detail information

• Good CD Audio extracting quality.
• Supports reading CD Text and Subchannel data.
• Reads Single Layer DVD Video discs at 16x.
• Reads DVD±R media at 12x P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity)
• Reads DVD-RAM media.
• Excellent CD-R writing quality and speed.
• Fast 16x and 12x DVD±R writing.
• Automatically sets the Book Type for DVD+R and DVD+R DL media to DVD-ROM.
• Supports writing DVD-RW at 6x.
• Supports writing DVD+R DL at 5x.
• Supports DAO-RAW writing.
• Qualifies as a two sheep writer.
• Supports overburning CD-R up to 95 minutes.
• Firmware updates provide enhanced specifications and writing speeds.

Negative:

• Slow CD-RW reading.
• Only 6x maximum DVD±RW reading speed.
• Slower disc recognition times compared to other drives.
• Slow CD-RW writing compared to other drives.
• Questionable writing quality on some DVD+R media.
• Questionable writing quality on some DVD-R media.
• Does not support 16x writing on any 8x media.
• 8x DVD+RW writing not functional.
• DVD media compatibility: many certified discs are not supported at full speed.
• Does not support reading from the Leadin or Leadout.
• No PI/PIF/PO (Disc Quality) scanning support.
• No bitsetting for DVD+RW discs.

Conclusion:

The Toshiba SD-R5372 is the first DVD writer developed by Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology to be distributed under the Toshiba brand name. This drive was also the first DVD recorder to hit 5x writing on DVD+R DL media. Let us discuss the positive and negative aspects of the drive.

The main positive points: The SD-R5372 has some very nice reading capabilities. The Toshiba is able to read some discs that other drives (such as the NEC ND-3500AG) are unable to fully read. Testing and comparisons indicate that the drive has good error correction capabilities. The 12x P-CAV reading on DVD±R media is definitely a very positive feature and allows the SD-R5372 to read recordable DVD discs faster than many of the competitors. The drive is able to extract Digital Audio with perfect quality and supports reading CD-Text and subchannel data. Single Layer DVD Video discs are read at full 16x speed, which is very good because some other competitors limit DVD Video reading to a measly 5x maximum. The Toshiba SD-R5372 is also able to read DVD-RAM media, which is a handy feature that many other drives are lacking. CD-R writing is fast and done with excellent quality. DVD±R writing at 16x and 12x is very fast. Automatic bitsetting to DVD-ROM Book Type occurs with DVD+R and DVD+R DL media and ensures maximum compatibility on older standalone DVD players. Toshiba was also kind enough to upgrade the DVD-RW specifications to 6x DVD-RW writing with the TU55 firmware. 6x writing functioned without any hassles with Verbatim and Ritek 6x DVD-RW media. Double Layer DVD+R discs are able to be written at 5x with good results. This drive is also the fastest DVD+R DL writer that we have tested with. The drive qualifies as a two sheep writer and should be able to backup CD-ROM discs protected by Safedisc versions 2.5x and below. For advanced users, CD-R media can be overburned up to 95 minutes. Lastly, we would like to mention that Toshiba continues to add additional enhancement features to this drive via firmware updates. Toshiba has even announced that it will support DVD-R DL writing on the SD-R5372 in a future firmware update!

The main negative points: The Toshiba SD-R5372 is slower than other competing drives at initial disc recognition. CD-RW reading speeds are slow. DVD±RW reading speeds only reach 6x maximum. We would like to see 8x reading at the least for DVD±RW media and preferably even faster speeds than that! CD-RW writing is slower than other drives due to a Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity) CD-RW writing technique that utilizes four zones. DVD writing quality is questionable on many different media types, especially Verbatim DVD media. Toshiba claims that firmware TU55 supports 8x DVD+RW writing, but our testing with Verbatim and Ritek 8x DVD+RW discs indicates that it does not support 8x writing! The DVD media compatibility is lacking and many discs are not supported at their certified speed. We would also like to see some 8x DVD±R discs supported at 16x write speed! The SD-R5372 does not support reading from the Leadin or Leadout on CD media. There is no Disc Quality testing supported by the Toshiba SD-R5372, which will be annoying to advanced users who wish to test their burn quality. DVD+RW bitsetting is not available. The most important items that need improvement are the DVD writing quality and the writing speed support for a wider range of DVD media.

The drive is available starting as low as $ 53.00 USD for an OEM bulk unit or from $89.99 for a retail box from some online retailers (Price from http://cdfreaks.pricegrabber.com per 04.12.2005).

To sum it all up, the best we could say is; 'A good reader and good CD-R burner that functions ok as a DVD burner, but needs write quality improvements and increased media compatibility". Hopefully Toshiba can fix some of the negative points found in this review and make the SD-R5372 an even better drive!

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 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.