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It's hard
to believe that the very first DVD writers were priced in
the neighborhood of $16,000, especially considering the
current landscape of low-cost optical hardware.
There's still a market for high-end recording equipment,
though. Just look at Sony's BDZ-S77 Blu-Ray recorder,
which debuted last year with an MSRP of $3,800. But
not everyone needs (or even wants) a 31-pound drive for
burning $30, 23GB disks. In fact, it only really makes sense
to buy the tools that best serve your needs.
A year ago, most
pre-built computer systems included high-speed CD-RW drives.
And while many still feature the stagnant technology, it's
much more common to see medium and high-end systems with a
DVD±R/RW drive. The very latest models, such as
Plextor's PX-708A, burn at up to 8x, good enough
to fill a 4.7GB DVD+R disc in about eight minutes.
Speed like that comes at a price of course and Plextor's
drive approaches the $200 mark online.
Thus, if you
really want to be able to burn DVD's, but don't want to
shell out the admission fee for the newest 8x drives out
there, consider one of the many 4x drives
which, while not as peppy, are capable of writing DVDs in
well under 20 minutes. ASUS' DRW-0402P/D is a perfect
example, and it can be found for about
$110 online. It doesn't break any speed records but a
combination of respectable performance and low cost, add
appeal to this otherwise dated
drive.
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Specifications of the ASUS' DRW-0402P/D |
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Older technology, but still highly capable |
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Model: DRW-0402P/D
Interface: ATAPI / IDE
Data Buffer Memory: 2MB
Average Access Time: DVD: 140ms
Average Access Time: CD: 130ms
Data Transfer Rates:
DVD+R Write: 4x,
2.4x (CLV)
DVD-R Write: 4x, 2x, 1x (CLV)
DVD+RW Write: 2.4x (CLV)
DVD-RW Write: 2x, 1x (CLV)
DVD Read: Up to 12x (CAV)
CD-R Write: 16x, 12x, 8x, 4x (CLV)
CD-RW Write: 10x, 4x (CLV)
CD Read: Up to 32x (CAV)
Supported Formats: DVD Single/Dual layer discs,
DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM
Mode 1, CD-ROM/XA Mode 2 (form 1, form 2), Photo CD,
CD-DA, CD-Extra, Video CD, CD-Text |
Recording Modes:
DVD-R: DAO, Incremental Recording, Multi-Border
Recording, DVD-RW: Restricted Overwriting, DVD+R:
Incremental Recording, DVD+RW: Random Recording,
CD-R/RW: DAO, TAO, SAO, Packet Write
Buffer
Management: Buffer Underrun Protection technology
prevents buffer underrun errors, allowing user to
multi-task during recording.
OS
Compatibility:
Windows
XP/NT/ME/2000/98SE (no Mt. Rainier support)
Audio Output: .7±.2Vrms
Power Requirement: +12V DC and +5V DC,
Tolerance: ±5%
Mounting Orientation: Horizontal or Vertical,
±5 degrees
Dimensions: (WxHxD) 148mm x 42.3mm x 198mm
(5.9" x 1.6" x 7.8")
Weight: 1,100 grams (about 2.4 lbs.)
Temperature: operating: 5-45° C,
storage -20-60° C
Humidity: operating: 5%-85% (non-condensing),
storage 5%-90% (non-condensing)
Vibration: operating: .2G peak (at 10-300Hz),
storage 1.5G peak (at 10-300Hz)
MTBF: 60,000 hours, Operating Duty Cycle (Read)
20% POH, Operating Duty Cycle (Write) 2% POH |
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Bundled Media and Software |
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The whole package |
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ASUS'
bundle leaves little to complain about. It
includes everything you'd need to get started, including
blank CD and DVD media, in addition to the prerequisite
hardware and software. The comprehensive instruction manual
features 25 pages of operational data and in-depth
specifications. Even if you've never installed an
optical drive, the manual provides enough guidance to
streamline the process. Alternatively, a quick install
guide breaks the whole process down into 12 steps. All of
the necessary mounting hardware (screws, data, and audio
cables) comes in a plastic baggie. Installation itself is as
easy as sliding the drive in an empty bay, securing it to
your chassis, connecting relevant cables, and selecting the
drive's Slave or Master status on the back.
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- ASUS DRW-0402P/D
DVD±R/RW Drive
- Cable set (one
40-pin IDE ribbon cable, four screws and an audio
cable)
- Bundled software
(ASUS DVD Player, Ulead DVD Movie Factory 2 SE,
Sonic DLA, and Sonic RecordNow DX
- One blank DVD+R and
one blank 52x CD-R
- Manual
- Quick installation
guide
- Emergency eject pin
and instructions
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The bundled
software suite is fairly unconventional. Sonic's
RecordNow DX, which is customized for the DRW-0402P/D,
enables the creation of data, audio, and video discs,
similar to Ahead's NERO or Roxio Easy CD and DVD Creator. It
has a Wizard for simplified recording or
advanced users can utilize the more detailed interface.
Although RecordNow DX seems to be a capable application,
subjective preference has us wishing ASUS had tapped Ahead's
NERO Burning ROM as its primary bundled utility.
Sonic RecordNow
The second Sonic
application that comes with ASUS' DRW-0402P/D is "DLA", or
Drive Letter Access. It disables Windows XP's native
drag-and-drop interface, implementing its own packet writing
scheme. It is, for the most part, transparent as you
use your optical drive as you would a floppy disk or hard
drive. Moreover, DLA is able to format disks and burn
a finalized copy.
One of the
primary attractions of a DVD±R/RW drive is the ability to
backup movies. Learning how to copy DVD movies from
your cinematic collection is actually a fairly involved
process. However, Ulead's DVD MovieFactory 2 SE makes
it possible to create and burn home videos with MPEG-1,
MPEG-2, AVI, VOB, or Apple QuickTime files. If you
have a camcorder or VCR connected to your PC, the
Disc-Direct feature captures and encodes your video stream
in real-time and burns it to either a VCD or DVD.
Unfortunately, the version that ASUS includes isn't the full
program, and it isn't even up to date as Ulead already
released its DVD MovieFactory 3 Disc Creator software.
Ulead MovieFactory 2 SE and
AsusDVD
The final piece
of bundled software is ASUS' own ASUSDVD XP playback
software, which is based on the CyberLink PowerDVD decoder.
It plays DVD movies, VCDs, SVCDs or video files stored on
your hard drive. As with most OEM versions of PowerDVD, ASUSDVD XP only offers 2-channel audio output,
limiting its utility in a multi-channel setup. Thus,
while all of the software included with the DRW-0402P/D
works well, the useful bits require an additional investment
for full functionality.
ASUS'
DRW-0402P/D
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