DVD Burner round-up: 12x and 8x drives tested

Pioneer DVR-S706

This Pioneer drive stands out from other drives in this round-up for two reasons: it’s external, and it’s the most expensive. This is Pioneers first attempt at an external computer drive, and I must say it’s a very sexy device. If looks could sell drives, then this one would be in every home. The shell has a polished silver look, and the front plate is black. There is a blue power LED located on the front panel, indicating the drive is powered up. The drive comes with see-through stands which enable it to sit either horizontally or vertically, depending on your available desk space. The drive can be connected via IEEE 1394 (Firewire) or USB 2.0, and includes all the necessary cables to do so.

The drive is based on the Pioneer DVR-06, which is a sixth generation drive, so the technology has been proven. It’s compatible with DVD-R/DVD-RW along with DVD+R/DVD+RW media. Technical enhancements include:

• Quiet Drive Technology – Reduces noise by 75%

• Liquid Crystal Control – Compensates for slightly warped/damaged media

• Precision Recording Technology – Uses an auto-adjust technique that enables RW media to last longer

• Defect Management System – This is used to enhance compatibility with other drives as well as different types of media

• Ultra Dynamic Resonance Absorber – Used for vibration reduction at higher speeds

	Pioneer DVR-S706
DVD-R	8x
DVD-RW	4x
DVD+R	8x
DVD+RW	4x
CD-R	24x
CD-RW	24x
DVD-ROM (read)	12x
CD-ROM (read)	40x
DVD-RAM	-
Dual layer	-
Price (click for details)	$260

The drive was installed to the test PC using a USB connection. Installation was effortless with Windows XP automatically installing the drivers. After the installation, I tested the drive with a few different media types for readability. The drive read everything without a hic-up, and was remarkably quiet. Pioneer bundles the drive with an impressive software package from Ulead, which includes the following programs:

Ulead DVD Movie Factory 3 Disc Creator – allows the user to burn slideshows, movies, data, and music to either a CD or a DVD

Ulead Video Studio 7SE – This is video creation software

Ulead Photo Explorer 8.0 – This application is used for digital media management

Ulead My Scrapbook 2 – This enables the user to create a digital scrapbook

Ulead Burn Now – This is the recording software for creating and copying discs

Ulead DVD Player – Offers high quality video playback with excellent compatibility

Nova Backup 7.1 – This software is used to back-up important data using CD or DVD media

Select DVD Burners at first glance Pioneer DVR-S706 8x external drive Pioneer DVR-A07XLA 8x drive LG GSA-4120B 12x drive TEAC DV-W58GA 8x drive Artec VOM-12E48X 12x drive Bundled Software Suites from Ahead & Ulead Performance: Sandra DVD benchmark and CD DAE tests Performance: DVD read speed & Burning test Final Thoughts

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