detail information

Positive:

• Dual-format DVD-recorder
• Supports fast recording speeds (4x DVD+R, 2.4x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-R, 2x DVD-RW, 24x CD-R and 10x CD-RW)
• Buffer underrun technology to prevent buffer underruns plus 4MB buffer
• Good overall read speeds for both CD (data/audio) and DVD media
• Good write quality
• Supports HD-BURN technology
• Supports DAO-RAW writing
• Supports reading and writing of 8cm discs
• Supports reading and writing of CD-Text information
• Supports reading and writing of full SubChannel Data
• Could read Key2Audio audio copy-protection without problems

Negative:

• HD-BURN technology needs to be improved
• Some problems when extracting audio
• Mount Rainier format not supported
• Cannot fully overburn CD-R media up to 99 minutes
• Needs weak sector amplification to copy SafeDisc 2 protection
• Reading of copy-protected data could be improved
• Reading of copy-protected audio could be improved

Conclusion:

The Sanyo CRD-BPDV2 DVD-recorder left us with a bit of a mixed feeling after running it through our usual tests. When it came to reading CD media the drive performed well as it had no problems reading data and audio at, or close to, the maximum speed of 40x. Reading DVD media was also no problem although the drive was limited to 4x when reading DVD-Recordable and DVD-ReWriteable media.

Writing various media was also no problem and could be done quickly as the Sanyo CRD-BPDV2 supports high write speeds for both CD and DVD-Recordable media. Within 15 minutes you can burn a complete DVD disc and you can record to both DVD recording standards which is a very positive point. On the other hand though, the Sanyo was often slower than the Plextor PX-504A recorder when it came to DVD+R(W) performance.

What makes the Sanyo drive special is of course its support for HD-BURN which makes it possible to double the capacity of a standard CD-Recordable disc. During our tests we feel however that Sanyo needs to improve this technique to really make it an interesting feature. For instance, the technique does currently not work for audio discs and also cannot be used with CD-RW discs. The drive also had problems recording certain CD-R media with the HD-BURN technique. The Sanyo's HD-BURN performance was improved after a firmware upgrade but it still wasn't perfect. A final negative point is that HD-BURN is only compatible with a DVD-player if its firmware has been modified and besides that, normal computer drives will not be able to read HD-BURN.

Because the drive we received was a sample drive we hope Sanyo can improve some of its negative points via a future firmware upgrade. As of yet we cannot say how much the Sanyo drive is going to cost and what its retail package is going to offer. When we have more news we will of course inform you via our mainpage. For now we're going to conclude with the words, 'Needs Work'.

Introduction