DVD on the Edge
We test double-layer burners designed to pack twice as much content onto a disc.
Photograph by Marc Simon
Formerly an exotic feature, double-layer support--which permits users to write up to 8.5GB to a write-once DVD+R disc--is now de rigueur, and speeds are increasing from 2.4X. Double-layer's superior capacity is especially valuable for people who need to burn up to 2 hours of high-bit-rate video or to copy data folders that exceed a conventional DVD's 4.7GB space limit.
The current 16X write speed for both DVD-R and DVD+R is a maximum rating; the drive commences writing at a slower speed (say, 6X) on the inner part of the disc, and only approaches its full stride of 16X as the recording progresses toward the outer edge of the disc. The write time per full disc running at 16X is a little over 6 minutes, as compared with 8.5 minutes at 8X. That's an improvement, certainly, but not the doubling you might expect from the specified maximums. Because the rate of improvement in performance is not linear and would continue to diminish above 16X, we may not see burners that push beyond the 16X barrier.
We gathered 12 state-of-the-art burners to run through the PC World Test Center's rigorous test suite. Though their technical specs are far too numerous to list here (see "Double-Layer DVD Burners on Parade"), all of the drives burn to at least one kind of write-once recordable DVD disc at 16X, and all can burn to double-layer discs.
Drive by Drive
When double-layer DVD+R was introduced last year, its write speed was 2.4X. Today, the latest drives can burn to a write-once double-layer disc at 4X or 5X (achieving the faster write speed when recording to 2.4X double-layer media). In this roundup, only one-third (4 out of 12) of the drives wrote at 2.4X: the AOpen DUW1608, HP DVD Writer 640i, Lite-On SOHW-1633S, and Samsung TS-H552B (you can bump BenQ's DW1620 up to 4X with a free firmware update). The others reached 4X/5X. For more information on double-layer technology, see "Double-Layer: Burning Issues."
Though rewritable speeds remain largely at 4X for both DVD-RW and DVD+RW, fans of rewritable DVD will be happy to learn that faster speeds are imminent. In fact, two drives we tested here--Plextor's PX-716A and LG's GSA-4160B--have already upped the ante to 8X. Unfortunately, we couldn't officially test how well they performed at 8X because no suitable media was available at press time--nor will it be available until March at the earliest. Plextor, however, supplied us with preproduction media, and in our informal tests using it the results met our expectations for significant speed gains, based on the performance rating of the drive. None of the drives we tested support 6X DVD-RW, but models that do support this speed will be shipping by the time you read this.
Only one model here, the LG, supports writing to DVD-RAM (at 5X). On the other hand, several models (including Pacific Digital's Mach 16 U-30264, Pioneer's DVR-A08XLA, and Toshiba's SD-R5372) can read DVD-RAM discs--and that's a boon if you use DVD-RAM to capture content on your DVD video recorder.
We tested complete retail kits so that we could evaluate the out-of-box experience each vendor provides. Installing an internal DVD burner isn't particularly difficult, but helpful documentation and appropriate cables and screws make things even easier. Most of the drives we looked at offered at least passable instructions on paper. Plextor and Toshiba earn kudos for providing exceptionally detailed documentation, as does Memorex, for its 16x Internal Double-Layer Dual-Format DVD Recorder. Alas, LG provides no paper manual at all, opting instead for a CD-based installation guide--which is fine unless your only computer is already open (or you're trying to replace its deceased optical drive). The guides from Pacific Digital and Samsung were barely adequate, offering meager usage details.
Of the dozen we tested, only the Sony DRU-710A and the Lite-On have short bodies--an important detail if you're upgrading a bread box-size compact PC.
The Speed Game
We found no great surprises in our performance tests. All of the drives performed within reasonable proximity of what we'd have expected from their speed ratings. We tested all units with the most up-to-date firmware available at the time; sometimes, as in the case of the BenQ, this boosted the drive's write speeds.
In March, Plextor expects to release a firmware update that it says will boost the PX-716A's double-layer write speeds to 6X. And BenQ says it will offer free updates to 8X in the spring. We recommend that you visit your drive vendor's Web site regularly for firmware updates. By doing so, you might be able to benefit from increased write speeds--for double-layer media as well as for discs in other formats. These updates can also refresh the drive's media support.
Toshiba's SD-R5372 (a Best Buy) and Pacific Digital's Mach 16 U-30264 dominated the speed competition, finishing first or second in most of our tests. Not surprisingly, given this statistical dead heat, the two products are virtual twins: Pacific Digital uses the Toshiba drive.
Even more impressive was these drives' 5X double-layer write performance, which solidified their victory by lopping nearly 4 minutes off the average 4X competitor's time for 7.9GB written to a double-layer disc, and a whopping 22 minutes over the average 2.4X drive's time. The only test in which this pair fell off the pace was our DVD+RW packet-writing test, where each posted a time 4 percent slower than the group average. The Plextor PX-716A, which ranked third overall in speed, climbs to the top of our chart by virtue of its strong combination of performance, documentation, and features.
Only two burners offering strictly 2.4X double-layer DVD+R make the chart: the Lite-On SOHW-1633S and the HP DVD Writer 640i. Neither model is suitable if you're buying with double-layer writing in mind: Both of them required almost twice as much time as the Toshiba to complete our double-layer test (nearly 23 minutes extra, in the case of the HP). And at press time, neither vendor planned a firmware update to improve the write speed.
Beyond Speed
Nevertheless, each of these units has an advantage over the competition. At $80, the Lite-On drive is the cheapest on the chart. The HP, meanwhile, is the first model we've tested that incorporates LightScribe, a slick technology enabling the drive's laser to etch labels on the top of specially coated discs.
If the HP drive wrote double-layer at 4X, the unit's nifty LightScribe capability might have boosted the model to a Best Buy; as it was, this feature, coupled with strong single-layer write performance, enabled the HP to take fifth place on the chart. (For more about how LightScribe works, see New Products, page 62.) HP developed LightScribe, but is also licensing the technology to other drive vendors.
Missing our chart altogether were the AOpen drive, which finished at or near the bottom in every test except for CD-R writing, and the Samsung, which was near the top at writing to CD-R and near the bottom in practically everything else.
Except in the case of double-layer writing, you probably wouldn't notice most of the performance differences we observed, unless you used a stopwatch. In the end, a combination of overall strong performance and friendly documentation garnered the Toshiba SD-R5372 one of our two Best Buy nods. The BenQ DW1620 earned the other Best Buy, for pairing excellent performance with a low price.
Jon L. JacobiBlue-Laser DVD: High-Def Recording Format Wars
The guts of Blu-ray: Pioneer's Blu-ray optical pickup has been in development for almost three years.
The next generation of DVD drives is just around the corner, and the first drives could begin appearing in as little as six months. Based on blue lasers instead of the red lasers that today's models use, these drives promise to deliver faster write speeds and dramatically more storage.
So who needs all that additional speed and storage? Aficionados of high-definition recording, for one. HD video requires more storage capacity than a red-laser DVD can easily provide in the current MPEG-2 compression scheme. As a result, the industry is positioning blue-laser DVD as the logical companion recording technology for snazzy HDTVs.
Every big consumer electronics company supports the blue movement. Two major high-definition, blue-laser DVD formats will be competing to become the prominent standard: HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Backers developed the HD DVD standard with an eye toward ease of implementation and speed to market. But at only 15GB per layer, HD DVD is a bit light in the capacity department for HDTV, which tops out at a rate of 19.4 mbps or about 17.4GB per 2-hour movie. HD DVD's developers do have plans to increase the technology's capacity, but the format's spokespeople are less concrete than their Blu-ray Disc counterparts about how high the capacity will go.
Blu-ray Disc has considerably greater capacity at 25GB per layer; that's sufficient storage space to accommodate a 2-hour movie, with plenty to spare for a slew of extras. And Blu-ray's backers have already begun discussing implementing up to eight layers for a gigantic 200GB disc.
Since both HD DVD and Blu-ray use the same compression schemes (MPEG-2, AVC MPEG-4, and VC-1), there will likely be no discernable difference in picture quality to tilt consumer opinion one way or the other.
In the end, it may come down to which standard gets to the public first with content, in which case HD DVD has a clear advantage. HD DVD recorders and players are set to hit store shelves by fall 2005. Blu-ray recorders and players won't arrive until the end of 2005, or early 2006.
Focus on the Format: Double-Layer: Burning Issues
Two layers, one disc: This side view shows the two dye-recording layers of a double-layer DVD. When the laser writes to the disc, it directs its beam to either layer one or layer two.
Every drive in this roundup can write to 8.5GB double-layer DVD+R discs, which offer enough capacity to hold a standard DVD movie. Unfortunately, in spite of the availability of both drives and media for nearly a year, double-layer writing has faced several barriers to mass consumer adoption.
From the beginning, double-layer has had to deal with backward-compatibility issues. Despite efforts by media and drive vendors to improve compatibility, your double-layer DVD+R disc may not play correctly in a DVD player or in an older, single-layer DVD drive. Dual-layer DVD-R--the DVD Forum's nomenclature for 8.5GB-R drives and media (both due out this spring)--will likely experience complications from the same issues.
Part of the problem is that many older players won't try to play a double-layer DVD+R disc because they fail to recognize its newer media ID or its disc type. With the right software and hardware combination, you can change the disc type to DVD-ROM so that older players might read it.
Even if you're willing to take a chance with double-layer, chances are you haven't been able to find media in your local computer or electronics store. This is due to difficulties in manufacturing double-layer media, a process that has required makers to invest in new and expensive production lines. Those costs (and short supplies) in turn continue to affect the disc-buying public. Disc manufacturers plan to up their double-layer production by summer, which means you'll see a greater quantity of DL-compatible media reaching store shelves.
Even so, disc prices remain high. We recently saw a three-pack selling for $25, about half what the media cost ten months ago. By contrast, single-layer discs typically sell for about 50 cents each (in spindles of 25 discs). Experts expect double-layer media prices to remain high, at least through the summer.
Media manufacturers note that since DL discs are more difficult to produce than single-layer discs, they may never sell at a competitive price per GB. But vendors do expect the price of DL media to drop to as low as $2 or $3 per disc by the end of this year, and perhaps by this fall.