Review: Memorex DVD16+/-DL4RWlD2 |
Memorex was kind enough to send us their latest DVD-Writer; the Memorex DVD16+/-DL4RWlD2 Double Layer, Dual Format DVD recorder. This drive supports 16x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 4x DVD+R9 writing technologies which allows you to burn double layer discs with a capacity of 8.5GB.
Memorex has the following description on the box regarding this product:
Memorex history and information :
We found the following information on the Memorex website:
Memorex Products, Inc.
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-R's 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.
Company Info | ||||||||||||
Forty years ago, a group of engineers joined together to produce a backup medium for the computer industry. The name of their new venture? You guessed it - Memorex. | ||||||||||||
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For more information you can visit the Memorex website.
Drive specifications:
Read Speed
- DVD-ROM 16x (21600KB/sec) maximum by CAV
- CD-ROM 48x (7200KB/sec) maximum by CAV
DVD Write Speed
- DVD+R 16x (21600KB/sec) maximum by CAV
- DVD-R 16x (21600KB/sec) maximum by CAV
- DVD+R9 4x (5400KB/sec) maximum by CLV
DVD Re-Write Speed
- DVD+RW 8x (10800KB/sec) by Z-CLV
- DVD-RW 6x (8100KB/sec) by CLV
CD Write Speed
- CD-R 48x (7200KB/sec) maximum by P-CAV
CD Re-Write Speed
- CD-RW 24x (3600KB/sec) maximum by Z-CLV on UltraSpeed disc
Disc Compatibility:
Records
- DVD+R
- DVD+R9
- DVD+RW
- DVD-R
- DVD-RW
- CD-R DA
- CD-R
- CD-RW
Read / Play
- DVD-ROM
- DVD-VIDEO
- DVD+R
- DVD+RW
- DVD-R
- DVD-RW
- CD-EXTRA
- CD-I
- CD-ROM
- AUDIO CD
- CD-R
- CD-RW
- CD-ROM XA
- CD TEXT
- PHOTO CD
- HYBRID CD
- VIDEO CD
- ENHANCED CD
Writing Modes
- TAO
- DAO
- RAW DAO
- RAW DAO 16
- RAW DAO 96
- SAO
- RAW SAO
- RAW SAO 16
- RAW SAO 96
- Multi-session
- Packet Writing
Buffer
- 2 MB
Access time
- DVD : 160ms
- CD : 160ms
Interface
- E-IDE (ATAPI) UDMA 33
Supported OS
- Windows® 98SE/Me/2000/XP
What's inside the box?
On this page we will take a look at what the drive came shipped with and take a look at the drive and its technology.
Front
Back
Top
Left side Right Side
Below you will see the contents of the retail box:
Along with the drive the retail bundle includes:
- Quick Install Map and Installation Guide
- IDE and Audio Cables
- Installation screws
- Blank 16x DVD+R Media
- Nero Memorex Software Suite Installation Disc
Now it's time to take a look at the drive itself:
The Memorex drive sets itself apart from other drives we've had by providing a more stylized front bezel with a silver tray.
Also the use of a blue LED makes for just a touch more class, it lights steady while reading and flashes while writing.
On the top of the drive is this label which shows the drive was manufactured in China in February of 2005.
On the back of the drive there is the usual connectors, from the left: six pins used transfer individual calibration data to the drive at the factory, digital audio connector, analogue audio connector, pins and jumper to set the drive to cable select, slave or master, IDE connector and power connector.
The drive was installed without any problems and here is a screenshot from Nero info tool:
From this screenshot we see Mt. Rainier is not supported and there is only a 2mb buffer. Our drive came shipped with firmware JWS5.
And another shot from Nero Burning ROM:
We do not really find anything alarming here, but Mount Rainier and a larger buffer would have been nice.
So, let's continue with the review and see how this drive really performs.
On the next page we will take a look at the test machine, the software, the drive features and the included software…………