detail information

Test machines:

For this review we will be using two computers with the following configurations:

PC #1

Hardware:

System set-up:

PC #2

Hardware:

System set-up:

The Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 was connected as the Secondary Slave on PC#1 and Primary Master on PC#2 and identified itself as Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585. DMA (Direct Memory Access) and autorun was enabled for all devices.

Software:

Windows XP Professional is installed on the computer along with Service Pack 1 for Windows XP. We will be using the following software in this review:

⋅         Nero Burning ROM version 6.3.1.25
⋅         Nero CD/DVD Speed v4.01 & v4.04
⋅         Nero Info Tool v3.01
⋅         Slysoft CloneCD v5.1.0.0
⋅         DVD-Identifier 3.6.2
⋅         Exact Audio Copy v0.95 pre-beta 5
⋅         K-Probe v2.4.2

Now it's time to take a closer look at the write technology used by the Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585:

CD-Recordable:

The Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 uses Z-CLV, (Zone Constant Linear Velocity) to write at its maximum speed of 40X. This gives an average speed of 30.84x. 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. 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 read from the table, the Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 is one of the slower 40x drives for writing CD-R's.

CD-Rewritable:

We tested with both Verbatim 32x CD-RW and Memorex 24x CD-RW, but we could not reach the 24x advertised CD-RW burning speed. The Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) writing technology to write at 16X for CD-RW discs, the average speed is 16.01x. Below are some other drives for comparison:

The LG GSA-5160D uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its rated speed of 24x, this gives an average speed of 23.31x.

The LaCie d2 DVD±RW Double Layer uses CLV (Constant Linear Velocity) writing technology to write at 16X for CD-RW discs, the average speed is 16x. For a better overview we present the following comparison table:

The Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 is one of the slowest CD-RW writers because we could not reach the maximum specification of 24x for writing CD-RW.

16X DVD±R Writing speed:

The Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 uses Z-CLV, (Zone Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 11.22x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 14 seconds.

The Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 uses Z-CLV, (Zone Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD-R at 16x. The average speed is 11.34x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 04 seconds. This is one of the fastest Z-CLV writers that we have seen!

For your reference, we have also included an 8x DVD-R burn graph. 12x DVD writing is not selectable with this burner.

Below are some other drives for comparison:

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 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:

*Actual writing speed was 12X in these areas for the Pioneer A08.
** Actual writing speed was max 14x due to USB-Bridge limitations.

From the table above, we see that the Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 performed about average in writing DVD+R and DVD-R at 16x. It is one of the fastest 16x Z-CLV burners that we have ever tested with! 

Features and techniques:

Book Type (bitsetting):

The Panasonic SW-9585 uses a DVD-ROM Book Type by default on DVD+R DL media.  Bitsetting is not available on DVD+R/RW media.

Quality Scans:

The Matshita DVD-RAM SW-9585 does not support disc quality scanning.

Included software:

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

Ulead® Digital Media Center Software Installation DVD:

Complete with a powerful software package, suitable for beginners as well as for advanced/experienced users.

The software disc includes the following items:

⋅         Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3.5 Suite Deluxe
     o        Ulead VideoSuite 8 SE DVD
     o        Ulead DVD Player 1.5
     o        Ulead PhotoExplorer 8.5 SE
     o        Ulead CD & DVD PictureShow 3 SE
     o        Ulead PhotoImpact 10 SE
     o        Ulead MyScrapbook 2
     o        Nova BACKUP 7.1
     o        Ulead UDF Driver
⋅         Other Ulead Values
     o        MediaStudio Pro Video Tutorial
     o        Install MediaStudio Pro
     o        DVD Workshop video tutorial
     o        Install DVD Workshop
⋅         Utilities
     o        Microsoft DirectX
     o        Windows Media Format
     o        Apple QuickTime
     o        Adobe Acrobat Reader
⋅         User's Guides
⋅         Video Tutorials
⋅         Other Resources
⋅         Read Me

It's nice to see such a comprehensive software suite!

Now that we have finished examining the drive and its writing strategies, it's time to head on to next page, which is reading performance test…