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Review: Memorex MRX-525GE External 18x DVD Burner Reviewed by: The Kipper Provided by: Memorex - USA Firmware: G.01, G.02 Manufactured: November 2006

Memorex was kind enough to provide us with a review sample of their external DVD writer, the Memorex 18X Multi Format External DVD Recorder. This drive supports 18x writing on DVD+R and DVD-R media, 8x writing on DVD+R9 Double Layer media, and 48x on CD-R media, DVD-RAM 12X. The external unit offers connectivity via USB 2.0 interface.  

Corporate Information:

We found the following information on the Memorex website. 

Since Memorex burst onto the recording scene more than 30 years ago with "Is it live or is it Memorex?" a lot has changed. But with each generation, Memorex continues to remain one of the most widely recognized and respected names in the consumer electronics industry. By bringing to market the high performance products consumers demand, today Memorex is a dominant brand in CD and DVD media, optical drives, flash drives and computer accessories. Memorex is the number one retail provider of digital media, currently shipping more than 750 million CD and DVD discs each year to stores nationwide - enough to carpet the entire state of New York!! For 2003, Memorex retained its position as the number one provider of digital media, outperforming all other brands of optical media. For the fourth consecutive year in the CD category and second consecutive year in DVDs, Memorex led its competitors in all digital media in both volume and sales. Catering to 21 of the top 25 U.S. retailers, Memorex products are available in more than 23,000 retail locations nationwide. Worldwide, Memorex sells nearly a billion optical discs annually in its major international markets, which include Europe and Canada.

From the recordable audio cassette that propelled the Memorex brand into market dominance in the early 1970s, to the industry's first inkjet printable CDs, to the high-speed and double-layer DVD discs of today, no other company has achieved as much success in the digital media marketplace as Memorex, truly symbolizing the meaning of its name - 'memory excellence".

To complement the enormous demand for media, Memorex has entered into new markets over the years - and succeeded. With high-speed performance, stylish looks and competitive prices, Memorex CD and DVD drives have been recognized as the industry's best. Memorex drives have been named Editor's Choice by PC Magazine, Editor's Pick and Best Buy by PC World, and have consistently been ranked among the top brands of DVD burners by countless other consumer and technology publications. For consumers looking to take important files, music, or digital photos on the go, the Memorex family of TravelDrivesTM offers sleek and stylish high performance storage in a device small enough to fit on a keychain. Currently available with 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB of capacity and featuring the slimmest profile among portable flash drives, Memorex TravelDrives are ideal for securely transferring digital files between home, school, the office, or even between Mac and PC.

Memorex also offers a complete line of media accessories, including CD and DVD labeling tools, storage cases and computer cleaning products. The Memorex brand continues to endure, serving as the ultimate benchmark for separating the 'wanna-be" from the real thing. Is it live or is it Memorex? You decide.

Memorex Milestones

How It All Began

1961 Memorex is formed, delivering data backup tapes for the emerging computer industry.
1971 Memorex launches recordable audio cassettes and one of the most memorable campaigns in television history, the image of Ella Fitzgerald's recorded voice shattering a wine glass and the phrase, 'Is it live or is it Memorex?"
1979 The video library is born with the introduction of recordable VHS tape.

Recent History

1996 Recordable CD-Rs open up a world of new possibilities where photos, music, data - anything digital - can be saved to a portable, reliable low-cost disc for the next 70 years.
1998 Memorex launches its branded optical drives (CD Recorders).
2000 Memorex emerges the market share leader in retail sales of optical media.
2001 Memorex delivers the Recordable Pocket CD-R, a disc only three inches in diameter, but boasting 185 MB of storage space.
2001 Memorex Recordable DVDs deliver consumers enough storage space to hold an entire set of encyclopedias in one hand.
2002 Memorex expands its branded optical drive line-up by launching internal and external DVD Recorders.
2002 Memorex introduces its first USB flash drive, the ThumbDrive. The ultimate in portable storage, ThumbDrives are able to hold up to 512MB of data, music, or other digital files, with USB 1.1 compatibility.
2003 Memorex expands its USB flash drive product line-up by introducing an all new, uniquely designed High Speed USB 2.0 TravelDrive. The USB flash drive market grows by 1,500 percent from 2002 to 2003.
2003 Memorex introduces an award-winning dual format DVD recorder, expanding the product line to 10 active models, more than any other tier one retail branded optical drive marketer.
2003 Memorex remains number one in sales of digital CD and DVD media and emerges as a leader in the DVD drive marketplace, garnering PC Magazine Editor's Choice, PC Magazine Best Of 2003, PC World Editor's Pick and PC World Best Buy honors.
2003 Memorex is the first to bring to market DVD 120 discs - the VHS tape replacement - expressly for home video DVD recording.
2004 Memorex leads the charge to deliver standardized dual-layer DVD media and drives to market.
2004 Memorex expands its TravelDrive family to include the industry's largest storage capacities -1GB and 2GB - making portable storage virtually limitless.

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Drive Specifications

With the introduction of the MRX-525G/GE, Memorex expands its double layer recorder line by introducing the 18X series of double-Layer, Multi Format DVD recorders.  Multi format capability takes the guesswork out of choosing the right discs.  The double-layer feature allows for the creation of commercial quality DVDs with up to 8.5GB of data storage on one disc.  A comprehensive and powerful software suite from Nero makes recording CDs and DVDs easy and fun.

• Special Nero Memorex software suite included.
• Built-in Flash-ROM for online upgradeability
• Built-in Buffer Under-run protection.
• Stylish silver and black design with blue LED indicator.
• Includes vertical stand

Speeds

• 18X DVD+/- R
• 8X DVD+R (Double-Layer)
• 8X DVD-R (Double-Layer)
• 8X DVD+RW
• 6X DVD-RW
• 12X DVD-RAM
• 16X DVD-ROM
• 48X CD-R
• 24X CD-RW
• 48X CD-ROM

BookType (Bitsetting):

The Memorex MRX-525GE supports Bitsetting, and will as default write DVD+R DL media with DVD-ROM BookType. The Bitsetting can be changed in i.e. Nero CD/DVD Speed:

What’s inside the box?

The drive we received was a retail package that comes with all you will need for an easy and quick installation.  The retail package includes the following:

• External DVD Burner
• Hardware and Software Guide
• Software Installation CD
• Power Supply with electrical cord
• USB Cable
• 1 Blank 16X DVD media disc
• Vertical Stand
• US Product Warranty and Registration

Retail Package Contents

As you see the Retail Package contains everything needed to get you started.

Moving along, let’s take a closer look at the Package Details.

Box Front

Box Rear

 

Box Left and Right

Box Top and Bottom

Ok, we will now have a closer look at the drive itself:

Drive Front

Drive Rear

Left Side

Right Side

Drive Bottom with Sticker

Test machines:

For this review we are using a system with the following configurations:

First Test System Hardware:

• Motherboard:  ASUSTek, Basswood
• Processor:  Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86GHz
• Memory:  2GB, DDR2-533
• Video:  Integrated NVIDIA, GeForce 7500LE
• Sound:  Realtek High Definition Audio, onboard
• Hard Disks:  320GB Western Digital Caviar SATA-II
• Optical Drives: Lite-on SHW-165P6S, TSST TS-H653L, Samsung SH-S183L, Memorex 525G v1

Second Test System Hardware:

• Motherboard:  Abit, KN8
• Processor:  AMD 64X2 4400+
• Memory:  2GB, 4X 512MB
• Video:  NVIDIA GeForce 6800 XT
• Sound:  Realtek AC97 (on-board)
• Hard Disks:  250GB Seagate X2

Optical Drives:  Plextor PX760A, Benq DW-1655, Liteon SHM-165H6S, Liteon SOHR-5239V, Sony DRX-830U

System set-up:

The drive identifies itself as: Memorex DVD+RAM 525Gv1 and is connected via USB2; with firmware G.01 with a 2MB buffer.

Software:

Windows MCE 2005 installed with SP2 is currently on the “Test Systems”.  We will also be using the following software for this review:

• Nero Burning ROM 7 Ultra Enhanced
• Nero CD/DVD Speed 4.7.0.2
• Nero InfoTool 4.2.1.0
• Slysoft CloneCD 5.3.0.1
• K-Probe 2.5.2

Let’s have a look at the included software; during the performance testing we may not utilize this software.

Memorex Software Disc containing the Nero 7 Essentials Memorex Suite:

When you insert the “Software CD” you will be presented with the following “installation Screen”.

The Memorex DVD Software CD will install the powerful Memorex Nero 7 Essentials Suite that allows you to create and copy digital audio, data, photo, and video programs on both CD’s and DVD’s.  The package includes:

• Nero StartSmart 3 Essentials:  This is the command center of the Nero 7 product family and makes it easier to find, identify, and use the comprehensive software programs.  Once you have launched Nero StartSmart all you have to do is select the desired task and the corresponding software starts automatically.
• Nero Express 7 Essentials:  Nero Express 7 provides a simple, uncluttered interface to powerful recording programs on both CD and DVD discs.
• Nero Vision Express 4 Essentials:  With Nero Vision Express you can record video and edit or burn existing video files.  You can also use Nero Vision Express to create convenient slide shows and even use your own music as a soundtrack for them.
• InCD 5 Essentials:  InCD 5 is a packet-writing program that formats rewritable discs allowing you to copy files onto the disc by simply Dragging and then Dropping the files you have chosen on to your new DVD Recorder drive in Microsoft Windows Explorer or save them to a disc quickly and easily using Nero Express 7 Essentials.
• Nero BackItUp 2 Essentials:  Nero backItUp 2 is a convenient, easy-to-operate program for backing up and restoring data.  It allows you to archive your back-ups on either CD or DVD discs and even USB TravelDrives.
• Nero ShowTime 3:  ShowTime allows you to play back nearly all digital recordings with excellent picture and sound quality.  ShowTime also enables you to play back audio tracks.  It supports most current formats; including MP3, WAV, and AAC just to name a few.
• Nero Cover-Designer 2 Essentials:  Cover-Designer Essentials is a user-friendly program for creating individual covers and labels.
• Nero Recode 2 Essentials:  Recode 2 Essentials allows you to make a DVD video from many short DVD vides or from a larger DVD video that you need to fit on a 4.7GB disc. This also works great for converting your videos to iPod, PSP, and other portable video players.
• Nero MediaHome Essentials:  MediaHome allows you to stream video, music and images to all your UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) enabled devices and to Nero ShowTime 3.
• Nero PhotoShow Express 4:  PhotoShow Express allows for storing and editing digital photos and images with professional quality tools and ease.
• Nero TooKit:  Includes the following tools; Nero CD-DVD speed, Nero Drive-Speed, and Nero InfoTool.
• InCD Reader:  This a program that allows you to read discs written in MRW (Mount Rainier ReWritable) format on systems that do not support MRW.
• DVD-Video Plug-in:  In conjunction with the Nero Vision Essentials, the DVD-Video Plug-in allows the encoding of video files in DVD/SVCD format.  You can then play back the video on nearly any DVD player.
• HE-AAC Plug-in:  This plug-in allows you to encode audio files in MP4 format and also to decode them into other formats.

   

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Reading performance:

We will use Nero CD/DVD-Speed to read various CD and DVD Discs; both burned and pressed for the Reading Performance section of the review. 

Pressed discs:

For this test we used an original pressed CD-ROM disc containing 72.39.55  minutes of data.

The Memorex MRX-525GE reached 45.56x.  Let’s compare the result with other driver performance in the table below:

The Memorex MRX-525GE was not the slowest reader in our test; reading and seek times were on average with the other tested drives.

CD-Recordable Discs:

For this test we used a Data CD-R that we created with Nero CD-DVD Speed in “create data disc” mode.  The disc was a Maxell 48X certified disc manufactured by Ritek.  (Thanks to Maxell for sending us this media.)

The Memorex MRX-525GE reached 48x while reading a full CD-R disc.  Let’s compare these results to some other drives:

The Memorex MRX-525GE scores near the top with the fastest drives with very respectful seek times.

CD-Rewritable discs:

For the CD-Rewriteable tests we created a Data CD using Nero CD-DVD Speeds’ “create data disc”.  We used a Memorex Ultra Speed 24X CD-RW manufactured by Infodisc Technology Co.  (We thank Memorex for sending us this media)

The drive reaches a read speed of 42.46x speed by the end of the disc.  We will now compare this with other drives below:

The Memorex MRX-525GE was the fastest at reading this CD-RW disc with average seek times when compared with these drives.

Audio – Digital Audio Extraction:

To test digital audio extraction performance with the Memorex MRX-525GE we used Nero CD-DVD Speed to measure the transfer rate; the audio disc we used is 78:15:08 in length.

The Memorex MRX-525GE reached 42X reading the Audio-CD; let’s compare the result with our other drives:

The MRX-525GE performed on average with the Audio-CD in both speed and seek times.

Advanced audio – DAE quality test:

For the Advanced Audio DAE test we used the “Advanced DAE Quality Test” feature of Nero CD-DVD Speed.  The CD-R media used is a 40X certified Memorex Music CD-R manufactured by Ritek. (Thanks to Memorex USA for sending us this media.)

The extracting quality will not permit “On-The-Fly” copying above 6X speed; the drive does not support reading data from the Lead-Out.

DVD reading performance:

We utilized Nero CD-DVD Speed to measure the reading performance.  We will to the reading performance testing on various types of DVD discs.  This drive should be able to read pressed single layer DVD-Video discs at 8X.

DVD:  DVD-Video:

For the DVD-Video reading performance tests we began with both a single and a double layered DVD; these were pressed discs.  While only 1X speed is required to watch a DVD-Video Movie, it is useful to be able to read this type of disc at higher speeds if you are extracting (ripping) the Disc Contents to your Hard Drive.

DVD-Video Single Layer

DVD-Video Double Layer

We were unpleasantly surprised to find the Memorex MRX-525GE reads single layered pressed discs slightly less than 6X speed; this is as noted above more than adequate for viewing a movie.  The MRX-525GE performed a little faster on the double layer disc, but was still only able to read DL at just under 8X speed.  As noted above this drive supports reading of pressed DVD (video) at 8X for both SL and DL discs.

Let’s see how it compared with our other drive’s performance:

The Memorex MRX-525GE was the slowest reader with the single layer disc and was about average at reading the double layer media.  Perhaps the slower read capabilities of this drive might be improved with future firmware updates.

DVD:  DVD+R (W):

For testing the Read Speed of DVD+R (RW) discs were used Verbatim 8X for both types of media written with 4.38GB of data.  (Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.) See the results below:

DVD+R

DVD+RW

The drive performed quite well on both DVD+R/RW discs for speed and the read curve is smooth.

DVD:  DVD-R/RW:

For testing the –R/RW reading performance we used Verbatim discs; -R 16X and for the –RW a 6X speed.  (Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.) Below you will find our test results.

DVD-R

DVD-RW

Very little difference between speeds for + R (RW) compared with the –R (RW) discs; reading the + R at 16X and the + RW at 12X.  Very smooth read curves.

The Memorex MRX-DVD525GE performs nicely when reading DVD-R and DVD-RW discs.

DVD:  DVD±R DL:

For this test we used a Verbatim 2.4X +R DL disc and a Verbatim 4X –R DL disc filled with 7.96GB of data.  (Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.)

DVD+R DL

DVD-R DL

The drive performed nicely reading both media at 12.13X, with smooth read curves.

DVD:  DVD-RAM

To test the reading of DVD-Ram we used a Maxell 12X Disc with 4.27GB of data.  Our test results are found below:    

The Memorex MRX-525GE reads DVD-RAM at 12x in 5:36 minutes without difficulty.

Overall thoughts:

The Memorex MRX-525GE proved to be a reliable reader even though the reading of pressed discs (video) was slower compared to our other drives.  We must state that the drive does read at the advertised speed for all formats.

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The specifications on the Memorex MRX-525GE state that the drive is able to write CD-R discs at 48x and CD-RW discs at 32x.  Let’s move on now and find out just how the drive performs in both speed and quality.

Writing Quality with CD-R discs:

For our CDR data writing tests, we set up a new compilation of approximately 702MB using Nero Burning ROM software.  Used DAO (Disc At Once) in non-multisession with “finalize disc” enabled.  The screenshot below shows how long it took to write the disc at the highest speed (48X):

The MRX-525GE took 2 minutes and 40 seconds to write this disc at 48x.  Let’s take a look at how that compares with our other test drives:

Write Quality:

Now we are going to test CD-R discs from different CD-R manufacturers.  To measure the write speed we will use the “create data CD” function from within Nero CD-DVD Speed.  We wrote these discs at the maximum speed that the drive supports.  For the quality test, we used K-Probe 2 which is a tool developed by a Lite-On employee.  K-Probe runs under Windows and works with the drives made by Lite-On.  Also note that different drives and different reading speeds may affect the results obtained when scanning the discs.  We used a Lite-On CD-RW SOHR-5239V with firmware 2$0B and scanned the discs at 48X speed.

A written CD-R disc will always have some C1 errors; C1 errors are easily corrected by the drive’s error correction capabilities.  The next level of errors is C2, while C2 errors could also be corrected by most drive’s error correction capabilities; they are not wanted on a good quality disc.  A good disc should not contain any C2 errors, and preferably have an average C1 error amount of below 2.0 for the best quality discs, or at least below 10.0 averages for good quality discs.  After C2 errors, there are only un-correctable errors that will make a disc unusable.

So, in short, our analysis will be based on these guidelines to determine the quality of the burned discs:

CD-R/RW quality scans guideline

Below you will see our obtained results:

Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-R media with average C1 errors of 1.48 goes into the “best quality discs” category.

Verbatim media – manufactured by CMC Magnetics Corp. with an average C1 error rating of 0.56 goes into the “best quality discs” category.

Media made by Taiyo Yuden have always enjoyed a good reputation and with an average C1 error of 0.08 it goes into the group “best quality discs” category.  Highly recommended!

This Memorex media goes into the category “best quality discs” with its C1 average of 1.61. 

 Writing Quality with CD-RW discs:

Due to request from our reader, we will add a few write quality tests with re-writable media.  Settings and testing procedures is the same as used earlier in this review, so you may want to go back and read them if you are unsure.

High C1 errors and unwanted C2 errors existed; therefore it goes into the “poor quality discs” category.

Even though this media performed better; with its C1 average errors of 32.13, it goes into the “poor quality discs” category.

Summary:

The Memorex MRX-525GE is an exceptional CD-R writer with all excellent results in our CD-R write tests.  However, the drive did not perform as well with CD-RW media resulting in “poor quality” although it is partly the media problem.

Not withstanding, the MRX-525GE is a DVD-Writer, so let’s move on to the next page and learn about its DVD-Writing performance and DVD media capability…..

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The specifications of this drive tell us that it should write DVD±R at 18x, DVD+RW at 8x, and DVD-RW at 6x. In this part, we will measure the write time for various types of DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW discs. We will also focus on write quality and media compatibility.

DVD-Writing performance:

First, let us see how long of a time it needs to create a disc with Nero. We used Nero Burning Rom to set up a new UDF/ISO compilation containing 4482Mb (4.38GB) of data, and started the write process. We used the Disc-At-Once write method.

DVD+R

DVD-R

The DVD+R disc was finished in 5 minutes and 18 seconds, while the DVD-R disc was finished in 5 minutes and 8 seconds. Below are the results.

The Memorex MRX-525GE External is above average at DVD-R and DVD+R in respect to 18x writing speed. Now let us see how the writing quality is.

Write quality:

You should first notice that this is not a scientific and professional way to test the discs. But according to our testing done in recent months, we would conclude that there is a clear link between the quality reported when scanning the disc and the playability of the disc in different devices. Also notice that different drives report different amounts of errors. K-Probe was designed to work with Lite-On DVD-Writers. So we recommend using a DVD-Writer from Lite-On, in this test we use a Lite-On SOHW-1693S DVD-Writer, as already said; remember that scans done with a Lite-On DVD-ROM or Lite-On combo drive can’t be compared with the results obtained with a Lite-On DVD-Writer. Also remember that different PI/PO ECC sum settings along with different reading speeds in K-Probe will affect the result, we use these settings;  PI (Parity Inner) set to summarize 8 ECC blocks, PIF (Parity Inner Failures) set to summarize 1 ECC block, reading speed: 4X CLV (Constant Linear Velocity). Setting the PI sum to 8 and the PIF sum to 1 will give a result that we may compare to the standards for DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW.

But what is a good scan? That is a discussion that we don’t think will end soon, as different drives report different amount of errors, some players are more picky about media than others, and so on. But as a comparison we present you with a scan from two pressed DVD discs:

This scan above shows the results from a pressed, Single Layer DVD-Video disc (Widow on the Hill).

This next scan shows the result from a pressed Double Layer DVD-Video disc (Monster in Law). Notice the error jump when shifting to the second layer (the error levels jump from the end of the first layer to the beginning of the second layer).

If you read below you will see that both the pressed DVD-discs above are well within the standards.

If you want to look at the standards for yourself, download the ECMA 267 Standard for DVD-ROM, the ECMA 337 Standard for DVD+R/RW and the ECMA 338 Standard for DVD-R/RW at http://www.ecma-international.org. Here is some data from the ECMA standards (same for DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW):

Random errors:

A row of an ECC Block that has at least 1 byte in error constitutes a PI error. In any 8 consecutive ECC Blocks the total number of PI errors before correction shall not exceed 280.

Here we see that a PI error is defined as a row in an ECC block having 1 byte or more containing errors and that the sum of PI errors in 8 ECC blocks after each other should not exceed 280 PI errors.

But what is a row and what is an ECC block? Again we refer to the ECMA standards. We do not copy and paste everything, but if you’re interested, look in the ECMA standards. A row is 182 bytes long where the last 10 bytes contain PI (Parity Inner) information. An ECC block is 208 rows long where the last 16 rows contain the PO (Parity Outer) information. This gives us a maximum possible PI error amount of 208 errors per block and for 8 blocks after each other this sum is of course 8 times higher, giving a maximum possible amount of 1664 PI-8 errors. In practical use, a disc with 1664 PI-8 errors is unreadable.

According to our tests the specified max PI-8 sum of 280 for good discs seems to be a good guideline, as some readers have problems reading discs when the PI-8 errors is over 300 and most players starts to have problems when the PI-8 error level reaches 600 or more.

But what are the PIF errors that K-Probe reports? They are Parity Inner Failures, meaning errors left after PI correction. Only the ECMA 337 standard describes the Parity Inner Failures. So how is a Parity Inner Failure defined? Here is what the ECMA 337 states:

“If a row of an ECC Block as defined in 13.3 contains more than 5 erroneous bytes, the row is said to be “PI-uncorrectable”.”

In theory, an ECC block may in the worst case have 208 PIF since every ECC block is 208 rows long. But the ECMA 337 standard goes further and specifies the max amount of accepted PI Failures (uncorrectable errors) allowed on a good disc:

“In any ECC Block the number of PI-uncorrectable rows should not exceed 4.”  

This means that when the PIF sum is set to 1, the maximum error value should not exceed 4. The theoretical maximum value for PIF is 208 errors.

But what makes a disc unreadable? A POF (Parity Outer Failure) error will make the disc unreadable, but K-Probe does not display the POF’s.

Notice that there are other aspects such as disc reflectivity, tracking errors and so on that also will affect the readability of a DVD disc – but for this we do not have measuring equipment available.

Also, another note is that we have scanned the discs at 4X CLV speed, by lowering the speed to 2X (DVD-R/RW)/2.4X (DVD+R/RW) or 1X the amount of reported errors may drop on some discs. We scanned at 4X CLV due to lower speeds taking too much time.

To see if there is a connection between the reported amount of errors and readability of the discs we also include the reading curve from a BenQ DW1655 DVD-Writer which by default are able to read DVD±R media at 16x speed. A small speed reduction near the end is still accepted on good discs, but serious reading problems or reading failures is a bad sign.

Here is an easier explanation on how to read the test results.

Maybe this got too technical, and you are wondering what to look for in KProbe reports?

Use this as a guideline for good discs:

·         PI (Parity Inner): No larger areas on the disc should exceed 280 PI-8 errors, do not worry too much about high single spikes that exceed 280.

·         PIF (Parity Inner Failures): No larger areas on the disc should exceed 4 PIF-1 errors, do not worry too much about high single spikes that exceed 4.

And as always: the lower is better.

Also look at the reading curve; if it looks clean with no dips it should be good, a small slowdown near the end is accepted.

DVD+R media compatibility and write quality:

In these tests we will be using a Lite-On SHM-165H6S or a SHM-165P6S drive along with K-Probe to measure the disc quality. We will also be using the BenQ DW1655 along with Nero CD-DVD Speed for our read-back tests.

Good quality, it is a highly recommended media!

The media burns with very good results; again highly recommended!

Good quality scan and smooth read-back test.

Very nice quality scan and a smooth read-back curve also.

The quality scan is very good and nice read back test.

The Memorex MRX-525GE writes to Taiyo Yuden with excellent results as expected.

High PI errors, however smooth read-back curve with this media.

DVD+ReWritable media:

The Memorex MRX-525GE supports writing to DVD+RW discs at maximum 8x speed.

Some PIF spikes at the end of the disc, a little high on PIEs, smooth read-back curve.  Good result.

A little high in PIEs but PIFs very low, smooth read-back curve. Good result.

PIF levels a little high but the disc reads without any problems.

Summary:

Write quality on DVD+R is very good to excellent, the quality on DVD+RW is good overall.

On the next page you will find the DVD-R/RW writing results...

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DVD-R media write quality:

The MRX-525GE burns this media very good.

Isolated PIF spikes to 4 but an overall excellent burn with smooth read-back curve.

High PIF errors but no read-back problem. 

The MRX-525GE burned this media with good quality scan and no read-back problem.

The quality scan results in a very good burn with a smooth TRT (Transfer Rate Test).

This media results are Excellent as expected.

DVD-ReWritable media:

 

This Verbatim media produces very good quality burn.

 

Good quality scan but shows a slow down during read-back test.

 

The result is very good and smooth transfer rate curve.

Summary:

The Memorex MRX-525GE produced very good quality results on all of the DVD-R/RW media we tested. 

Head on to next page and read about DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL compatibility and write quality...

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DVD+R Double Layer writing speed and quality:

The Memorex MRX-525GE supports the DVD+R DL standard for writing Double Layer discs with a size around 8.5 GB at a writing speed of 8x.

Testing procedure:

We created an ISO Image from a pre-authored DVD-Video compliant file set, with a total on-disc size of nearly 8.5GB. We then wrote this image file using Nero Burning ROM 7. Below are the results:

Verbatim 8X DVD+R DL

A high spike in the Scan, transfer rate curve is smooth.

Verbatim 2.4X DVD+R DL

The MRX-525GE burned this disc at 6X with good scan and a smooth Transfer Rate curve.

DVD-R Dual Layer writing speed and quality:    

The Memorex MRX-525GE supports the DVD-R DL standard for writing Dual Layer discs with a size around 8.5 GB at a writing speed of 8X.

Testing procedure:  We created an ISO Image from a pre-authored DVD-Vide compliant file set, with a total on-disc-size of nearly 8.5 GB.  We then wrote this image file using Nero CD-DVD Speed.  Below are the results of our tests:

High PIE levels, however PIF is low; read back test shows two slow downs in the 2^nd layer.

Good results on this burn with the MRX-525GE.

Standalone DVD-Player compatibility:

We only have 2 standalone DVD-Players available to test the DVD+R DL media (Book Type: DVD-ROM) and the DVD-R DL media (Book Type: DVD-R):

·         Panasonic DVD-S29S

·         Insignia TV/DVD Combination Player

Compatibility results: 

All brand of DVD+R DL play nicely in both players. However, the Verbatim DVD-R DL froze at the layer break in Insignia Combination Player. We would like to mention, that the compatibility issue with standalone DVD Players and the DVD-R DL media format is also caused by incompatibilities with the standalone devices used in this review, as we know the DVD-R DL format has inferior compatibility compared to DVD+R DL especially with older standalone player.

Summary:  The Memorex MRX-525GE burns DVD+R/-R DL with good results except our newly acquired DVD-R DL 8x produced high PIE along with slow downs in the TRT.

Before we complete this review, let us run the drive through some advanced tests at next page…

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To round off this review, we will run some advanced tests on the Memorex MRX-525GE.

DVD-RAM:

The Memorex MRX-525GE is a so-called Multi DVD Drive; meaning is also supports writing and reading the DVD-RAM format. Lets us look at the recording side of the disc, and as you can see it has differences from the other DVD+R/W/R9 DL and DVD-R/W discs.

On the data side, we can see a very fascinating pattern of lighter spots, supposedly these spots are used for calibration while writing and reading.

A DVD-RAM’s disc can be formatted in the following formats: FAT32, UDF 1.02, UDF 1.50, UDF 2.00, UDF 2.01, and UDF 2.50.

By formatting a DVD-RAM disc with FAT32 it will act like a removable hard drive and all writing will be done as “background processes”. Meaning you do not have to wait for it to finish, you can start or work with other applications while the DVD-RAM is working without noticing any “hangs” or CPU slowdowns.

Lets us take a look how the drive performs:

Maxell branded 12x media manufactured by Maxell.
Thanks to ExtremeMhz for providing this media.

Writing Maxell 12x without verification

Writing Maxell 12x with verification

Transfer Rate test

As we see, the Memorex MRX-525GE writes 12X DVD-RAM without any problem, read back of the disc at 12X speed is at 5:36 minutes.

Maxell branded 5x media manufactured by Maxell.
Thanks to Maxell USA for providing this media.

Writing Maxell 5x without verification

Writing Maxell 5x with verification

Transfer Rate test

As we can see, the Memorex MRX-525GE writes 5x DVD-RAM without any problem, read back the disc at 5x speed in 11:44 minutes.

For those of you who are not familiar with DVD-RAM, you may probably think that something went wrong during the write process with the verification turned on, since the 3x and 5x media was written at 1.3x and 2x, respectively. But don’t worry, that is pretty normal for DVD-RAM discs. The reason for the lower writing speed is, the drive constantly reads back the data after writing it to verify that it’s written correctly. We can also call it a “bullet proof” writing/verify technique, with no data loss/errors.

The “Sheep Test”:

For this test, we will use the Sheep tests made by Alexander Noé. Why is it called sheep test? That’s because the logo of the first 1 to 1 copy program called CloneCD is a sheep. When looking at supported writers, you will notice that the feature list has sheep to indicate if a feature is supported or not. In this case we are interested in the writer’s ability to backup/write weak sectors. Also called: “Correct EFM encoding of regular bit-patterns.”

·         No sheep: Can’t backup any Safedisc 2 versions without the help of software tricks

·         1 Sheep: Can backup Safedisc 2 up to version 2.4x without software tricks

·         2 Sheep: Can backup Safedisc 2, including version 2.5x

·         3 Sheep: Can write all possible weak sectors, few if any writers could do this.

One of our forum moderators Womble, has written a guide concerning the “Sheep Test” that can be found here.

In the screenshot below taken from CloneCD, we see the Memorex MRX-525GE supports everything.

We created our “Sheep Test” disc according to “Womble’s” instructions; using the copy method, our results follow.

As we can see from the table the Memorex MRX-525GE is a “Two Sheep Burner”,  however failed to write the SD290 and Sheep3 tests.

Positive:

• Good retail and software package
• Supports Bitsetting for DVD+R/RW/DL media    
• Supports CD/RW writing at 48x/32x        
• Supports DVD±R/±R DL/RAM writing at 18x/8x/12x
• Reads DVD+R/+RW/+DL at 16x/12x/12x
• Reads DVD-ROM SL/DL at 16x/12x
• Supports DVD+RW/-RW writing at 8x/6x
• Can write DVD±R certified media at higher speed
• Quiet operation for an External Unit
• Very good/Excellent writing quality on the tested media
• Solid construction

        Negative:

• Reads DVD-Video (CSS) at only 8x
• Does not overspeed 8x media
• Does not support disc quality scanning
• Does not support Mt. Rainer

Let us summarize the most important positive and negative points below:

The main positive points: Following our tests we found that this drive is a very good Multi DVD burner. The Memorex MRX-525GE is called “Multi DVD Burner” since it supports recording on all available media formats including CD-R/RW, DVD±R/±RW, DVD±R Double/Dual Layer, and DVD-RAM.  It is packed with a comprehensive software suite from Nero Burning ROM 7 which is worth the extra retail price.

The 18x DVD+R and DVD-R writing on our media produced very good quality burns.  The drive writes CD-R media fast with very good quality and performed exceptionly at writing to CDR.  The MRX-525GE proved to produce very good quality burns with all the DVD+R/RW media in our testing.  DVD-RAM with read and writing support at 12x is a very nice feature. The Advanced Tests specify that the Memorex MRX-525GE drive can be categorized as a “Two Sheep” writer, which implies that it should be sufficient for backing up copy protected discs.

The main negative points: There are few issues that we would like to mention and see them improved. The Memorex MRX-525GE reads DVD-Video SL/DL at 8x speed while other competitors can read them at faster speeds.  Improvements are also needed in the area of CD-RW write quality. The writing quality is poor showing the presence of C2 errors for CD-RW.

So to sum it all up, this is what we would say: "The Memorex MRX-525GE burned all the supported media types very well, it’s fast and quiet operation will make it welcome in anyone’s system."

By using our price grabber feature cdfreaks.pricegrabber we found the drive listed at $72.14 USD (February 2007).

You may discuss/comment this review below or in this forum thread.

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