- Writing Performance

Now we will check the burning performance with DVD media. Below, the available writing speeds 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.

- DVD+R media @ 16X CAV

- DVD-R media @ 16X CAV

- Burning Tests

For our writing tests, we used media included in the following tables, burned at the maximum allowed speed with the Plextor PX-750A.

DVD-R media

With a quick glance at the above table, one can see that burning results are far from satisfactory. The supported media list for 16X is rather limited and a new firmware needs to remedy this ASAP. Only BenQ and Verbatim discs allowed 16X recording. No major problems though when recording at 8X, however this is a 16X burner.

• DVD+R media

Same behaviour here also. Half of the certified 16X burned discs did not go above 4X or 8X. We hope a new firmware release will improve this.

- Comparison with other drives

The reported best writing times for the Plextor are good but there are even faster burners...

- DVD Overburning Tests

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

- DVD-RAM

Now we will see how the drive performs when DVD-RAM media is inserted. According to the manufacturer's specs, the drive can read and write DVD-RAM media, at the maximum speed of 5X.

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 at 4.99X burning speed and completed at 4.99X, reporting an average speed of 4.97X. It took only 11:28mins to complete a full DVD-RAM write, while with Nero and a blank DVD-RAM disc, the reported time was 27:48mins, as the drive uses the "Write and Verify" strategy when burning the media (as with all latest release RAM enabled drives). Unfortunately, the "Write and Verify" strategy cannot be disabled.

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

The writing procedure ended after 27:48 mins. The Write and Verify function is in effect here too, hence the extended writing time.