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1. Introduction

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 1

Ten years after its creation, Waitec, the international high-tech company, introduces us to the new Action 16, the first Dual Format Double Layer recorder manufactured by the company. This latest addition to the DVD recorders market, offers support for all DVD+R media with burning speeds up to 16X and is hence capable of burning a full Single Layer disc in almost 6:00mins.

The Action 16 also supports the standard speed of 8X for DVD-R, 4X for DVD+RW and DVD-RW, and 2.4X recording speed for Double Layer media. Finally, the Action 16 can write CDs at 48X and can rewrite at 24X.

- Features

The Waitec Action 16, features SafeLink technology, which decides the optimum writing speed for each media used. The drive checks the media upon insertion and lowers the writing speed when the selected writing speed is higher than the maximum allowed for safe, quality recordings.

- Specifications

Interface:	E-IDE/ATAPI
Write Speeds:	DVD+R:16X / -R: 8X, DVD+R9:2.4X DVD+RW: 4X, DVD-RW: 4X
	CD-R: 48X, CD-RW: 24X
Read Speeds:	DVD+R/-R/+RW/-RW: 8X
	DVD-ROM: 16X, CD-R/RW: 48X
Random Access:	DVD: 160msec, CD: 160msec
Buffer Size:	2MB
Supported Disc Formats:	DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD+R9, DVD-RW, CD-Extra, CD-I, CD-ROM, Audio CD, CDR,CD-RW, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD Test, Photo CD, Hybrid CD
Supported Writing Types:	DVD±RW: Disc-at-once, Incremental recording, Multi-border recording, Restricted overwriting
	CD-R/RW: Variable Packet, TAO, SAO, DAO, Raw Mode Burning & Over-Burn
Software Details:	Nero Express 6, Nero InCD, Nero Vision Express 2, Nero BackITup, Nero Showtime, Nero Recode 2, Nero Cover-Designer, Nero Tool Kit, PhotoShow Deluxe

Below are the drive's main specs as given by NeroInfoTool, VSO Inspector and DVDInfoPro:

As we can see below, the Action 16 uses the RPC II region control, which supports region change up to a maximum of 5 times.We changed the drive to region free which can be done on the Action 16 using utilities such as Kprobe.

Additional information on the Waitec Action 16 from Kprobe :

 

- European Retail package

The retail version includes, the Waitec Action 16 drive, a quick installation guide in twelve languages, an audio cable and mounting screws. Also with the package are included Nero 6, the well known CD-DVD burning software, along with the also famous PowerDVD 5 for your DVD playback needs.

The front panel is the same as its predecessor, the Action 8, with the exception that on the Action 16's drive tray we can clearly discern the Double Layer logo. Along with the other logos arrayed below the tray door on the front of the drive, we have the activity led which, depending on the color, indicates the state of the drive.

The rear panel has the usual analogue and digital outputs (SPDIF), IDE connector and power input.

Now, let's take a closer look of the "anatomy" of the drive... We opened the case (something we don't recommend as it will void the warranty) and took pictures for your viewing pleasure. In case you want higher resolution images, simply click on the image...

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With the warranty already void, it wouldn't hurt if we went a little deeper...now would it? Again, clicking on the picture, will give you to a higher resolution image.

- Installation

The drive was installed as secondary master and under WindowsXP was recognized as "Waitec Action 16/1". The drives firmware is the latest version available, version BSX1. What follows is a Nero Burning Rom screenshot, listing the supported options of the Action 16 such as supported media and buffer underrun protection.

For the needs of this review and in the comparison tests, we used the Pioneer DVR-108 and Philips DVDR1640P drives, flashed with their latest firmware.

- Testing software

In order to perform our tests we used:

1. Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.40
2. CDVD Benchmark v1.21
3. ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
4. Nero Info Tool v2.27
5. PlexTools v2.17 (Reader: Plextor PX-712A firmware v1.05, Reading speed 8X CLV for CD-R)
6. DVDInfoPro v3.16
7. Nero Burning Rom v6.6.0.1
8. DVD Decrypter 3.5.1.0
9. CopyToDVD 3.0.34.58

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2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 2

- CD Format

The maximum reading speed supported by the Action 16 is 48X for CD-R media and 24X for CD-RW media. Below are the transfer rate graphs, where we compare its performance against the other two drives:

In the first two tests with Pressed and CDR media, the reviewed drive gives satisfying results, with faster reading speeds than the other two drives.Using CDRW media, the Philips drive was the fastest with the Waitec and Pioneer battling over second place but with no significant speed differences.

- DVD Format

Using Single Layer media, the Action 16 narrowly beat the other two drives managing to have the fastest readings, but without any surprises with regard to speed. As for the other two graphs with Dual Layer media, the PTP (Parallel Track Path) and the OTP (Opposite Track Path), the battle between the three drives was easily won by the Pioneer DVR-108.

Using DVD-R/+R media, the Pioneer DVR-108 was fastest, while the other two drives had very similar speeds. Using RW media, the difference in reading speeds among all drives is negligible.

Finally, in the DVD ripping test using a pressed DL movie, the Action 16 was first, with the fastest transfer rate and hence faster DVD ripping...

- Appendix

Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs

• CD Pressed / CD-R / US-RW
• DVD Pressed SL / DVD Pressed PTP DL / DVD Pressed OTP DL / DVD-R / DVD-RW / DVD+R / DVD+RW

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3. CD Error Correction Tests

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Now, it's time to see how the Action 16 performs while reading scratched / defective discs. The test discs we used are the ABEX series from ALMEDIO.

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total	Num : 935215
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 51269	Avg:-74.1 dB(A)	Max: -23.1 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 3058	Avg: 1.0 Samples	Max: 11 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0.0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	76.8 points (of 100.0 maximum)
C2 Accuracy	97.6 %

The drive managed to achieve a total test result of 76.8 out of 100, which is a fairly good result. The -23.1dB(A) maximum loudness level is also good and combined with the low total error count of 935215 and zero skipped samples, results in an overall good performance when reading this test disc.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total	Num: 1
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 1	Avg: -63.2 dB(A)	Max: -63.2 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	95.9 points (out of 100.0 maximum)
C2 Accuracy	50.0 %

The behavior of drive was much better in this case where it managed to correct almost all the disc's errors. However a single error is responisble for the 95.9 total test result.

- CD-Check Audio Test Disc

In order to evaluate the sound reproduction and error correction capabilities of a CD player (currently the Action 16),
we used the CD-Check Audio Test Disc. The disc, designed and manufactured with error patterns,contains five tracks, with each track progressively harder to read and reproduced by the CD player. These tracks are referred as Check Level -1 through Check Level -5.

Using a software multimedia player, such as Windows Media Player in this case, the five tracks are reproduced, with a clear and successful reading on each track, as long as the tone reproduced is smooth, uninterrupted, without any skips or loops. Each of the levels passed, is a percent of the reliability of the sound reproduction of the tested device.

Error Level	1	2	3	4	5
Waitec Action 16	5/5	5/5	5/5	0/5	0/5

The drive passed only the first three Check Levels of the test. The performance reveals average sound reproduction and error correction. The fourth and the fifth levels include an error size of 1.125mm and 1.500mm respectively, and the drive produced continues audible clicks over those tracks.

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4. DVD Error Correction Tests

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In the previous test, we examined how the Action 16 handles the defective audio discs. Now, in the following test we will see the reading capabilities of the Action 16 with scratched / defective DVD media. For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark and Nero CDSpeed. The reference test media comes from ALMEDIO.

- Single Layer media

ABEX TDR-821

The following transfer rate picture comes from CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test, using a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with 4.7GB capacity, with an artificial scratch emended on the disc ranging from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

The Action 16 proved capable of reading the defective/scratched test disc without errors, but with a slight drop of speed near the end, in order to achieve good reading.

ABEX TDR-825

Similar to the TDR-821 the TDR-825 is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM of 4.7GB capacity. The difference between the two discs is that the later emulates not a scratch but a group of defective areas with dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and fingerprints sized about 65 to 75 micrometers.

As we can see in the graph above, the Action 16 performed well reading the disc, without errors, even though there was a drop in speed in the middle of the disc, just before the fingerprints and at the end of the test, providing us once again with a very good reading.

- Dual Layer media

ABEX TDR-841

Let us see how the Action 16 does in reading an 8.5GB single sided, dual layer DVD- ROM with artificial scratches of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm, located on both layers.

The smoothest reading until now, the Action 16 did extremely well when reading both layers, same speed and error correction quality, one of the smoothest and cleanest graphs CDVD Benchmark has returned.

ABEX TDR-845

Much like the TDR-841, the TDR-845, a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc with a capacity of 8.5GB differs from the first disc in the fingerprints contained in both layers along with the scratched areas. The dimensions of the defective areas ranges from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from 65 to 75 micrometers.

Once again, good performance, no errors, slight drop in speed in both layers just before the fingerprints.

ABEX TDV-541

Using Nero CdSpeed we tested the drive with the TDV-541, a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with a capacity of 8.5GB. Based in the 540 series for inspection and calibration of DVD-VIDEO players, the TDV-541 inspects the layer layer switch operation and the error correction capabilities of the drive, including scratches ranging from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

The Action 16 performed well in reading the test disc. It would have been a great reading if it was not for the speed drop just before the layer change.

ABEX TDV-545

The TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc with a capacity of 8.5GB. The TDV-545 includes artificial black dots on the data surface, sized from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65 - 75 micrometer fingerprints.

The artificial black dots and fingerprints were no match for the error correction capabilities of the Action 16, as it can be clearly seen in the graph above...

- Conclusion

All the graphs above indicate that the drive has high DVD error correction capabilities.

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5. Protected Disc Tests

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 5

- Reading Tests

Using Alcohol 120% and three protected discs with the appropriate settings according to the protection of each of the discs, we tested the capabilities of the Action 16 when reading and creating an image of protected media. Below are the transfer rate and duration of the drive on each of the cases.

Game Title	Protection Scheme	Duration	Reading speed
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme"	Lybcrypt	3:05 min	489 sectors/sec
Serious Sam The Second Encounter	SafeDisc v.2.50.051	13:16 min	422 sectors/sec
VRally II	SecuROM v.2	2:21 min	2438 sectors/sec

In the first graph with PSX, we can see that the drive did not perform well in comparison to the other two drives, but with the Safedisk and SecuROM protection schemes, the Action 16 came first. Overall, a good performance.

- Writing Tests

The Waitec Action 16 supports the DAO-RAW writing mode. For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 3 different game titles with different SafeDisc 2 versions having the latest software patches installed. After making the images of the various titles onto the hard disk, we burned them (at maximum speed) with Alcohol 120% v1.9.2.1705. Two different discs were created for each title; one with the "Bypass EFM error" enabled and one more with the function disabled.

• Fifa 2004 - Safe Disc v3.1x
• The Sims Superstar - Safe Disc v2.9x
• The Sims Unleashed - Safe Disc v2.8x
• Serious Sam Second Encounter - Safe Disc v2.51.021
• Max Payne - Safe Disc v2.51.020

The table below shows the results of the attempted backups and whether they worked (game installed / played normally), or not.

Drive	Fifa 2004 SD v3.1x		Sims Superstar SD v2.9x		Sims Unleashed SD v2.8x		Serious Sam-Second Encounter SD v2.50.051		Max Payne SD v2.51.020
	EFM OFF	EFM ON	EFM OFF	EFM ON	EFM OFF	EFM ON	EFM OFF	EFM ON	EFM OFF	EFM ON
Pionner DVR -108	No				Yes
Philips DVR1640P
Waitec Action 16

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6. DAE Tests

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 6

- Pressed and CDR AudioCD

The Waitec Action 16 supports up to 48X CAV DAE speed. Using pressed AudioCD and its CD-R copy, we have the following:

Action 16, performed well in this test, being the fastest drive amongst the three during the extraction process.

- Advanced DAE Quality

As shown in the graph below, the Action 16 which also supports the advanced features recognized by the Nero CdSpeed Advanced DAE Quality Test, came through first, with a faster average speed than the other two drives, while all three drives collected 100 points quality score.

- Reading 90/ 99mins AudioCDs

• 90min AudioCD

The drive could not complete the reading of the 90min Audio CD, as shown in the screenshot above.

• 99min AudioCD

In this case, the drive managed to read almost perfectly the 99min Audio CD, dropping it's reading speed near the completion of the test, in order to archive a good read.

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7. Protected AudioCDs

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 7

For this test we used Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and three audio discs each of them deigned with different copy protection techniques.

The tested protected Audio discs were:

• Sony's Key2Audio from "Celine Dion - New Day Has Come"
• Cactus Data Shield 200 from "Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island"

The "White Lilies Island" from Natalie Imbruglia comes with the Cactus Data Shield 200, a disc which contains artificial errors, rendering a reader unable to process them, while the Sony's Key2Audio from Celine Dion's album "New Day Has Come", contains a second session, rendering readers unable to access the TOC (Table Of Contents).

The tested tasks are:

• Recognition of the inserted disc (Yes/No)
• Ripping all wavs (with EAC's Burst Mode) to the hard disk with copy&compare function.
• Listening to the produced wavs for any clicks/skips.

The Waitec Action 16 recognized up to the 12th Audio track of CDS200 disc,

and with the "Retrieve Native TOC" option removed, it then recognized the 13th track.

The test results are shown in the following table:

	Key2Audio	CDS200
Waitec Action 16/1	Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison successful for all tracks	Ripping process completed, EAC reports timing problems, Read&Test CRC comparison not the same for all tracks

The Waitec Action 16 will rip both Key2Audio and CDS200 protected audio discs. Both discs were recognized and their contents were ripped at the maximum speed.

• Cactus Data Shield 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a (Aiko Katsukino - The Love Letter)

This is a "special" CDS200 build, since it doesn't contain any artificial errors during the ripping process. Most problems occur when trying to write the ripped wav files, since the produced CD-R disc contains C2 and CU errors! This "problem" is rumored to be associated with specific chipset weaknesses.

We ripped the disc contents with EAC and burned the produced wav with the latest Nero version as AudioCD+CD-Text. The burned media was checked for C1/C2 errors with PlexTools using the Plextor PX-712A (firmware v1.05).

 

	CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a
Waitec Action 16/1	Reading performed without any errors, writing produces few C2 spikes

• C1C2 Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712A (8X CLV reading speed)

• BETA/Jitter Error rate with the PleXWriter PX-712A

The C1/C2 error graphs show that the drive managed to produce a 100% error free disc.

We then tried to extract all the wav files with the Plextor PX-712A and PlexTools DAE with Error Correction 5th Level enabled:

No errors were reported after extracting all files.

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8. CD Recording Tests

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The Waitec Action 16 supports 48X CD-R and 24X US-RW recording speeds.

• CD-R Format

The drive CD media recording supported speeds...

The following screenshot confirms the maximum speed of 48X. The test started at 22X and finished at 48.78X, having an average speed of 36.90X.

• CD-R Recording Times

Using Nero Burning Rom, we created an 80min data compilation, recording the data on several 700MB disc. In only 2:44 mins, the Waitec Action 16 completed the task at the max speed of 48X.

In the graph that follows we can see a graphical depiction of all the recording times with various discs, with the writing performance varying according to the inserted media.

- Other features

Overburning writing	Up to 99min
CD text reading/writing	Yes

• CD-RW Format

The Waitec Action 16 supports 24X Z-CLV rewriting speed with Ultra Speed Rewritable Media (US-RW).

Below you can see the Nero CD-DVD Speed writing simulation test with blank 24X US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.

The drive starts the writing task at 16X and reaches a maximum of 24X at the 13:00 min address mark on the disc. The test started at 16.01X and finished at 24.25X, having an average speed of 22.33X.

We also used Nero Burning Rom in order to burn a data disc with 24X US-RW media from MCC. The data compilation we burned had a size of 650 MB and the duration of the recording process was 3:57 minutes.

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9. 3T Jitter Tests

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 9

On this page you can see the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs using various media burned at 48X CAV writing speed.

- 3T Pit results

At 48X writing speed, most media reported high levels, which indicates bad performance. Best results were with Waitec and SKC media.

- 3T Land results

Once again, the Jitter test reports high 3T Land results. Best results came with Mmore and SKC media..

On the following page, we check the C1 and C2 error rates of the same discs, to come up with more specific conclusions.

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10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements

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Waitec Action 16/1 Recorder - Page 10

With the aid of PleXTools v2.16 and Plextor 721A, it's time to start measuring the C1 / C2 error rates on the discs we burned with the Nero burning software, at the maximum supported speed of 48X.

Waitec 80min 52X @ 48X

BenQ 80min 52X CD-R @ 48X

SKC 80min 52X @ 48X

Traxdata 80min 52X @ 48X

MMore 80min 52X @ 48X

Creation 80min 48X @ 48X

- Summary

Excellent writing quality and performance with the Action 16 for the maximum supported 48X speed. No C2 errors in any case.

- Appendix

• Media ID codes

Media Label	ID Code	Manufacturer Name	Lead Out TIme
BenQ 80min 48X	97m22s67f	Daxon Technology	79:59.74
SKC 80min 52X	97m26s26f	SKC Co., Ltd.	79:59.73
MMore 80min 48X	97m17s 6f	Moser Baer India, Ltd.	79:59.74
TraxData 80min 52X	97m15s17f	Ritek	79:59.70
Creation 80min 48X	97m27s18f	Plasmon Data Systems Ltd	79:59:74
Waitec 80min 52X	97m28s26f	Multi Media Masters & Machinery SA	79:59.74

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11. DVD Recording Tests

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 11

• 8X DVD+R Single Layer writing

• 12X DVD+R Single Layer writing

The test started at 6.68X, reached a maximum writing speed of 12.10X and reported an average speed of 10.90X.

• 16X DVD+R Single Layer writing

The drive completed successful DVD writing at 16X in 5:44mins. The test started at 6.66X, reached a maximum writing speed of 16.00X and reported an average speed of 11.97X.

• 8X DVD-R Single Layer writing

The drive completed successful DVD writing at 16X in 9:12mins. The test started at 4.03X, reached a maximum writing speed of 8.15X and reported an average speed of 7.13X.

In the table below, we can see a list with several 16x recorders and their average speeds. As we can see, the Waitec Action 16 occupies second place in the list, with the LiteOn 1633S on top, a negligible difference from the Waitec drive regarding speed.

Drive	Writing Strategy	Writing Speed	Average Writing Speed
LiteON SOHW-1633S	CAV	16X	11.97X
Waitec Action 16	CAV	16X	11.92X
TDK 1616N	CAV	16X	11.86X
NEC ND-3500A	CAV	16X	11.86X
BenQ DW1620A	CAV	16X	11.52X
ASUS DRW-1604P	Z-CLV	16X	10.11X
Pioneer DVR-108A	Z-CLV	16X	10.03X

- Burning Tests

• DVD-R media

The maximum writing speed supported by the Action 16 with -R media is 8X. The best performance with regard to speed is achieved with TDK 8X media, burned in 9:12 mins.

• DVD+R media

In the category of +R media, the Waitec Action 16 drive supports up to 16X, hence its name. Best performance was reported with Verbatim 16X media that was burned in 6:06 mins.

- Comparison with other drives

The Action 16 came second in comparison with the other two drives in writing DVD+R media. On the other hand, the Waitec was fastest with DVD-R media being the fastest 8X recorder.

All three drives support the same speed with DVD RW media. The Action 16 came third when writing DVD+R and DVD-R media with a slight difference form the second and first drives.

- DVD Overburning Test

• DVD+R

• DVD-R

Unfortunately, the drive does not support DVD overburning for both -R and +R media formats, giving the above error messages.

- DVD+MRW Tests

The drive does not support the Mount Rainier feature.

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12. Media Support list

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 12

Media Support list

What follows is a comlpete list of the media supported by the Waitec Action 16 with the BSX1 firmware version on the drive.

DVD-R

DVD+R

4M SYS 202C1/52 [ 4x ] AML /52 [ 4x ] AN30 /52 [ 4x ] AN31 /52 [ 4x ] AN32 /52 [ 4x ] Auvistar /50 [ 2x ] BeAll G00001/50 [ 2x ] BeAll G40001/52 [ 4x ] BeAll G80001/52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] CMC MAG. /50 [ 2x ] CMC MAG. AE1/52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] CMC MAG. AF1/52 [ 4x ] DATA TRACK /52 [ 4x ] DAXON004 /52 [ 4x ] DAXON008 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] DKM_01 /52 [ 4x ] Dvsn /52 [ 4x ] FORNEX001 /50 [ 2x ] FORNEX101 /52 [ 4x ] FUJIFILM03 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] GSC001 /50 [ 2x ] GSC001 /52 [ 4x ] GSC002 /52 [ 4x ] GSC003 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] INFODISC-R01/52 [ 4x ] INFODISC-R20/52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] ISSM 01 /52 [ 4x ] LD /50 [ 2x ] LEADDATA /50 [ 2x ] LEADDATA S03/52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] LEADDATA01 /52 [ 4x ] LGE04 /52 [ 4x ] LGE08 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] LONGTEN 001 /52 [ 4x ] LONGTEN 009 /52 [ 4x ] MAM4XG01 /52 [ 4x ] MBI /50 [ 2x ] MBI 01RG20 /52 [ 4x ] MBI 03RG30 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MCC 00RG200 /50 [ 2x ] MCC 01RG20 /52 [ 4x ] MCC 02RG20 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MCI4XG01 /52 [ 4x ] MCIG01 /50 [ 2x ] ME 153 /52 [ 4x ] MEI 00V001 /50 [ 2x ] MUST 001 /52 [ 4x ] MXL RG01 /50 [ 2x ] MXL RG02 /52 [ 4x ] MXL RG03 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] NANYA-JC001 /52 [ 4x ] ONIDTECH /52 [ 4x ] OPTODISCK001/50 [ 2x ] OPTODISCK001/52 [ 4x ] OPTODISCR004/52 [ 4x ] OPTODISCR008/52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] Plasmon1A /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] POSG04 /52 [ 4x ] POSG06 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] POSJ 01 /50 [ 2x ] PRINCO /50 [ 2x ] PRINCO /52 [ 4x ] PRINCO8X01 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] PRINCO8X02 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] ProdiscF01 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] PRODISCG02 /50 [ 2x ] ProdiscS03 /52 [ 4x ] ProdiscS04 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] PVC001001 /00 [ 2x ] PVCR001002 /52 [ 4x ] RITEKG03 /50 [ 2x ] RITEKG04 /52 [ 4x ] RITEKG05 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] RITEKM02 /52 [ 4x ] SKC Co.,Ltd./52 [ 4x ] SKC M801 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] SONY /50 [ 2x ] SONY04D1 /52 [ 4x ] SONY08D1 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] TAIYOYUDEN /50 [ 2x ] TAROKO-MX4 /52 [ 4x ] TDKG02000000/50 [ 2x ] TTG01 /52 [ 4x ] TTG02 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] TTH01 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] TYG01 /52 [ 4x ] TYG02 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] UME01 /52 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] VANGUARD /52 [ 4x ] VDSPMSAB 01 /52 [ 4x ] VDSP­SAB 01 /52 [ 4x ] Yi Jhan 001 /52 [ 4x ]

AML /001/00 [ 4x ] AML /002/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] BeAll000/P40/00 [ 4x ] BeAll000/P80/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] CMC MAG /E01/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] CMC MAG /F01/00 [ 4x ] CMC MAG /F01/01 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] CMC MAG /M01/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x, 16x ] CMC MAG /R01/00 [ 2.4x ] DAXON /AZ1/00 [ 4x ] DAXON /AZ2/00 [ 4x, 6x ] DAXON /AZ3/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] DT-D02 /02 /00 [ 4x ] DT-D03 /004/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] EMDP /000/00 [ 4x ] GSC502 /002/00 [ 4x ] GSC503 /H01/00 [ 4x ] INFODISC/R10/02 [ 4x ] INFODISC/R20/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] INFOME /R20/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] ISSM /001/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] LD /001/00 [ 2.4x ] LD /A02/00 [ 4x ] LD /S03/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] LONGTEN /002/00 [ 4x ] MAXELL /001/00 [ 4x ] MAXELL /002/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MAXELL /003/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MBIPG101/R03/00 [ 4x ] MBIPG101/R04/01 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MCC /001/00 [ 2.4x ] MCC /002/00 [ 4x ] MCC /003/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MCC /004/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x, 16x ] MEDIA ID/001/00 [ 4x ] MPOMEDIA/001/00 [ 2.4x ] MPOMEDIA/040/00 [ 4x ] MPOMEDIA/080/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MUST /002/01 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] MUST 002/ /02 [ 4x ] NANYA /CHX/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] NANYA /CLX/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] NANYA /DR /00 [ 2.4x ] NANYA /RJB/00 [ 4x ] OPTODISC/OP1/00 [ 2.4x ] OPTODISC/OP2/00 [ 2.4x ] OPTODISC/OR4/00 [ 4x ] OPTODISC/OR8/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] Philips /081/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] PHILIPS /C08/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] PHILIPS /C16/01 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] Plasmon /c01/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] PRODISC /R01/00 [ 2.4x ] PRODISC /R02/00 [ 4x ] PRODISC /R03/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] PRODISC /R04/04 [ 4x, 6x, 8x, 16x ] RICOHJPN/R00/00 [ 2.4x ] RICOHJPN/R01/02 [ 4x ] RICOHJPN/R02/03 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] RICOHJPN/R03/04 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] RITEK /M02/01 [ 4x ] RITEK /R01/00 [ 2.4x ] RITEK /R02/01 [ 4x ] RITEK /R03/01 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] RITEK /R03/02 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] RITEK /R04/01 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] SKYMEDIA/R01/00 [ 2.4x ] SONY /D01/00 [ 4x ] SONY /D11/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] SONY /D21/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x, 16x ] TDK /001/00 [ 4x ] TDK /002/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] TDK /003/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x, 16x ] ULTRAN /202/00 [ 4x ] VDSPMSAB/001/01 [ 4x ] YUDEN000/T01/00 [ 4x ] YUDEN000/T01/01 [ 4x ] YUDEN000/T02/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ] YUDEN000/T03/00 [ 4x, 6x, 8x ]

DVD-RW

DVD+RW

CMCW02 /00 [ 2x ] CMCW03 /00 [ 4x ] DAXON_RW2X01/00 [ 2x ] JVC/VictorT7/00 [ 1x ] JVC0VictorD7/00 [ 4x ] JVC_VictorW7/00 [ 2x ] MCC 00RW11N9/00 [ 1x ] MCC 01RW11n9/00 [ 2x ] MCC 01RW4X /00 [ 4x ] OPTODISCK001/20 [ 1x ] OPTODISCK001/21 [ 2x ] OPTODISCW002/21 [ 2x ] OPTODISCW004/21 [ 4x ] PRINCO /20 [ 1x ] PRINCO /21 [ 2x ] PRINCORW0004/31 [ 2x ] Prodisc DW04/21 [ 2x ] Prodisc DW06/00 [ 4x ] ProdiscDVDRW/00 [ 1x ] PVCW00D002K9/21 [ 2x ] PVCW00V00245/00 [ 2x ] RITEK000V11A/00 [ 1x ] RITEKW01 /00 [ 2x ] RITEKW04 /00 [ 2x ] SONY000000U9/00 [ 1x ] TDK501saku]3/20 [ 1x ] TDK502sakuM3/00 [ 2x ] TDK601saku /00 [ 4x ]

CMC MAG /W01/00 [ 2.4x ] CMC MAG /W02/00 [ 4x ] DAXON /D41/00 [ 4x ] DAXON /D42/00 [ 4x ] INFODISC/A01/00 [ 2.4x ] INFODISC/A10/00 [ 4x ] MBIPG101/W03/00 [ 2.4x ] MCC /A01/00 [ 2.4x ] MKM /A02/00 [ 4x ] NANYA /DRW/00 [ 4x ] NANYASC /DRW/00 [ 2.4x ] OPTODISC/OP1/00 [ 2.4x ] OPTODISC/OP4/01 [ 4x ] PHILIPS /010/02 [ 4x ] PHILIPS /041/00 [ 4x ] PRODISC /W01/00 [ 2.4x ] PRODISC /W02/00 [ 4x ] RICOHJPN/W01/00 [ 2.4x ] RICOHJPN/W11/01 [ 4x ] RITEK /001/01 [ 2.4x ] RITEK /004/30 [ 4x ] RITEK /W04/00 [ 4x ] SENTINEL/W01/00 [ 2.4x ] SENTINEL/W02/00 [ 4x ] SONY /S11/00 [ 4x ]

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13. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1

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Waitec Action 16/1 Recorder - Page 13

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1

In order to test the writing quality and reliability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

16X DVD+R Writing Speed

• CMC 16X DVD+R @ 16X

• Philips 16X DVD+R @ 16X

• Traxdata 16X DVD+R @ 8X

• Verbatim 16X DVD+R @ 16X

- Summary

The best Plextools reading occurred with the Philips 16X DVD+R, while the best CDSpeed reading was with CMC 16X. Overall, the Philips disc gave the best results with the remaining media only slightly behind it. A firmware release would be welcome.

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14. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2

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Waitec Action 16/1 Recorder - Page 14

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2

In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

8X DVD+R Writing Speed

• Verbatim 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• 3A 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• BeALL 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• Optodisc 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• Traxdata 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• Philips 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• Ricoh 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• TDK 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• Waitec 8X DVD+R @ 8X

• TY 8X DVD+R @ 8X

- Summary

We can see that with the 8X DVD+R media readings with the Plextools and CDSpeed software, some media reported errors while others high PIE levels.The best reading came with the TY 8X media, for both Plextools and CDSpeed. Waitec should consider improvements here in future firmware releases.

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15. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 15

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3

In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

8X DVD-R Writing Speed

• Verbatim 8X DVD-R @ 8X

• 3A 8X DVD-R @ 8X

• CMC 8X DVD-R @ 8X

• Datawrite 8X DVD-R @ 8X

• Sony 8X DVD-R @ 8X

• TDK 8X DVD-R @ 8X

• Traxdata 8X DVD-R @ 8X

• TY 8X DVD-R @ 8X

- Summary

Not much to say here, the graphs speak for themselves. With 8X DVD-R media, the Action 16 returned fairly good results with both Plextools and CDSpeed. Overall, quality writings with all the media tested.

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16. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 16

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4

In order to test the writing quality and reliability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

4X DVD-R Writing Speed

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17. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 17

MKM 4X DVD+RW @ 4X

Traxdata 4X DVD+RW @ 4X

MKM 4X DVD-RW @ 4X

Optodisc 4X DVD-RW @ 4X

- Summary

With Re-Writable media, the drive faired very well, not exceeding the PI/PIF limit, giving us reliable writing once more.

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18. DVD+R DL - Page 1

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 18

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19. DVD+R DL - Page 2

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 19

- Writing Quality

Now, let us have a look in the writting quality of the drive, using the LiteOn SOHD-167T and the Plextor PX-712A drives.

• Ritek Double Layer media @ 2.4X

Reading DL media with Nero CDSpeed, we got the above graph which indicates a good quality performance. Just before the layer change, the speed was automatically reduced but moved on smoothly until the end of the reading.

• Verbatim Double Layer media @ 2.4X

Again, using CDSpeed, we got the above quality scan, smooth from the beggining until the completion of the reading test. Quality reading ensures quality writing.

 

Using Plextools, we got the above scan, with max PI/PIF at 240 just below the limit (280). The Action 16, performed well during the DL tests and quite possibly a future firmware upgrade would improve, even more, its ability with DL writting.

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20. Action 16 vs. SA300 - Page 1

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 20

For checking exactly what the Action 16 reports, we used three different media, burned with other recorders. The three media have been measured with the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system at 1X.

The drive is capable of reporting PI/PIF errors, so we will compare those measurements for various reading speeds:

• 3~8X CAV
• 2~6X CAV
• 4X CLV

Please note that the posted results are only valid for the specific tested Waitec Action 16 drive. Using other drives, even another Action 16 , can produce totally different results. Be aware!

#1st Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 8X Reading speed

The PI/PIF error rate trend differs from that of the SA300, while the error values are close, more or less.

#1st Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 6X Reading speed

In this case the PI error trend line is similar to that of the SA300, while the PIF trend line differs near the end of the reading. Error values are petty much similar.

#1st Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 4X Reading speed

At 4X speed, we can clearly see a similar PI/PIF trend rate line and once again the same error values, somewhat lower than the ones reported by the SA300.

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21. Action 16 vs. SA300 - Page 2

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 21

For checking exactly what the Action 16 reports, we used three different media, burned with other recorders. The three media have been measured with the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system at 1X.

The drive is capable of reporting PI/PIF errors, so we will compare those measurements for various reading speeds:

• 3~8X CAV
• 2~6X CAV
• 4X CLV

Please note that the posted results are only valid for the specific tested Waitec Action 16 drive. Using other drives, even another Action 16, can produce totally different results. Be aware!

#2nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 8X Reading speed

The reported error values by SA300 are totally different from the error values given by Action 16. The only similarity in those four graphs is the high error values near the end of the reading in both PI and PIF cases.

#2nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 6X Reading speed

A total mismatch in the reported trend lines and error values by Action 16, with the PIF at minimal levels during the most time of the reading.

#2nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 4X Reading speed

In this case, the Action 16 reports a pattern almost similar to the SA300 reported regarding the trend lines, while the error values are at a very low level in both cases.

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22. Action 16vs. SA300 - Page 3

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 22

For checking exactly what the Action 16 reports, we used three different media, burned with other recorders. The three media have been measured with the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system at 1X.

The drive is capable of reporting PI/PIF errors, so we will compare those measurements for various reading speeds:

• 3~8X CAV
• 2~6X CAV
• 4X CLV

Please note that the posted results are only valid for the specific tested Waitec Action 16 drive. Using other drives, even another Action 16, can produce totally different results. Be aware!

#3nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 8X Reading speed

#3nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 6X Reading speed

#3nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 4X Reading speed

In all the above graphs, you can see that the Waitec Action 16 drive reports totally different results than those of the SA300S. In some cases, such as that of the 4X PIF and the 8X PI, we can see a pattern, a glimpse of what the trend line would be.

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23. Action 16 vs. SA300 - Page 4

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 23

For checking exactly what the Action 16 reports, we used three different media, burned with other recorders. The three media have been measured using the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system at 1X.

The drive is capable of reporting PI/PIF errors, so we will compare those measurements at various reading speeds:

• 3~8X CAV
• 2~6X CAV

Please note that the posted results are only valid for the specific tested Waitec Action 16 drive. Using other drives, even another Action 16, can produce totally different results. Be aware!

#4th Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 8X Reading speed







#4th Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 4X Reading speed







All of the PI error values reported by the Action 16 differ completely from the values reported by SA300. The PIF graphs produced by the Action 16 and SA300 are close but not the same. As for the trend lines, the ones given by the Action 16 don't match the ones given by SA300. Overall, a different outcome altogether.

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24. BookType Setting

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 24

BookType Setting

BookType Setting for DVD-R/+RW formats is supported by the Waitec Action 16. Prior to burning +R, +RW, +R9 media, the user can change to the preferred booktype setting in order to achieve maximum compatibility.



One click away before changing the booktype setting, with the default setting set to normal DVD+R for DVD+R media:



click made, booktype set to DVD-ROM:



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25. Conclusion

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Waitec Action 16 Recorder - Page 25

Conclusion

During the CD/DVD reading tests, the Action 16 did well although not managing to achieve the title of the "fast dvd drive". It showed high error correction capabilities with both formats.Video ripping was performed without errors. As for the Audio extraction using protected CDs, the Action 16 managed to overcome all protections and complete the ripping process without delays. The drive scored a total of 100 points with the Advanced DAE Quality test. And when it comes to protected game discs, the drive managed to overcome all protections up to Safedisc v2.8 with a fairly good ripping speed overall. As with all the latest drives, the Action 16 supports up to 48X CD burning speed, but the writing quality was not satisfactory, where we are hoping for a firmware upgrade in the future which will improve the drives capabilities and media support.



As for the new feature of the Waitec Action series, the 16X CAV speed, the drive did pretty well, being one of the fastest drives with almost 6:00mins to write a full SL disc. The quality of the writing is not one of the best and can still be improved with an upcoming firmware release from Waitec, but it is good enough none the less. As for 8X DVD-R media, the drive achieved good writing, though not the best. Finally, the drive supports up to 2.4X speed burning with DL media, giving good quality writings. According to Waitec, the drive will cost €79 (including VAT).

- The Good

• Very good CD/DVD error correction
• Supports protected Audio discs (CDS200, Key2Audio)
• High CD reading speed
• High DAE speed
• High DVD ripping speed
• Region can be set easily to free
• Supports booktype change
• Can be used for DVD media error measurements

- The Bad

• Doesn't accurately backup SafeDisc2 v2.9x+ protected discs
• Doesn't support reading of DVD-RAM media
• DVD+R writing quality
• Doesn't support DVD overburning

- Like to be fixed

• CD writing quality could be better
• DVD+R writing quality needs improvement

 

Retail Package
Reading
Error Correction
Protected Discs
Writing
Features

 

Tony Veglis