- Writing Performance

Now we will check the burning performance with DVD media. Below, the available writing speed graph can be seen, as reported by Nero Burning Rom.

By using Nero CDSpeed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see the 16X, 12X and 8X writing strategies. One can clearly see that WOPC is activated.

- DVD+R media @ 16X CAV

- DVD+R media @ 12X Z-CLV

- DVD+R media @ 8X Z-CLV

- DVD-R media @ 16X CAV

- DVD-R media @ 12X Z-CLV

- DVD-R media @ 8X Z-CLV

Due to the Z-CLV strategy reported by Nero CDSpeed, we are expecting slightly higher recording times...

- Burning Tests

DVD-R media

Taking a quick look, it seems that the drive has a large DVD-R compatibility list for 16X recording, which is indeed the case. Two known 8X certified media allowed recording up to 16X while two others, 12X. NEC has a reputation for this. Other than that, the writing times are higher in almost all cases. We have seen many burners taking less than 6 minutes to complete a 16X writing process while the NEC drive is above this time. At 8X also, most burners are close to 8 minutes or in some cases, even lower. The NEC needed somewhere under 10 minutes which seems to be closer to 6X rather than 8X. The excuse however for this is the Z-CLV writing strategy we mentioned before, where half the disc is burned at 4X and 6X speeds. At 12X, the reported times are reasonable as is also the case with DVD-RW media.

• DVD+R media

Once again the compatibility list for 16X is large for DVD+R media. The recording times are again high, especially when burning at 8X. The Z-CLV writing strategy is the culprit once more. With DVD+RW media though, the times are very good.

- Comparison with other drives

The graphs speak for themselves. The lower, the better...

- DVD Overburning Tests

The NEC ND-4551A failed to overburn with both DVD-R and DVD+R formats.

- DVD-RAM

The previous NEC models supported only DVD-RAM reading. The new ND-4551A, according to manufacturer, supports not only 5X reading, but also writing at the same speed! However when the NEC chipset was released there were rumours about 16X support with DVD-RAM media.

As Maxell stated: "DVD-RAM is an advanced recording media format that offers a range of digital data applications. Its phase-change recording material allows discs to be re-recordable and erasable, and a superior defect management system ensures accurate recording and playback. DVD-RAM allows instant, random access to any location on the disc for fast and easy data reading and writing. Because DVD-RAM supports fast formatting and no finalizing, it is an extremely easy-to-use media. And with DVD-RAM, changes can be made directly on the disc without the need to transfer data to a hard drive first, speeding up the editing tasks..."

- Burning Tests

Due to lack of 16X DVD-RAM media we cannot test the drive if can burn at 16X speed. Using NeroCDSpeed, we got the following graph:

The drive started writing at 4.97X and using the CLV technology, reached 5.01X max writing speed, reporting an average burning speed of 4.97X. The task was completed in 11:27mins.

Using the latest Nero version, we burned our usual Single Layer DVD compilation.

The writing procedure ended in 26:11mins. Normally, the time needed would be much lower, but the "Write and Verify" feature used when writing DVD-RAM media extends the writing times.