uptostart.ru News. Games. Instructions. Internet. Office.
This is a device for reading data that is recorded on an optical CD.
The storage medium on a CD is relief polycarbonate substrate 120, 80 mm, on which a thin layer of light-reflecting metal (aluminum, sometimes gold) is applied. When recording a CD matrix, a laser beam "burns" the smallest pits in it - pits (Pit), leaving reflective surfaces of a metal disk - lands (Land). After that, the matrix (master disk) is sent to the production shop, where many polycarbonate copies are stamped from it. Then the relief base is metallized, another, thinner layer of varnish is added to protect the metal layer.
When reading a disk, a different, reading beam is reflected from pits and lands in different ways. More precisely, it does not reflect from the pits - the pits absorb the beam, do not allow it to be reflected. Thus, pit gives a "zero" signal, and land - "one". And the combination of zeros and ones is the essence of any computer information. From the center to the edge of the CD, one track 0.4 µm wide is applied in the form of a spiral with a step of 1.6 µm.
The entire surface of the CD is divided into three sections in the form of rings placed from the center to its edge. The initial area (Lead-In) is located closer to the center of the disk. When initializing a disk in personal computer The lead-in area is read first. This area contains the title of the disk, the table of contents (Table of Contents), the table of addresses of all entries, the label of the disk, and some service information. The middle area contains the main information on the CD and occupies the bulk of the disc. The trailing area of the Lead-Out disc contains the end-of-disc mark.
What is a CD-ROM made of?
The CD-ROM drive consists of the main components:
- an electric motor that rotates the disk;
- optical system, which consists of a laser emitter, optical lenses and sensors, designed to read information from the surface of the CD,
- microprocessors that control the mechanics of the drive, the optical system and decode the read information into a binary code.
The CD is spun by an electric motor. A beam from a laser emitter is positioned in the desired area using an optical drive system. The beam is reflected from the disk surface and passes through a prism to a special sensor. The flow of rays is converted by the sensor into an electrical signal, which is processed.
CD-ROM capacity. The capacity of a CD-ROM is 650-700 MB (on disks with a diameter of 80 mm - 180-210 MB). This type of disc can hold 74 minutes of audio or up to 2 hours of TV-quality MPEG-4 video.
Data transfer rate in CD-ROM. The Data Transfer Rate is the maximum rate at which the drive transfers data read from a CD to RAM. The data transfer rate increases from the initial sectors to the final ones. The transfer rate of the inner ring of the disk is called the Inside Data Transfer Rate, and the outer ring is called the Outside Data Transfer Rate. The data sheet gives the external speed. So the Sony 52x drive is a Sony 52 speed drive. Data is read 52 times faster than disk drives (or conventional audio players), which read at 150 KB/s. That is, multiplying 52 by 150, we get the data transfer rate of the Sony 52x drive equal to 7800 kb / s.
172.3 kb/s (audio from CD-DA)
CD-ROMs are the most popular and cheapest medium for distributing software, computer games, multimedia and other data. CD-ROM (and later DVD-ROM) became the main medium for transferring information between computers, displacing the floppy disk from this role (now it is giving way to more promising solid-state media).
Often the term CD-ROM mistakenly used to refer to the drives (devices) themselves for reading these disks (correctly - CD-ROM drive, CD drive).
Technical details
A CD is a 1.2 mm thick polycarbonate substrate covered with a thin layer of metal (aluminum, gold, silver, etc.) and a protective layer of varnish, on which a graphic representation of the contents of the disc is usually applied. The principle of reading through the wafer was adopted because it makes it very easy and efficient to protect the information structure and remove it from the outer surface of the disk. The beam diameter on the outer surface of the disk is about 0.7 mm, which increases the noise immunity of the system to dust and scratches. In addition, on the outer surface there is an annular protrusion 0.2 mm high, which allows the disk, placed on a flat surface, not to touch this surface. In the center of the disk there is a hole with a diameter of 15 mm. The weight of the disc without the box is approximately 15.7 g. The weight of the disc in a regular (non-slim) box is approximately 74 g.
CDs are 12 cm in diameter and originally contained up to 650 MB of information. However, starting around 2000, 700 MB disks became more and more common, subsequently completely replacing the 650 MB disk. There are also media with a capacity of 800 megabytes or even more, but they may not be read on some CD drives. There are also 8-centimeter discs, which hold about 140 or 210 MB of data, and CDs shaped like credit cards (the so-called business card discs).
CD-ROM under an electron microscope
The information on the disc is recorded in the form of a spiral track of the so-called pits (recesses) extruded into the polycarbonate base. Each pit is approximately 100 nm deep and 500 nm wide. The pit length varies from 850 nm to 3.5 µm. The gaps between the pits are called the land. The pitch of the tracks in the helix is 1.6 µm.
There are read-only discs ("aluminum"), CD-R - for writing once, CD-RW - for multiple recording. The last two types of discs are designed for recording on special recorders.
CD business card
CD-business card - an optical disc made in the format of a business card (it repeats its size 90 × 50 mm).
Links
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
See what "CD-ROM" is in other dictionaries:
Rom- (Roma) ... Deutsch Wikipedia
Rom: Grossmacht und Weltreich- Rom hatte vor dem Pyrrhoskrieg jahrzehntelange höchst aufreibende Kriege geführt und brauchte Ruhe. Es beschäftigte sich damit, allerlei Nachbereinigungen vorzunehmen, um die Herrschaft Schritt für Schritt zu sichern, und errichtete in aller… … Universal-Lexikon
Rom- (Roma), die merkwürdigste Stadt auf der Erde, gegenwärtig die Hauptstadt des Kirchenstaats, liegt unterm 41°53 54 nördl. Breite, 10°9 30 Oct. Länge zu beiden Seiten der Tiber, 3 etc. ml. von deren Mündung auf den bekannten 7 Hügeln (mons… … Herders Conversations-Lexikon
ROM hacking- is the process of modifying a video game ROM image to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, or other gameplay elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to breathe new life into a cherished old game,… … Wikipedia
ROM- bezeichnet: Rom, die Hauptstadt Italiens Provinz Rom, die nach der Stadt Rom benannte italienische Provinz Römisches Reich, in der Zeit vom 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr. bis zum 6. Jahrhundert n. Chr. Zweites Rom, Konstantinopel, antike Hauptstadt des… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Rom- Rom bezeichnet: Römisches Reich, in der Zeit vom 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr. bis zum 6. Jahrhundert n. Chr. Römische Kurie, die Zentralbehörde des Heiligen Stuhls für die römisch katholische Kirche einen männlichen Angehörigen der Roma… … Deutsch Wikipedia
CD drives
To solve a wide range of informatization tasks, the following optical storage devices are used:
CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only Memory) - storage devices only for reading information from them;
CD-WORM (Write Once Read Many) - storage devices for reading and writing information once;
CD-R (CD-Recordable) - storage devices for reading and re-writing information;
MO - magneto-optical storage devices, which can be repeatedly recorded.
The principle of operation of all optical information storage devices is based on laser technology. The laser beam is used both for writing to the information carrier and for reading previously recorded data, and is, in fact, a kind of information carrier.
CD-ROM drives
CD-ROM - a compact disc (CD) designed to store digitally pre-recorded information on it and read it using a special device called a CD-ROM-driver - a CD-ROM drive.
The tasks that the CD-ROM device is intended to solve include: installing and updating software; search for information in databases; launch and work with gaming and educational programs; watching videos; listening to music CDs.
The history of the creation of CD-ROM begins in 1980, when Sony and Philips joined forces to create a technology for recording and producing CDs using lasers. Since 1994, CD-ROM drives have become an integral part of the standard PC configuration. The information carrier on a CD is an embossed substrate on which a thin layer of light-reflecting material, usually aluminium, is deposited. Writing information to a CD is a process of forming a relief on a substrate by "burning" miniature strokes-pits with a laser beam. Information is read out by registering a laser beam reflected from the substrate relief. The reflecting area of the disk surface gives a signal "zero", and the signal from the stroke - "one".
Data storage on CD-ROMs, as well as on magnetic disks, is organized in binary form.
Compared to hard drives, CDs are much more reliable in transportation. The amount of data available on a CD reaches 700 - 800 MB, and if the operating rules are followed, the CD practically does not wear out.
The process of making CDs includes several steps. At the first stage, an information file is created for subsequent recording to the media. At the second stage, using a laser beam, information is recorded on a carrier, which is a fiberglass disk coated with a photoresistive material. Information is recorded as a sequence of depressions (strokes) arranged in a spiral, as shown in Fig. 3.7. The depth of each stroke-pit (pit) is equal to 0.12 microns, the width (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the figure) is 0.8 - 3.0 microns. They are located along a spiral track, the distance between adjacent turns of which is 1.6 microns, which corresponds to a density of 16000 turns/inch (625 turns/mm). The length of the strokes along the recording track ranges from 0.83 to 3.1 µm.
At the next stage, the photoresistive layer is developed and the disc is metallized. A disk made using this technology is called a master disk. To replicate CDs, several working copies are taken from the master disk by electroforming. Working copies are covered with a more durable metal layer (for example, nickel) than the master disk, and can be used as matrices for replicating CDs up to 10,000 pieces. from each matrix. Duplication is carried out by hot stamping, after which the information side of the base of the disk, made of polycarbonate, is subjected to vacuum metallization with an aluminum layer and the disk is covered with a layer of varnish. Disks made by hot stamping, in accordance with passport data, provide up to 10,000 cycles of error-free data reading. The thickness of the CD-disk is 1.2 mm, the diameter is 120 mm.
CD-ROM drive contains the following main functional nodes:
Boot device;
Optical-mechanical unit;
Drive control and automatic control systems;
Universal decoder and interface unit.
On fig. 3.8 gives the design of the optical-mechanical CD-ROM drive unit, which works as follows. The electromechanical drive rotates the disk placed in the boot device. Optical-mechanical unit provides movement of the optical-mechanical reading head along the disk radius and reading information. The semiconductor laser generates a low-power infrared beam (typical wavelength 780 nm, radiation power 0.2 - 5.0 mW), which hits the separating prism, is reflected from the mirror and focused by the lens on the disk surface. The servomotor, on commands from the built-in microprocessor, moves the movable carriage with a reflective mirror to the desired track on the CD. The beam reflected from the disk is focused by a lens located under the disk, reflected from the mirror and hits a separating prism, which directs the beam to the second focusing lens. Next, the beam hits a photo sensor that converts light energy into electrical impulses. The signals from the photo sensor are sent to the universal decoder
Systems of automatic tracking of the surface of the disk and data recording tracks provide high accuracy of information reading. The signal from the photosensor in the form of a sequence of pulses enters the amplifier of the automatic control system, where the tracking error signals are separated. These signals enter the automatic control systems: focus, radial feed, laser radiation power, linear speed of disk rotation.
The universal decoder is a processor for processing signals read from a CD. It consists of two decoders, random access memory and a decoder control controller. The use of double decoding makes it possible to recover lost information up to 500 bytes. The random access memory acts as a buffer memory, and the controller controls the error correction modes.
The interface block consists of a digital-to-analog converter, a low-pass filter, and an interface for communication with a computer. When playing audio information, the DAC converts the encoded information into analog signal, which is fed to the amplifier with active filter low frequencies and further to the sound card, which is connected to headphones or speakers.
The following are performance characteristics to consider when choosing a CD-ROM for specific applications.
The data transfer rate (DTR) is the maximum rate at which data is transferred from the storage medium to the computer's RAM. This is the most important characteristic CD-ROM drive, which is almost always mentioned along with the model name. The disk rotation speed is directly related to the data transfer rate. Early CD-ROM drives transferred data at 150Kb/s, as did Audio CD players. The data transfer rate of the next generation of devices is usually a multiple of this number (150 KB/s). Such drives are called accumulators with two-, three-, four-fold speed, etc. For example, a 60-speed CD-ROM drive reads information at 9000 KB/s.
The high data transfer rate of a CD-ROM drive is necessary primarily to synchronize picture and sound. If the bit rate is insufficient, video frame drops and audio distortion may occur.
However, a further increase, above 72-fold, of the read speed of CD-ROM drives is inexpedient, since a further increase in the CD rotation speed does not provide the required level of reading quality. And, besides, there was a more promising technology - DVD.
The read quality is characterized by the error rate (Error Rate) and represents the probability of obtaining a distorted information bit when it is read. This parameter reflects the ability of the CD-ROM drive to correct read/write errors. Passport values of this coefficient are 10~11-10~12. When data is read from a dirty or scratched area of the disk, groups of error bits are registered. If the error cannot be corrected with the error-correcting code (used in read/write), the data read speed is slowed down and the read is repeated many times.
Average access time(Access Time - AT) is the time (in milliseconds) it takes the drive to find the desired data on the media. Obviously, when working on the inner parts of the disk, the access time will be less than when reading information from the outer parts. Therefore, the drive passport gives the average access time, which is defined as the average value when performing several data reads from different parts of the disk. As CD-ROM drives improve, the average access time decreases, but nevertheless this parameter differs significantly from that for hard drives (100 - 200 ms for CD-ROMs and 7 - 9 ms for hard drives). This is due to fundamental differences in designs: hard disk drives use several magnetic heads and the range of their mechanical movement is less than the range of movement of the optical head of a CD-ROM drive.
Buffer memory is the amount of RAM in the CD-ROM drive used to increase the speed of access to data recorded on the media. Buffer memory (cache memory) is a memory chip installed on the drive board for storing read data. Thanks to buffer memory, data located in different areas of the disk can be transferred to the computer at a constant speed. The amount of buffer memory of individual models of the CD-ROM drive is 512 Kbytes.
MTBF- average time in hours characterizing the failure-free operation of the CD-ROM drive. The average time between failures of various models of CD-ROM drives is 50-125 thousand hours, or 6-14.5 years of round-the-clock operation, which significantly exceeds the obsolescence period of the drive.
In the process of development of optical disc drives, a number of basic formats for recording information on CD have been developed.
š CD-DA (Digital Audio) format - digital audio CD with 74 min.
š The ISO 9660 format is the most widely used standard for the logical organization of data.
š The High Sierra (HSG) format, introduced in 1995, reads data written to ISO 9660 format discs with all types of drives, which has led to a wide circulation of CD programs and has contributed to the creation of CDs oriented to various operating systems. systems.
š The Photo-CD format was developed in 1990-1992. and is intended for recording on CD, storage and playback of static video information in the form of high-quality photographic images. A Photo-CD disc can hold from 100 to 800 photo images of appropriate resolutions - 2048x3072 and 256^384, and also stores sound information.
Any CD-ROM disc containing text and graphics, audio or video information is categorized as multimedia. Multimedia CDs exist in various formats for various operating systems: DOS, Windows, OS/2, UNIX, Macintosh.
š The CD-I (Intractive) format is designed for a wide range of users as a multimedia disc standard containing various text, graphics, audio and video information. A CD-I disc allows you to store a video image with sound (stereo) and a playback time of up to 20 minutes.
š CD-DV(Digital Video) format provides recording and storage. high-quality video with stereo sound for 74 minutes. When stored, compression is provided using the MPEG-1 (Motion Picture Expert Group) method.
Reading a disc is possible using a hardware or software MPEG decoder.
The 3DO format was developed for game consoles.
CD-ROM drives can work with either a standard IDE (E-IDE) interface or a high-speed SCSI interface.
The most popular CD-ROM drives in Russia are Panasonic, Craetive, Samsung, Pioneer, Hitachi, Teac, LG.
Before starting to write an article about DVD-ROM drives, a treacherous thought crept into my head - is the game worth the candle. In fact, the vast majority of users have long preferred to purchase devices for their computers with the ability to record, if not DVD media, then CD discs. For the latest drives, already by default, the ability to read DVDs is also implied. The point is that more and more software and computer games comes out on DVD media, because the fleet of drives working with them is constantly increasing, and the price of discs has fallen to very attractive numbers. Thus, the current state of affairs in the computer industry has come close to a situation that can, in the language of a famous movie masterpiece, be described as "not there, not here" without a DVD. In addition to people who are interested in the possibility of recording on optical media, and they cannot do without it, there is also a category of users who want to save as much as possible. That is what this article is dedicated to.
ASUS DVD-E616P3
The first thing that catches your eye after removing the drive from the box is its shortened length. Thanks to this, users are more likely to install it in system blocks small size, where sometimes there is a "collision" on the motherboard slots. The drive that came to us had a black front panel. The tray bears the name of the manufacturer, the symbol of the type of device, its speed and one, and its correspondence to the QuieTrack family. On the front panel there is only an oblong button for controlling the loading / unloading of disks and an LED indicator of the operating mode. On the back of the case there are analog and digital audio connectors, power and interface connectors, a set of pins with a jumper for positioning the device in the system, as well as a set of pins for factory testing.
The entry of the drive into the QuieTrack family means support for DDSS II and AFFM technologies. The Double Dynamic Suspension System innovation aims to reduce vibration and associated noise, control resonance frequency, and increase reliability and improve disc readability. This is achieved through a patented double dynamic suspension system that stabilizes the optical head vertically and horizontally. Airflow Field Modification technology normalizes the airflow pressure inside the drive housing, resulting in a quieter and more stable operation of the device.
The drive provides reading DVD media at speeds up to 16x and CDs up to 48x. The average access time for both types of disks is 120 ms. The buffer size is 512 MB. The drive supports the standard ATAPI interface and can communicate in Ultra DMA/100 mode. The drive supports DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10, DVD-18, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD-Video, DVD+R/RW, Audio CD, CD-ROM/XA , Video CD, CD-I, Multi-session Photo CD, Karaoke CD, CD-Extra, CD-TEXT. The overall dimensions of the device are 42.6 x 148.5 x 173 mm, and the weight is 0.8 kg.
The drive is supplied with a manual quick installation, a set of mounting screws, an audio cable, an ASUS DVD software CD.
Estimated retail price of the drive is $27.
Plextor PX-130A
The front panel of the drive is noticeably enlivened by the name of the manufacturer and model clearly visible on the tray, as well as the conditional symbol of the device category. There is also a small rectangular button for controlling the loading / unloading of media and an LED indicator of the operating mode. On the upper side of the case, the stamped areas of the surface of a large area are striking. There are several ventilation holes on the right side of the drive, allowing you to rely on good cooling devices during operation. On the rear side of the drive are analog and digital audio connectors, power and interface connectors, a set of pins with a jumper for positioning the device in the system.
The drive allows you to read DVD media at speeds up to 16x, in the case of CDs this is possible at up to 50x. The average access time for CDs is 90ms, for DVDs it is 100ms. The buffer size is 512 kb. The drive can work with media standards CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, Photo-CD, Video-CD, CD-Extra (CD Plus), CD Text, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD +R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW. The overall dimensions of the drive are 48 x 42.2 x 177.5 mm and the weight is 0.8 kg.
The estimated retail price of the drive is $35.
Sony DDU1615
The traditionally short case for Sony products makes it easier to integrate the drive into problematic system units. Very deep grooves on the top side of the drive are striking, adding to the rigidity of the computer. The front panel of this drive is made of silver plastic, which is a tribute to the current fashion for system units of this color. The tray has symbolic symbols for the device category. On them there is a button for controlling the loading / unloading of disks and an LED indicator of the operating mode. On the rear side of the case there are analog and digital audio connectors, power and interface connectors, a set of pins with a jumper for positioning the device in the system, as well as a set of pins for factory testing.
The drive allows you to read DVD media at speeds up to 16x. For CDs, the maximum read speed is 48x. It is worth noting here that by default the drive reads CD media in up to 40x mode. The fact is that Sony's optical drives have Turbo Boost technology. Its meaning is to reduce the noise level during the operation of the drive, since in most cases overspeed is not required when reading CDs. In a situation where the need to achieve maximum performance nevertheless arises, the user must, with the media loaded, press and hold the tray control button for about five seconds, after which the indicator light will “blink” a couple of times, indicating that the 48x mode is on. The average access time for CD media is 165 ms, in the case of DVD it is 220 ms. The buffer size is 512 KB. The drive can work with DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-Video (DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10), Audio CD, CD-ROM (mode 1, mode 2), Photo CD Multi Session, CD-I, Video CD, CD-DA, CD-R, CD-RW, CD Extra, Mixed Mode. The overall dimensions of the drive are 41.4 x 146 x 171 mm, and the weight is 0.8 kg.
Sony DDU1622
The main visual difference between the DDU1622 drive and the DDU1615 described above is that its front panel has the usual white color, and under the tray, in addition to the media loading / unloading control button, there is also an audio output with a volume control. There are also no deep grooves on the upper side of the case. The back view is slightly different. The difference is that although we see there all the same analog and digital audio connectors, a set of pins for positioning the device in the system, interface and power connectors, as well as a set of pins for factory testing, the latter is this time on the right side, and not from the left, as usual.
Now for the technical specifications. They have not undergone fundamental changes. The drive is capable of reading DVD media at up to 16x, and for CD this value reaches 48x. True, as in the previous case, to do this, with a loaded disk, you will have to hold down the tray control button for a while until the drive switches to maximum performance mode. By default, CD media will be read at speeds up to 40x. The average access time for CD media is 85 ms, in the case of DVD it is 100 ms. The buffer size is 512 KB. The drive can work with DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-Video (DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10), Audio CD, CD-ROM (mode 1, mode 2), CD-ROM/XA media. (mode 1, mode 2), Video CD, CD Extra, CD-R, CD-RW. The overall dimensions of the drive are 41.4 x 146 x 176 mm, and the weight is 0.8 kg.
Estimated retail price of the drive is $24.
Toshiba SD-M2012
hallmark optical drives Toshiba is their not very expressive design. The front panel of the device does not differ in any frills. It is clear that they are only met by clothes, but still .... The tray has an embossed device category symbol, and below it is a rectangular media load/unload control button and an operation mode LED. On the back of the case, we see analog and digital audio connectors, power and interface connectors, a set of pins with a jumper for positioning the device in the system.
Now let's turn our attention to the technical details. The drive can read DVD media at speeds up to 16x. Thanks to the rather extensive information on the manufacturer's website, we can detail this information. For DVD-RAM media, the maximum read speed is 2x, and for DVDR/RW discs up to 6x. In the case of CD media, this value can be as high as 48x. The average access time for CDs is 100ms, for DVDs it is 110ms. The buffer size is 512 kb. The drive can work with DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R (Version 1.0), DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+R (DL), CD-DA (Red Book), CD-TEXT, CD-ROM (Yellow Book Mode 1 & 2), CD-ROM XA (Mode 2 Form 1 & 2), Photo CD, CD-I /FMV (Green Book, Mode 2 Form 1 & 2 , Ready, Bridge), CD-Extra/CD-Plus (Blue Book), Video-CD (White Book). The overall dimensions of the drive are 42 x 148.2 x 184 mm, and the weight is 0.7 kg.
The estimated retail value of the drive is $22.
Test Methodology
The following programs and utilities have been used to determine the performance of DVD-ROM drives:
Nero CD-DVD Speed version 4.01;
Nero Info Tool version 3.01;
Nero CD DAE version 0.4B;
Andre Wiethoff Exact Audio Copy (EAC) version 0.95 prebeta 5;
Nic Wilson DVDINFOPro version 4.25;
Ziff Davis Media CD WinBench 99 version 1.1.1.
The test computer configuration was as follows:
Motherboard - Intel Bonanza D875PBZ;
Central processor - Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz;
Hard disk - IBM DTLA-307015 15 GB;
Graphics adapter - GeForce2 MX400 64 MB;
RAM - 512 MB;
Operating system - Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 and DirectX 9.0b installed.
The drives were connected to the second IDE channel in "master" mode. When reading CD media, Sony's drives ran at the highest possible speed of 48x. All devices were tested by us on an "as is" basis, i.e. in the form in which they would get to ordinary buyers.
Nero InfoTool and DVDINFOPro
With the help of two utilities, some specifications monitored drives.ASUS DVD-E616P3
Plextor PX-130A
Sony DDU1615
Sony DDU1622
Toshiba SD-M2012
Let's see what you can pay attention to in the information reported to the utilities by the drives. For the Sony DDU1615 drive, instead of 512 KB of buffer size, only 254 KB were "diagnosed". The Sony DDU1622 drive did not report being able to handle DVD+R DL media and C2 errors. The Toshiba SD-M2012 drive, according to the information extracted from it, can work with DVD-RAM discs and C2 errors. We drew your attention to the last point, because in the course of further testing it caused great doubt in its reality.
CD WinBench 99
As always, testing drives with CD WinBench 99 was carried out not only using a branded "stamped" CD, but also using two copies of it, made on CD-R and CD-RW media.ASUS DVD-E616P3
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-RW
Plextor PX-130A
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-RW
Sony DDU1615
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-RW
Sony DDU1622
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-RW
Toshiba SD-M2012
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-RW
As you can see in the presented internal transfer graphs, the Plextor PX-130A drive was the only one that had problems reading the final section of the surface of the branded test disk. In addition, he was the only one who turned out to have a very low speed when working with CD-R media, where, as a rule, all drives demonstrate maximum performance. Naturally, this is reflected in the overall performance determined by the WinMark indicator. In the Plextor PX-130A drive, it turns out to be minimal just in the case of CD-R. Based on the results of working with three types of media, Sony DDU1622 has the highest performance, which is quite a bit ahead of its relative - Sony DDU1615. Almost all drives confirmed the declared access time. The only exception was the Plextor PX-130A drive, which exceeded the nominal value of 90 ms when working with CD-ROM and CD-RW media. True, most likely, this is due to the problems of reading these particular disk instances.
Nero CD-DVD Speed: Basic Tests (CD)
For the first stage of the main tests, we used five CD-media: a "stamped" CD that came as an application with a magazine about computers, seven hundred megabyte CD-Rs and CD-RWs with data written using the utility itself, an eight hundred megabyte CD-R prepared in the same way, and a licensed audio CD.ASUS DVD-E616P3
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-R 800 MB
CD-RW
CD-DA
Plextor PX-130A
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-R 800 MB
CD-RW
CD-DA
Sony DDU1615
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-R 800 MB
CD-RW
CD-DA
Sony DDU1622
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-R 800 MB
CD-RW
CD-DA
Toshiba SD-M2012
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-R 800 MB
CD-RW
CD-DA
Working with CD media did not cause any problems in the work of any of the drives. Therefore, we will not make long comments on these tests. Those who wish can obtain detailed information on the aspects of operation of drives that are of interest to them from the tables and diagrams given.
Nero CD-DVD Speed: Basic Tests (DVD)
The second group of main tests was devoted to the operation of drives with DVD media. To get a comprehensive picture of the capabilities of drives to work with them, six disks were used. These included a DVD-ROM with a video film and its copies recorded on DVD-R discs(Digitex), DVD-RW (TDK), DVD+R (Fujifilm) and DVD+RW (Verbatim). In addition, a two-layer DVD + R DL (RIDATA) media with films was used for testing.It is necessary to give some explanations to the test results given below. Some of the drives were not able to work with DVD-R media from the very beginning, but with the DVD+R DL disc, the situation turned out to be more subtle. Two drives read it normally while the top layer was running, when moving to the bottom one, further testing turned out to be impossible.
ASUS DVD-E616P3
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL
Plextor PX-130A
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL
Sony DDU1615
DVD-ROM
DVD-R
DVD-RW
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL
Sony DDU1622
DVD-ROM
DVD-R
DVD-RW
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL
Toshiba SD-M2012
DVD-ROM
DVD-R
DVD-RW
DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL
From the above test results, you can see that the ASUS DVD-E616P3 drive did the worst with our standard set of DVD media. He had problems with two drives. In the case of Plextor PX-130A and Sony DDU1622 drives, there were one such "punctures" each. A rather low reading speed of DVD-ROM media was recorded for the Sony DDU1622 drive. This was accompanied by a curious dip in performance somewhere in the middle of the surface. What caused such a "pit" on the transfer schedule is not entirely clear.
Nero CD-DVD Speed: Advanced DAE Quality Test
Using the extended DAE quality test, the hardware characteristics of the drive were determined that affect the process of obtaining accurate audio copies from CD-DA media. To solve this problem, we used two special CD-R media prepared using the Nero CD-DVD Speed program itself. The first audio disc was used in its original form - the situation was reproduced when the user works with normal media that do not have defects or damage. The second media had artificial scratches on the working surface, reflecting the case when the user uses a disc in the drive that has been in use for a long time and can no longer be considered high-quality.
ASUS DVD-E616P3
Plextor PX-130A
Sony DDU1615
Sony DDU1622
Toshiba SD-M2012
The first group of screenshots shows the results obtained during testing using high-quality audio media. What do we see? The ASUS DVD-E616P3 drive worked without problems, but it has a large amount of offset and could not read the output zone, which can make it difficult to get accurate copies. The Plextor PX-130A also achieved a 100% quality score at high average speed, but also had a noticeable offset and couldn't read the lead zone and CD Text. The Sony DDU1615 drive had no quality issues, ran at a high average speed, and had a very low offset, but struggled during on-the-fly copying and was only able to handle subchannel data extraction. Drive Sony DDU1622 - in relation to him, you can say almost the same words that were heard in the address of his relative. The difference between them is that it could also read CD Text, but it worked worse during on-the-fly copying and has a slightly larger offset. The Toshiba SD-M2012 drive showed a 100% result, reading the disk at a not very high average speed. Its offset value is minimal, but it could not read data from the input and output zones.
ASUS DVD-E616P3
Plextor PX-130A
Sony DDU1615
Sony DDU1622
Toshiba SD-M2012
Now let's turn our attention to the results obtained during the use of an audio carrier with a scratched working surface. The average speed of the ASUS DVD-E616P3 drive dropped by a factor of one and a half, but the quality score achieved by it can be considered quite satisfactory. The Plextor PX-130A didn't live up to our expectations. Despite the noticeable decrease in the average speed by him, the final "quality score" turned out to be very far from ideal. The Sony DDU1615 drive did not slow down in operation and, apparently, due to this, the final quality score was worse than that of the ASUS DVD-E616P3, but noticeably superior to that of the Plextor PX-130A. The Sony DDU1622 drive, like its counterpart, read a substandard audio CD at a high average speed and achieved a fairly high quality score. Oddly enough, the Toshiba SD-M2012 drive ran faster with scratched media than with normal media. The results of his activities can be considered quite satisfactory - this is evidenced by a fairly high score of quality, only one percent does not reach the maximum result.
Nero CD-DVD Speed: Advanced DAE Error Correction Test
A specialized Advanced DAE Error Correction Test was conducted to determine the drive's ability to deal effectively with errors during the extraction of audio tracks. It used the same special audio CD prepared with Nero CD-DVD Speed and had scratches on the work surface. The program during testing determines how many C2 errors should have been found by this drive, and how many of them were found in reality. Further, based on the results obtained, the accuracy of finding C2 errors (C2 Accuracy) is calculated and the "quality score" is determined. These two indicators reflect the effectiveness hardware mechanism error correction in optical drives. This test, unlike the previous one, allows you to evaluate not only the total number of errors recorded by the drive while reading the audio carrier, but also their ability to find them.
ASUS DVD-E616P3
Plextor PX-130A
Sony DDU1615
Sony DDU1622
Toshiba SD-M2012
In the case of the ASUS DVD-E616P3 drive, the number of missed C2 errors turns out to be quite large, although the final accuracy of finding them, calculated by the program, can be questioned based on the fixed numbers. The Plextor PX-130A drive, according to the test results, looked even worse than the ASUS device. According to the calculated indicator, the accuracy of finding C2 errors was less than one percent, although, based on the final data, this value is not entirely clear. The Sony DDU1615 drive finds errors very confidently. Although his final accuracy does not reach one hundred percent, it should be recognized as quite satisfactory. The second drive from Sony - DDU1622 demonstrated the accuracy of finding errors C2 is not inferior to its relative. Toshiba SD-M2012 turned out to be completely incapable according to the results of this test. He couldn't find any C2 errors.
Nero CD DAE
Using the very old and very simple Nero CD DAE utility, we evaluated the speed of the drives when extracting audio tracks from the standard audio disc we used earlier and converting them to Wav files.
ASUS DVD-E616P3
Plextor PX-130A
Sony DDU1615
Sony DDU1622
Toshiba SD-M2012
According to the results obtained, the Plextor PX-130A and Sony DDU1615 drives were the fastest in this work, and the Toshiba SD-M2012 was the slowest. It should also be noted that the only drive that had errors when extracting tracks was the Sony DDU1622.
Exact Audio Copy
The second program designed to extract audio tracks from audio CDs and also used by us for testing - EAC, differs from Nero CD DAE in its principle of operation. Unlike the previous utility, in this case the emphasis is on giving the user the opportunity to use the specific hardware characteristics of the optical drive, to obtain the highest possible quality in their work.Before proceeding with the extraction of audio tracks using the Drive Options option, the hardware characteristics of the drive were determined. In order to accurately establish the possibility of working with C2 errors, in addition to a general diagnosis of the properties of the drive, our special audio disc was also used, prepared with the Nero CD-DVD Speed program and having scratches on the working surface. Then, using the most efficient "precise mode" (Secure Mode), audio tracks were extracted from the same disk as in the case of the Nero CD DAE utility, with their conversion to Wav files.
ASUS DVD-E616P3
Plextor PX-130A
Sony DDU1615
Sony DDU1622
Toshiba SD-M2012
As you can see from the screenshots, caching support was not found for Sony DDU1622 and Toshiba SD-M2012 drives. The last drive also did not have the ability to work with C2 errors. The ASUS DVD-E616P3 drive took the longest to extract audio tracks. The Plextor PX-130A and Sony DDU1622 drives turned out to be the fastest in completing the task assigned to them - the difference in time between them is negligible.
Summarizing
Oh, and it's usually hard work to choose the most worthy from several approximately identical drives. It was not so easy this time either. Let's try to go by the method of exceptions. The Toshiba SD-M2012 drive proved to be very good during testing. Enough high results for all tests, including extended - for extracting audio tracks from audio CDs. However, there was one moment that blurred the favorable impression of meeting him. It's about its ability to deal with C2 errors. He "informed" the Nero Info Tool about it, but he could not prove it in practical tests. This means that when working with media that is not of ideal quality, the result may not be what the owner expects.The Plextor PX-130A drive showed high performance in almost all tests, but it also has its weak points. In this case, we are talking about a large offset and problems when working with low-quality disks. The accuracy of finding C2 errors is disappointing. It is not suitable for high-quality audio copies. Could not read DVD-R media. It is necessary to say about such an aspect, which manifested itself in the testing process, as a periodic "disappearance" of the drive in the system. It was expressed in the fact that sometimes after loading the next disk, the drive ceased to be seen by the computer, and it was necessary to reboot in order to return to normal operation. I don’t want to unfoundedly place all responsibility for this on the drive, perhaps its interaction with a specific motherboard. Nevertheless, all of the above, combined with the higher price of traditional Plextor products, gives reason to think about the advisability of purchasing it.
The ASUS DVD-E616P3 did not cause any remarks in terms of overall performance, demonstrated high-quality work with C2 errors, which gives hope for obtaining acceptable results even when reading media of poor quality. However, it also has its own Achilles' heel. This includes a large value such as the offset parameter, the inability to read DVD-R and DVD + R DL media, as well as the long time it took to extract audio tracks in the test using the EAC program. True, in the latter case this may also be a consequence of his more thorough and accurate work with C2 errors.
The Sony DDU1622 drive, despite a small offset, quite high-quality work with media that had damage on the working surface, could not read a DVD + R DL disc, and with DVD-ROM this procedure took place at a noticeably lower speed than its opponents. He was the only one who also had errors when extracting audio tracks in the Nero CD DAE test.
So, by the elimination method, we got to the Sony DDU1615 drive. It is possible that this device also has its own "skeleton in the closet", but this time we could not find it. In accordance with the results of tests conducted by us, it caused the least amount of criticism or questions. He did not have obvious vulnerabilities in his work, and it is he who can be recommended for acquisition, since the price for it is quite affordable.
Naturally, we present our subjective opinion, formed on the basis of specific testing. It is likely that some of the problems we fixed can be solved with the appearance of new firmware versions.
