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NEC ND-3540A DVD Burner
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Posted by Jan S.
Posted on 09/07/05 21:37
Menu
 Conclusion
 Introduction
 Features
 Reading performance
 CD-R/RW Writing performance
 DVD+R/RW Writing performance
 DVD-R/RW Writing performance
 DVD+R DL/-R DL Writing performance
 Advanced tests
Text Size  Text Size
DVD+R DL/ R DL Writing performance
 

DVD+R/-R Double Layer writing speed and compatibility:

The NEC ND-3540A supports the DVD+R DL/-R DL standard for writing Double Layer discs with a size around 8.5 GB at a writing speed of 8x/6x. Let us first take a look at the media's we will use:

Let's find the manufacturer and media information too, for this we will use DVD Identifier 4.01:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique Disc Identifier: [DVD+R-DL:MKM-001-000]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disc & BookType :       [DVD+R DL] - [DVD+R DL]
Manufacturer Name :      [Mitsubishi Kagaku Media]
Manufacturer ID :        [MKM]
Media Type ID :          [001]
Product Revision :       [Not Specified]
Blank Disc Capacity :    [4,173,824 Sectors = 8,152.0MB = 7.96GB (8.55GB)]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information
0000 : e1 0f 32 10 00 03 00 00  00 fc ff ff 00 22 d7 ff   ..2.........."..
0010 : 00 00 00 4d 4b 4d 00 00  00 00 00 30 30 31 00 40   ...MKM.....001.@
0020 : 25 25 37 0c 02 2f 63 02  2f 63 21 23 0d 0e 14 14   %7../c./c!#....
0030 : 02 01 01 10 00 21 23 0d  0e 14 14 02 01 01 10 00   .....!#.........
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

This media is manufactured by Mitsubishi Kagaku Media. Thanks to Verbatim (D) for sending us this media.

Manufacturer and media information:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+R-DL : RITEK-D01-001]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disc & BookType :       [DVD+R DL] - [DVD-ROM]
Manufacturer Name :      [Ritek Corp.]
Manufacturer ID :        [RITEK]
Media Type ID :          [D01]
Product Revision :       [001]
Blank Disc Capacity :    [4,173,824 Sectors = 8,152.0MB = 7.96GB (8.55GB)]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information
0000 : e1 0f 32 10 00 03 00 00  00 fc ff ff 00 22 d7 ff   ..2.........."..
0010 : 00 00 00 52 49 54 45 4b  00 00 00 44 30 31 01 40   ...RITEK...D01.@
0020 : 25 25 37 00 00 28 64 00  28 64 19 1b 0b 0b 0e 0f   %7..(d.(d......
0030 : 01 00 00 00 00 19 1b 0b  0b 0e 0f 01 00 00 00 00   ................
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The media is made by Ritek (Made in Taiwan).  Thanks to Conrexx Technology B.V. (The Netherlands) for sending us this media.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+R-DL : RICOHJPN-D00-001]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disc & BookType :       [DVD+R DL] - [DVD-ROM]
Manufacturer Name :      [Ricoh Co. Ltd.]
Manufacturer ID :        [RICOHJPN]
Media Type ID :          [D00]
Product Revision :       [001]
Blank Disc Capacity :    [4,173,824 Sectors = 8.55 GB (7.96 GB)]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 11h (Method 1) - ADIP Information
0000 : e1 0f 32 10 00 03 00 00  00 fc ff ff 00 22 d7 ff   ..2.........."..
0010 : 00 00 00 52 49 43 4f 48  4a 50 4e 44 30 30 01 40   ...RICOHJPND00.@
0020 : 25 25 37 11 00 34 64 00  34 64 20 21 0c 0d 12 12   %7..4d.4d !....
0030 : 02 01 01 10 00 20 21 0c  0d 12 12 02 00 00 00 00   ..... !.........
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The media is made by Ricoh Co. Ltd. (Made in Taiwan).  Thanks to Ricoh Europe (Germany) for sending us this media.

Testing procedure: We created an ISO Image of the largest DVD-Video disc we had (Nemo, 7.91 GB (8.495.888.384 bytes)) using DVD-Decrypter. Then we wrote this image file using Nero Burning ROM 6. Below are the results:


Ricoh Media

Nero reported 'could not perform end of Disc-at-once, so we tried another disc:


Ricoh Media

Nero reported the same error again.


Traxdata media

Nero reported the same error on the Traxdata media too.


Verbatim media

The burn was successfully on the Verbatim media.

Let us take a look at the K-Probe result:

Brand:

Ricoh - Thanks to Ricoh Europe (D) for providing the sample.

Manufacturer:

Ricoh Co. Ltd.

Code:

RICOH JPN D00

Disc Type:

DVD+R DL

Capacity:

8103MB

Certified Speed:

2.4x

Write Speed:

2.4x

Write Time:

44m:08s

PI-8 errors Average/Sec:

37.44

PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.02

The reported errors in KProbe are probably due to the disk not being closed in the 'Disc-at-once" operation.

Brand:

Traxdata - Thanks to Conrexx (NL)
for sending us this media.

Manufacturer:

RiTEK Corporation

Code:

RITEK D01

Disc Type:

DVD+R DL

Capacity:

8103MB

Certified Speed:

2.4x

Write Speed:

2.4x

Write Time:

44m:03s

PI-8 errors Average/Sec:

12.36

PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.02

Again, the reported errors in KProbe are probably due to the disk not being closed in the 'Disc-at-once" operation.

Brand:

Verbatim - Thanks to Verbatim (D) for providing the sample.

Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Kagaku Media

Code:

MKM 001

Disc Type:

DVD+R DL

Capacity:

8103MB

Certified Speed:

2.4x

Write Speed:

8x

Write Time:

19m:02s

PI-8 errors Average/Sec:

1.91

PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.01

The result is excellent, considering this 2.4x certified media was written at 8x. Now it's time to take a look at some reading tests with various DVD-Writers.

First we will try to read the discs back in the NEC ND-3540A:


Ricoh Media


Traxdata media


Verbatim Media

As we could see, the NEC ND-3540A had no problems reading the disc. Let us try some other drives to read the Double Layer discs:


Ricoh Media


Traxdata media


Verbatim Media

The Plextor DVDR PX-712A had no problems reading the medias. Let's compare the NEC ND-3540A with other DL capable drives.

Drive

Size

Writing
Speed

Writing
Time

Book
Type

Kprobe
avg.
PI

Kprobe
avg.
PIF

Aopen
1608/ARR

8103 MB

2.4x

44m:01s

DVD-ROM

4.12

0.12

Mad Dog
MD-16XDVD9

8131 MB

4x

26m:44s

DVD-ROM

2.74

0.12

LG
GSA-4163B

8103 MB

4x
2.4x

26m:55s
44m:30s

DVD-ROM

1.81
16.01

0.01
0.03*2

Lite-On
SHOW-1653S

8152 MB

4x

27m:09s

DVD-ROM

2.61

0.15

LG
GSA-5160D

8103 MB

2.4x

44m:25s
44m:41s

DVD-ROM

2.19
18.63

0.04
0.04*2

ASUS
DRW-1604P

8131 MB

4x

26m:58s

DVD-ROM

3.29

0.18

Samsung
TS-E522U

8103MB

6x
Z-CLV

23m:30s

DVD+DL

11.58

0.03*1

Philips
DVDR16LS

8103MB

2.4x

45m:52s

DVD-ROM

2.28

0.04*

NU
HDW-164

8103MB

4x

37m:00s

DVD-ROM

1.89

0.02*1

NEC
ND-3540A

8103MB

2.4x
2.4x
8x

44m:08s
44m:03s
19m:02

DVD-ROM

37.44
12.36
1.91

0.02*3
0.02*2
0.01*1

*1 Verbatim DVD+R DL
*2 Traxdata DVD+R DL
*3 Ricoh DVD+R DL

DVD-R DL:

As mentioned in the beginning of this page, the NEC ND-3540A supports the DVD-R DL standard at 6x. Let us first take a look at the media we will use:

Let's find the manufacturer and media information too, for this we will use DVD Identifier 4.01:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-R-DL:MKM 01RD30  ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disc & BookType :       [DVD-R DL] - [DVD-R]
Manufacturer Name :      [Mitsubishi Kagaku Media]
Manufacturer ID :        [MKM 01RD30  ]
Blank Disc Capacity :    [4,171,712 Sectors = 8.54 GB (7.96 GB)]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Media Code'-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'Media Code'-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 0Eh - Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In
0000 : 01 02 91 fd d1 0a 60 00  02 00 00 00 33 70 00 00   ......`.....3p..
0010 : 03 4d 4b 4d 20 30 31 00  04 52 44 33 30 20 20 00   .MKM 01..RD30  .
0020 : 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  06 0e 1e 37 3d 33 21 00   ...........7=3!.
0030 : 07 50 1f 29 13 ab b5 00  08 88 80 00 00 00 00 00   .P.)............
0040 : 09 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  0a 0c 26 2b 33 37 1a 0e   ..........&+37..
0050 : 0b 50 1f 27 05 8b b5 00  0c 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   .P.'............
0060 : 0d 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  0e 0e 32 41 45 37 2b 00   ..........2AE7+.
0070 : 0f 50 27 31 19 aa b5 00  10 88 80 00 00 00 00 00   .P'1............
0080 : 11 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  12 0e 3d 39 3f 33 24 0e   ..........=9?3$.
0090 : 13 50 25 2d 0d ba b5 00  14 00 04 00 04 00 04 00   .P%-............
00a0 : 15 00 00 00 00 00 00 00                            ........       
** INFO : Hex Dump Of 'Control Data Zone'-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding 'CDZ'-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 10h - Physical Format Information Of Control Data Zone
0000 : 26 0f 32 10 00 03 00 00  00 fc c8 ff 00 22 ef 5f   &.2.........."._
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

This media is manufactured by Mitsubishi Kagaku Media. Thanks to Verbatim (UK) for sending us this media.

Again, we used Nero Burning Rom 6 to write the DVD Image:

The NEC ND-3540 used 20 minutes and 44 seconds to write the Verbatim DVD-R DL 4x media at 6x. Let us see how the quality is:

Brand:

Verbatim - Thanks to Verbatim (UK) for providing the sample.

Manufacturer:

Mitsubishi Kagaku Media

Code:

MKM 01RD30 

Disc Type:

DVD-R DL

Capacity:

8103MB

Certified Speed:

4x

Write Speed:

6x

Write Time:

20m:44s

PI-8 errors Average/Sec:

0.95

PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:

0.03

The KProbe result is excellent; let us see how the read-back curves are:

Excellent read-back curves.

Standalone DVD-Player compatibility:

We only have 3 standalone DVD-Players available and 1 standalone DVD+R/W recorder to test the DVD+R DL medias (BookType: DVD-ROM) and the DVD-R DL media (BookType: DVD-R):

  • Aiwa DVD Player XD-DV370
  • Medion DVD/Div-X Player MD7457
  • Red Star DVD-Player 230G
  • Mustek R100A DVD+R/W Recorder

Compatibility results: 

Drive

Ricoh
DVD+R DL

Traxdata
DVD+R DL

Verbatim
DVD+R DL

Verbatim
DVD-R DL

Comments

Aiwa
XD-DV370

OK

OK

OK

OK

No problems.

Medion
MD7457

OK

OK

OK

FAILED

Reports disc as DVD-Video, but not playable.

Mustek
R100A

OK

OK

OK

FAILED

Reports ?NO DISC?.  

Red Star
230G

OK

OK

OK

FAILED

Reports disc as DVD-Video, but not playable

All DVD Standalone devices played the NEC ND-3540A burned DVD+R DL medias. But only one DVD Standalone devices would play the NEC ND-3540A burned DVD-R DL media

Summary: Very good quality on DVD+R DL/-R DL and DVD standalone compatibility results, for the DVD+R DL media.

Before we round off this review, let us run the drive through some advanced tests at next page…
DVD-R/RW Writing performance
Advanced tests
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