Waitec X-FILE DVD+RW - Page 8

Conclusion

Positive (+)

Negative (-)

- CD/DVD combo recorder - Supports 8x DVD playback - Supports reading of all DVD formats - Supports "SafeLink" anti-coaster technology - GoodCD/DVD/RW reading/writing packet writing performance - Good access times - Good CD writing quality - Supports HS-RW standard (10x re-write) - Supports DAO-RAW - Supports reading of SubChannel data - Supports CD-Text (writing) - Supports Overburning ( up to 99mins) - 2 years warranty

- Low DAE quality with dusted/scratched CDR media - Poor error correction - DAE speed could be higher - Low CloneCD reading performance - Does not support SD2 - Cannot handle all AudioCD protections

The Waitec X-FILE showed a good overall behavior during our tests. The drive is a fast CD-R/RW reader, writes CDs at 12x and offers fast seek times. Users will be able to overburn up to 99min in the appropriate media, read/write CD-text in audio CDs and will not be disappointed from the quality of the CDs they will write. In the main weaknesses of the drive we could include the limited to 25x DAE speed and the low quality of the audio extraction. Waitec X-FILE cannot also produce working SafeDisc v.2 backups.

The X-FILE also supports reading of all the DVD formats, and the reading speed is higher than competition in the most cases. However, we experienced some delays in the DVD media recognition when they were inserted, but this was not occurred constantly and was possibly a problem with the specific drive we had in our labs. In the DVD+RW burning part, the drives gave a low recording time and also low seek times in the DVD reading part. Most of the users could also expect a DVD+R writing feature from Waitec, but this is expected in future models.

Waitec X-FILE managed to reach its specifications and if what is offered is close to your daily needs, we believe that it would be worth to take a look in your local Computer stores. The drive is available from May and the price is Euro 493 + VAT, which could be lower. Waitec also offers a 2-year warranty for the drive:)