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Appeared on: Thursday, July 29, 2004
Optorite_DD1203

1. Introduction

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 1

After the dual 8X recorder DD0405, Optorite speeds up to 12X recording for the plus format, with it's new DD1203 burner. Based on the Sanyo chipset, the new recorder promises good performance at an affordable price compared with other 12X +R recorders. Lets see how it stacks up!.

- Drive specs

The DD1203 dual burner offers 12X DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4X DVD±RW writing and 12X DVD-ROM reading. The drive also supports 40X recording for CD-R media and 24X for HS-RW.

- Features

"Safe-BP" has achieved enough detection performance at more than 40x speed with the improvement of the electric circuit for the detection of disarrangement of the servo pickup. When a disarrangement of this servo is detected at high speed recording conditions, the drive stops the recording immediately and restarts the recording at a lower recording speed.

Shock-BP always monitors the condition of the focus and tracking servos and stops the recording when it detects the change in rapid servo conditions, whence it restarts recording at the stop position after the servo condition has recovered.

A generic name for Flexible Speed and Flexible Strategy. 'FlexSS-BP'technology automatically selects the optimum recording speed for each disc, because some CDs cannot stand high speed recording with a high recording power.

Flexible Speed
When a drive determines that it is barely tracking the placed disc correctly because of the variations between discs, and it determines that the disc cannot withstand a high power laser at high speed recording, the drive selects a suitable recording speed for the disc and continues to record.

Flexible Strategy
It measures and evaluates the recording condition of recorded area at switching zones.

HD-BURN
Developed by SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., a high density recording technology that doubles the recording capacity of conventional CD-R media (700MB).

- Specifications

Interface
E-IDE / ATAPI (Ultra DMA mode2)
Internal Buffer Size
2MB
Data tranfer speed ( ATA I/F) 33MB/sec. (Ultra DMA mode2)
Random Access Time:

DVD 130ms and CD 100 ms
Write Speed DVD+R: 12X DVD-R: 8X,
DVD+RW: 4X DVD-RW: 4X
CD-R: 40X CD-RW: 24X
HD-BURN: 24X
Read Speed

DVD+R: 12X DVD-R:12X
DVD+RW:12X DVD-RW:12X
DVD-ROM: Max. 12X (Single)
DVD-ROM: Max. 8X (Double)
DVD-Video: 12X
CD-R: Max. 40X
CD-RW: Max. 40X
CD-ROM: Max. 40X
CD-DA: Max 40X
CD-Video: Max 4X
HD-BURN: Max. 78X
Writng Type DVD+R: Incremental Write (Multi Session Support)
DVD-R: Disc at Once, Incremental Recording (Multi-Border Support)
DVD+RW: Random Write
DVD-RW: Rigid Restricted Overwriting, Incremental Write
CD-R/RW: Disc at Once, Session at Once, Track at Once, Packet Writing (Multi Session Support)
Disc Size 8/12 cm discs
OS Compatibility Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
Dimensions (W*H*D) 148.5x42.5x194.2mm
Weight <1.0kg (2.2lb)
Power Requirements DC +5V± 5% / 12V± 10%, Max. 2.0A
MTBF > 30.000 POH (duty 20%)
Enviromental Specifications

Operating Temprature: 5°C to 45 °C
Storage Temprature -30°C to 60°C

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

The drive also uses the RPC II region control, allowing a user to change the drive's region at most 5 times. There is a region free firmware available at "The Dangerous Brothers" website.

- Retail package

The retail package includes the Optorite DD1203, a quick installation guide, mounting screws and a sound cable. Software included are Nero v6 OEM version and Sonic MyDVD. A pleasant surprise is the inclusion of an alternative black bezel.

On the front, there are on the tray the DVD-R/RW, DVD+RW and compact disc rewritable logos. The activity led is below the emergency eject hole. On the right there are the play/skip and stop/eject buttons, while there's also a volume adjust on the left next to the headphones jack. The front bezel can be changed with the included black as was previously mentioned, or left white, as is out of the box. Note that both are included in the retail package.

On the rear panel you can see the analogue and digital outputs (SPDIF), the IDE connector and the power input.

Removing the screws and opening the drive's cover voids the drive's warranty. For reference reasons, we post the following pictures. You can click on the mainboard picture for a higher resolution image:

- Installation

The drive was installed as secondary master and WindowsXP recognized it as "OPTORITE DVD RW DD1203". The drive arrived with firmware v110E. After all tests finished a newer firmware revision (v1.20E) was released.

Below is a picture from Nero Burning Rom, showing the drive's specs.

We will compare the Optorite drive with the LiteOn SOHW-1213S and Plextor PX-712A, since the drives have similar DVD/CD recording specs.

- Testing software

In order to perform our tests we used:

  1. Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.12
  2. CDVD Benchmark v1.21
  3. ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
  4. Nero Info Tool v2.21
  5. KProbe v2.2.2 (Reader: Optorite LDW-811S firmware vHS0Q, Reading speed 8X CAV)
  6. PlexTools v2.15 (Reader: Plextor PX-712A firmware v1.03, Reading speed 8X CLV for CD-R)
  7. DVDInfoPro v2.54
  8. Nero Burning Rom v6.3.1.17
2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 2

Transfer Rate Reading Tests

- CD Format

The Optorite DD1203 supports up to 40X reading speed for CD media. Our tests confirmed this. Below are the transfer rate graphs:

The CD reading performance of the DD1203 is not the fastest in the comaprison but this is due to the fact that the LiteOn and Plextor drives support 48X speed with CD media.

- DVD Format

The DD1203 drive was slower than both the Plextor and LiteOn drives when using single layer DVD-ROM media, but again this is due to the speeds supported by each drive. However, the OptoRite drive did not quite reach 12X reading speed, as per the specs!

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, towards the outer range, for each layer. Here too, the DD1203 was slower than the Plextor, again due to the supported speeds but this time the drive managed to reach the manufacturer's stated specs for DL DVD-ROM media (8X).

Click for full graph

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 of 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 toward the inner part of the disc. The average reading speed was at 6.39X.

The DD1203 supports 12X reading speed for all four DVD formats (-R, +R, -RW, +RW). While the Plextor drive displayed fairly consistent speeds of just over 9X regardless of the format, the Optorite and LiteOn drives weren't quite so steady. With -/+R media, the Optorite drive was just slightly slower than the Plextor, but with RW media, its performance was way behind.

At 9441 kb/s, the Optorite offers a fast ripping transfer rate but again lags behind the Plextor drive.

- Appendix

Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs

3. CD Error Correction Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 3

CD Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when it comes to reading scratched / defective discs. The test discs we used are the ABEX series from ALMEDIO.

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total
Num: 1235229
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
Num: 59315
Avg: -72.1 dB(A)
Max: -6.8 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples
Num: 59315
Avg: 1.3 Samples
Max: 605 Samples
Skips Samples
Num: 117
Avg: 16.4 Samples
Max: 582 Samples
Total Test Result
60.9 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

The 1203 performed poorly with the ABEX TCD-721R. The total error count of 1235229 is about average, but the level at -6.8 dB(A) is very high and may lead to audible errors. Consequently, the number of skipped samples is also very high. The low total test result score of 60.9 out of 100 is justified.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total
Num: 0
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
Num: 18
Avg: -40.1 dB(A)
Max: -37.6 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples
Num: 0
Avg: 0.0 Samples
Max: 0 Samples
Skips Samples
Num: 2
Avg: 36.0 Samples
Max: 36 Samples
Total Test Result
84.9 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

The performance with this test disc was better than with the previous case, which is logical since this disc is much easier to read. The total test result of 84.9 out of 100 is not the best we have seen since there are many drives that achieve scores close to 100. Overall, the performance for this series can be considered below par.

- 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 difficult tests. These tracks are referred as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.

The files are reproduced (played) through a software multimedia player (i.e. Windows Media Player). 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 device.

Error Level
1
2
3
4
5
Optorite DD1203
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5
0/5

The drive passed the first four Check Levels of the test. The performance is very good offering better than average error correction capabilities. The fifth level, which includes an error size of 1.500mm, produced many audible clicks with the drive.

- Conclusion

CD error correction is not one of the Optorite drive's strongpoints. Performance could be better...

4. DVD Error Correction Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 4

DVD Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the DD1203 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 graph comes from the CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test.

Generally a clean performance, just a few speed deviations especially over the more difficult areas as shown by the collection of yellow dots becoming more dense as reading progresses over the defective area.

ABEX TDR-825

This is also a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM of a 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 defected areas of dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm. There are also fingerprints sized between 65 and 75 micrometers.

Both single layer test media were not a problem for the DD1203 drive. So far, DVD error correction is impressive.

- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841

This is a 8.5GB dual layer, single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm, in both layers.

The drive read both layers without any major problems, however the reading strategy changed from CAV to CLV when it met with problems while reading over the defective region.

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 defected areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defected areas range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from 65 to 75 micro meters.

Excellent performance...

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 upon the TDV-540 series which is designed for inspection and adjustment of DVD-VIDEO players. The discs check the layer switch operation from layer 0 to layer 1 and also include test pictures and test signals for DVD sound files. The current TDV-541 checks also the error correcting capabilities of the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

Click for full graph

Although the reading started normaly, after a while the drive needed to slow down in order to read the contents of the disc on the defeactive area. However, no errors were reported and the task finished successfully.

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 meters fingerprints.

Click for full graph

Black dots and fingerprints on the disc's surface did not create any reading problems.

- Summary

The DVD error correction of the Optorite drive is in general, very good.

5. Protected Disc Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - 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 for each process as well as the transfer rate in each case.

Game Title
Protection Scheme
Duration
Reading speed
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme"
Lybcrypt
04:48min
313 sectors/sec
Serious Sam The Second Encounter
SafeDisc v.2.50.051
1:08:00min
92 sectors/sec
VRally II
SecuROM v.2
05:19min
1077 sectors/sec

The Optorite drive had the slowest ripping speed with all tested games. Especially with the SafeDisc protection scheme, the time needed was totaly unacceptable.

- Writing Tests

The Optorite DD1203 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 (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.

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
Yes
Creative CD5233E

Optorite DD1203

The drive maneged to create working backups only up to version 2.8. Newer versions are a problem for the DD1203.

6. DAE Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 6

DAE Tests

- Pressed and CDR AudioCD

The Optorite DD1203 supports up to 40X CAV DAE speed. When using a pressed AudioCD and its CD-R copy, with EAC we logged the following results:

The Optorite drive performed well if we keep in mind it supports 40X speed against 48X for the other drives.

- Advanced DAE Quality

The Optorite DD1203 received a score of 100 (perfect) in the Nero CD Speed Advanced DAE test. CDSpeed showed that the average reading speed was 28.6X, and the drive supports reading of SubChannel data, Leadin / Leadout data and CD Text.

- Reading 90/ 99mins AudioCDs

Click for full graph

Click for full graph

7. Protected AudioCDs

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 7

Protected AudioCDs

For the test procedure we used three audio discs with different audio copy protections. The ripping process performed for all protected Audio discs was carried out with Exact Audio Copy v0.9beta5.

The tested protected Audio discs were:

The Cactus Data Shield 200, contains artificial errors that are not easily bypassed with a 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:

The Optorite DD1203 recognized up to the 12th Audio track of the CDS200 disc, and with the "Retrieve Native TOC" option removed, the 13th Data track.

The test results are shown in the following table:

Key2Audio
CDS200
Optorite DD1203
Ripping process completed, EAC reports timing 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 Optorite DD1203 will rip both Key2Audio/CDS200 protected audio discs. Both discs were recognized and their contents were ripped at the maximum speed. However, the drive may not rip 100% accurately, since EAC reported timing problems.

This is a "special" CDS200 build, as 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 connected 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 software using Plextor PX-712A (firmware v1.03).

 
CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a
Optorite DD1203
Reading performed without any errors but writing results a high number of C2/CU errors.

The C1/C2 error graphs indicate that the drive doesn't manage to produce a 100% error free disc.

Lets try to extract all the wav files with the Plextor PX-712A and PlexTool DAE Error Correction 5th Level enabled:

Errors were reported for all tracks. The drive cannot backup the disc accurately.

8. CD Recording Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 8

CD Recording Tests

The Optorite DD1203 supports 40X CD-R and 24X US-RW recording speeds.

The drive supports 4X, 8X, 16X, 24X, 32X, and 40X writing speeds. Below are the recording speeds as detected by Nero Burning Rom.

Click for details

According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive reached the maximum 40X speed. The test started at 18.22X and finished at 41.20X having an average speed of 31.17X. Click on the image to see the complete graph.

For the burning tests we created an 80min data compilation through Nero Burning Rom, recording the data on a 700MB disc. The Optorite DD1203 finished the task in 3:15 minutes, at the maximum 40X writing speed. The LiteOn and Plextor drives support 48X and this is the reason for the difference in times.

The writing performance varies according to the inserted media. The ExactLink system will lower the writing speed if the media ID code is not found in the drive's firmware. Below is a chart demonstrating corresponding recording times for the various media.

- Other features

CD text reading/writing
Yes
Overburning with 80min CD
81:57
Overburning with 90min CD
91:50
Overburning with 99min CD
81:47

The DD1203 supports a maximum 24X P-CAV 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.

Click for details

We also used Nero Burning Rom in order to burn a data disc with 24X US-RW media from MC. The data compilation we burned had a size of 651 MB and the duration of the recording process was 3:44 minutes.

- CD-RW Mount Rainier Tests

Mount Rainier isn't supported.

9. 3T Jitter Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 9

3T Jitter Tests

In the following page you can see the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs using various media burned at 40X CAV writing speed.

- 3T Pit results

- 3T Land results

As it can been seen from the graphs above, the Jitter levels are high to extremely high with most media. Verbatim and Mam had the best results.

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

10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 10

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 was PleXTools Professional v2.15, and particularly the built-in Q-Check utility. The reader was the Plextor PX-712A (firmware v1.03)

BenQ CD-R 52X@ 40X

HiSpace CD-R 48X@ 16X

Mam CD-R 52X@ 24X

Plextor CD-R 48X @ 40X

Promedia CD-R 48X@ 40X

Traxdata CD-R 52X@ 40X

Verbatim CD-R 52X@ 40X

The CD recording quality is barely acceptable with the specific media we tested. Only in two cases is the quality good, without C2 or CU errors. With the rest, there were C2 readings and in one case CU (Traxdata CD-R 52X@ 40X).

- Appendix

Media Label
ID Code
Manufacturer Name
Lead Out TIme
Verbatim 80min 52X
97m34s23f
Verbatim
79:59.73
HiSpace 80min 48X
97m25s07f
unknown
79:59.00
BenQ 80min 48X
97m22s67f
Daxon Technology
79:59.74
Plextor 80min 48X
97m24s 1f
Taiyo Yuden
79:59.72
TraxData 80min 52X
97m15s17f
Ritek
79:59.70
Mam 80min 52X
97m27s58f
Mitsui
79:59.74
Promedia 80min 52X
97m26s66f
CMC Magnetics
79:59.71
11. DVD Recording Tests

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 11

DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance

The Optorite DD1203 supports both the DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW writing formats. The maximum supported speed for DVD+R is 12X ( P-CAV) & 4X CLV for DVD+RW media. DVD-R writing offers 8X ( Z-CLV) maximum writing speed and 4X CLV rewriting speed. Nero Burning Rom reported speeds are shown below.

Nero CD-DVD Speed's "create disc" function with Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD+R media, shows us the 12X Z-CLV recording technology being used by the Optorite DD1203 recorder. The second screenshot reveals the writing strategy for 8X DVD+R while the third for DVD-R.

Click for details

Click for details

Click for details

- Burning Tests

We burned 4315MB of data on various DVD±R, DVD±RW media. We used the maximum allowed writing speed for each disc, with th ExactLink feature enabled. For the 12X DVD+R burning speed, the supported media list is poor as only two of our media was compatible at that speed. The best recording time for the DVD+R format came from Maxell 8X media with 6:44 mins burning time.

Below are all the burning results with the various media types used.

Disc Label
Disc Information
Max Allowed Writing Speed
Total Recording Time (mins)
3A 8X DVD-R
POMS3A
4X
14:58
BenQ 4X DVD-R
SONY04D1
4X
14:50
CMC 8X DVD-R
CMC MAG. AE1
8X
9:49
MAM 4X DVD-R
MAM4XG02
4X
14:44
Maxell 8X DVD-R
MXL RG03
8X
9:49
Mitsubishi 4X DVD-R
MCC 01RG20
4X
14:35
Mitsubishi 8X DVD-R
MCC 02RG20
8X
9:43
Traxdata 4X DVD-R
RITEKG04
4X
14:36
Traxdata 8X DVD-R
RITEKG05
8X
9:46
Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R
TYG01
8X
9:42
Traxdata 4X DVD-RW
RITEK W04
4X
14:39
Verbatim 4X DVD-RW
MCC 01RW4X
4X
14:38
Disc Label
Disc Information
Max Allowed Writing Speed
Total Recording Time (mins)
Ricoh 8X DVD+R
PICOHJPNR02
12X
6:39
3A 8X DVD+R
Plasmon1 C01
4X
14:29
CMC 8X DVD+R
CMC MAG E01
8X
7:49
Maxell 8X DVD+R
MAXELL002
12X
6:44
Mitsubishi 4X DVD+R
MCC 002
4X
14:09
Mitsubishi 8X DVD+R
MCC 003
8X
7:47
MMore 4X DVD+R
MBIPG101R03
4X
14:16
Intenso 8X DVD+R
PRODISC R03
8X
7:51
Traxdata 4X DVD+R
RICOHJPN R01
4X
14:10
Traxdata 8X DVD+R
RITEK R03
4X
14:25
Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD+R
YUDEN000 T02
12X
6:53
Traxdata 4X DVD+RW
RICOHJPNW11
4X
13:43
Maxell 4X DVD+RW
PHILIPS 041
4X
13:43

Supported media list for firmware 120E.

- DVD Overburning Tests

In order to test the drive's DVD overburning capabilities, we used two media types, one from CMC 8X DVD-R and one from 3A 8X DVD+R. As you can see, the drive refused to start the test with DVD-R media,

while with DVD+R, the test started but when it reached 4.38GB, stopped with an error message.

The Optorite DD1203 cannot overburn with DVD±R formats.

- DVD+MRW Tests

Mount Rainier isn't supported.

12. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 1

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 12

KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 1

In the following screenshots you can see the PI/PIF scans for the DVD+R/RW media we burned with the Optorite DD1203. The software we used for all measurements is KProbe v2.2.2, and the reader is the LiteOn LDW-811S with "HS0Q patched" firmware, being able to read DVD±R/RW media up to 8X CAV. All scans have been performed at 8X with PI/PIF Sum8. Note that LiteOn drives cannot report PO but PIF errors, despite what KProbe reports. In addition, all discs have been scanned with PX-712A v1.03 using PlexTools v2.15 for comparison levels.

Comparing the KProbe/PlexTools scans, we can see major differences in the reported PI/PIF error rates. The main explanation is that we have two different readers, with different pickup/chipset combinations, scanning at different reading speeds (8X CAV for KProbe, 2~5X CAV for PlexTools). It's interesting to see the disc scanned at low & high speeds, since when the error rate increases at a specific disc area, it should appear in both scans...else it would be, perhaps, a reading glitch of the tested reader.

Note: PI/PIF errors only give us a quick look at the error rate of the burned media. Those scans should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality but as an indication level.

Ricoh 8X DVD+R @ 12X

3A 8X DVD+R @ 4X

CMC 8X DVD+R @ 8X

Maxell 8X DVD+R @ 12X

Although Plextools failed to read the disc's contents, as was the case with CDSpeed also, the disc was playable without problems in our standalone DVD players and in Media Player Classic with both DVD-ROM drive and recorder.

Mitsubishi Chemicals 4X DVD+R @ 4X

Mitsubishi Chemicals 8X DVD+R @ 8X

MMore 4X DVD+R @ 4X

Intenso 8X DVD+R @ 8X

Traxdata 4X DVD+R @ 4X

Traxdata 8X DVD+R @ 4X

Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD+R @ 12X

This media was not accessible on our Philips player while it was on the Pioneer.

Traxdata 4X DVD+RW @ 4X

Maxell 4X DVD+RW @ 4X

- Summary

Regarding the PIE/PIF scans, we can say that the Optorite DD1203 had average performance. The PIE/PIF levels are high in many cases and in certain cases extremely high. All the discs were playable on our standalone players, except for Taiyo Yuden media which did not play on one of our two players.

- Appendix


Disc Label
Disc Information
Max Allowed Writing Speed
Total Recording Time (mins)
Ricoh 8X DVD+R
PICOHJPNR02
12X
6:39
3A 8X DVD+R
Plasmon1 C01
4X
14:29
CMC 8X DVD+R
CMC MAG E01
8X
7:49
Maxell 8X DVD+R
MAXELL002
12X
6:44
Mitsubishi 4X DVD+R
MCC 002
4X
14:09
Mitsubishi 8X DVD+R
MCC 003
8X
7:47
MMore 4X DVD+R
MBIPG101R03
4X
14:16
Intenso 8X DVD+R
PRODISC R03
8X
7:51
Traxdata 4X DVD+R
RICOHJPN R01
4X
14:10
Traxdata 8X DVD+R
RITEK R03
4X
14:25
Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD+R
YUDEN000 T02
12X
6:53
Traxdata 4X DVD+RW
RICOHJPNW11
4X
13:43
Maxell 4X DVD+RW
PHILIPS 041
4X
13:43

With the latest firmware (120E), the situation is the same as far as the allowed speeds for each media are concerned. Only for Traxdata 8X DVD+R (RITEK R03) is there a change which can now be burned at 8X.

We have also confirmed the maximum allowed speed for the Philips C08 and C16, Taiyo Yuden YUDEN000 T01 which are all 4X. For Optodisc ( OPTODISC OR8) the speed is at 8X.

13. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 2

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 13

KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 2

In the following screenshots you can see the PI/PIF scans for the DVD+R/RW media we burned with the Optorite DD1203. The software we used for all measurements is KProbe v2.2.2, and the reader is the LiteOn LDW-811S with "HS0Q patched" firmware, being able to read DVD±R/RW media up to 8X CAV. All scans have been performed at 8X with PI/PIF Sum8. Note that LiteOn drives cannot report PO but PIF errors, despite what KProbe reports. In addition, all discs have been scanned with PX-712A v1.03 using PlexTools v2.15 for comparison levels.

Comparing the KProbe/PlexTools scans, we can see major differences in the reported PI/PIF error rates. The main explanation is that we have two different readers, with different pickup/chipset combinations, scanning at different reading speeds (8X CAV for KProbe, 2~5X CAV for PlexTools). It's interesting to see the disc scanned at low & high speeds, since when the error rate increases at a specific disc area, it should appear in both scans...else it would be, perhaps, a reading glitch of the tested reader.

Note: PI/PIF errors only give us a quick look at the error rate of the burned media. Those scans should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality but as an indication level.

3A 8X DVD-R @ 4X

BenQ 4X DVD-R @ 4X

CMC 8X DVD-R @ 8X

MAM 4X DVD-R @ 4X

Maxell 8X DVD-R @ 8X

Mitsubishi Chemicals 4X DVD-R @ 4X

Mitsubishi Chemicals 8X DVD-R @ 8X

Traxdata 4X DVD-R @ 4X

Traxdata 8X DVD-R @ 8X

Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R @ 8X

Traxdata 4X DVD-RW @ 4X

Verbatim 4X DVD-RW @ 4X

- Summary

Once again, the DVD recording quality, this time with the minus format, is barely acceptable. Here too there are high levels of PIE/PIF, while all the discs were playable on our standalone players.

- Appendix

Disc Label
Disc Information
Max Allowed Writing Speed
Total Recording Time (mins)
3A 8X DVD-R
POMS3A
4X
14:58
BenQ 4X DVD-R
SONY04D1
4X
14:50
CMC 8X DVD-R
CMC MAG. AE1
8X
9:49
MAM 4X DVD-R
MAM4XG02
4X
14:44
Maxell 8X DVD-R
MXL RG03
8X
9:49
Mitsubishi 4X DVD-R
MCC 01RG20
4X
14:35
Mitsubishi 8X DVD-R
MCC 02RG20
8X
9:43
Traxdata 4X DVD-R
RITEKG04
4X
14:36
Traxdata 8X DVD-R
RITEKG05
8X
9:46
Taiyo Yuden 8X DVD-R
TYG01
8X
9:42
Traxdata 4X DVD-RW
RITEK W04
4X
14:39
Verbatim 4X DVD-RW
MCC 01RW4X
4X
14:38
14. HD - BURN

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 14

HD - BURN

HD-BURN allows writing twice the amount of data than can normally fit on a CD-R disc. This means that up to 1.4GB of data can be recorded on 700MB CD-R media. The Optorite DD1203 supports 24x writing speed for the HD-Burn option.

To check the performance of the Optorite DD1203 with HD-Burn, we used NeroBurning Rom which supports the HD-Burn function. The available HD-Burn compilations are CD-ROM (ISO, UDF, ISO/UDF, Bootable), HD-BURN -Video or just copy an HD-BURN disc.

The supported reading speed for HD-BURN, according to the manufacturer, is 74X. In our test, the drive reached 80X reading speed.

Our output HD-Burn disc was playable without problems with Windows Media Player.

15. BookType Setting

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 15

BookType Setting

We would like to see this option supported.

16. Conclusion

Optorite DD1203 Dual DVD±RW Recorder - Page 16

Conclusion

After finishing the review, we have come to the conclusion that the drive's performance as a reader was good. The Optorite DD1203 had acceptable reading speed for a 40X drive and very good seek times in all modes. As for CD error correction, the drive performed poorly and is something we would like to see improved.

In the DVD tests, the drive showed good reading speed and low seek times. With scratced DVD media, the drive's ability to correct and read through the defective areas was very good, where in our tests, no errors were reported. There was only one case, that of the ABEX TDV-541 test disc, where the speed dropped in order to read the defective area.

Games protected with SafeDisc up to version v2.8 are not a problem for the Optorite drive. With newer versions, the drive could not make working backups. The ripping speed was not high, especially in the case of Safedisk protection scheme where the results were rather slow.

The DD1203 drive managed to play and rip both Key2Audio and CDS200 protection schemes. However the drive may not be ripping the discs 100% accurately since EAC reported timing problems. The 90min test disc was played successfully while the 99min disc reports errors in the last tracks. The drive also cannot backup the CDS200 protected Aiko Katsukino - The Love Letter title.

CD recording quality is good with half the media we tried, even after we flashed the drive with the latest firmware (120E). The rest of the media reported high jitter levels. This needs to be addressed and fixed!

As for the writing quality with the DVD media, it was acceptable. There were many cases with increased PI/PIF levels. This is also something that we would like to see improved. However, no matter what the recording quality was, all the media we burned was playable on our standalone DVD players from Pioneer and Philips. There was only one case where the media did not playable.

- The Good

- The Bad

- Like to be fixed



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