New Technologies to Burn CDs Your Way

Next-generation drives from Yamaha and Sony set new CD-burning performance standards.

Melissa J. Perenson

CD-RWs

No sooner does one CD-Rewritable drive technology reach the market than another technology is on its way--a phenomenon exemplified by two next-generation drives from Yamaha and Sony. Yamaha's CRW2200EZ raises the bar for performance, writing CD-Recordable discs at 20X. Meanwhile, Sony's Double Density CD-RW CRX200E represents the first salvo fired in the latest high-capacity challenge. As its name suggests, it can write 1.3GB of data to a single disc--nearly twice as much as a standard CD-RW drive can.

The Yamaha CRW2200EZ is the first drive to crack the 20X CD-R barrier; 24X drives should arrive later this summer. To write to CD-Rs reliably and consistently at these higher speeds, manufacturers employ one of two technologies: Zone CLV and Partial CAV. Yamaha is using Partial CAV on its 20X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. It involves a gradual buildup to high-speed CD writing; the drive writes at a constant speed in the inner portion of the disc, and gets faster as it approaches the outer portions of the disc.

Speed Writer

Not surprisingly, in PC World tests, the $250 shipping Yamaha CRW2200EZ outperformed the current number one Best Buy on our Top 10 CD-RW Drives chart, TDK's 16/10/40 VeloCD ReWriter. The Yamaha was able to write our 650MB test image file to CD-R in just 4 minutes, 41 seconds--36 seconds faster than the TDK. The CRW2200EZ uses Yamaha's SafeBurn buffer underrun technology in conjunction with a large 8MB buffer to help you avoid burning bad discs.

This drive also excelled at writing to CD-R discs on the fly, taking 4 minutes, 49 seconds to write 650MB of files. It even performed well when writing to a CD-RW disc, copying 100MB of data to CD-RW with packet writing in only 1 minute, 16 seconds, shaving 7 seconds off the TDK VeloCD's record. Yamaha provides a very detailed user manual with the drive, as well as assorted software, including Ahead Nero 5.5 for CD mastering, Ahead InCD for packet writing, Adobe PhotoDeluxe Business Edition, and MusicMatch Jukebox 6.

If the 700MB capacity of conventional CD-R and CD-RW media seems skimpy to you, the silver-hued, $250 Sony Double Density drive might be worth a look--although it costs about $50 more than standard 12X/10X/32X CD-RW drives. One catch: Double Density (DD) media sells for about $2 per DD-Recordable disc and $3 per DD-Rewritable disc, versus approximately 40 cents per disc and $1 per disc for the corresponding single-density media. Also, the new 1.3GB DD discs can be used only with the Sony Double Density drive.

But the CRX200E can write to ordinary CD-R and CD-RW media, too, performing on a par with or better than other CD-RW drives with similar speed ratings. And the Sony smoothly passed our Double Density tests. There's no buffer underrun compensation technology, but the drive has a large 8MB buffer that effectively prevented buffer underruns from occurring in our tests. The shipping Double Density drive includes Sony's CD Complete Pro software suite, which has a handy all-in-one installer for its individual components: Sony CD Extreme, Sony AbCD, Liquid Player, and Dantz Development's Retrospect Express.

Hungry for extra capacity and don't mind the extra costs? Sony's Double Density drive is a viable option. Speed demons will relish Yamaha's CRW2200EZ, which showed excellent performance across the board and costs only about $20 more than a 16X drive. But remember, 24X drives that promise a little more are on the horizon.

Buying Information

CRW2200EZ First drive to write CD-Rs at 20X; superfast performance. Price is higher than for 16X/10X/40X CD-RW drives. Excellent choice if you want speed and value-added software. Street price: $250 Yamaha 888/926-2426 http://www.yamaha.com

Buying Information

Double Density CD-RW CRX200E Can burn CDs at nearly twice the capacity of standard media. Double Density media carries a hefty premium over regular media. Good if you need high-capacity optical backup right now. Street price: $250 Sony 800/352-7669 http://www.sony.com/spressa