1. Package - Installation
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW -
Page 1
With
the FX-50, Freecom increases the speed of its DVD-burners to 8x. The new Freecom
FX-50
offers the ultimate solution for all applications: DVD±RW, CD-burner
and DVD/CD-ROM drive, all in a single unit. With the Freecom Dual
DVD drive you can copy DVD's and CDs or create back-ups on DVD, while with
the comprehensive software supplied, you can professionally process and edit
video, photo and music files. Both when writing and re-writing DVD's or CDs,
the built-in buffer underrun prevention technology guarantees absolute reliability
at all times.
- Features
The new Freecom FX-50 DVD+/-WR supports 8x maximum writing speed
with the DVD+R format while with the
-R format
it is
restricted
to 4x. The 8x maximum writing speed of a single layer DVD+R disc means that
the user is able to record a full 4.7Gb in approximately 8:30 minutes and
that time, is currently the fastest time we have seen, even from IDE recorders.
Besides
the maximum available speed for writable media, the new Freecom FX-50 DVD+/-WR
supports the current maximum available speed of 4x for the rewritable media
with the plus format. With the CD formats, Freecom is fast enough, supporting
40x writing and 24x rewritable speeds.
- Specifications
DVD Family |
Writing |
DVD-R |
1x, 2x, 4x max. |
DVD+R |
1x, 2x, 6x, 8x max. |
| Rewriting |
DVD-RW |
2x ( 2700KB/sec ) CLV |
DVD+RW |
4x (5400KB/sec) CLV |
|
Reading Speed |
|
12x (16200KB/sec) maximum CAV |
DVD+R/-R, DVD-RW/+RW
|
max. 8x |
| Access Time |
140 ms |
| Writing Formats |
DVD-ROM, DVD-Video |
Writing Modes |
DVD RW: Random Access Write, Sequential Write
DVD R: Sequential Write |
Supported Media |
DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW. DVD-RW |
CD Family |
Writing Speed CD-R |
16x, 24x, 32x, 40x max. |
| ReWriting speed CD-RW |
4x, 10x, 16x, 24x max. |
| Reading |
CD-R/-ROM max. 40x, CD-RW max. 32x |
| Access Time |
120 ms |
Writing Modes |
Disc at once, Session At Once, Track at once, Multi-Session, Packet Write |
| Writing Formats |
CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD Extra, MP3 CD's, Mixed ModeCD, VideoCD, CD TEXT , Bootable CD |
| Buffer Size |
2MB |
Interface |
USB 2.0,( USB 2.0 and USB 1.1) and IEEE 1394 (FireWire /i.Link) |
| Dimensions |
25.4x18.1x5.3 cm(L x W x H) |
| Supported Media |
CD-R, CD-RW (CD) CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-Extra, CD-I, Mixed-Mode CD, Video CD, Photo CD, CD-TEXT, Bootable CD, CD-R, CD-RW, Multi-Session |
The drive uses a 2MB buffer memory store and supports RAW DAO 96 writing
(CD). The drive does not support Mount Rainier,
nor does it read or write DVD-RAM media.
The drive uses the RPC II region control, allowing a user to change
the drive's region at most 5 times. For our tests, we set the region
code to 2 (Europe).
- The drive
The
freecom retail package was much larger than we had expected.
This is not only because of the size of the drive (see specifications above),
but
also
because of all the stuff the package includes. The drive is packaged
well and stable while all the accessories are contained in a second colored box.
Inside are the AC connector, one USB and two IEEE 1394
cables, the Freecom Warranty with a preprinted envelope for mailing it, and
finally a brochure
with other Freecom products. The included software comes on two
CD-ROM's, one for Windows PC and the other for Macs. Each cd contains
manuals, drivers and the respective Roxio CD recording software, Easy
CD Creator DVD Edition for PC and Toast for Mac. Also in the package
is a floppy
with updates for Easy CD Creator.
Last but not least, the package also contains a CD-R and a DVD+R also from
Freecom.
The drive's case is well designed with the Freecom logo on the top,
and is housed in a plastic, outer casing.The
tray door has the RW DVD+ReWritable, DVD R/RW, and Compact Disc ReWritable
logos
located
left to right respectively. Under the RW logo are the headphones jack, volume
control and power/activity led, while on the bottom right is the eject button.
The emergency eject
hole is located just above the volume control. The activity LED lights up green
when busy and red when reading/writing is in progress.
On the rear panel there are two IEEE 1394 and one USB socket, while the
AC connector jack is on the right. Note that there
is no
on/off power button.
The following picture shows the Freecom's top side.
As you can see in the following picture, from the inside label on the drive,
the FX-50 is a based on the LiteOn LDW-811S.
- Installation
Freecom has two available output connections. In order to get the most stable
and accurate results, mainly for the CD and DVD reading and writing tests,
we connected the Freecom writer via Firewire instead of USB after an open discussion
on
the forum, although most believed that there would be no conceivable difference
among the two connections. Freecom was identified as "FREECOM_DVD+/-RW8J" under
WinXP Sp1 Professional. All tests were done with firmware revision v.HSR1.
The following pages include the test results for the Freecom drive
in comparison with the LiteOn 811s and the Mitsumi DW7872TE.
2. Data CD Reading Tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW- Page 2
Data CD Reading Tests
- Pressed CD results (Click for
CDSpeed results)
The drive confirms the 40x maximum reading speed stated in the manufacturer's
specifications. NeroCDSpeed reported that the disc was read by the Freecom
FX-50 at an average speed of 31.6x
under CAV mode. That value, according to the above graph, is slightly higher
than LiteOn but slower in comparison with Mitsumi.
The reported seek times are quite good. The drive returned the fastest
Random and 1/3 seek mode times but was slightly slower than the Mitsumi drive
for a Full seek, requiring 187ms.
- CD-R results (Click for
CDSpeed results)
The tested CD-R media is a clone of the previous pressed test disc and the
reading performance of the Freecom FX-50 was similar for both media types.
Despite the fact that the Freecom drive started the reading process of the
CD-R disc faster than
with the pressed disc, the start speed was slowest amongst the three drives,
as shown on the above graph. Just as with the pressed disc, the CD-R disc was
read
under
CAV.
The best seek times for CD-R media, comes from the Mitsumi drive, while
the Freecom and LiteOn drive had similar times. The reported
seek times for all drives are acceptable, although slightly increased for Freecom
and LiteOn,
especially for the Full seek test.
- ReWritable Media (Click for
CDSpeed results)
For the reading test
we used 32x Ultra Speed rewritable media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.
The Freecom drive started the reading process at a slightly slower speed
than the other two drives. Despite this, the drive managed to bypass the manufacturer's
stated maximum
reading
speed and the finished the test with a reported end speed of 33.52. The average
reading speed with US-RW media was 25.29x but once again Mitsumi was fastest
among
the three.
3. CD Error Correction Tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW -
Page 3
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
The above picture shows the effected area on the Abex TCD-721R disc while
the graph below shows the reported errors during the reading test. To measure
this,
we
compare the reading errors of the defective disc against a disc without
defects.
|
Errors
total
|
Num:
893926
|
|
Errors
(Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num:
48295 |
Avg:-73.7
dB(A) |
Max:
-26.7 dB(A) |
|
Error
Muting Samples
|
Num:
2975 |
Avg:
1.0 Samples |
Max:
11 Samples |
|
Skips
Samples
|
Num:
0 |
Avg:
0.0 Samples |
Max:
0 Samples |
|
Total
Test Result |
76.9 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
The performance with this disc was very good. Despite the total number of
errors, the average error loudness is quite low, at-73.7 dB(A), while no skipped
errors were reported.
- ABEX TCD-726
The above picture shows the effected area on the Abex TCD-726 disc while the
graph below shows the reported errors during the reading test. To measure this,
we
compare
the reading errors of the defective disc against one without defects.
|
Errors total
|
Num:
0
|
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num:
0 |
Avg:
-174.0 dB(A) |
Max:-174.0dB(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
|
100
points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
The Abex TCD-726 test disc is much easier for drives in general to read. The
Freecom drive's reading performance was perfect, so the testing software awards
the drive with the perfect
score of 100. During the test, no samples were skipped
or muted, while an average level for loudness errors of -174.0dB(A) was reported.
- 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 (played) through software multimedia players (Windows Media Player, Winamp and Power DVD). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone coming
out
from the speakers 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
|
|
Freecom FX-50
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
0/5
|
0/5
|
The drive's overall performance was a little lower than it could have been.
The external writer managed to playback the first three tracks clearly but
there
were many
audible clicks during the playback of the last two levels.
- Summary
|
Test Disc
|
Reading Speed
|
Score
|
|
ABEX TCD-721R
|
Max
|
76.9
|
|
ABEX TCD-726
|
100.0
|
|
Average Score
|
88.45
|
The Freecom FX-50 DVD+/-RW received an average score of 88.45 out
of 100 for the two Abex test discs. This is a plus for the drive as the score
is quite high.
4. DVD reading tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW -
Page 4
DVD reading tests
- Single Layer DVD-ROM (Click
for CDSpeed results)
All three drives support 12x maximum reading speed and use CAV reading strategy
for the single layer DVD-Rom. It is therefore not surprising that the performance
from all three drives was similar with the 820A Abex test DVD-ROM. The reported
average reading
speed
of each
drives is about 9.3x
The seek times for the Freecom and LiteOn dirves are similar for single
layer DVD-Rom, while the results for Mitsumi are slightly higher.
- Dual Layer PTP DVD-ROM (Click for
CDSpeed results)
The two layers of a PTP DVD-ROM disc are read sequentially with the drive
starting the read process from the inner tracks on the disc, which is the beginning
of each layer,
and progressing outwards towards to the outer tracks for each layer.
The dual layer PTP DVD-Rom was read steadily, under CAV mode from Freecom
RW8J, and the test ended with very acceptable results. The reading process
started
at 3.53x and at the end of each layer reached 8.34x. On this test the Mitsumi
drive returned the slowest results.
The above graph shows that the seek times for the Freecom drive
are very fast although not the fastest in this comparison. The LiteOn drive
was the fastest while
the Freecom drive needed 91ms for Random seek and 173ms for Full seek. The
Mitsumi drive had the slowest seek times.
- Dual Layer OTP DVD-ROM
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
inwards towards the inner tracks of the disc.
All tested media up to now was read under CAV mode by the Freecom
RW8J drive, and the OTP DVD-ROM was no exception. The screenshot below
shows that the drive momentarily had to slow down speed at the end of the first
layer when switching over to the second layer,
while the screenshot on the left, shows low seek times and a good average speed.
- DVD Ripping Tests
We measured the DVD-Video ripping speed for the Freecom drive using the
latest version of DVD Decrypter. The DVD Video title is the "Matrix" pressed
DVD-Video.
DVD Decrypter reported that in order to use the Freecom RW8J for ripping,
we hade to set the region, and so we used Region 2. We ripped the
movie on the DVD-ROM to our hard disk. The above graph shows that Freecom and
LiteOn finished the process faster than Mitsumi. According to DVD Decrypter,
Freecom needed
12:53 minutes to finish the test resulting in an average speed of 6.6x
- DVD Recordable / Rewritable reading Tests
The chart below shows the Nero CDSpeed average reading speed results with
the following media:
The above graphs shows the average reading speed of the three drives with
all four media types, both writable and rewritable. The end speed for the
Freecom drive was slower than
the manufacturers specifications for 8x maximum reading speed and its average
speed was restricted to 4.65x for both DVD-R and DVD+R. LiteOn showed similar
performance to the Freecom drive while the Mitsumi returned the fastest speed.
With the rewritable media, the Freecom drive returned the fastest
reading speed with DVD+RW media, while the DVD-RW media was
read at exactly
the
same speed with all drives.
5. DVD Error Correction Tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW-
Page 5
DVD Error Correction
Tests
In the following
tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the external Freecom drive
with scratched / defective DVD media. For the tests we used CDVD
Benchmark and Nero CDSpeed. The reference test media
come
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 drive read the contents of the 821 test disc without reporting any reading
error. There were no speed deviations throughout the reading process.
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 the surface and instead
defective areas ranging in dimensions from 0.5 to 1.1 mm. There
are also fingerprints with height
between
65 and
75 micrometers.
The 825 test disc was more difficult for the Freecom drive to read. The
drive had to slow down speed from 9x to 5x, a little before the second defective
area on
the disc. Once again the test ended successfully.
- 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.
No problems during the reading process of the 841 dual layer DVD-ROM. The
drive read both layers accurately under CAV reading strategy and finished the
test
with an end speed at 9x
ABEX TDR-845
This disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc with capacity of 8.5GB.
The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the first includes
both defective areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defective areas
range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints have height sized from 65
to 75 microns (micrometers).
The drive needed momentarily to slow down during the reading process
just before the artificial fingerprints on the first layer, but the
test continued normally and finished
without
reading
errors.
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 sized from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
Nero CDSpeed shows that the Freecom Fx-50 found it difficult to finish the
541 test disc. The
problem
for the drive occurred after the layer switch operation where the
drive needed about 700mb of the disc reading surface to regain a constant reading
speed.
ABEX TDV-545
The
TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer
Video/S-2 disc with a capacity of 8.5GB. The TDV-545 includes artificial
black dots on the disc's surface, sized from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65
- 75 micrometer high fingerprints
Same performance as with the previous tested media for the Freecom drive,
where again it needed some time after the layer switch to regain its feet.
6. Protected Disc Tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW -
Page 6
Protected Disc
Tests
- Reading Tests
To create an image of the various protected titles onto a hard disk, we
used CloneCD v.4.3.2.2 software and the appropriate settings, depending on
the protection type of the inserted discs. Below are summarized the capabilities
of the Freecom drive, according to CloneCD
software. As you can see the drive supports writing of CD+G under RAW DAO:
The game titles we used for each protection scheme are given in the
table below:
Game Title
|
Protection Scheme
|
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme"
|
Lybcrypt
|
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07
|
SafeDisc v.2.60.052
|
Fifa 2004
|
SafeDisc v3.10
|
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
PSX Pressed Media
SafeDisc v.2
SecuROM v.2
The Freecom drive proved to be faster than the other two drives in the ripping
process of the PSX game and the safedisc2 protected disc while Mitsumi was
the slowest.
Mitsumi was faster than the other two ripping VRally 2 where
the
Freecom
drive needed 2:33min.
- Writing Tests
The Freecom drive supports the DAO-RAW writing mode.
For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 4 different game titles
with different SafeDisc 2 versions with the latest software patches installed.
After making the images of the various titles to the hard disk, we burned them
(maximum speed) with CloneCD. Two different discs were created for each
title; one with the "Amplify Weak Sectors" enabled and one more with
the
function disabled.
The table below shows the results of the attempted backups and whether
they ran (game installed / played normally), or not.
|
Drive |
Game Title |
SD2 Build |
Settings |
|
Amplify Weak Sectors On |
Amplify Weak Sectors Off |
|
Freecom FX-50 |
Max Payne |
v2.51.020 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Serious Sam - The Second Encounter
v1.07
|
v.2.60.052 |
Yes |
Yes |
The Sims Unleashed |
v.2.8 |
Yes* |
No |
The Sims Superstar
|
v2.9
|
Yes*
|
No
|
Fifa 2004 |
v3.1 |
No
|
No
|
The drive had a strange behavior in this test. It managed to make
working
backups of SafeDisc protection up to version v.2.9. However the backups of v.2.8
and v.2.9 were
not playable in the same drive but in others such as Teac CD-540E.
7. DAE Tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW -
Page 7
DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
Freecom uses 40x CAV reading strategy for CD-DA.
Below is the resultant output from the CDSpeed transfer rate test with a pressed
audio CD:
According
to Nero CDSpeed, the average reading speed was 30.91x, while at the end
of the reading process, the speed reached 40.82 x. The seek times were
good.
To test the ripping speed and the quality of the Freecom drive with Audio
discs, we used a pressed disc and a its clone, and we ripped their contents
to our
HD with EAC (burst mode). The following graphs show the results of each process.
LiteOn was faster than the other two drives, with an average
ripping speed of 39.9. Mitsumi's reported average speed was 29.6x while Freecom
proved to be the slowest with an average ripping speed of 28.3x.
The CD-R media returned similar results to the pressed disc.
The average speed for all drives is a bit slower in comparison with the
reported speed during the ripping of the pressed media.
- Advanced DAE Quality
Nero CDSpeed Advanced Dae Quality test awards the drive with
a quality score 100.0 and reports that during the test there were no Sync.
or Data Errors. The drive can safely be used for on the Fly Copying up to 16x.
On the Advanced features the software confirms that the drive is able to Read
Leadin, Leadout Cd Text and subchannel Data information.
- Support of 90/99mins AudioCDs
The drive managed to playback both 90min and 99min test discs.
- Reading/Ripping Protected AudioCDs
For this test procedure we used two audio discs with different
audio protection schemes. We tested for both recognition and
ripping to the hard disk. The software used was Exact Audio Copy.
* Pressed Audio disc protected by Nec Key2Audio (Celine
Dion - New Day
Has Come)
* Pressed Audio disc protected by Cactus Data Shield 200 (Natalie
Imbruglia - White Lilies Island)
|
|
Key2Audio |
CDS200 |
|
EAC |
Freecom FX-50 |
No |
OK |
Mitsumi DW-7872TE
|
OK |
Recognize the disc but cannot rip
or play the contents |
LiteOn LDW-811S
|
OK |
OK |
The Freecom drive managed successfully to playback and rip the contents of
the CDS protected disc. However this didn't repeat with the Key2Audio disc.
8. CD Recording Tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW - Page
8
CD Recording Tests
- CD-R Writing Tests
The Freecom drive supports 16x, 24x, 32x and 40x
writing speeds for the CD-R media. Just like with the reading processes
the drive used CAV strategy for the writing process.
To simulate the writing process we used the latest version of NeroCDSpeed and a blank 48x media from TY. The
test confirmed the manufacturer's specifications
for 40x recording which is under CAV. The average speed was at 31.41x.
- Recording Times
To compare the recording times of the three drives, we used NeroBurning Rom.
We created an 80min data compilation and recorded it on a 700MB disc.The above
graph shows the time that each drive needed to record that compilation at the
maximum available writing speed. All drives support the 40x maximum writing
speed
and use CAV writing strategy, therefore their results are almost identical.
Below is the writing time that each drive needed to complete the same recording
project at all available writing speeds. The comparison shows that the Freecom
drive was the fastest at all four speeds.
In the following graph you can see the recording times with
various media brands.
Also, the Freecom drive proved to have stable performance on the writing
times with different media brands.
- CD-RW Writing Tests
The Freecom drive supports 24x P-CAV maximum rewriting speed,
with Ultra Speed rewritable media. Below
are the results from the CDSpeed writing simulation test with blank
24x US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.
Accurate
process with maximum writing speed of 23.99x, a speed that was reached a little
after the first 100mb of the writing process.
We also used Nero Burning Rom software to burn a data disc using 24x US-RW
media from Mitsubishi Chemicals again. The data compilation, which we burned,
had a size of 651 MB. Same writing strategy and same maximum writing speed resulted
in similar burning times from all drives.
- Packet Writing Tests
Using InCD and Mitsubishi Chemicals 24x US-RW media for all Packet Writing
tests, quick format took 37sec. The formatted disc had
530mbs of free space. We copied a 403 MB file (412.822 KB) from Hard Disk
(on the same PC as the recorder) to the formatted RW media through Windows
explorer (drag and drop).
Operation
|
Duration
|
Average speed
|
Read
|
2:27 min
|
18.27x
|
Write |
2:21 min |
19.5x |
- Other features
|
Overburning
|
up to 99min
|
|
CD text reading/writing
|
Yes
|
9. Writing quality - 3T Jitter Tests
FREECOM Fx-50 DVD+/-RW -
Page 9
Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
To test the writing quality of the Freecom drive we burned the same Nero compilation
on six different media and then measured their Pit and Land Jitter. The
3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs are presented here.
- 3T Pit results
Here, we have to mention that one of our written discs(AM), was
not readable by the Pit-Land measurement drive although it was fully readable
by
all other drives on which we tested it. The C1C2 measurements of that disc reported
errors much higher than the acceptable level and that confirms the inability
to read the disc.
All written media returned high Pit values. The above graph shows that the
Pit values of Professional and Intenso media were higher than the 35ns Red
Book limitation at almost all measurements. On the other hand, CMC and Samsung
media returned the best quality and the most stable values.
The average
3T Pit Jitter values for all recording speeds are illustrated in the following
table.
The graph shows that the average Pit Jitter of Professional media
is 37.34ns, a value over the 35ns Red Book limitation indicating that
it is not a safe solution for quality writing. The lowest average
measurement comes from the CMC media while Samsung is also quite acceptable.
- 3T Land results
The Land Jitter graph shows that most problems for the Freecom drive
are located at the end of the writing task. All previous reported media
increased the Land values after the 70min mark where these values
are much
higher than the 35ns Red Book limitation. Once again CMC proved to be a safe
buy for quality writing.
The following average values graph confirms the very good burning quality
of the Freecom recorder.
The average Land Jitter graph shows that only the Intenso media exceeds the
35ns Red book limitation and that is the worst quality written disc. Professional
media seems to have low average Land Jitter but as we show on the previous
graph, there are areas that the Land Jitter values are much higher than the
acceptable limit.
|
Recording Speed
|
Average 3T Pit Jitter (ns)
|
Average 3T Land Jitter (ns)
|
> 35ns
|
Max 3T jitter values (ns)
|
|
Professional 48x
|
25.12 |
26.34
|
Yes |
41 Pit, 42 Land
|
|
Samsung 48x
|
26.95 |
28.41
|
Yes |
34 Pit, 42 Land
|
|
Maxell 48x
|
29.93 |
29.27
|
No |
31 Pit, 35 Land
|
CMC 48x
|
32.95 |
31.34
|
No |
32 Pit, 32Land
|
Intenso 52x
|
32.88 |
31.71
|
Yes |
44 Pit, 48 Land
|
- Summary
The Freecom FX-50 did not meet our expectations for quality writing with
CD-R media. One media brand was written at such low quality level that we
were not able
to include it on the above graphs. Three of the other five media gave back
values over the 35ns Red Book limitation while the remaining two returned
marginal results.
10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements
FREECOM DVD+/-RW8J -
Page 10
Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
The C1 / C2 error rate was measured for the recorded discs burned during the
previous writing tests (jitter). The software used was UMDoctor Pro II, and
the reader was the Optorite DD0203 drive.
-
Professional 48x recorded at 16x
-
Professional 48x recorded at 24x
-
Professional 48x recorded at 32x
-
Taiyo Yuden 48x recorded at 40x
-
Maxell 48x recorded at 40x
-
Samsung 48x recorded at 40x
Below is presented information on the CD-R media used in this test.
|
Disc |
ID Code |
Capacity |
|
Professional 48X |
TaiyoYuden 97m24s01f |
79:59:72 |
AM 48x |
Plasmon 97m27s18f |
79:59:74 |
|
CMC Magnetics 48x |
CMC Magnetics 97m26s66f |
79:59:71 |
Intenso |
Uknown 97m17s06f |
79:59:73 |
Maxell 48X |
Ritek 97m15s17f |
79:59:70 |
Samsung 48x |
Plasmon 97m27s18f |
79:59:74 |
- Summary
Umdoctor's C1C2 measurements confirm the bad results seen in the Pit and
Land Jitter measurements for the Freecom writer. All Professional written media
gave
back
many
C1 errors
mainly at the outer region. Umdoctor was not able to report all
errors for the AM media and the test ended at about the 70min of the disc.
11. DVD Recording Tests
FREECOM DVD+/-RW8J - Page 11
DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
The Freecom drive supports both plus and minus formats. According to the
specifications the drive writes a DVD+R media at approximately 8:30 minutes
while it needs double
the time for -R discs. With the rewritable format, 4x and 2x are the supported
writing speeds for +RW and -RW respectively.
Mitsubishi Kagaku 8x DVD+R
The
writing process started at 3.95x but the drive soon increased the speed
after only the first 300Mb of the writing process. The second step speed increase
occurred after 1Gb where the drive reached the maximum writing speed of
8x. The task ends with end speed at 8.27 and an average speed of 7.43x
CMC 4x DVD-R
CLV writing strategy for the -R format and average speed of 3.97x reported from NeroCDSpeed after the end of the writing simulation.
CMC 4x DVD+RW
The
certified 4x rewritable media from CMC recorded at 4x writing speed where
the process ended with an average speed 4.01x
CMC 2x DVD-RW
The
-RW disc was written at 2x under CLV with average writing
speed 1.98x
- Burning Tests
The best recording times are illustrated in the following table after burning
4315MB of data on various DVD±R, DVD±RW media, using the maximum
allowed writing speed for each disc.
The graphs above show the difference in times that each drive needed to
write both writable and rewritable media. The Freecom drive was fast with the
+R and +RW format
while it needed more time than the other two drives for the -R and -RW format
writing tasks.
- Packet Writing Tests
For this test we copied a 403 MB file (412.822 KB) from the hard disk (on
the same PC as the recorder) to the formatted RW media through Windows explorer
(drag and drop).
DVD-RW
|
Duration
|
Average speed
|
Read
|
1:46 min |
2.88x |
Write
|
2:28 min |
2.07x |
DVD+RW
|
Duration
|
Average speed
|
Read
|
1:47 min
|
2.86x |
Write
|
1:17 min
|
|
12. KProbe PI/PO quality tests
FREECOM DVD+/-RW8J - Page 12
PI/PO
quality results
The following screenshots show the PI/PO results for various DVD-/+R
and DVD-/+RW media, recorded with the Freecom drive at the maximum allowed
speed.
The software used for the measurements was KProbe v1.1.28, the ECC was
set to 8 and the reading drive was the LiteOn LDW-811S. The specific methodology
is very dependent on the
drive
used as a reader, while the reliability of the PI/PO provided output is also
not technically confirmed. Hence as a result, we cannot safely come up
with conclusive results,
although we do make a comparison
of the drive's behavior
when using
various
DVD recordable/rewritable
media.
The recording discs used came from Mitsubishi
Chemicals, CMC Magnetics, Taiyo Yuden, Maxell, Pioneer and Ritek.
Further details about each disc type are presented at the bottom of this page.
-
Mitsubishi Kagaku 8x DVD+R (recorded
at 8x)
-
Mitshubishi Chemicals 4x DVD+R (recorded
at 8x)
-
That's 8x DVD+R (recorded
at 8x)
-
Philips 4x DVD+R (recorded at
8x)
Media
|
Code
|
Mitsubishi Kagaku 8x DVD+R
|
MCC 003
|
Philips 8x DVD+R
|
Philips C08
|
That's 4x DVD+R
|
YUDEN000T01
|
MCC 4x DVD+R
|
MCC 002
|
Maxell 4x DVD+R
|
YUDEN000T01
|
Mam 4x DVD-R
|
MCI4XG01
|
Taiyo Yuden 4x DVD-R
|
TYG01
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 4x DVD-R
|
MCC 01RG20
|
CMC Magnetics 4x DVD-R
|
CMC MAG AF1
|
Ritek 4x DVD-R
|
RITEK G04
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 4x
DVD+RW
|
MKM A02
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 4x DVD-RW
|
MCC 01RW4X
|
The K-Probe test, showed that Freecom is a quality writer with the DVD+R format.
All PI/PO measurements are at a very acceptable level. On the other hand, the
DVD-R written media gave back high PI/PO levels while the writing quality
test of the MAM DVD-R, didn't end and moreover the disc was not readable. Maybe
with a firmware upgrade this issue be fixed.
13. Conclusion
Freecom FX-50 DVD+/-RW - Page 13
Conclusion
|
Pros |
Cons |
- Dual external DVD/CD writer
- 8x DVD+R writing
- Wide DVD+R compatibility
- 40/24/40 CD-RW
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Supports
40x DAE
- Fast DVD ripping
- Full retail package
- Compatible with Mac and Pc
- USB2.0 and IEEE 1394 connections
- CD Error
Correction
- Overburning
|
- Reads 6x DVD+/-R, RW
- CD-R writing quality
- No Power-Off Button
- Does not
support Key2Audio protected Audio discs
- DVD-R
writing quality
|
The retail version is very well packaged while the installation of the drive
was very easy under WinXP, being easily recognized after we plugged
the firewire connector.
The Freecom FX-50 external writer is the first dual DVD writer we have had
the chance to test, that supports 8x writing. Despite the fact that the
writer supports only the +R for 8x maximum writing, most of the tested +R media
were
written at 8x, which means very good media compatibility. On the DVD-R part
the drive
needs improvement, since almost all the discs we burned gave back high
PI/PO values. Maybe a firmware upgrade improve the DVD-R writing quality.
With CDs, the external Freecom drive seemed to have problems
with quality with many media we burned especially towards the end of the writing
process. We expect to
see some
improvement on this part when the new firmware will be released.
Despite this, all discs we tested were written at the maximum available
speed
and each process finished at about the same time.
The CD error correction capabilities of the drive are very good, while the
DVD error correction tests showed that the drive had average performance
mainly with ABEX TDV-541 and 545 test discs, where in both cases the drive
slows down in order to read the defective areas.
With DVD media, the Freecom drive was restricted to about
6x with DVD±RW media while it proved to be fast on the DVD-ROM reading/ripping
tests.
The backup process of the protected games we tested reveal a strange behavior.
Although the FX-50 is capable of SafeDisc v2.9 backup, the latest versions
of 2.8 and 2.9 were not playable in the same drive. The previous didn't had
any problem.
Summing up, the Freecom drive is an average performer and could be a good
choice for users who need to use an external drive either on a Mac or
on a
PC and
prefer the +R instead of -R format for DVD writing tasks. Freecom FX-50 is
available online for €180-200.