- Writing Performance

Now we will check the burning performance with DVD media. Below, the available writing speed graph can be seen as reported by Nero Burning Rom.

By using Nero CDSpeed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see the 16X writing strategies. WOPC is activated.

- DVD+R media @ 16X CAV

- DVD-R media @ 16X CAV

- Burning Tests

DVD-R media

From the media list, almost all media were burned at their indicated speed, with the exception of Prodisc(R04) 16X media burned at 4X and BenQ 8X burned at 4X. Fastest burn came with Philips and Prodisc media, burned in only 5:41mins.

• DVD+R media

With DVD+R media, the burning time was increased by a few seconds with both 8X and 16X media. Once more, almost all media were burned at their indicated speed while best burn came with Prodisc media, burned in 6:01mins.

- Comparison with other drives

With Write once media, the reported writing times are not that different between all three drives, with the HP being a bit faster when using DVD-R media. With Re-writable media, the HP840b was slowest due to the 4X max writing speed with the 8X MKM +RW media.

- DVD Overburning Tests

The drive does not support overburning with either of the DVD+R or DVD-R formats, producing the above message.

- DVD-RAM

Being a Super Multi drive, the HP 840b supports up to 5X DVD-RAM reading and burning speed.

As Maxell stated: "DVD-RAM is an advanced recording media format that offers a range of digital data applications. Its phase-change recording material allows discs to be re-recordable and erasable, and a superior defect management system ensures accurate recording and playback. DVD-RAM allows instant, random access to any location on the disc for fast and easy data reading and writing. Because DVD-RAM supports fast formatting and no finalizing, it is an extremely easy-to-use media. And with DVD-RAM, changes can be made directly on the disc without the need to transfer data to a hard drive first, speeding up the editing tasks..."

- Burning Tests

Using NeroCDSpeed, we got the following graph:

The test started off at 3.23X burning speed and reached 5.09X max, reporting an average speed of 4.76. It took only 12:14mins to complete a full DVD-RAM writing session. The time is with the "Write and Verify" strategy turned off.

Using the latest Nero version, we burned our usual Single Layer DVD compilation.

The writing procedure ended after 29:23mins. The Write and Verify function is in use, hence the increased writing time.