detail information

• Dual interface options: USB 2.0 or IEEE 1394 (Firewire).
• Solid bundle with good documentation.
• Stylish and unique design.
• 16x reading on DVD±R discs.
• Good CD-R writing quality.
• Good DVD±R writing quality.
• Good DVD±RW writing quality.
• Supports 4x DVD+R DL writing with excellent quality.
• Supports CD-R overburning up to 92 minutes.
• Supports reading CD Text and Subchannel data.
• Supports bitsetting for DVD+R/RW and DVD+R DL media.
• Supports DAO-RAW writing.
• Overspeeding: Supports 16x burning on some 8x DVD media.
• Good media compatibility.
• Relatively quiet compared to other DVD writers.

Negative:

• DVD Video ripping at 5x maximum.
• Only 34x max speed for Digital Audio Extraction.
• Trouble hitting full 16x read speed on DVD±R when connected via USB 2.0.
• ReWriteable media reading speeds could be faster.
• Does not support reading from the Leadin or Leadout.
• Trouble hitting full 16x write speed on DVD±R when connected via Firewire (IEEE 1394).
• Only a one sheep writer, it will have difficulty backing up copy-protected discs.
• No PI/PIF/PO (Disc Quality) scanning support.

Conclusion:

The Memorex DVD+/-RWN16 D2 external DVD writer performed very well during our testing. Memorex made a good choice in using NEC hardware for this model. The writing quality is much better than many other competing DVD writers and the media compatibility is good. Let us discuss the main positive and negative points below.

The main positive points: The Memorex DVD+/-RWN16 D2 provides multiple connectivity options as an external writer, offering up either USB 2.0 or Firewire (IEEE 1394) interfaces. The retail bundle is very solid and includes thorough documentation. The drive and external case have a stylish and unique silver/black design, complete with ultra-cool blue LED indicator lights. The drive has some excellent reading capabilities on both DVD+R and DVD-R media. The ability to read DVD±R discs at 16x is an excellent feature, and will prove to be very useful when copying data back to your computer or burning on-the-fly with recordable DVD media. One of our highest concerns when looking at a DVD writer is the burn quality. Thankfully, this Memorex DVD+/-RWN16 D2 drive has very good writing quality on a wide range of CD-R, DVD+R and DVD-R media. Media compatibility is also very good with the exception of one lesser known CD-R type that could not be written.  Most DVD media types were able to be written at the certified speed or faster! Some 8x DVD media can even be written at 16x. DVD+R Double Layer writing was fast and done with good quality. Overall very impressive results with writing quality and media compatibility!

The main negative points: The Memorex DVD+/-RWN16 D2 has slow reading capabilities with DVD Video discs and CD Audio discs. These slower speeds will annoy users who want to use this drive to backup their multimedia content. DVD±RW & CD-RW reading speed could be faster. 16x DVD writing did not function correctly for us when connected via Firewire, so some users might experience issues using that interface especially on AMD based systems. We recommend sticking to USB 2.0 for best DVD writing results. The drive also had some trouble hitting full 16x DVD reading speed while connected via USB 2.0. This Memorex drive also only qualifies as a 'one sheep" writer, which means that it will have trouble backing up some copy-protected discs.

The drive is available starting as low as $ 151.88 USD from some online retailers (Price from http://cdfreaks.pricegrabber.com per 06.16.2005).

To sum it all up, the best we could say is; 'A good all around USB 2.0 external drive with impressive writing quality on all types of CD and DVD media".

You may discuss and comment on this review in this forum thread. This forum thread may also be used to ask questions about this drive or request additional tests.

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 Fujifilm media used in this review. Fujifilm makes high-performance media for video and storage applications.

 For providing some of the SONY media used in this review. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets.  

 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.