Sony DRU-540A: Sony's Answer to the 12x Call
by Purav Sanghani on August 14, 2004 12:54 AM EST- Posted in
- Storage
Burn Tests DVD-R Media
We have 3 different types of DVD-R media to test out on the DRU-540A.CMC MAG AF1
The DRU-540A had no trouble writing and reading the disc at its rated 4x speed.
The Plextor drive had some trouble reading the disc at speeds higher than 9x but continued to complete the read. Otherwise, the media performed well in both the 540A and the 712A.
We also used the low quality Platinum media to test the drives - R write capabilities.
The Platinum brand - R wrote and read fine in the DRU-540A but was unable to read on the Plextor 712A.
G05
We also used the low quality Platinum media to test the drives - R write capabilities.
The Platinum brand - R wrote and read fine in the DRU-540A but was unable to read on the Plextor 712A.
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KristopherKubicki - Friday, August 20, 2004 - link
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?desc... Have it reviewed already, along with the Pioneer 16X ; we are just waiting to publish.Kristopher
sgd2z - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - link
16X Drive from BenQ, can we have that in your next DVD RW roundup? http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?desc...PuravSanghani - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - link
TrogdorJW: This issue is common among low quality media like the Philips C08 and the VDSPMSAB 001 DVD+R's we tested with the DRU-540A. While forcing write speeds to a lower setting may reduce coaster production for some media, there are those other low quality media that may choke on certain drives no matter what write speeds you force on them.KristopherKubicki - Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - link
Ian@CDRlabs: They did not mention the problem to us. If you can buy it, i dont see why we shouldnt review it.Kristopher
TrogdorJW - Monday, August 16, 2004 - link
So do the read/burn problems with cheap media persist if you force the record speed to 4X or even 2X? Obviously, buying a 12X burner and using it as a 4X is sort of dumb, but if you're too cheap to find good quality media - or maybe only too cheap some of the time - then it would be nice to know you can force the drive to fall back to a more compatible setting.Example: I have problems with my Lite On 52X CD-RW drive when writing Memorex discs at 52X speeds, but when I write them at 32X they work perfectly fine. Is that common, or do I have a faulty drive?
RyanVM - Monday, August 16, 2004 - link
#6,http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?desc...
Ian@CDRlabs - Monday, August 16, 2004 - link
According to Sony, there are issues with DVD+RW and DVD-RW media and the 1.0a firmware. I'm surprised they didn't ask you to hold off on this review.PuravSanghani - Monday, August 16, 2004 - link
#5 & 6: There is a SATA version of the 712A named appropriately PX-712SA/SW and MSI's XA52P has a SATA interface but is said to only work in conjunction with Intel chipsets.Sony currently does not have any SATA optical drives, but there is always the future right :)
#7: The DRU-540A is not Mac compatible.
WooDaddy - Monday, August 16, 2004 - link
Good review. Is this the latest drive that Sony released? Also, sorta unrelated, is this Mac compatible? Does it have bitsetting support easily available?Ok.. more unrelated questions..
I CAN'T GET TO THE FORUMS!!! Are they down?
OMIGAWDBBQTGIMSWYMGY!!! (Shake what yo mamma gave ya)
epicstruggle - Monday, August 16, 2004 - link
#5 is there a dvdrw that does support sata? I know they are coming out, but is there one out now?