DVD Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the BenQ DW800A drive with scratched / defective DVD media. For these 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 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.

BenQ DW800A read accurately the contents of the 821 test disc without reporting any read error. The defected surface of the disc was not a problem for the drive.

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, but instead defective areas of dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm. There are also fingerprints of height between 65 and 75 micrometres.

As we can see from the screen shot above, the BenQ drive managed to read the defective areas on the disc. The task finished without problems.

- 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.

As with the previous single layer discs, the drive didn't slow down in order to read the scratched surface of the disc. The test finished with no errors and the drive showed solid performance.

ABEX TDR-845

This disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc of 8.5 GB capacity. 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 range in height from 65 to 75 micrometres.

The Abex TDR-845 test disc was not a problem for the BenQ drive. It read accurately the contents of the disc without reporting any error.

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 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 disc also checks the error correcting capabilities of the drive and includes scratches sized from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

Although there were some instantces of drops in the speed at the beginning of the reading procedure, BenQ managed to finish the test without any problems.

ABEX TDV-545

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

As we can see in the following screen shot from Nero CDspeed, the drive displayed smooth performance. It read the contents of the disc accurately and finished the test successfully.