1. Introduction
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 1
With
double layer DVD-R media sitting at our doorstep and writing speeds rising
for DVD+RW and DVD-RW media, NEC has released the long awaited ND-3520A
model, their
second
generation 16X burner. NEC is known for developing high quality burners with
a considerably low price tag. Keeping in mind that 16X writing speed is
the physical limit for DVD media, DVD+RW re-writing speed now reaches 8X and
DVD-RW writing
speed
reaches 6X, up from 4X.
- Features
While
the new NEC model is capable of writing DVD media at 16X, the
drive cannot write -R double layer media for now although a new firmware
upgrade will be available to support this media type in the future.
As NEC
informed us: "In addition to + 4x Double Layer functionality,
ND-3520 will also support - 4x Double Layer, as soon as the DVD Forum will
have released final specification
(scheduled for march 2005 tbc)". CD writing speed is not changed,
already tuned at 48X for CD-R media and 24X for CD-RW media. It can also burn
double layer media at 4X, and supports anti-buffer underun protection.
WOPC is introduced to further improve burning quality. You can see a simple WOPC
schematic here.
- Specifications
Drive |
NEC ND-3520A |
Media |
DVD |
CD |
Transfer Rate Write |
+R |
16x (9 - 22MBytes/sec) |
-R |
48x (3000-7200kBytes/sec) |
+R9 |
4x (5.5 MBytes/sec) |
2.4x (3.3 MByte/sec) |
+RW |
8x (11 MBytes/sec)
|
-RW |
24x (3000-3600kBytes/sec) |
-R |
16x ( 9 - 22MBytes/sec) |
-RW |
6x (8.2MBytes/sec) |
Transfer Rate Read
|
DVD-R 16x CAV (max 22000 kb/s) |
CD-R 48x CAV (max 4800 kb/s) |
DVD+R 16x CAV (max 22000 kb/s)
|
CD-RW 16x CLV (max 2400 kb/s) |
DVD+R9 4X CLV (5500 KByte/s) |
Mechanism |
motorized Tray load mechanism for horizontal and vertical use |
Interface |
IDE / ATAPI |
Burst Transfer Rate |
PIO mode 4 / Ultra DMA 33 |
Cashe Memory |
2MB |
Audio |
digital-out and line-out at the back (MPC compatible) |
Modes supported |
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-Video, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-Audio, CD Extra, CD Text, CD-IReady, CD-Bridge, Photo-CD, VideoCD, Hybrid CD |
Writing methods |
DAO(disc at once), SAO(session at once), TAO(track at once) with zero gap, variable or fixed packet, multisession |
Compatibility |
MPC Level 3, MultiRead, PC2001 |
Weight |
1.01 kgr |
Dimensions |
148mm x 42mm x 190mm |
The drive does not support Mount Rainier and it uses the well known RPC II region control, allowing a user to change the drive's region at most 5 times. Unfortunately, it cannot read or write DVD-RAM media. Below are the drive's main specs as given by NeroInfoTool, VSO Inspector and DVDInfoPro:
- The Drive
We received the bulk version of the drive in our labs. The drive is available in beige, black and silver colour.
The drive unit uses the same casing that the ND-3500A did. The front panel does not introduce anything new. You can see the eject button, the activity led and the eject hole.
On the rear panel you will find the analogue and digital audio outputs (SPDIF),
the IDE master/slave/cs selector pins, the IDE connector and the power input.
Opening the device case will void the warranty, so we advise against it. Instead, use the photos in this review for a closer look under the hood. Clicking on the image below will reveal a high resolution image.
Bad news for all ND-3500A owners is the fact that the drive uses a new NEC
D6364 chipset series, making it impossible to convert/update the previous ND-3500A
model
to this
new ND-3520A.
The following picture shows the laser lens assembly of the NEC ND-3520A. By clicking on the picture, you can see a higher resolution image.
- Installation
The device was connected to our test PC and was identified as "NEC DVD_RW ND-3520A" under WinXP, with firmware version 1.04.
Below is a screenshot of Nero Burning Rom's specs for the drive.
In this review, we will compare the new NEC ND-3520A with the Plextor PX-716A and
the Toshiba SD-R5372 drive, since all these burners have similar specifications.
You can always read users' opinions and share your thoughts for this burner in our forum section.
- Testing software
In order to perform our tests, we used:
- Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.55
- CDVD Benchmark v1.21
- Nero Info Tool v2.27
- PlexTools v2.18
- DVDInfoPro v2.63
- Nero Burning Rom v6.6.0.3
- CopyToDVD 3.0.35
2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 2
Transfer Rate Reading Tests
- CD Format
The CD reading speed is not changed from the ND-3500A and is tuned
up to 48X. Below are the transfer rate graphs along with the comparative results
for the Plextor PX-716A and
the Toshiba SD-R5372 drives:
The performance matrix indicates more or less the same behaviour
for all drives except in the RW transfer where the Plextor drive
managed to outperform the NEC drive with Ultra-Speed CD-RW media and the
Toshiba
burner
being the
slowest.
- DVD Format
Although the NEC ND-3520A was the slowest among the three
burners, the differences was marginal.
The two layers of a PTP DVD-ROM disc are read sequentially
with the drive starting reading from the inner part of the disc, which is the
beginning of each layer, progressing towards the outer range for each layer.
With pressed PTP dual layer media, the ND-3520A was
the slowest among the drives, while the
Plextor
burner
was
the fastest again and with a large difference.
The first layer of an OTP dual layer DVD-ROM is read exactly
the same way as the first layer of the PTP disc we tested previously. The difference
here is the reading strategy of the second layer on the disc. The beginning
of the second layer is located in the outer part of the disc, so the drive
starts reading from the outer tracks towards the inner part of the disc. Same
picture here with the NEC drive being the slowest and Plextor burner
again way in front.
The NEC ND-3520A seems to take its revenge with DVD-R and DVD+R media. It
reported 11.92X and 11.91X average reading speeds respectively.
ReWritable media reading speeds however, were slowest, slightly behind the
Toshiba SD-R5372 and a good deal behind the Plextor.
DVD-Video ripping speed was never a strong point of NEC drives, since NEC
uses a so called "Rip-Lock" to reduce the maximum ripping speed allowed
by the burner, to ensure safer reading performance. The
ND-3520A drive reported an average
speed of 5096kb/sec while the Plextor burner was more than twice as fast. On
the other hand, the ripping speed of Plextor PX-716A cannot be surpaased
by
any burner currently available on the market.
Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs
3. CD Error Correction Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner -
Page 3
CD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when reading
scratched / defective audio discs. The test discs used were the ABEX series
from ALMEDIO.
- ABEX TCD-721R
|
Errors
total
|
Num:
1521355
|
|
Errors
(Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 160496 |
Avg:
-79.5 dB(A) |
Max:
-16.0 dB(A) |
|
Error
Muting Samples
|
Num: 6038 |
Avg:
1.4 Samples |
Max: 563 Samples |
|
Skips
Samples
|
Num: 90 |
Avg:
6.0 Samples |
Max:
6 Samples |
Total Test Result |
62.0 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
|
C2 Accuracy |
96.9 % |
The maximum error loudness level
was high at -16.0dB and there were 90 skipped samples. This indicate poor CD error correction capabilities.
- ABEX TCD-726
|
Errors total
|
Num:
8595
|
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 6634 |
Avg:
-86.0 dB(A) |
Max: -15.2 dB(A) |
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 164 |
Avg:
11.2 Samples |
Max:
467 Samples |
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 1 |
Avg:
6.0 Samples |
Max: 6 Samples |
Total Test Result |
75.6 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
98.1 % |
Although the Abex TCD-726 test disc is much easier for drives in general to
read, the NEC burner 's performance does not indicate high error correction.
There was only one skipped sample, but the drive managed a total score
of 75.6 where better drives manage scores closer to 100. In general, the
drive's CD error correction capabilities need to be further improved.
- CD-Check Audio Test Disc
The CD-Check Test Disc is a very useful tool for evaluating the Sound Reproduction
/ Error correction capabilities of a CD player. The disc offers a signal combination
with disc error patterns to rate the drive's abilities to read music and reproduce
it completely. Five tracks on the disc contain a sequence of progressively
more difficult tests. These tracks are referred to as Check Level-1 through
Check Level-5.
The
tracks are reproduced through a software multimedia player (i.e.
Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone
is smooth, continuous without interruptions, skipping or looping. The higher
the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound reproduction
of the tested drive.
|
Error Level
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
|
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
3/5
|
0/5
|
0/5
|
The drive successfully passed only the first two out of the five check levels
for this test. Here too, the drive turned in a poor performance. Almost
all drives have difficulties reading the 5th level but good quality drives
can
read up to the 4th
level. However, most drives will pass at least the third level without any
problems.
- Summary
Generally we can say that the CD error correction of the NEC ND-3520A is
not good, something that could be fixed with newer firmware releases.
4. DVD Error Correction Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner -
Page 4
DVD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the NEC ND-3520A drive 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
This is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with a 4.7GB capacity, and its surface has an artificial scratch of dimensions varying from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The following transfer rate picture comes from the CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test.
The ND-3520A managed to read this test media without problems.
It should be noted that the ND-3500A also managed to read this disc, but needed
to lower its reading speed over the defects. This shows improved DVD error
correction capabilities with the 3520A, since it did not have to lower its
reading speed.
ABEX TDR-825
This is also a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM of 4.7GB capacity. The data structure of the disc is exactly the same as that of the TDR-821, with the difference that there are no scratches on it but instead, defective areas of dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm.
There are also fingerprints sized between 65 and 75 micrometers.
Small speed fluctuations were introduced, in order to succesfully read the entire test disc. On the other hand, the process was completed with no read errors. It should be noted that the burner reached 16X reading speed.
- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841
This is an 8.5GB dual layer single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm, on both layers.
Again, the ND-3520A proved to be a very good reader, giving no errors and no speed drops.
ABEX TDR-845
The disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc of a capacity of 8.5GB. The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the first includes defective areas and fingerprints.
The dimensions of the defective areas range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from 65 to 75 micro meters.
Excellent performance once again from the NEC drive.
ABEX TDV-541
The TDV-541 is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with a capacity
of 8.5GB. The disc is based on the TDV-540 series which is designed for inspection
and adjustment of DVD-VIDEO players. The disc checks the layer switch operation
from layer 0 to layer 1 and also includes test pictures and test signals for
DVD sound files.
The current TDV-541 also checks the error correcting capabilities of
the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
According to the graph above, the drive shows excellent performance
with the TDV-541 test disc. The scratched area was read without any
errors.
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 has also 65 - 75 micro meter fingerprints.
Again, the ND-3520A proves to be a very good reader. It had no problems reading
black dots and fingerprints on the surface of the disc.
- Summary
Although the ND-3520A model is not the fastest reader available, users will
not have any problem reading old, scratched media. High DVD error correction
capabilities will ensure best possible reading with defective discs.
5. Protected Disc Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 5
Protected Disc Tests
- Reading Tests
To create the image of the various protected titles to the hard disk, we used Alcohol 120% software and the appropriate settings, according to the protection type of the inserted discs. Below you can see the duration of each process as well as the transfer rate in each case.
Game Title |
Protection Scheme |
Duration |
Reading speed |
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme" |
Lybcrypt |
01:09 min |
1310 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
32:28 min |
172 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
3:05 min |
1858 sectors/sec |
The NEC ND-3520A is one of the slowest drives for SafeDisc v2 ripping. It
could only backup the test disc at an average speed of 172.19 sectors/sec.
With SecuROM v2 protected discs, the NEC burner was slightly slower than the
Plextor and the Toshiba burners and the Toshiba SD-R5372 burner was the fastest
with PSX discs.
- Writing Tests
The NEC ND-3520A supports the DAO-RAW writing mode. For checking the drive's
EFM correction status, we used 5 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 (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 v3.1 |
Sims Superstar SD v2.9 |
Sims Unleashed SD v2.8 |
Serious Sam-Second Encounter
SD v2.51.051 |
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 |
Toshiba
SD-M1502 |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Creative CD5233E |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
NEC ND-3520A
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Like most NEC based drives, the ND-3520A cannot produce working backups with the newest v2.8x, v2.9x
and v3.1x builds. Partially working backups were produced for SafeDisc v2.51.051 & v2.51.020.
6. DAE Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner -
Page 6
DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
The ND-3520A supports up to 13-32X CAV DAE speed. The following results were reported when using Exact Audio Copy software.
The Plextor burner supports up to 40X DAE speed. This makes it faster than the NEC burner. On the other hand, for 32X DAE speed, the ND-3520A reported very good performance.
The NEC ND-3520A drive can report C2 errors, but caching is not supported.
- Advanced DAE Quality
The performance of the ND-3520A was not that good at this point. Always
remember that good burners can achieve a perfect quality score of 100, but
the NEC burner could only achieve a score of 75.0. Additionaly, the drive was
the slowest of all three burners in this comparison matrix, while the Plextor
PX-716A reported the highest speed. The ND-3520A cannot read Leadin data or
Leadout data, but it can read CD Text and Subchannel data. The reported average
speed
was
24.28X. It seems that the drive's performance has not improved from the
ND-3500A model.
- Ripping 90mins AudioCDs
The ND-3520A had problems ripping 90mins AudioCDs. Reading speed dropped
to around 10X near the end of the reading process, from the 77th min to the
end but the drive could not read the
disc succesfully. We reminded you that the ND-3500A model could read/rip
90mins discs without problems.
- Ripping 99mins AudioCDs
With 99min AudioCDs, the burner could not even start the reading
process, giving the following error message.
It should be noted that 99min Audio CDs have been a problem with all NEC
based drives.
7. Protected AudioCDs
NEC ND-3520A Burner -
Page 7
Protected AudioCDs
For the test procedure we used three audio discs with different audio copy
protections. The ripping process on all protected Audio discs was carried out
with Exact Audio Copy v0.9 beta5.
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 Cactus Data Shield 200, contains artificial errors that are not easily
bypassed by the reader, while the Key2Audio contains a second session causing
problems for readers when trying to read the Table Of Contents (TOC).
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 click/skips.
The drive recognized up to the 12th Audio track of the CDS200 disc,
and with the "Retrieve Native TOC" option removed, the drive recognized
the 13th track.
The test results are shown in the following table:
|
Key2Audio |
CDS200 |
NEC ND-3520A |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison successful for all tracks |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison not the same for all tracks |
We observed similar performance as the ND-3500A model. The NEC ND-3520A could
not rip 100% accurately CD200 discs since Read&Test CRC check comparison
was not the same between corresponding tracks. On the other hand, Key2Audio
protected CDs were not a problem. EAC did not report timing problems and at
the same time, Read&Test CRC check comparison
was the same for all corresponding tracks.
- 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 which create problems 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 connected to specific chipset weaknesses.
We ripped the disc contents with EAC and burned the wav file produced from the Cactus Data Shield 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a disc with the latest Nero version as AudioCD+CD-Text. The burned media was checked for C1/C2 errors and for BETA/Jitter errors with PlexTools software using Plextor PX-712SA (firmware v1.05).
|
CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a |
NEC ND-3520A |
Reading performed without any errors. |
- C1C2 Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712SA (8X CLV reading speed)
- BETA/Jitter Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712SA
The C1/C2 error graphs show that the ND-3520A managed to produce a 100% error
free disc.
We then tried to extract all wav files with the Plextor PX-712SA and PlexTool DAE Error Correction 5th Level enabled:
No errors were reported after extracting all files. The drive can backup the
disc 100% accurately.
8. CD Recording Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 8
CD Recording Tests
- CD-R Format
The drive supports 8X, 16X, 24X, 32X, 40X and 48X (CAV) writing speeds.
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive clocked in an average speed
of 36.36X.
The test started at 21.43X and finished at 48.08X.
- CD-R Recording Times
We created an 80min data compilation with Nero Burning Rom and recorded
it on a 700MB disc. The writing performance varies according to the inserted
media. Below is a chart depicting all recording times with
various media.
You will notice here that not all media could be recorded at 48X, not
even good quality media such as TY. The ND-3500A had the same problem.
The burner
needed 3:03mins to complete a succesfull burn at 48X,
and 3:33mins at 32X.
- Other features
Overburning writing |
Up to 90min |
CD text reading/writing |
Yes |
- CD-RW Format
The ND-3520A supports 4X, 10X, 16X (CLV) and 24X (Z-CLV) rewriting speeds,
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.
- CD-RW Mount Rainier
The NEC ND-3520A does not support the Mount Rainier feature.
9. Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 9
Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
On this page we present the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs when
using various media burned at maximum speed allowed by the burner.
- 3T Pit results
The highest 3T Pit jitter level reached was 42nsec with Traxdata 52X media.
But in all other cases, 3T Pit jitter values remained below 35nsec, which is
the
Red
Book limit. Best performance came with SKC 52X media (32nsec), followed by
Verbatim 52X media (32.22nsec). Generally, the performance of the ND-3520A
was rather good, great improvement compared with the ND-3500A model.
- 3T Land results
The 3T Land results were also acceptable in most cases. Again, best results came with SKC 52X media (30.22nsec).
Although CDR writing quality was a headache for the ND-3500A, the new ND-3520A
managed to perform quite well. Note that most media were burned
at 48X, so lower burning speeds should by rights, produce even better results.
10. Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 10
Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
We measured the C1 / C2 error rate on the recorded discs we burned at the
various supported writing speeds. The software we used is the latest PleXTools Professional
, and in particular the built-in Q-Check utility. The reader
was the Plextor PX-712SA (firmware v1.05).
BenQ 80min 52X @ 48X
SKC 80min 52X @ 32X
Traxdata 80min 52X @ 48X
TY 80min 48X @ 32X
Verbatim 80min 52X @ 48X
- Summary
We noticed some uncorrectable errors with certain media that should not be reported by a good burner. BenQ media, for example, reported uncorrectable errors nearly at the end of the disc, while C1 error rates were low through the whole media. TY 48X media reported C2 errors, but in all cases the discs could be read succesfully by our main DVD reader, the LiteON drive. For reference, you can see below Nero CD/DVD screenshots of the reading process.
- Appendix
Media Label |
ID Code |
Manufacturer Name |
Lead Out TIme |
BenQ 52X |
97m22s67f |
Daxon |
79m59s74f |
SKC 52X |
97m26s26f |
SKC Co., Ltd. |
79m59s73f |
TY 80min 48X |
97m24s 1f |
Taiyo Yuden |
79m59s72f |
|
Verbatim 52X |
97m34s23f |
Mitsubishi Chemicals |
79m59s73f |
TraxData 52X |
97m15s17f |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
11. Writing Quality Tests - Clover System Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 11
Writing Quality Tests - Clover System Tests
This is the first time we include the following tests in a burner review. The Clover Systems CDX Compact Disc Analyzer is a high-speed tool to quantitatively measure the quality of a CD. It will analyze CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, CD-R, Photo-CD, Enhanced CD and CD-RW discs at 4X, 8X, 24X, 32X or 40X speed. It effectively measures disc quality by examining the quantity and severity of CIRC errors generated during playback. It also provides the capability to measure signal parameters related to pit geometry, such as asymmetry and reflectivity. Together, all these bits of information provide a thorough analysis of disc quality. The Clover Systems Analyzers can also perform various format-checking tests on data discs, and do bit-for-bit data comparison on all types of CDs. All tests are carried out at the maximum speed of 40X.
CIRC error correction uses two principles to detect and correct errors. The first is redundancy (extra information is added, which gives an extra chance to read the disc), and the second is interleaving (data is distributed over a relatively large physical area). The CIRC error correction used in CD players uses two stages of error correction, the well known C1 and C2, with de-interleaving of the data between the stages.
The error type E11 means one bad symbol was corrected in the C1 stage. E21means two bad symbols were corrected in the C1 stage. E31 means that there were three or more bad symbols at the C1 stage. This block is uncorrectable at the C1 stage, and is passed to the C2 stage. Respectively, E12 means one bad symbol was corrected in the C2 stage and E22 means two bad symbols were corrected in the C2 stage. E32 means that there were three or more bad symbols in one block at the C2 stage, and therefore this error is not correctable.
BLER (Block Error Rate) is defined as the number of data blocks per second that contain detectable errors, at the input of the C1 decoder. Since this is the most general measurement of the quality of a disc, you will find BLER graphs for all media tested below. If you click on the images you can see a more detailed table, indicating error levels. The Red Book specification (IEC 908) calls for a maximum BLER of 220 per second averaged over ten seconds. Discs with higher BLER are likely to produce uncorrectable errors. Al low BLER shows that the system as a whole is performing well, and the pit geometry is good. However, BLER only tells us how many errors were generated per second, and it does not tell us anything about the severity of those errors.
BenQ 80min 52X @ 48X
SKC 80min 52X @ 32X
Traxdata 80min 52X @ 48X
TY 80min 48X @ 32X
Verbatim 80min 52X @ 48X
- Summary
In most cases, CDR recording quality is very good. Especially with SKC 52X
media which is listed as "A Graded media", meaning low error
rates in all levels. Worst results came with BenQ media, giving uncorrectable
errors.
12. DVD Recording Tests
NEC ND-3520A Burner - Page 12
DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
The NEC ND-3520A supports DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW writing. The maximum supported
speed for DVD±R is 16X CAV, the same speed supported by the ND-3500A. You can see the full range of supported speeds on
the first page of this review. Nero Burning Rom's reported speeds are shown
below.
By using Nero CD-DVD Speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see
the 16X CAV recording technology in action for -R
and +R media. You can clearly see that WOPC is activated. It should
be reminded that (as was the case with the ND-3500A), when writing at lower
speeds, the burner can switch from CAV writing to Z-CLV writing strategy to
improve
disc
quality
(depending on media used).
DVD+RW writing speed is raised to 8X, while DVD-RW media can be burned at 6X. Although these high speed ReWritable media cannot be easily found on the market, CDRInfo managed to get this media from Verbatim. It is very interesting to see quality performance at these speeds.
- Burning Tests
Full Media Support list will be discussed later on this review
Although there are only a few -R 16X certified media, the ND-3520A used its
overspeed burning feature in many cases and managed to burn 8X certified media
at 12X or even 16X. However, writing quality with overspeed burned media is
very interesting and will be discussed later on in this review. Best time came
with Verbatim 16X media. The burner needed only 5:53mins to complete the burning
process. Very good performance by NEC's drive. With -RW 6X media, it took only
7:52mins, an excellent time at this writing speed. Not even Write-Once media
can achieve such good performance when writing at 6X.
Again, using the overspeed burning feature, the burner could burn at higher
speeds than the media indicated speed, in many cases. On the other hand,
some media could
not be burned at the indicated speed, but the drive used lower writing
speed to ensure writing quality. Philips 16X media could be burned at 8X and
CMC
Magnetics
16X media could be burned at 12X. This is something that can be corrected with
future firmware releases. Best performance came with Verbatim 16X media (5:58mins).
With +RW 8X media, it took only 8:21mins too complete a succesfull burn.
- Comparison with other drives
In all cases, the NEC ND-3520A model was faster than the Plextor burner although
slower than the Toshiba SD-R5372, but speed differences were not that significant.
Although the Plextor drive supports the same +RW/-RW writing speeds as
the NEC burner, it actually cannot burn at these speeds with +RW 8X certified
and -RW 6X media. This makes the NEC ND-3520A a much faster burner than the
Plextor PX-716A. However, this problem is known to Plextor and will be fixed
very soon with a new firmware update (not released yet while these lines are
being written). A fairer comparison should be made when this updated firmware
is released.
- DVD Overburning Tests
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed, we tested if the NEC ND-3520A can overburn using DVD+R
and DVD-R media. The drive does not support overburning, giving the following
error
with all inserted media.
- DVD+MRW Tests
The NEC ND-3520A does not support the Mount
Rainier feature.
13. Media Support list - +R/+RW/+R9 (DL) media