BenQ DW800A 8x DVD+RW

Review Pages

1. Package - Installation
2. Bundled software
3. Data CD Reading Tests
4. CD Error Correction Tests
5. DVD Reading Tests
6. DVD Error Correction Tests
7. Protected Data Disc Tests
8. DAE Tests
9. CD Recording Tests
10. 3T Jitter Tests
11. C1 / C2 Error Tests
12. DVD Recording Tests
13. KProbe PI/PO quality results
14. Conclusion

BenQ DW800A DVD+RW - Page 4

Error Correction Tests

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

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total	Num: 1103596
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 52669	Avg: -73.6 dB(A)	Max: -12.5 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 3108	Avg: 1.8 Samples	Max: 1140 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0.0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	76.2 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

Most drives find the 721Abex test disc hard to read accurately. BenQ managed to read the disc without reporting any serious errors. The average error loudness was -73.6dB(A) which is of course an acceptable level, but the maximum was at -12.5dB(A), a value that according to the EAC author might lead to audible problems.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total	Num: 0
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num:4	Avg:-94.0 dB(A)	Max: -87.6 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0.0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 1	Avg: 185.0 Samples	Max: 185 Samples
Total Test Result	83.6 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

The Abex TCD-726 is a much easier disc for drives to read compared to the previous test disc. In this test BenQ read accurately the defective disc, skiping only one sample. The average error loudness was -94dB(A) while no muted errors were reported. While the total score for this test was 83.6 out of 100, which is a very score, it should have been better.

- 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 to 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
BenQ DW800A	5/5	5/5	5/5	5/5	0/5

BenQ DW800A revealed a very good error correction capability by passing the first 4 of the 5 Check Levels of the test. It should be mentioned thst the fifth level includes an error size of 1.500mm which is unreadable by most drives.