X when SpeedRead is enabled, and 40X for the remaining CD formats:
The maximum CD writing speed for CD-R is 48X P-CAV and 24x P-CAV, when using
Ultra Speed CD-RW media:
Single layer DVD-ROM media can be read up to 16X CAV, which is quite impressive.
DVD±R/RW
discs will be read up to 12X CAV. As PlexTools reports, DVD-Video will be
played at 2X CLV to avoid noise and vibrations, which however can be overcome
very
easily :-)
Below, all the available writing
speeds for DVD and the various supported media types are illustrated:
- European Retail package
The
European retail package includes the Plextor PX-712A IDE drive, one E-IDE cable,
a quick install guide, an RMA form and a warranty card. As for all the Plextor
drives,
the PX-712A offers a 2-year warranty for Europe, Middle-East and Africa. There
is no blank DVD±RW media included with the retail package, which could
be annoying for an amateur user. Perhaps this decision was made by Plextor
to reduce the cost (180 Euro) of the retail package.
The bundled CD/DVD mastering software comes from Ahead , and includes
Nero Burning Rom and Nero InCD for packet writing. PowerDVD by CyberLink is the
included DVD player software, and Pinnacle Studio 9 SE is available for video
editing / authoring.
The second CD-ROM available in the package contains PlexTools Professional
CD/DVD v2.12 utility software and a detailed manual in several languages.
Let's take a look at the drive itself.
The PX-712A model resembles the previous 708 drive and it has all the
appropriate logos indicating the supported formats. The only difference between
the front panel of the 708A and the 712A is the lack of the head-phone jack
and the volume control button. The black tray, according to Plextor, reduces
the optical distortion of the laser beam while reading/writing, producing higher
quality burns. The activity indicator lights up green when the device is
active and yellow when reading / accessing a disc.
On the rear panel you can see the analogue and digital outputs (SPDIF), the
IDE connector
and the power connector. Another version of PX-712A planned to arrive shortly
with S-ATA interface and codename PX-712S.
Our drive was manufactured in April 2004 with a TLA#0001 (hardware revision).
Removing the screws and opening the drive's cover voids the drive's warranty.
For reference reasons, we post the following pictures. You can click on the mainboard
picture for a higher resolution image:
Below you can see Sanyo's latest LSI chipset, the LC897491. According to
Sanyo, the new chipset supports 12x DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 8x DVD±RW, 52x
CD-R and 32x CD-RW recording speeds. In addition it supports Sanyo’s
HD-BURN and BURN-Proof technologies. With reading, the chipset offers
16x DVD-ROM, 52x CD-ROM and 2x DVD-RAM.
- Installation
The drive was installed as secondary master and under WindowsXP was recognized
as "PLEXTOR DVDR PX-712A". The drive arrived with
firmware v1.00. Plextor released a newer firmware (v1.01)
that was being used for all reading/recording tests. Below is a picture from
Nero Burning Rom, showing the drive's specs.
We have only tested one other 12X DVD+R burner, that from CyberDrive, so
we decided to compare the drive with its older brother, the PX-708A and
the CyberDrive
CX12A.
- Testing software
In order to perform our tests we used:
- Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.00
- CDVD Benchmark v1.21
- ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
- Nero Info Tool v2.21
- KProbe v2.1.0 (Reader: LiteOn LDW-811S firmware vHSOK, Reading speed 8X CAV)
- PlexTools v2.13 (Reader: Plextor PX-712A firmware v1.01, Reading speed 8X CLV for CD-R)
- DVDInfoPro v2.47
- Nero Burning Rom v6.3.1.10
2. Data CD/DVD Reading Tests
Plextor PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 2
Transfer Rate Reading Tests
- CD Format
The PX-712A normally supports up to 40X reading speed. With the integraded "SpeedRead
CD" function we "boosted" the drive reading speed up to 48X
for use with our pressed CD and CD-R media and performed the tests.
The PX-712A is faster than its predecessor, the PX-708A, due to the increased
reading maximum speed (48X). The average trasnfer rate was about 36.53X and
36.43X
for pressed CD/CD-R media respectively.
With US-RW media the drive's maximum speed is 40X, resulting
in a lower average speed of 31.4X.
- DVD Format
The PX-712A reads the pressed PTP Single Layer media up to ( 6~) 16X CAV!
The average reading speed is 12.1X, making the drive really fast. Very good
performance from PX-712A!
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, towards the outer area, for each layer. The average reading speed
drops to 9.06X (due to 5~12X CAV).
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 toward the inner part of the disc. The average reading speed is 9.03X (again 5~12X CAV).
As was expected, the PX-712A will read any DVD recordable/rewritable
media at 5~12X (CAV). The average reading speed reaches 9.05X.
Normally, the Plextor PX-712A will read by default CSS DVD-Video discs at
2X CLV speed. For normal use this is very good since there are no vibrations
and
extensive
noise. However when you need to quickly "rip" a movie to HDD this
causes a major headache...ripping time!
Plextor has recognized this problem and offers two ways to "remove" the specific problem:
- By pressing the eject button for 3 seconds (no disc inserted)
- By using PlexTools intergraded "SpeedRead DVD" function
- Appendix
Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs
3. CD Error Correction Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder -
Page 3
CD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when it comes to reading
scratched / defected discs. The test discs we use are the ABEX series
from ALMEDIO.
- ABEX TCD-721R
Errors total
|
Num: 431363124
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 2069442
|
Avg: -31.6 dB(A)
|
Max: -7.2 dB(A)
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 843236
|
Avg: 2.7 Samples
|
Max: 1218 Samples
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 0
|
Avg: 0.0 Samples
|
Max: 0 Samples
|
Total Test Result
|
67.4 points (out of 100.0 maximum)
|
C2 Accuracy |
74.9 % (out of 100.0% maximum) |
The Plextor PX-712A performed very badly with the ABEX TCD-721R. The drive
from the start began producing high spikes and the total score is rather disspointing.
This is very strange since its predesessor performed much better. The C2
accuracy score is also rather low (74.9%).
- ABEX TCD-726
Errors total
|
Num: 431673801
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 2069398
|
Avg: -31.5 dB(A)
|
Max: -7.3 dB(A)
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 843388
|
Avg: 2.7 Samples
|
Max: 1274 Samples
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 1
|
Avg: 550 Samples
|
Max: 550 Samples
|
Total Test Result
|
54.7 points (out of 100.0 maximum)
|
C2 Accuracy |
74.9 % (out of 100.0% maximum) |
Again the PX-712A didn't produce good results with the ABEX TCD-726 disc at full
speed.
- 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
difficult tests. These tracks are referred as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.
The
files are reproduced (played) through a software multimedia player (i.e.
Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone coming
out
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 device.
Error Level
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
Plextor PX-708A
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
3/5
|
0/5
|
Plextor PX-712A passed the three 3 Check Levels of the test. The performance
reveals average sound reproduction and error correction. The fifth level
includes an error size of 1.500mm, and the drive returned many audible clicks.
- Conclusion
Test Disc
|
Reading Speed
|
Score
|
ABEX TCD-721R
|
Max
|
67.4
|
ABEX TCD-726
|
74.9
|
Average Score
|
71.15
|
Combining the two scores from the tests we get an average total
score of 71.15 points out of 100. This performance was rather
dissapointing for a Plextor drive and probably this should be improved with a
new firmware revision.
4. DVD Error Correction Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder -
Page 4
DVD Error Correction
Tests
In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of
the Plextor PX-712A 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.
Plextor PX-718A read the disc at 12X CAV and the scratched area did not affect
the process. The disc was read accurately and no read errors were reported.
The performance reveals high error correction capabilities with scratched single
layer DVD-ROM discs.
ABEX TDR-825
This is also a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM of a 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 defective areas of dimensions
ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm. There are also fingerprints sized between 65 and
75 micrometers.
As in the previous test, the disc was read without any read errors. The reading
speed was not reduced when the drive read the defective areas, and the test
was finished successfully.
- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841
This is an 8.5GB dual layer, single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches
of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm, on both layers.
The drive didn't have any major problems and only lowered its reading speed
near the end of the disc.
ABEX TDR-845
The disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc of a capacity of 8.5GB.
The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the first includes
defective areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defective areas range
from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from 65 to 75 micro meters.
No serious problem here for the PX-712A, again a small speed drop near the end of the disc.
According to the results we have gathered until now, the Plextor PX-712A can
easily read scratched / defective single and dual layer DVD-ROM discs!
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 discs check the layer switch operation
from layer 0 to layer 1 and also include test pictures and test signals for
DVD sound files. The current TDV-541 checks also the error correcting capabilities
of the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The reading process started at 3.5x until the 2.0GB address mark of the test
disc, where the drive lowered the speed in order to read the scratched area.
The drive
stopped reading around 3.6GB and didn't pass at the second layer. The test
results were confirmed when we tried to play the DVD Video files of the disc
in our test PC, with CyberLink PowerDVD software. Playback froze
near the end of the first layer, and many skips occurred.
We did not manage to playback the rest of the movie (second layer).
ABEX TDV-545
The
TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer
DVD-VIDEO disc with a capacity of 8.5GB. The TDV-545 includes artificial black
dots on the data surface, sized from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. It has also 65 - 75 micro
meter fingerprints.
Black dots and fingerprints on the disc surface did not create any reading
problems, and the drive finished the task successfully.
5. Protected Disc Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 5
Protected Disc
Tests
- Reading Tests
To create the image of the various protected titles to the hard disk, we
used Alcohol 120% software and the appropriate settings, according to the protection
type of the inserted discs. Below you can see the duration of each process
as well as the transfer rate in each case, which is more interesting for all
users.
Game Title |
Protection Scheme |
Duration |
Reading speed |
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme" |
Lybcrypt |
1:10 min |
1295 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
2:28 min |
2239 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
3:09 min |
1815 sectors/sec |
Plextor PX-712A supports reading of subchannel data information from data/audio
tracks. The drive was fast with all the protections, and especially with the
the SafeDisc v.2 disc!
- Writing Tests
The Plextor PX-712A supports the DAO-RAW writing mode.
For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 3 different game titles
with different SafeDisc 2 versions having the latest software patches installed.
After making the images of the various titles onto the hard disk, we burned
them (maximum speed) with Alcohol 120% v1.9.2.1705. Two different discs were
created for each
title; one with the "Bypass EFM error" enabled and one more with the
function disabled.
- Fifa 2004 - Safe Disc v3.1
- The Sims Superstar - Safe Disc v2.9
- The Sims Unleashed - Safe Disc v2.8
- Serious Sam Second Encounter v1.07 - Safe Disc v2.60.052
- 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 v1.07
SD v2.60.052
|
Max Payne
SD v2.51.020
|
EFM OFF
|
EFM ON
|
EFM OFF
|
EFM ON
|
EFM OFF
|
EFM ON
|
EFM OFF
|
EFM ON
|
EFM OFF
|
EFM ON
|
Toshiba
SD-M1502
|
No |
Yes |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Creative CD5233E
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Plextor PX-712A
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
What's rather dissapointing is that despite the fact that the PX-712A supports
VariRec, it doesn't have the same implementation like Premium did. With the
Plextor Premium and BlindWrite you can create accurate backups of SecuROM 4.8xx
protected
games. Of course, Sony responded to the special writing mode of Premium
with v5.xx series, adding several checks which recognize the original from
a backup disc. Despite this, we would like to see this feature present in
the PX-712A
series.
6. DAE Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 6
DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
The Plextor PX-712A supports 17~40X CAV DAE speed. When used on a pressed
AudioCD with CD-R copy we had the following results.
The PX-712A was 1.9X faster than both the PX-712A and CyberDrive DX122D,
with pressed media. When using CD-R media, the PX-712A didn't perform as well
as
before and ended up in last place with 29.1X.
- Advanced DAE Quality
The Plextor PX-708A received a perfect score of 100 in the Nero
CD Speed Advanced DAE test. The CDSpeed showed that the average reading speed
is 29.80X,
and
that
the drive supports reading of
SubChannel
data. Leadin / Leadout data and CD
Text.
- Ripping of 99mins AudioCDs
Tested drives |
Ripping up to |
Plextor PX-712A
|
99min |
- Reading/Ripping Protected AudioCDs
For the test procedure we used two audio discs with different
audio copy protections. The areas we checked are for both recognition and
ripping to the hard disk with 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 |
Plextor PX-708A |
OK |
OK |
CyberDrive CX122D |
Recognizes disc contents but cannot
rip tracks |
OK |
Plextor PX-712A |
OK |
OK |
The Plextor PX-712A is fully compatible with protected
audio discs. Both discs were recognized and their contents were ripped accurately
at the maximum speed.
7. CD Recording Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder -
Page 7
CD Recording Tests
The Plextor PX-712A is the first DVD burner that supports 48X CD recording.
The drive
supports 4X, 8X, 16X (CLV), 32X (P-CAV) as well as the maximum 48X CAV writing
speeds. Below are the recording speeds as detected from Nero Burning Rom.
Despite the fact that the PX-712A has a wide supported media list, its possible
that older media will not permit writing at the maximum speed due to the
PoweRecII technology. This can be bypassed by disabling PoweRec, either under
PlexTools or Nero Burning Rom:
According to Nero CDSpeed the drive reached the maximum 48X speed. The test started at 21.05X and finished at 47.90X having an average speed of 36.20X. Click on the image below to see the whole graph.
For the burning tests, we created an 80min data compilation through Nero
Burning Rom, recorded the data on a 700MB disc. The Plextor PX-712A finished
the task in
2:50 minutes, when we selected the 48X writing speed. The
writing performance varies according to the inserted media, as our tests showed.
The PoweRec II system will lower the writing speed, especially at the end producing
a good and quality burn. Below is a chart demonstrating all recording times
with various media.
The best performance came with CMC Magnetics 80min 52X media at 170secs
(2:50mins), while the highest recording time was with TraxData 80min 52X
media at 199secs (3:19mins). For comparison, we must note that its older
brother
(PX-708A)
was slower by only 8 secs (178secs fastest burn)! For a complete list of supported
CD-R media, please visit the Plextor Europe website.
- Other features
Overburning
|
Up to 99min
|
CD text reading/writing
|
Yes
|
The Plextor PX-718A supports 24X P-CAV maximum rewriting speed with Ultra
High Speed rewritable media. The drive also writes at 4X CLV with NS CD-RW
and 10X CLV with HS-RW discs. Below you can see the Nero CD-DVD Speed writing
simulation test with blank 24x US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.
The drive starts the writing task at 21.18X and reaches the maximum 24X
around the 6:00 min area of the disc. According to CDSpeed, the average
writing speed is 23.89X. We also used Nero Burning Rom in order to burn a data
disc
with 24x US-RW media from MC. The data compilation we burned had a size of
651 MB and the duration of the recording process was 3:34 minutes.
The PX-708A for the same project needs 3:41mins.
- CD-RW Mount Rainier Tests
We used Philips Mount Rainier Validation Suite v2.2 to test the drive's compliance with the Mount Rainier format. All three scripts loaded in the Validation Suite (mandatory command set, Light R'n'R and Heavy R'n'R) were passed successfully by the drive, indicating perfect results.
8. CD Writing Quality - Jitter Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder -
Page 8
Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
In the following page you can
see the 3T
Pit & Land Jitter graphs using various media burned at 48X CAV writing speed.
- 3T Pit results
Generally the drive didn't perform very well, at least with the specific
media. The highest 3T Pit jitter reached was 47nsec, which was a long way
from the Red Book
limit (35nsec). The best results came with BenQ 52X CD-R media.
- 3T Land results
The average 3T Land results were again high for the same media. The maximum
3T Land Jitter also reached 47nsec and the Fuji 40X CD-R media produced the
best results.
- Conclusion
Thr Plextor PX-712A generally gave average results in the jitter measuring
tests. The 48X writing speed does affect both 3T Pit/Land Jitter which sometimes
reached
even 47nsec. With some media (BenQ 52X , Fuji 40X) the 3T Pit/Land Jitter was
much lower. Looking at the burning results, we will see that BenQ 52X media
taking 3:07mins to burn, is among the highest burning times.
In the following page we check the C1 and C2 error rates of the same discs,
to come up with more conclusive appraisal.
9. CD Writing Quality - C1/C2 Error Measurements
Plextor
PX-712A dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 09
Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
We measured the C1 / C2 error rate of the recorded discs we burned at the
various supported writing speeds. The software we used is the PleXTools Professional
v2.13, and particularly the built-in Q-Check utility. For comparison purposes,
we also scanned the burned discs with Plextor Premium (firmware v1.05, 8X CLV
reading speed).
BenQ 80min CD-R @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
CMC Magnetics 80min 48X @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
Fuji 80min 40X @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
Mam SGUltra 80min 48X @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
Maxell 80min 48X @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
MMore 80min 52X @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
Plextor 80min 48X @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
TraxData 80min 52X @ 48X (PoweRec Enabled)
- Summary
Generally, we can say that the PX-712A produced good quality burns with some
exceptions. The biggest problems came with Mam SG Ultra and CMC Magnetics,
where C2 errors were reported. Of course, C2 errors can be corrected but a
good burn shouldn't include them afterall. Comparing the drive with the Plextor
Premium,
we saw that the PX-712A was more "sensitive" reporting higher C1
and also C2 error rates, where the Premium didn't.
- Appendix
Media Label |
ID Code |
Manufacturer Name |
Lead Out TIme |
MMore 80min 52X |
97m17s 6f |
Moser Baer India |
79m59s74f |
Maxell 80min 48X |
97m15s17f |
Ritek Co. |
79m59s70f |
FujiFilm 80min 40X |
97m26s45f |
Fuji Photo Film |
79m59s73f |
CMC Magnetics 80min 48X |
97m26s66f |
CMC Magnetics |
79m59s71f |
Mam SGUltra 80min 48X |
97m27s58f |
Mitsui Chemicals |
79m59s74f |
BenQ 80min 48X |
97m22s67f |
Daxon Technology |
79m59s74f |
Plextor 80min 48X |
97m24s 1f |
Taiyo Yuden |
79m59s72f |
TraxData 80min 52X |
97m15s17f |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
10. DVD Recording Tests
Plextor PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 10
DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
The Plextor
PX-712A supports
DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW writing. The maximum supported speed for the DVD+R is
12X (6X~12X P-CAV), 8X P-CAV for DVD-R and 4X CLV
for DVD±RW media. Currently, no 12X certified DVD+R media is sold on
the market. Nero Burning Rom reported speeds are shown below. Notice that the
drive burns CLV at 4X & 6X writing speeds for both DVD±R
formats .
The Plextor
PX-712A will burn at 12X using existing 8X certified DVD+R media. With the
current firmware revision (v1.01) the following media are supported for
the maximum burning speeds. Too bad Plextor's website doesn't post the exact
media codes so users can identify if their media will be burned or not at max
speeds:
Recommended Media |
Recording Speeds |
Disc Manufacturer |
DVD+R |
12X |
Verbatim
DVD+R (8X)
Prodisc Technology Inc
DVD+R (8X)
MPO Media
DVD+R (8X)
Taiyo Yuden
DVD+R47TYA
Ricoh
DRD-8XCW5
Plextor
PX-DVD+R8JC1
Maxell
D+R47C.1P
|
DVD-R |
8X |
Maxell
DR47C.1P
Mitsubishi Chemical
DHR47H1
Plextor
PX-DVD-R8JC1
Taiyo Tuden
DVD-R47TYA
TDK
DVD-R47K
Sony
DVD-R (8X)
Ritek
DVD-R (8X)
Prodisc Technology Inc
DVD-R (8X)
NAN-YA
DVD-R (8X)
Fujifilm
DVD-R (8X)
CMC
DVD-R (8X)
|
The current version of Nero CD-DVD Speed had a problem, closing immediatly
after completing the "create disc" function, therefore we run two
simulation tests, one in Nero CDSpeed and one in Plextools Professional, using
Maxell 8X DVD+R media.
The Plextor PX-712A starts writing at 6.03x, and gradually increases its
writing speed until 2.7GB where it reaches the 12X writing speed until the
end of the disc is reached. The average writing speed is around 10.62X,
while the total burning
time is around 6:09mins for a full DVD-5 project.
For the DVD-R format, P-CAV writing strategy is being used, as the Nero CD-Speed software reports:
The time needed for 4316MB was 7:54min, making the PX-712A a fast burner. For the DVD±RW 4X CLV writing technology used.
- Burning Tests
We burned 4315MB of data on various DVD±R, DVD±RW media.
We used the maximum allowed writing speed for each disc, with the PoweREC feature
enabled. The best recording times for DVD-R format came from That's 8X media
with 7:50mins. Its not a secret that Plextor uses Taiyo Yuden media for branded
products, so it was natural the PX-712A to perform best with them. We can say
that Plextor followed a rather strict policy with DVD-R media since it allowed
8X only with 8X rated media, with the exception of That's 4X DVD-R.
On the other hand, things changed when burning DVD+R media. The PX-712A
allowed all tested 4X DVD+R media to be burned at 8X! For the absolute 12X
P-CAV recording speeds, the supported media list , as we saw before is rather
limited,
and only three media managed to burn with many differences in the final
recording time. The lowest burning time came from Maxell's 8X DVD+R media with
6:09mins,
followed by Ricoh's 8X (6:12mins) and Plextor's 8X (6:24mins).
Below are all the burning results from the various media types used.
Disc Label |
Disc Information |
Allowed Writing Speed |
Total Recording Time (mins) |
That's 8X |
TYG02 |
8X |
7:50 |
Verbatim 8X |
MCC 02RG20 |
8X |
7:53 |
CMC 8X |
CMC MAG. AE1 |
8X |
7:54 |
TraxData 8X |
RITEKG05 |
8X |
7:56 |
Maxell 8X |
MXL RG03 |
8X |
7:51 |
That's 4X |
TYG01 |
8X |
7:52 |
That's 6X |
TYG01 |
6X |
10:03 |
BenQ 4X |
SONY04D1 |
4X |
14:44 |
TraxData 4X |
RITEKG04 |
4X |
14:51 |
Verbatim RW
|
MCC01RW4X
|
4X
|
14:44
|
Traxdata RW
|
RITEKW04
|
4X
|
14:47
|
Disc Label |
Disc Information |
Allowed Writing Speed |
Total Recording Time (mins) |
Plextor 8X |
YUDEN000T02 |
12X |
6:24 |
Ricoh 8X |
RICOHJPNR02 |
12X |
6:12 |
Maxell 8X |
MAXELL 002 |
12X |
6:09 |
CMC 8X |
CMC MAG E01 |
8X |
7:37 |
Verbatim 4X |
MMC 002 |
8X |
7:34 |
Traxdata 4X |
RICOHJPNR01 |
8X |
7:36 |
Traxdata 8X |
RITEK R03 |
8X |
7:35 |
CMC 4X |
CMC MAG F01 |
8X |
7:36 |
Mitsubishi Kagaru 8X |
MCC 003 |
8X |
7:34 |
MMore 4X |
MBIPG101R03 |
8X |
7:34 |
Traxdata RW 4X
|
RICOHJPNW11
|
4X
|
15:12
|
Mitsubishi Kagaku RW 4X
|
MKMA02
|
4X
|
13:48
|
- DVD Overburning Test
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.00 we tested if the PleXWriter PX-712A can overburn
using DVD-R and DVD+R media:
Unfortunatly, the PX-712A doesn't support overburning with
DVD-R media.
For this test we used two media, RICOH 4X DVD+R and TY 8X DVD+R. Nero CD-DVD
Speed automatically sets as test capacity 5GB and warns us that simulation
is not possible, actual writing must be performed:
The PX-W712A was able to write up to 4616MB, an overall gain of 133MB. Not
bad at all :-)
With TY 8X DVD+R, the additional space
increased by 19MB.
Finally below we can see the tested media ID and the overall
overburning capacity.
- DVD+MRW Tests
We used MRW Validation Suite 2.2 from Philips to test the compliance of
the Plextor PX-712A with the Mount Rainier DVD+MRW format.
For the test
we used 4X DVD+RW media from TraxData and 2.4X DVD+RW media from Sentinel.
The test was terminated immediately after starting prompting us to insert a
blank
DVD+RW
disc. Probably the problem lies with the testing software since we had similar
problems testing other drives also. If and when MRW Validation Suite solves
this issue, we will repeat the tests.
11. Kprobe PI/PO Quality Tests for DVD+R/RW
Plextor PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 11
KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
In the following screenshots you can see the PI/PIF scans for the media we burned with the Plextor PX-712A. The software we used for all measurements is the KProbe v2.1.0, and the reader is
a LiteOn LDW-811S with "patched" firmware, being able to read DVD±R/RW media up to 8X CAV. All scans have been performed at 8X with PI/PIF Sum8. Note that LiteOn drives cannot report PO but PIF errors, despite what KProbe reports. In addition all discs have been scanned with PX-712A v1.01 using PlexTools v2.13 for comparison levels.
Comparing the KProbe/PlexTools scans we can see major differences at the reported
PI/PIF error rates. The main explanation is that we have two different readers,
with different pickup/chipset combination, scanning at different reading speeds
(8X CAV for KProbe, 2X CLV for PlexTools). Its interesting to see the disc
scanned at low & high speed, since when the error rate increases at a specific
disc area, it should appear in both scans...else it would be, perhaps, a
reading glitch of the tested reader.
Note: PI/PIF errors only give us a quick look at the error rate of the burned media. Those scans should be taken not as the asbolute criteria of the burning quality but as an indication level.
Maxell 8X DVD+R @ 12X
Plextor 8X DVD+R @ 12X
Ricoh 8X DVD+R @ 12X
CMC 8X DVD+R @ 8X
CMC 4X DVD+R @ 8X
MCC 4X DVD+R @ 8X
MKM 8X DVD+R @ 8X
MMore 4X DVD+R @ 8X
TraxData 4X @ 8X
TraxData 8X DVD+R @ 8X
TraxData 4X DVD+RW @ 4X
Mitsubishi Kagaku 4X DVD+RW @ 4X
- Summary
Most of the 4X DVD+R media burned at 8X without any serious problem. The reported
PI/PIF error rate is low and most of the problems are focused on the outer
area of the disc. The 12X DVD+R writing speed shows very good results, mostly
with
TY based media.
- Appendix
Disc Label |
Disc Information |
Allowed Writing Speed |
Total Recording Time (mins) |
Plextor 8X |
YUDEN000T02 |
12X |
6:24 |
Ricoh 8X |
RICOHJPNR02 |
12X |
6:12 |
Maxell 8X |
MAXELL 002 |
12X |
6:09 |
CMC 8X |
CMC MAG E01 |
8X |
7:37 |
Verbatim 4X |
MMC 002 |
8X |
7:34 |
Traxdata 4X |
RICOHJPNR01 |
8X |
7:36 |
Traxdata 8X |
RITEK R03 |
8X |
7:35 |
CMC 4X |
CMC MAG F01 |
8X |
7:36 |
Mitsubishi Kagaru 8X |
MCC 003 |
8X |
7:34 |
MMore 4X |
MBIPG101R03 |
8X |
7:34 |
Traxdata RW 4X |
RICOHJPNW11 |
4X |
15:12 |
Mitsubishi Kagaku RW 4X |
MKMA02 |
4X |
13:48 |
12. Kprobe PI/PO Quality Tests for DVD-R/RW
Plextor PX-712A Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 12
KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
In the following screenshots you can see the PI/PIF scans for the media we burned with the Plextor PX-712A. The software we used for all measurements is the KProbe v2.1.0, and the reader is a LiteOn LDW-811S with "patched" firmware, being able to read DVD±R/RW media up to 8X CAV. All scans have been performed at 8X with PI/PIF Sum8. Note that LiteOn drives cannot report PO but PIF errors, despite what KProbe reports. In addition all discs have been scanned with PX-712A v1.01 using PlexTools v2.13 for comparison levels.
Comparing the KProbe/PlexTools scans we can see major differences at the reported
PI/PIF error rates. The main explanation is that we have two different readers,
with different pickup/chipset combination, scanning at different reading speeds
(8X CAV for KProbe, 2X CLV for PlexTools). It's interesting to see the disc
scanned at low & high speed, since when the error rate increases at a specific
disc area, it should appear at both scans...else it would be, perhaps, a reading
glitch of the tested reader.
Note: PI/PIF errors only give us a quick look at the error rate of the burned media. Those scans should be taken not as the asbolute criteria of the burning quality but as an indication level.
BenQ 4X DVD-R @ 4X
CMC Magnetics 8X DVD-R @ 8X
Maxell 8X DVD-R @ 8X
That's 8X DVD-R @ 8X
That's 4X DVD-R @ 8X
That's 4X DVD-R @ 6X
TraxData 4X DVD-R @ 4X
TraxData 8X DVD-R @ 8X
Verbatim 8X DVD-R @ 8X
Verbatim 4X DVD-RW @ 4X
Traxdata 4X DVD-RW @ 4X
- Summary
The best writing quality results came from 'That's 8X DVD-R' media. Most of
the burned discs had low PI/PIF error rates. With the BenQ 4X DVD-R media,
the drive produced a medium quality burn. Comparing LiteOn and Plextor scans,
we can easily notice, that the Plextor drive, even reads at 2X CLV, will report
a problem when it's there, where the LiteOn drive easily reports much higher
PI/PIF error rates.
- Appendix
Disc Label |
Disc Information |
Allowed Writing Speed |
Total Recording Time (mins) |
That's 8X |
TYG02 |
8X |
7:50 |
Verbatim 8X |
MCC 02RG20 |
8X |
7:53 |
CMC 8X |
CMC MAG. AE1 |
8X |
7:54 |
TraxData 8X |
RITEKG05 |
8X |
7:56 |
Maxell 8X |
MXL RG03 |
8X |
7:51 |
That's 4X |
TYG01 |
8X |
7:52 |
That's 6X |
TYG01 |
6X |
10:03 |
BenQ 4X |
SONY04D1 |
4X |
14:44 |
TraxData 4X |
RITEKG04 |
4X |
14:51 |
Verbatim RW |
MCC01RW4X |
4X |
14:44 |
Traxdata RW |
RITEKW04 |
4X |
14:47 |
13. VariREC Tests for CD Format
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 13
VariREC (CD Format)
Plextor improved VariRec and along with CD, now also supports the DVD format.
The VariRec function in general, changes the laser power values producing changes
of sound quality and playability with a player. The VariRec function can be
used either inside PlexTools (Drive Settings ->VariRec) or under Nero Burning
ROM.
When you attempt to access for the first time the VariRec tab,
a wanring window prompts, giving details about the use of this function and
restrictions:
When selecting VariREC, the burning speeds are limited to 4X/8X for CD-R and 2X/4X for DVD±R media. Mainly VariREC can be used with for CD-DA (CD) and DVD-Video (DVD) formats.
Below is a screenshot when a blank CD-R media is inserted in the drive. Users
can select from -4~+4 values with 1 value stepping. There are two burning speeds
(4X/8X), and change of recording strategy method according to the used dye
material of the inserted disc:
For our tests we used:
- Recording Speed: 8X
- Used media: BenQ 80min 48X
We burned one media each VariRec value: -4, -3, -2, -1, +0, +1, +2, +3, +4. The burned media tested with a desktop mini system and a car CD player. Below are the test results
|
VariRec |
Players |
-4 |
-3 |
-2 |
-1 |
0 |
+1 |
+2 |
+3 |
+4 |
JVC LCX-257 |
TOC recognized correctly, no playback problems |
Disc was not recognized! |
TOC recognized correctly, no playback problems |
JVC KD-SH9101 |
The test results were very good. Almost all produced discs were playable and
without any problem (skipping, muting). The only problem comes from the -2
VariRec value, since it produced a disc that wasn't recognized by any of the
two CD players. Generally speaking, we didn't hear any change in sound
tone during
our listening tests, Plextor claims that VariRec can change the music tone,
maybe with a better system, such changes could be audible...
We measured the jitter levels on the same media, using our LEADER LE 1853
machine, in order to see the recording quality while using the VariREC feature
and the normal mode. Below are the results:
As can been seen on the graphs above, the lower the step the better
the quality is. The normal writing is placed exactly in the middle of the jitter
levels. The -2 step is missing from our graphs since it was not recognized
and so it was not possible to be measure.
14. VariREC Tests for DVD Format
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 14
VariREC (DVD Format)
A blank DVD-R media was inserted in the drive. The user can move the VariREC
slider from -4 ~ 0 ~ +4 values, at the same time change the recording speed
(4X/2X)
and the recording strategy method!
As users can easily imagine, the combinations are too many for testing, so we decided to burn DVD-Video media with the following presets for all burning tests:
- 4X recording speed
- Recording Strategy: Default
- Used media: Maxell 4X DVD-R (Ritek G04)
- VariRec options: -4, -2, 0, +2, +4
All burned media was measured with PlexTools v2.13 and PX-712A for Jitter and afterwards tested with a Sony PS2 for playback compatibility.
First lets see how VariREC affects the DCJitter trend line:
The test results showed that VariRec does affect Jitter and in some cases
improved its values by descreasing its trend line. The highest Jitter values
come without the VariRec function enabled while the lowest from the +4 setting.
The worst results came from the +2 setting, since PlexTools reported write
errors during the lead-out process and the disc is unreadable near the end,
as CDSpeed showed.
The CDSpeed transfer graphs showed that the -2 settingt produces the smoother graph, while the normal 4X writing the worst!
Playing back the test discs with PS2, showed that all discs were playable,
the +2 disc wasn't. No problems were noticed during playback, but for sure
the
reduced Jitter of some settings will produce smoother playback with specific
DVD players.
15. GigaRec Tests - Page 1
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 15
GigaRec - Page 1
GigaRec is another function from Plextor that increases/decreases the capacity
of an empty blank disc, allowing more or less data to fit. The main idea behind
GigaRec is to widen the Pit lenght that is burned to the disc improving playability
(0.6X, 0.7X, 0.8X) with players, or reduce Pit lenght and fit more data on
the disc. The outcome is supposed to be similar to Yamaha's AudioMASTER
technology.
After inserting any 80min blank CD-R media, PlexTools automatically fills
up the table, notice that the 1.4X selection is grayed out, and therefore cannot
be selected. The user can move the slider from 0.6X ~ 1.3X. From the table
we can see how much more/less data will fit on our disc. After enabling GigaRec,
we
can proceed to the CD/DVD Maker tab and add our data (mode1/mode2 or audio).
To our surpise, when we inserted a TDK 800min CD-R disc, the disc increased
capacity up to 1051MB or 119mins of Audio data! Again the
1.4X slider was not available...
For our tests we used .wav files to create non-compliant Audio discs. The main use of GigaRec is with Audio discs so we only burned such projects:
#1st Test
- Burning Speed: 8X
- Media: SKC 80min 48X (SKC Co. LTD 97m26s26f/79m59s73f)
- GigaRec Rates: 0.8X, 1.2X, 1.3X
The drive didn't have any problems burning the 0.8X/1.2X/1.3X with the 8X
writing speed. However we didn't manage to burn the 0.6X/0.7X rates at that
speed (8X) since either drive stopped responding or returned power calibration
errors. At the 1.3X rate, we managed to store up to 105:12mins of Audio!
#2nd Test
- Burning Speed: 4X
- Media: BenQ 80min 52X (Daxon Technology 97m22s67f/ 79m59s74f)
- GigaRec Rates: 0.6X, 0.7X
When selected the 4X burning speed for 0.6X/0.7X GigaRec rates the burning process completed without any problems.
#3rd Tests
- Burning Speed: 4X/8X
- Media: TDK 90min 40X ( TDK Corporation 97m15s 5f/91m 1s48f)
- GigaRec Rates: 0.6X, 0.7X, 0.8X, 1.2X, 1.3X
The drive didn't have any problems writing up to 119:24mins of Audio CD!
Again for the 0.6X/0.7X and 1.3X we used the 4X burning speed.
16. GigaRec Tests - Page 2
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 16
GigaRec - Page 2
- Playback Tests
In order to test the GigaRec function we used three CD players and the results
are presented in the following table:
#1st Test Disc Batch (SKC 80min 48X)
|
GigaRec Rates |
Players |
0.6X |
0.7X |
0.8X |
1.2X |
1.3X |
JVC LCX-257 |
|
TOC recognized correctly, no playback problems |
TOC recognized
correctly, high seek times when try accessing last tracks especially
at 1.3X. When playback performed sequentially at last tracks no problems
occured.
|
JVC SH-D9101 |
Below are the BETA/Jitter scans for all GigaRec tested media:
#2nd Test Disc Batch (BenQ 80min 52X)
|
GigaRec Rates |
Players |
0.6X |
0.7X |
0.8X |
1.2X |
1.3X |
JVC LCX-257 |
TOC recognized correctly, no playback problems |
|
JVC KV-9101 |
#3rd Test Disc Batch (TDK 90min 40X)
|
GigaRec Rates |
Players |
0.6X |
0.7X |
0.8X |
1.2X |
1.3X |
JVC LCX-257 |
TOC recognized correctly, cannot playback any track (disc keeps spinning all the time focus lost) |
TOC recognized correctly, some problems with last tracks |
TOC recognized correctly, high seek times when try accessing last tracks especially at 1.3X. When playback performed sequently at last tracks no problems occured. |
JVC KV-9101 |
TOC recognized correctly, no playback problems |
TOC recognized correctly, no playback problems |
- Summary
If someone asked us directly, "does GigaRec work?", our answer would be definantly
yes. It does work and pretty well especially with 80min CD-R media. The produced
discs will playback correctly at some rates and won't at others. The used media
does affect the playability as was shown from our test results.
Using the BenQ 80min 48X CD-R media, the 0.6X/0.7X/0.8X rates had no problems while the other two (1.2X/1.3X) produced minor problems. The system had problems focusing from first to the last two tracks, high seek times, but when playback was sequential no problem occured.
Using the TDK 800MB CD-R media enabled higher GigaRec rates, which however
weren't that impressive since the burned media isn't playable at some parts
or at all. For the two lowest GigaRec rates (0.6X, 0.7X) the only working burning
speed is 4X, normally since laser needs to stay focused when producing the
higher pit lenghts.
For the remaining GigaRec rates (0.8X,1.2X,1.3X), 8X burning speed is selectable,
we would suggest however using again the 4X speed with the highest (1.3X) rate.
Of course as you may understand, using other CD-R media and maybe combined with VariRec can produce totally different results...;-)
- Appendix
For testing we also used Mam SGUltra 80min 48X CD-R media with the 1.3X rate. The produced disc had all the usual symptoms of the 1.3X rate but the interesting part is that the PX-712A couldn't scan the disc for Beta/Jitter error rates...
17. Q-Check Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 17
Q-Check
Q-Check functions was first introduced by Plextor with the Premium drive.
For the first time, an optical storage manufacturer sold a device with built-in
media measurement software/features. Plextor, as was expected, added to the
PX-712A series the ability not only to check C1/C2 error rates but also PI/PO
errors
with DVD recordable/re-writeable/pressed media! Let's see the new functions.
First of all, a new option has been added within the Q-Check Beta/Jitter
Test, the Q-Check PIPO Test. The PlexTools v2.13 intoduced improved PI/PO tests
according
to the standards, making the PX-712A ideal solution for measuring error rates
from DVD media, or not?...We plan to find out :-)
The PlexTools v2.13 gives a brief description about the three subtests of Q-Check PI/PO test:
- Sum8: Test for PI Errors per 8 consecutive blocks (1-8, 2-9, 3-10, etc...) (rows/8ECC)
- Sum1: Test for Un-corretable PI per block (rows/1ECC)
- Basic Test: Counts the number of bytes/1ECC that are corrected during PI stage.
The bold black line represents the DVD standard error limit (280 for PISum8).
At the log window we can see the realtime statistics (average/maximum/total) of the measurement values.
What exactly is being measured and reported varies from test to test:
- Sum8: PIE (Parity Inner Errors) & POF (Parity Outer Fail)
- Sum1: PIF (Parity Inner Fail) & POF (Parity Outer Fail)
- Basic: PIE (Parity Inner Errors) & POF (Parity Outer Fail)
The Basic test reported error rate is not very useful since it doesn't exactly
comply with any DVD standard. The Limits error according to the DVD standards
are:
- PIE (280)
- PIF (4)
- POF (0)
As Plextor explains, the existence of PI errors on DVD media is normal,
those errors are NOT physical defects and can be corrected by the player's
error
correction mechanism. It should be noted that the number of reported errors
is a combination of specific media + player and usually when we measure a media
with many readers we will get totally different results. In case PlexTools
reports POF errors, there is a chance that data will become unreadable.
The Q-Check PI/PO test options are not exactly we would have liked.
You can only select the displayed Error Limit (100/500 defaults, but you can
type
any number and automatically scale changes!), the Time Lengh Indication (5GB/10GB)
and the Start/End position of the test.
As it stands currently, the Q-Check PI/PO test is performed at 2X CLV, making
each subtest last around 30mins (depends on the written data). While at
this speed, Plextor promises high accuracy, however we would like to have more
reading speed options...
Summarizing our critisim towards Q-Check PI/PO test we would like to:
- Have more reading speeds (1X, 4X, 8X even up to 16X)
- Being able to create templates for custom scanning (for example split disc
into 10 areas and get an average)
- Being able to export data at RAW format
- Have better graphing abilities (autoscale/zoom-in/out)
- Being able to draw seperately either PIE/PIF/POF error rates at its own
scaling scale
- Being able to add comment(s) to the saved scan
- Have the average/max values "printed" at the top right corner among with media ID and media manufacturer
The Q-Check FE/TE and Beta/Jitter tests were also updated to support the DVD
format.
Under the Beta/Jitter Test there is the option to set the sample lenght from 8ECC Blocks to 16ECC Blocks, we are not very sure which should be used for comparing, for our comparison tests we used the 8ECC Blocks option.
And last but not least, we shouldn't forget that the PX-712A can also report/measure
C1/C2 and CU errors. Nothing new here (compared with Premium), the same reading
options (4X/8X CLV and 10~24 CAV):
For the C1/C2 scans we would like the average/max/total values also printed
with the graph instead of a pop up window.
18. PleXTools vs. SA300 - Page 1
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 18
PleXTools vs. SA300 - Page 1
For checking exactly what the PX-712A reports, we used three different media,
burned with other recorders. These three media have been measured with the
well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system. For your comparisons, we post the
PIPO
and Beta/Jitter measurements. We post only the SUM8 and SUM1 test results along
with BETA/Jitter. In order to fully test a disc, you need 30mins for
SUM8, 30mins for SUM1 and 15mins for BETA/Jitter, which equals a total of
75 mins, more
even than the CATS!
#1st Test Disc - PISum8 Comparison
The PX-712A reported un-correctable read error when it reached 3.5GB. Already
the PIE error rate was increasing and if the drive continued reading, the PIE
error rate line would be similar with the SA300 series.
#1st Test Disc - PIF Comparison
The PIF error rate trend line looks like the SA300, however with totally different
value level.
#1st Test Disc - POF Comparison
#1st Test Disc - DCJitter/BETA/ASYM Comparison
We can easily see that the BETA/Assymetry trend lines are very much
the same, while the DC Jitter trend line isn't.
19. PleXTools vs. SA300 - Page 2
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 19
PleXTools vs. SA300 - Page 2
For checking exactly what the PX-712A reports, we used three different media,
burned with other recorders. These three media have been measured with
the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system. For your comparisons, we post
the
PIPO
and Beta/Jitter measurements. We post only the SUM8 and SUM1 test results along
with BETA/Jitter. In order to fully test a disc, you need 30mins
for SUM8, 30mins for SUM1 and 15mins for BETA/Jitter, which equals a totsl
of 75 mins, more even from the CATS!
#2nd Test Disc - PISum8 Comparison
The PISum8 trend line is very close to what the SA300 series reported. Again the value level is not the same.
#2nd Test Disc - PIF Comparison
The PX-712A doesn't report too many PIF errors, but returns them where also the SA300 series did.
#2nd Test Disc - POF Comparison
#2nd Test Disc - DCJitter/BETA/ASYM Comparison
This time both the BETA/Jitter trend lines look exactly the same as
the SA300 series.
20. PleXTools vs. SA300 - Page 3
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 20
PleXTools vs. SA300 - Page 3
For checking exactly what the PX-712A reports, we used three different media,
burned with other recorders. These three media have been measured with the
well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system. For your comparisons, we post the
PIPO and Beta/Jitter measurements. We post only the SUM8 and SUM1 test results
along with BETA/Jitter. In order to fully test a disc, you need 30mins for
SUM8, 30mins for SUM1 and 15mins for BETA/Jitter, which equals a totsl of 75
mins, more even from the CATS!
#3rd Test Disc - PISum8 Comparison
With the third test disc, the PISum8 error rate looks like the SA300 series.
The values compared with the CATS results aren't at the same levels, but in
general we are satisfied.
#3rd Test Disc - PIF Comparison
The PIF error rate with the SA300 series doesn't exceed the limit (4) but
did with the PX-712A. Its interesting to see that at the same points
the SA300 and PX-712A returned high spikes of PIF error rates.
#3rd Test Disc - POF Comparison
#3rd Test Disc - DCJitter/BETA/ASYM Comparison
The BETA trend line looks very close to what the famous CATS reported. PlexTools reports increased Jitter error rate at the outer areas of the disc and the CATS agreed, however with much smoother line than what the PX-712A reported.
- Summary
After having compared three test disc results measured with CATS and with
PX-712A, we are happy that finally end users can do accurate measurements,
and close
to what proffesionals are using. From the first place we didn't expect any
miracles, remember PX-712A costs only few hundred Euros when CATS costs thousands.
For sure, we would like to have other reading speeds options than the default
2X CLV, since if you decide to do PISum8/Sum1 and Beta/Jitter scans, for one
disc you must spend around 1:15hours. If only PlexTools could report PISum8/Sum1
and Beta/Jitter with one pass would be great :-)
21. SilentMode / SecuRec
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 21
SilentMode / SecuRec
The last two important features of the PX-712A are SilentMode and SecuRec.
- SilentMode
SilentMode is a very good feature, especially for those who seek quiet,
noiseless operation from their PC. In short, what SilentMode does is described
in the following screenshots:
As you have read, the user can set the drive's maximum write/read speed, the
access times and most important, the tray's loading/eject speed, producing
even lower noise!
- SecuRec
This feature allows you to password-protect the contents of your written
disc. SecuRec can be accessed under the "Drive Settings->SecuRec".
There, you can
enter the password you would like to use on your disc.
In order to read the contents of a SecuRec protected disc, the SecuRec function
needs to be activated with the corresponding password for the disc.
As we can see, the Label of the disc changed to "SecuRec_Disc).
In order to read the contents of a SecuRec protected disc, the SecuRec function needs to be activated with the corresponding password for the disc. The SecuRec function will automatically be de-activated once you have powered down, rebooted the system/drive or closed PlexTools. The password will also be removed once the SecuRec function has been manually de-activated.
22. BookType Setting Tests
Plextor
PX-712A Dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 22
BookType Setting
Unfortunaly the Plextor PX-712A doesn't support the BookType setting with
current firmware/bulked software. We don't have any news if this will be added
with
future firmware updates or PlexTools updates...
23. Conclusion
Plextor
PX-708A dual DVD±RW recorder -
Page 23
Conclusion
After having finished almost all tests for the PX-712A, one thing crossed
my mind..."Swiss Army Knife". What exactly does Plextor offer with
the new PX-712A series? Many unique features, along with the good writing quality
that
most Plextor drives include. Currently, the drive is the fastest DVD burner
at 12X but other 12X recorders are just around the corner. Of course, none
of them support what Plextor offers, but most of them offer what Plextor didn't
offer, and maybe play a big role for many users..."Double Layer" burning
feature. We know the media isn't out yet, we know that the initial DL media
prices would be high, but ...we would love to see PX-712A having this feature.
Unfortunately dreams don't always come true so lets get back down to earth
:-)
Usually, we start with the positive, this time we will start with the negative.
What is the most negative point of the PX-712A? We said it before, we will
say it again, the lack of DVD+R DL burning format. If this doesn't bother you
much, the price is another negative, but as someone said, "you get waht
you pay for". Plextor offers unique features and developing
costs. There are several other negative points (doesn't support SD2 v2.8+
builds,
no BookType
bitsetting, doesn't support Premium's special writing mode for SecuRom games
and CD Error correction could be better) but at the end, we are judging the
drive too harshly, although the Plextor name demands it.
Returning to the question at hand, why should you buy PX-712A? There are many
good reasons. It has FAST DVD reading/ripping speeds, supports many media (especially
DVD+R)
at 8X, has no problems with protected Audio titles and offers many unique features
(Q-Check, GigaRec, etc...) along with overburning ability for DVD+R media!
The Plextor PX-712A is expected to hit the market at a price of around 180
Euros. We know the price is high, but all CD/DVD recording fans should buy
this drive,
it's
a one of a kind.
- The Good
- Currently, fastest DVD recorder, due to P-CAV writing technology
- 8MB Buffer
- Supports many "working" unique features (GigaRec, VariRec, SecuRec, SilentRec)
- Q-Check functions (C1C2/PIPO/BETA Jitter) comply according to DVD standards
- PlexTools Proffesional offer unique control and burning/ripping functions of the drive
- Reading mechanism provides accurate and precise Q-Check scans
- Burns most 4X DVD+R media at 8X
- Supports overburning with DVD+R media
- Very good DVD writing quality, even at 12X, with recommended media
- Big DVD±R/RW supported media list
- Can backup SafeDisc2 v2.8x protected discs
- Very fast DVD reader & very good DVD error correction
- Supports protected Audio discs (CDS200, Key2Audio)
- Compliant with Philips Mt. Rainier Test Suite (CD Format)
- 2 year warranty (applies only for Europe) and frequent firmware updates
- The Bad
- Higher retail price than already selling 8X DVD burners
- Doesn't support writing of DVD+R Double Layer media
- Medium CD error correction (could be fixed with firmware upgrade?)
- Doesn't backup SafeDisc2 v2.9x+ protected discs
- Doesn't support Premium's writing method for SecuROM v4.8xx protected discs
- Doesn't support reading of DVD-RAM media (could be fixed with firmware upgrade?)
- Doesn't support BookType setting for DVD+R/RW media (could be fixed with firmware upgrade?)
- Retail package doesn't include any DVD recordable/re-writable media
- Like to be fixed
- Reading problems with ABEX TDV-541
- Sometimes recognition of DVD-R media takes too long (up to 1minute!)
- High C1/C2 errors with specific media at 48X
- Recognize process of burned DVD+R9 Double Layer media
- Improved functionality of Q-Check tests