Pioneer DVR-A03 DVD-R

Review Pages

1. Introduction
2. Installation
3. CD Data Tests
4. RW reading tests
5. DAE Tests
6. CDR Tests
7. DVD-R Tests - Page 1
8. DVD-R Tests - Page 2
9. DVD-R Tests - Page 3
10. DVD-R Tests - Page 4
11. RW Writing Tests
12. Conclusion

Pioneer DVR-A03 IDE DVD-R/RW - Page 12

Conclusion

Positive (+):	Negative (-):
- Super CD/DVD-R/RW combo drive - Supports 2x writing DVD-R - Supports 1x reading/writing DVD-RW - Supports 8x writing CD-R - Performance is within the drive's specifications - Supports reading of SubChannel Data (only 16bytes) - Supports CD-Text (reading/writing) - Low noise and CPU Usage while operating - Drive includes fan to keep temperature down - Low price compared to the past ($650)	- Only 4x rewriting - Doesn't support overburning (?) - Doesn't support DAO-RAW - Poor DAE quality with scratched CDs - Prices of DVD-R blanks are still very high!

The review of the Pioneer DVR-A03 must be the longest and hardest review that our team has ever performed. The drive not only supports CD, but also DVD-R and DVD-RW formats. So many tests had to be done and if you have made it reading so far you are probably really tired. Some time ago, DVD-R recording seemed liked a dream for most users, due to the high price of the drives, but now things have changed.

As it currently stands, the Pioneer DVR-A03 is the only recorder that supports both CD and DVD formats. The increased 2x writing DVD speed is a welcomed improvement over the previous Pioneer DVD-R recorders and the addition of DVD-RW format makes it unique. Dont forget the 8x writing and 4x re-writing speed of the drive. So is this the DVD-R recorder we have been dreaming off? Yes and no...

The main use of the DVR-A03 must be DVD-RW recording. The drive's specific weakness with CD format are not a pleasant surpise, but we have to focus upon its main use, "DVD-R recording". You must read cafefully what the drive can and cannot do. The battle of the DVD-R recording has just started and we hope that other manufacturers will follow Pioneer's example and ship similar DVD recorders at even lower price :-)

We feel that the DVR-A03 drive deserves our "Editors Choice Award" for its low price, compared with the recent past, and the advanced features that offers to its users.