TDK DVW-A080412N

As we saw during the days of the CD-RW drive, another month takes us another notch up the speed ladder.

DVD+/-R drives have now reached eight-speed and the TDK DVW-A080412N claims the fastest writing speed on the market.

It supports this speed for DVD+/-R, although +/-RW speeds are limited to four-speed.

Unfortunately, the speed claim didn't stand up in our tests. It took almost 25 minutes to copy 4.7GB of data from a standard DVD containing a variety of file types.

It also claimed to be able to copy an entire DVD in less than eight minutes, but it was running much more slowly than the eight-speed maximum.

However, there is a great deal of difference in performance depending on the media used, so better results may be possible if you persevere and experiment. Not many of the other drives on the market fare much better.

The drive is dual format, and the choice of media means that you can experiment and select the best discs for use with standalone DVD players.

The excellent Nero 6 software utility from Ahead rounds off the package.

Had the drive lived up to its printed specifications it would have been a fantastic piece of hardware. The reality, however, is that its performance is about the same as other eight-speed drives on the market.

Contact: TDK (01737) 771212
www.tdk-europe.com

Specifications:

• DVD+/-R write speed: 8X
• DVD +/-RW write speed: 4X
• CD-RW write speed: 32X
• Buffer overrun protection: BurnProof
• Bundled software: Ahead Nero 6

See also:

Plextor PX-712A

A fast DVD burner that will read and write all of the common standards.  08 Sep 2004

Plextor PX-712A

Introducing the fastest DVD writer.  09 Aug 2004

Microboards DSR DVDual

All the burning power you could ever need.  22 Jul 2004

HP DVD Writer DVD420i

A DVD writer from HP.  22 Jul 2004

Iomega Super DVD

Multiformat, but reasonably bulky.  15 Jul 2004

Toshiba DVD SD-R5272

Toshiba goes all out with its all-format DVD recorder.  07 Jul 2004

Waitec Action 8

A fast DVD writer from Waitec.  23 Jun 2004

LiteOn SDW-431SX

A compact and lightweight DVD burner.  07 Jun 2004

Teac DV-W50DK

A versatile drive at a good price.  20 Apr 2004

Philips DVDRW824

Good performance, but not dual format.  01 Apr 2004

LG Super Multi DVD Rewriter GSA-4081B

Looking for a DVD drive? Maybe this one will suit your requirements.  24 Mar 2004

Amacom DVD-M4 UF DiViD Burner

Fitting this external DVD drive should be a simple matter.  11 Mar 2004

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