The Latest DVD Writers' True Speeds

calidan · Dec 30, 2005, 10:37 PM

Despite the stagnation of write speeds for DVD-R and DVD+R at 16x, new DVD writers are regularly being marketed, since performance for other types of writing (RW and dual-layer) is still improving. But as is customary, manufacturers of writers have a lead on media manufacturers. For this article, we visited all the stores to see what types of media are actually available for sale, and once again the result was most enlightening. You can find 16x-compatible -R and +R discs, but in the other formats they simply aren't out there. For the two rewritable standards, -RW and +RW, 4x-compatible media is all we could find, whereas writers now operate at 8x for +RW and 6x for -RW. As for dual-layer writers, which now reach speeds of 8x, only 2.4x media are available. And we weren't even able to find anybody to sell us dual-layer DVD-Rs!

So while the quick arrival of dual-layer writers has helped keep both -R/RW and +R/RW stay in the race, the + standard still has a lead. The + standard's writing performance also proved to be better, as you'll see later in our test results. With this in mind, we tested the writers with media that are actually available for sale to make sure our tests reflect actual conditions on the street today.

Not all the writers we tested for this article have LightScribe technology. (LightScribe, in case you didn't know, lets you engrave a monochrome "label" directly onto the front of your disc.) Manufacturers now have two lines of writers - one with and one without LightScribe, while the other characteristics of the writers remain the same. Models with LightScribe are about 10 to 15% more expensive. For the moment, since our preceding article, the technology hasn't changed. Only the media have changed, now offering different colors. In addition to gold, you can now find blue, red, and green, for example.

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Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware

Iria · Dec 30, 2005, 11:26 PM

Thanks for the submission. This article has already been posted on the front page. Please continue discussion here.

Dec 30, 2005, 10:37 PM	#1
calidan Frozen in Carbonite Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 1,409 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	The Latest DVD Writers' True Speeds Despite the stagnation of write speeds for DVD-R and DVD+R at 16x, new DVD writers are regularly being marketed, since performance for other types of writing (RW and dual-layer) is still improving. But as is customary, manufacturers of writers have a lead on media manufacturers. For this article, we visited all the stores to see what types of media are actually available for sale, and once again the result was most enlightening. You can find 16x-compatible -R and +R discs, but in the other formats they simply aren't out there. For the two rewritable standards, -RW and +RW, 4x-compatible media is all we could find, whereas writers now operate at 8x for +RW and 6x for -RW. As for dual-layer writers, which now reach speeds of 8x, only 2.4x media are available. And we weren't even able to find anybody to sell us dual-layer DVD-Rs! So while the quick arrival of dual-layer writers has helped keep both -R/RW and +R/RW stay in the race, the + standard still has a lead. The + standard's writing performance also proved to be better, as you'll see later in our test results. With this in mind, we tested the writers with media that are actually available for sale to make sure our tests reflect actual conditions on the street today. Not all the writers we tested for this article have LightScribe technology. (LightScribe, in case you didn't know, lets you engrave a monochrome "label" directly onto the front of your disc.) Manufacturers now have two lines of writers - one with and one without LightScribe, while the other characteristics of the writers remain the same. Models with LightScribe are about 10 to 15% more expensive. For the moment, since our preceding article, the technology hasn't changed. Only the media have changed, now offering different colors. In addition to gold, you can now find blue, red, and green, for example. ____________ Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware __________________ Steam Community :: ID :: calidan "Don't try to be like Jackie. There is only one Jackie.... Study computers instead." - Jackie Chan

Dec 30, 2005, 11:26 PM	#2
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Thanks for the submission. This article has already been posted on the front page. Please continue discussion here.