SONY DRU-810A DVD Burner Review

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Test machine:

For this review we will be using a computer with the following configuration:

Hardware:

Motherboard: Intel 865
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz with Hyper Threading support
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Memory: 512 MB
Video: ATI RADEON 9600XT
Sound: SB Live!
Hard disks: 1X 160GB Seagate Barracuda; 1X 120GB Western Digital

System set-up:

The Sony DRU-810A was connected as Secondary Slave and identified itself as SONY DVD RW DRU-810A. DMA (Direct Memory Access) was enabled for all devices.

Software:

Windows XP Professional is installed on the computer along with Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. We will be using the following software in this review:

• Nero Burning ROM version 6.6.0.16
• Nero CD/DVD Speed V4.07
• Nero Info Tool v3.02
• Slysoft CloneCD v5.2.6.1
• Exact Audio Copy v0.95 beta 3
• K-Probe v2.4.2

 

Installation and supported features:

We installed the drive without any problems and here is a screenshot from Nero InfoTool:

From the screenshot above, we notice a 2MB buffer size; missing Mount Rainier and C2 Errors support. The installed firmware version is 1.0a.

And another shot from Nero Burning ROM:

Nero Burning ROM claims Overburn support. We will test this later in the review.

Included Software:

Now it's time to look at the included software. Notice that we may not use the included software in our performance testing part of the review.

Sony^® Software Disc Rev. 6.30W Installation CD:

The Software Disc includes:

• Nero 6 Sony Edition

• Nero StartSmart serves as the command center to quickly start all the software of the Nero suite;
• Nero Burning ROM 6 SE and Nero Express^® 6 CD/DVD mastering software for data, audio and CD/DVD writing and copying;
• Nero VisionExpress 3 VCD/SVCD and DVD authoring software for advanced video capturing, authoring, full video editing and photo slideshow creation. Users can crop, clean up, add special effects to photos and then add transitions and a soundtrack, as well as cut, edit, dub, and turn videos into Hollywood-style masterpieces;
• Nero InCD^® 4 packet writing software for formatting rewritable discs so they can be used like large floppy disks with drag-and-drop capability;
• Nero ShowTime^TM DVD-Video playing software for viewing DVD movies and personal video projects, along with MPEG-4 compatibility;
• Nero PhotoSnap/PhotoSnapViewer captures digital photos right from a digital camera or scanner and provides basic image editing as well as a viewer utility;
• Nero MediaHome streaming media server allows sharing of media files over a home network;
• Nero Recode2 DVD-Video converter makes backup copies of unprotected DVDs, ideal for making copies of home movie DVDs to share with friends and family. Can also compile multiple DVD discs into a single DVD;
• Nero BackItUp backup software for complete PC backup, with an easy-to-use wizard interface for multiple backup modes, automatically scheduled backups, and backups spanning several CDs or DVDs;
• Nero MediaPlayer / Wave Editor management/jukebox software and audio editing software for audio file creation with various filters and effects;
• Nero Cover Designer disc label creation software for creating individual CD/DVD covers and labels; and
• Nero Toolkit drive tool software for critical media and drive analysis used by drive manufacturers worldwide.

• User's Guide
• User Support Web Page (links to Sony global user support web sites and Nero AG website)

When you first insert the disk (with Autorun enabled) you will get the Languange Selection screen.

The Menu Selection screen shows three options: Application Install (Nero install), Manual (electronic version of User's Guide) and User Support Web Page (links to Sony and Nero AG). Next we select the Manual button.

We would like to note that the electronic version of User Guide is less comprehensive than the printed version of Operating Instruction. Now let's continue with Nero installation.

Nero StartSmart shows a list of Nero applications that are installed. Nero Burning ROM version that came with the disc was 6.6.0.12 and we upgraded to version 6.6.0.16 without any problem. We also upgraded NeroVision Express 3 from version 3.1.0.7 to 3.1.0.16 and Nero Media Player version 1.4.0.29 to 1.4.0.35.

The software identifies as Nero 6 Sony Edition.

Turbo Boost Function:

The default CD-R and CD-ROM read/write speed of the Sony DRU-810A is 40x speed. With a single touch, you can activate the Turbo Boost function, to raise the read/write speed to 48x speed:

⋅         Insert a CD-R/CD-ROM disc into the drive

⋅         Press and hold the Eject button for five seconds.
The busy indicator blinks twice and the read/write speed switches to 48x. (The Turbo Boost function is active.)

Note: When you open the disc tray, the Turbo Boost function will be deactivated.

Write Technology:

Now it's time to take a closer look at the write technology used by the Sony DRU-810A:

CD-Recordable:

The Sony DRU-810A uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 48X (Turbo Boost function activated). This gives an average speed of 34.77x. Two drives for comparison are found below.

The Samsung TS-E552U uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write at its rated speed of 40x. This gives an average speed of 34.39x.

The LG GSA-5160D uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 40X in four zones. The drive wrote the last zone at 40.41X and this gives an average speed of 31.70x.

 For comparison we have made the following table:

As we can see from the table, the Sony DRU-810A is among the fastest drives where it comes to writing CD-R's.

CD-Rewritable:

The Sony DRU-810A uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write CD-RW media at its maximum speed of 32x, with an average write speed of 30.03x. Below are some other drives for comparison.

The Pioneer DVDR-110D uses Z-CLV (Zone Constant Linear Velocity) to write CD-RW media at its maximum speed of 32x, with an average write speed of 24.88x.

The NEC ND-3540A uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity writing technology to write at 32X for CD-RW discs, the average speed is 29.75x.

For a better overview we present the following comparison table:

As we can see from the table, the Sony DRU-810A speed wise, is once again very fast when writing CD-RW's.

16X DVD+R/-R Writing speed:

The Sony DRU-810A uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at the maximum supported speed of 16x. This gives an average write speed of 11.55x and a writing time of 5 minutes 43 seconds.

The Sony DRU-810A uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-R at its maximum speed of 16x. This gives an average write speed of 11.38x and a writing time of 6 minutes and 9 second.

Below are some write graphs from some other drives for comparison.

The Pioneer DVR-110D uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at the maximum supported speed of 16x. This gives an average write speed of 11.58x and a writing time of 6 minutes 9 seconds.

The NEC 3540A uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. This gives an average writing speed of 11.81x and a writing time of 5 minutes and 58 seconds.

The Philips DVDR16LS uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 11.33x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 8 seconds. The average speed is lower and the writing time is higher than it could have been due to the Walking OPC generation 2 using some time to constantly adjust the writing quality. We could see this as constant dips in the speed curve.

The LG GSA-5160D uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 11.60x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 12 seconds.

The Pioneer DVR-110D uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-R at its maximum speed of 16x. This gives an average write speed of 11.59x and a writing time of 6 minutes and 1 second.

The LG GSA-4163B uses P-CAV, (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-R at 16x. The average speed is 12.90x and total writing time is 5 minutes and 20 seconds.

The Samsung TS-H552B uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 12.03x and total writing time is 5 minutes and 58 seconds. Below, we made a comparison table:

From the table above, we can see that the Sony DRU-810A is among the fastest drives in writing DVD+R and DVD-R.

8X DVD+R DL writing speed:

The Sony DRU-810A supports 8x writing speed on DVD+R DL media.

The Sony DRU-810A uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R DL at 8x. The average speed is 7.18x and total writing time is 15:52 minutes. Very fast!

4X DVD-R DL writing speed:

The Sony DRU-810A supports 4x writing speed on DVD-R DL media.

The Sony DRU-810A uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-R DL at 4x. The average speed is 3.76x and total writing time is 29:47 minutes. Pretty slow in this area considering other new drives can write DVD-R DL up to 8x speed (ie. Pioneer DVR-110D).

8X DVD+RW writing speed:

The Sony DRU-810A uses Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+RW at 8x. The average speed is 7.64x and total writing time is 7:40 minutes.

6X DVD-RW writing speed:

The Sony DRU-810A uses CLV (Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD-RW at 6x. The average speed is 5.92x and total writing time is 10:19 minutes.

Book type (bitsetting):

The Sony DRU-810A supports bitsetting, and as default will write DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD+R DL media with DVD-ROM book type.

With Nero CD-DVD Speed, we can see in the "Book Type" column in Drive Settings area that all disc types are currently bitset to DVD-ROM. When a disc is inserted in the drive, the Disc Settings area will show the Book Type. Screenshot above shows that there is a DVD+R DL disc in the drive tray and it shows that "Current book type" is set to DVD-ROM.

When you insert a DVD+RW disc, the "Set" button is available and we can change the Book Type without having to re-burn the disc.

Another way you could check if your discs are really written with DVD-ROM Book Type is by observing the Disc Info tab. You should see something similar to the following:

DVD+R DL with book type DVD-ROM

Summary '� Write Technology:

Let us look at the summary of the Sony DRU-810A write technology and speed in the table below:

The Sony DRU-810A is among the fastest drives in writing various kind of CD and DVD media compared to other drives. Our tests shows that the drive is able to reach the specification write speed easily. The only downside is the support of DVD-R DL at 4x write speed where we can find other new drives that supports this type at 8x speed (ie. Pioneer DVR-110D).

Let's continue to the next page where we will examine the reading performance...

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The specifications of Sony DRU-810A state that the drive is able to write CD-R discs at 48x with Turbo Boost activated (see page 2). Let us find out how the drive really performs in speed and quality.

Writing Quality with CD-R discs:

For our data writing tests, we simply set up a new compilation of about 700Mb using Nero Burning ROM software. Writing method used is DAO (Disc At Once), and the disc is set up as a non-multisession disc with 'finalize disc" enabled. The screenshot below shows how long it takes to write a disc at the highest speed (48x):

The drive took 3 minutes and 1 seconds to write the disc at 48x. Let us see how this compares to other drives:

Few seconds behind most other 48x writers due to walking OPC feature.

• NU DHW-164 used 3 minutes and 12 seconds at 40x
• Philips DVDR16LS used 3 minutes and 26 seconds at 40x
• Samsung TS-E552U used 2 minutes and 52 seconds at 40x
• LG GSA-4163B used 3 minutes and 15 seconds at 40x
• Philips DVDR1640P used 3 minutes and 17 seconds at 40x
• NU DDW-082 used 3 minutes and 2 seconds at 40x
• Samsung TS-H552B used exactly 3 minutes at 40x
• Plextor PX-708A used 2 minutes and 58 seconds at 40x

Write Quality:

We will test CD-R discs from a total of 6 different CD-R manufacturers. To really measure the write speed, we used the 'create data disc" function in Nero CD-DVD Speed. The discs were written 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. It runs under Windows and works with 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 LTR-40125S drive with firmware ZS0R 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 C1 average for good quality discs. After C2 errors, there are only un-correctable errors that will make a disc unusable.

In short, our analysis will be based on these guideline to determine the quality of the burned disc:

CD-R/RW quality scan guideline

And below are the obtained results:

Brand:	Verbatim '� DataLifePlus (Thanks to Verbatim USA for providing)
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation
Code:	97m34s23f
Disc Type:	CD-R
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 3: Long Strategy (Cyanine or AZO)
Capacity:	79:59.73 (703MB)
Certified Speed:	52x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	3m:00s
C1 Average/Sec:	1.64
C2 Average/Sec:	0.00

Verbatim DataLifePlus CD-R media with its average C1 errors of 1.64 goes in the 'best quality discs" category. Recommended!

Brand:	Verbatim
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics Corporation
Code:	97m26s66f
Disc Type:	CD-R
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.71 (703MB)
Certified Speed:	52x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	2m:57s
C1 Average/Sec:	1.23
C2 Average/Sec:	0.00

Verbatim media '� manufactured by CMC Magnetics Corporation with its average C1 errors of 1.23 goes in the 'best quality discs" category. Also recommended.

Brand:	Fujifilm
Manufacturer:	Taiyo Yuden
Code:	97m24s01f
Disc Type:	CD-R
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 1: Long Strategy (Cyanine, AZO)
Capacity:	79:59.72 (703MB)
Certified Speed:	48x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	2m:59s
C1 Average/Sec:	0.97
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

Media made by Taiyo Yuden have always had a good reputation and with the average C1 errors of 0.97 it goes into the group 'best quality discs" category. Highly recommended!

Brand:	Fujifilm
Manufacturer:	Ritek
Code:	97m15s17f
Disc Type:	CD-R
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 7: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.70 (703MB)
Certified Speed:	48x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	3m:01s
C1 Average/Sec:	0.75
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

This Fujifilm media goes into the category 'best quality discs" for its C1 average of 0.75. Recommended!

Brand:	Staples
Manufacturer:	Moser Baer India Limited
Code:	97m17s06f
Disc Type:	CD-R
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.74 (703MB)
Certified Speed:	48x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	3m:01s
C1 Average/Sec:	4.78
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

Staples media '� manufactured by Moser Baer India Limited and with its average of 4.78 it goes in the 'good discs" category.

Brand:	Sony
Manufacturer:	Sony Corporation
Code:	97m24s16f
Disc Type:	CD-R(B-)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59:74 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	48x
Write Speed:	32x
Write Time:	3m:30s
C1 Average/Sec:	11.50
C2 Average/Sec:	0.00

Sony media '� This was not a good result: C1 errors are quite high although there are no C2 errors. The media refused to be written above 32x. Needs improvements.

Writing Quality with CD-RW discs:

Due to requests from our readers, 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. All discs used for these tests are new and have not been written to before.

Brand:	Verbatim '� Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation
Code:	97m34s25f
Disc Type:	Ultra Speed CD-RW 32x
Recording Layer:	Phase Change
Capacity:	74:43.00 (656.40MB)
Certified Speed:	32x
Write Speed:	32x
Write Time:	3m:5s
C1 Average/Sec:	1470
C2 Average/Sec:	0.19

This was not a good result: C1 errors are high and C2 errors existed, thus it goes into the 'poor quality discs" category. Not quite as expected from a Verbatim brand.

Brand:	Memorex '� Thanks to Memorex for providing us this media
Manufacturer:	Infodisc Technology Co., Ltd.
Code:	97m25s31f
Disc Type:	High Speed CD-RW 24x
Recording Layer:	Phase Change
Capacity:	79:59.73 (702.83MB)
Certified Speed:	24x
Write Speed:	24x
Write Time:	4m:07s
C1 Average/Sec:	2517.00
C2 Average/Sec:	135.30

This is even worse: C1 and C2 errors are quite elevated. However, this media writes badly and produces C2 errors on all drives so we cannot blame the fault on the Sony drive.

Brand:	Memorex
Manufacturer:	Infodisc Technology Co., Ltd.
Code:	97m25s30f
Disc Type:	High Speed CD-RW 12x
Recording Layer:	Phase Change
Capacity:	79:59.73 (702.83MB)
Certified Speed:	12x
Write Speed:	10x
Write Time:	8m:39s
C1 Average/Sec:	202.60
C2 Average/Sec:	0.00

Same thing for this High Speed CD-RW, elevated C1 with some C2 appearance at the end of the disc. Poor media quality from Memorex.

Summary:

The Sony DRU-810A is an exceptional CD-R Writer that will write quality CD-R media with excellent results. Surprisingly the drive does not support its own Sony media very well, i.e. would only write at 32x speed with average write quality. The drive's performance is a lot different if we take a look at CD-RW part. On all CD-RW media we have tested, the writing quality is really poor. Sony should take a look at this area and improve support for CD-RW media in its next firmware upgrade.

But nevertheless, it's a DVD-Writer, so head on to next page and read about DVD-Writing performance and DVD media compatibility…

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DVD-R media write quality:

In these tests we will be using a Lite-On SOHW-1693S drive with firmware KS0A along with K-Probe to measure the disc quality. We will also be using the Sony DRU-810A itself with firmware 1.0a for our read-back tests.

Brand:	Verbatim '� thanks to Verbatim USA for providing this media
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Company
Code:	MCC03RG20
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	6m:11s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	5.55
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.00

It looks like the Sony DRU-810A can write this media nicely as the result is very good.

Brand:	Taiyo Yuden unbranded
Manufacturer:	Taiyo Yuden
Code:	TYG03
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	6m:08s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	19.75
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

The result is very good with clean read-back curve.

Brand:	Memorex
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics Corporation
Code:	CMCMAG AM3
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	6m:09s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	170.60
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.09

The PIF levels appear to be within standard, but we can see quite high PI errors and the reading curve shows problems. The Sony is not optimized for this media yet.

Brand:	Optodisc '� Thanks to Optodisc USA for sending the media
Manufacturer:	Optodisc
Code:	OPTODISC R016
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	4x
Write Time:	16m:22s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	55.60
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.03

The error levels are very nice and reading curve shows no problem at all. The maximum supported write speed for this media is 8x, however, the drive will only write at 4x speed.

Brand:	RiData '� Thanks to RiDATA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Ritek
Code:	RITEK F1
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:50s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	20.66
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.01

The error levels come out within limits, but there are some glitches in the reading curve near the end of the disc. And it also wrote at 8x only.

Brand:	Fujifilm
Manufacturer:	Taiyo Yuden
Code:	TYG02
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:40s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	0.59
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.00

As expected: brilliant write quality with this high performance Taiyo Yuden media. Recommended!

Brand:	Sony
Manufacturer:	Sony Electronics Inc.
Code:	SONY 08D1
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:57s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	17.64
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.07

Again no problem with this media. There is a hitch in the transfer rate curve but nothing to worry about.

Brand:	Maxell
Manufacturer:	Maxell
Code:	MXL RG03
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:34s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	10.21
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.08

Both quality scan and read transfer rate are very good and shows that this media works fine with the Sony drive.

Brand:	Verbatim
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
Code:	MCC02RG20
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:38s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.68
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.01

Wonderful, highly recommended!

Brand:	Teon
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics
Code:	CMCMAG AE1
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:34s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.67
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

Another excellent result!

Brand:	Memorex
Manufacturer:	Fuji
Code:	FUJIFILM 03
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:45s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	19.49
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.04

Some drives have problems with this media but apparently Sony DRU-810A can handle it very well.

Brand:	Maxell
Manufacturer:	Ritek
Code:	RITEK G05
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:53s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	76.15
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.05

Higher PI errors but everything is good within limits.

Brand:	Fujifilm
Manufacturer:	Prodisc Technology
Code:	Prodisc F01
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:34s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.29
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.03

Another excellent result.

Brand:	TDK
Manufacturer:	TDK Corporation
Code:	TTG02
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4489MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:47s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.30
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

A very high quality burn with this media.

DVD-ReWritable media:

Brand:	Verbatim '� Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation
Code:	MKM 01RW6X01
Disc Type:	DVD-RW
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	6x
Write Speed:	6x
Write Time:	10m:31s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	3.90
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.01

This Verbatim media produces a very high quality burn.

Brand:	RiDATA '� Thanks to Advanced Media/Ritek USA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Ritek Corporation
Code:	RITEK W06
Disc Type:	DVD-RW
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	6x
Write Speed:	6x
Write Time:	10m:30s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	2.01
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.04

No problem with this media.

Brand:	Optodisc '� Thanks to Optodisc USA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Optodisc
Code:	OPTODISC W004
Disc Type:	DVD-RW
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	4x
Write Speed:	4x
Write Time:	15m:27s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	9.95
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	1.81

This media produces solid and high PIF error levels that quite concern us. Luckily, only minor drops in the transfer rate curve.

DVD-R/RW Summary:

Here's the summary of DVD-R and DVD-RW media we have tested along with the resulting write quality:

In the area of DVD-R, the Sony DRU-810A is quite optimized to burn high quality DVD-R and DVD-RW media with good to excellent results. There are some issues with media compatibility, i.e. OptodiscR016 and RITEKF1 are not supported at their certified write speed. Sony should investigate on these issues. We also hope that Sony would support overspeeding in future firmware, especially for higher quality media.

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

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To round off this review, we will run some advanced tests on the Sony DRU-810A.

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.

Positive:

• Comprehensive retail bundle and includes extra black bezel
• Feature-rich software package suite from Nero
• Very good specifications
• Excellent DVD+R/-R writing and rewriting quality
• Excellent DVD+/-R DL writing quality
• Very good CD-R writing quality
• One of the fastest drive for writing DVD+R DL media.
• Drive has no riplock, reading speeds are not limited.
• Supports bitsetting for DVD+R/RW/R9 DL
• Very good and fast reader
• Reads DVD+/-R media at 16x and DVD+/-RW media at 12x
• Reads both pressed and recorded DL media at 12x
• Drive runs quietly
• Small form factor for small footprint desktop cases
• 'Two Sheep" writer
• Supports writing/reading 99 minutes CD-R media
• Supports overburning 4600MB DVD+R media.

Negative:

Conclusion:

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

The main positive points: Following our extensive tests we found that this drive is a very solid DVD burner with nearly no noticeable issues. It is bundled with a complete and fully functional software suite from Nero which is worth the extra price. The documentation is also satisfactory and you will also get an extra black bezel to match your desktop case color.

Sony seems to be very cautious with media compatibility, that is to say, the drive supports the majority media at its rated speed, although consequently the writing quality for all formats is very good to excellent with most media types we've tested. The reading capability is also worth noting; since the drive has no riplock therefore it offers very fast reading speeds. It is able to read DVD+R/-R and single layer DVD-Video format at a maximum speed of 16x and all other DVD types (DVD+/-RW/DL) at an efficient speed of 12x, while other competitors are still struggling with 8x or even 4x.

In our DAE quality test it shows that the extracting quality is excellent and it supports reading the lead-in and lead-out. The Advanced Tests specify that the Sony drive can be categorized as a 'Two Sheep" writer, which implies that it should be sufficient for backing up copy protected discs. The drive also supports overburning 99 minutes CD-R and 4600MB DVD+R which can be valuable for power users. Overall, given that the drive is based on highly rated BenQ DW1640, the Sony DRU-810A belongs in the best drives category.

The main negative points: There are few minor issues that we would like to mention in this section. The drive writes all 8x DVD+R and DVD-R media at its rated speed only. We have seen its outstanding performance on 8x writing and consequently we have no hesitation that overspeeding media will also perform nicely. After all, we notice that the drive does overspeed Verbatim 2.4x DVD+R DL at 8x with great result. We would like to see some overspeeding in future firmware updates, especially for high quality media.

The drive creates high PIF error spikes when writing 16x DVD+R media at its certified speed, although fortunately this anomaly doesn't seem to create read-back problems. In the area of media compatibility we also would like to suggest some improvements. There are a few *average quality* media that will not write at its rated speed either because they are not supported by the current firmware or OPC is too sensitive: CMCMAGM01 16x DVD+R, OPTODISC R016 16x DVD-R, RITEKF1 16x DVD-R, and RITEKP01 DVD-R DL 4x to name a few.

During our CD-R and CD-RW test we acquire a few minor issues. The drive will only write its own Sony 48x CD-R media at 32x speed although it might be due to the oversensitive OPC feature. Regrettably as in many other DVD drives, CD-RW writing quality is really poor showing the presence of C2 errors, which are not wanted. Finally, a slight issue that we feel needed to mention is the Turbo Boost function, which is deactivated by default. This means that without pushing the eject button for five seconds every time we need to read or write a CD, the drive will not reach 48x as stated in the specification.

Final Thoughts: The Sony DRU-810A is only a fraction behind its associate BenQ DW1640. Suffice it to say, it is 'A superior drive that can achieve high performance results in nearly all areas of DVD and CD burning today and undoubtedly will not let you down." We would like to present this drive our 'Safe Buy" award.

By using our CD Freaks price grabber feature we found the Sony DRU-810A is listed at $69.99 after rebate (October 2005).

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

Thanks to:

For providing the Verbatim media used in this review. Verbatim provides high quality media all over the world and strives to be the standard for DVD hardware reviewing.

Advanced Media/Ritek-USA for providing some of the RiDATA media used in this review. RiDATA is an official Ritek brand and thus you are guaranteed to get quality Ritek manufactured discs when buying RiData media.

 For providing the Memorex media used in this review. Memorex is one of the largest providers of all types of media for larger parts of the world.

 For providing the Optodisc media used in this review. Optodisc Technology Corporation excels at the manufacturing and selling of High-Density Optical Storage Media DVDs.