Freecom FX-50 DVD+/-RW 16X Burner -
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Freecom
Technologies is a leading manufacturer of easy to use multimedia storage
solutions to access digital data and enhance the connectivity of digital
portable devices. Freecom products offer flexibility, connectivity and value
that is unmatched by other storage manufacturers. Freecom was founded
in 1989 and very rapidly developed external drives for connection to
any PC. Especially business users, with the need to backup their data, found
freecom external drive "solutions" to be very handy. Freecom's
initial business concept was "External optical drives
which are user friendly, easy to install and can be connected everywhere".
Their latest FX-50 DVD+/-RW external burner supports up to 16X
+/-R writing speed, and 4X re-writing speed. It can also record a full CD
in less than 3mins at 48X, and can rewrite at 24X. The FX-50 burner can be
used with both USB2.0 or Firewire IEEE1394 interfaces, covering a wider range
of systems, from Microsoft Windows to MacOS.
- Features
This
external burner can read up to 16X DVD-ROM media, and up to 48X CD media. Writing
speed is the fastest available on the market for now, since it can record
a full Single Layer DVD disc in less than 6 mins. It also supports Double
Layer media, as expected, at 4X, again the highest speed available for today's
burners.
The
drive uses NEC's "High resolution writing strategies" to improve
writing quality at high speed, and further improve performance. Active OPC
constantly monitors the sensitivity of the media and adjusts the laser strength
to achieve the best possible results. It does this by analyzing the reflection
from the media's surface. Buffer underrun error prevention technology ensures
that media will be recorded successfully, even if the writing procedure is
interrupted or paused. You will find here, a
simple diagram explaining the Active OPC technology.
- Specifications
Drive |
Freecom FX-50 DVD+/-RW 16X Burner |
Media |
DVD |
CD |
Transfer Rate Write |
+R |
16x CAV (9 - 22MBytes/sec)
|
-R |
48x CAV (3000-200kBytes/sec) |
13x CAV (7.3 - 17.5MBytes/sec) |
48xZCLV (3000-7200kBytes/sec) |
12x ZCLV (8.2 – 16.6MByte/sec) |
40x CAV (2550-6000kBytes/sec) |
8x ZCLV (5.5 -11MBytes/sec) |
40xZCLV (3000-6000kBytes/sec) |
6x ZCLV (5.5-8.2MBytes/sec) |
32xPCAV (2550-4800kBytes/sec) |
4x CLV (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
32x ZCLV (3000-4800kBytes/sec) |
2.4x CLV (3.3 MBytes/sec) |
24x PCAV (2550-3600kBytes/sec) |
+R9 |
4x CLV (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
24x ZCLV (3000-3600kBytes/sec) |
2.4x CLV (3.3 MByte/sec) |
16x CLV (2400kBytes/sec) |
+RW |
4x CLV (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
8x CLV (1200kBytes/sec) |
2.4x CLV (3.3 MBytes/sec) |
-RW |
24x ZCLV (3000-3600kBytes/sec) |
-R |
16x CAV( 9 - 22MBytes/sec) |
13x CAV (7.3 - 17.5MBytes/sec) |
12x ZCLV (8.2 – 16.6MByte/sec) |
16x CLV (2400kBytes/sec) |
8x ZCLV (5.5 -11MBytes/sec) |
6x ZCLV (5.5-8.2MBytes/sec) |
4x CLV (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
10xCLV (1500kBytes/sec) |
2x CLV (2.7 MBytes/sec) |
-RW |
4x CLV (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
2x CLV (2.7 MBytes/sec) |
4xCLV (600kBytes/sec) |
1x CLV (1.38 MBytes/sec) |
Transfer Rate Read |
DVD-R 16x CAV (max 22000 kb/s) |
CD-R 48x CAV (max 4800 kb/s) |
DVD-RW 4x CLV (5520 kb/s) |
DVD+R 16x CAV (max 22000 kb/s) |
CD-RW 16x CLV (max 2400 kb/s) |
DVD+RW 4x CLV (5520 kb/s) |
DVD+R9 4X CLV (5500 KByte/s) |
Access Time |
140ms |
120ms |
Mechanism |
motorized Tray load mechanism
for horizontal and vertical use |
Interface |
USB (USB2.0 or USB1.1) & Firewire/iLink IEEE 1394 |
Cashe Memory |
2MB |
Modes supported |
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-Video, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-Audio, CD Extra, CD Text, CD-IReady, CD-Bridge, Photo-CD, VideoCD, Hybrid CD |
Writing methods |
DAO(disc at once), SAO(session at once), TAO(track at once) with zero gap, variable or fixed packet, multisession |
Compatibility |
MPC Level 3, MultiRead, PC2001 |
The drive cannot read DVD-RAM media, it does not support Mount Rainier and
it uses the well known RPC II region control, allowing a user to change the
drive's region at most 5 times. Below are the drive's main specs as given by
NeroInfoTool, VSO Inspector and DVDInfoPro:
- The drive / Retail Package
The
retail package includes all parts necessary to start burning:
USB2.0 certified
cable, 6-pin to 6-pin firewire cable, 6-pin to 4-pin firewire cable,
power supply and of course, the FX-50 burner. We were expecting to see 16X
DVD+R certified media, but Freecom included an 8X DVD+R disc, along
with a blank CD-R 52X disc. Freecom uses the Roxio Burning
Suite, a complete software solution to burn DVDs and CDs, capture, edit and
convert
videos, and finally playback DVD Video files. The Freecom FX-50 burner comes
with a two year manufacturer warranty.
On the drive's front panel, you can see the eject button, the activity led
and the eject hole. There is no volume control or headphone jack.
On the rear of the unit, you will find the USB2.0 connectors and the
Firewire/iLink connectors, along with the power input. You can see that there
is no power
switch on this drive. It will automatically turn itself on or off when the
PC is turned on/off. Also, there are no audio outputs.
Dismantling the device will void the warranty, so we advise against
it. Instead, use the photos in this review for a closer look under the hood.
You
can clearly see that Freecom uses the well known NEC ND-3500A burner, a very
fast device that produces very good quality burns.
Click on the image below to reveal a high resolution image.
The main chipsets are from NEC, with part numbers NEC
D63635GM and NEC C333500. The same chipsets are used in
the TDK 1616N, the Pioneer DVR-108
and the ASUS DRW-1604P.
Model name |
C3335 |
Process |
Bi-CMOS 0.35 |
Voltage |
5V |
Package |
120-pin TQFP (14x14mm) |
Power consumption |
0.66W (8x DVD playback) |
0.74W 8x DVD recording) |
Speeds |
DVD playback |
16x CAV |
DVD-RAM playback |
4x |
DVD recording |
16x |
CD playback |
48x |
CD recording |
48x |
Model name |
D63635 |
Process |
CMOS 0.15 |
Voltage |
1.5V core, 3.3V I/O |
Package |
216-pin LQFP (24x24mm) |
Power consumption |
0.35W (8x DVD playback) |
0.95W (8x DVD recording, LVDS) |
Interface |
Host |
ATA/ATAPI5 |
Buffer |
16Mbit SDRAM |
Speeds |
DVD playback |
16x CAV |
DVD-RAM playback |
4x |
DVD recording |
16x |
CD playback |
48x |
CD recording |
48x |
The following picture shows the laser lens assembly of the Freecom FX-50 external burner. By clicking
on the picture, you can see a higher resolution image.
- Installation
The device was connected to our test PC and was identified
as "FREECOM_DVD+/-RW16B9" under
Windows XP. You can see that the book type option is missing from this drive,
an issue that should not worry us, since it does not working anyway with NEC
based drives.
In this review, we will be comparing the drive against the Memorex D²(F16)
External drive and the ASUS DRW-1604P, since all three drives have similar
specifications.
- Testing software
In order to perform our tests we used:
- Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.40
- CDVD Benchmark v1.21
- ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
- Nero Info Tool v2.27
- KProbe v2.4.2 (Reader: LiteOn LDW-811S firmware vHS0Q, LiteOn SOHD-167T firmware 9S13, LiteOn XJ-HD165H firmware CH11, and LiteOn LTD-163 firmware GH5S, Reading speed 8X CAV)
- PlexTools v2.17 (Reader: Plextor PX-712A firmware v1.05, Reading speed 8X CLV for CD-R)
- DVDInfoPro v3.16
- Nero Burning Rom v6.6.0.1
- DVD Decrypter 3.5.1.0
- CopyToDVD 3.0.32.54
