Pioneer DVR-A03 IDE DVD-R/RW - Page 11

RW Writing Tests

We used Nero 5.5.4.0 for writing CDs in maximum RW writing speed (4X) for the Pioneer DVR-A03. Note that the other two drives support 8x re-writing, so direct comparison cannot be done:

The Pioneer needs around 20mins to end the task, due to its low (4X) re-writing speed. The CPU Usage is low and the erase time is 53secs.

- CD Packet Writing Tests

We used Ahead InCD v2.26 for all Packet Writing tests. We used TDK HS-RW media and we formatted it. The formatted disc revealed 530mbs of free space. We copied a 403 MB file (403.147 kbs) from a Hard Disk (on the same PC as the writers) to the formatted RW media-using explorer (we dragged and dropped) and we completed the test twice to eliminate possible time measurement faults and user errors:

The Pioneer DVR-A03 has only 2.4X writing and 2.8X reading speeds under packet writing formatted RW disc.

- DVD-RW Packet Writing Tests

InstantCD/DVD offers the possibility to use a DVD-R/RW media under packet writing format. The process is quite easy: Just follow the InstantWrite wizard's steps:

You have 2 options for formatting your DVD-RW media. The first is called "Random Access Data DVD" which will prepare the disc for the packet writing use we all know (add/delete files). There is also the option to format the disc as "Data DVD"; you can use "Data DVD" for DVD-R and DVD-RW media. Here you can add, change and delete files and directories. The memory is not freed physically again. This writing method is useful for large backups.

After we press next, we are asked by the wizard about whether we want quick/full erase, and formatting starts.

And we get a full report when formatting ends:

On the drives properties, InstantWrite tab has been added and there you can set the reading/writing speed and see if your media is finalized or not:

Unless we finalize our media we can use it on another systems that supports UDF format, as Win2k:

-Test Results

We used the same file/methodology we are using for our CD packet writing test. The drive needs 5:03mins to write the file and 4:50mins to read it. That can be translated in 0.96X writing and 1.00X reading (X factor = 1385Kb/s). The problem with DVD-RW packet writing is that the access times are very high and there is too much delay before you can access your written data.