Panasonic LF-D521 DVD-RAM

Review Pages

1. Introduction
2. Attached Software
3. Data CD Tests
4. CD Error Correction Tests
5. DVD reading tests
6. DVD Error Correction Tests
7. CloneCD Reading Tests
8. DAE Tests
9. CDR Tests
10. CDR Writing Quality Tests
11. HS-RW Writing Tests
12. DVD Recording Tests
13. Conclusion

Panasonic LF-D521 IDE DVD-RAM - Page 13

Conclusion

Positive (+)

Negative (-)

Supports 2x 4.7GB DVD-R / DVD-RAM writing
High reliability of DVD-RAM
Built-in Defect Management
Complete retail package interface
Attached software utilities
Fast CD-R/ROM/DVD reading
Low CD/DVD seek times
Supports reading of all DVD recordable discs
High DVD Video ripping speed
High error correction performance with DVD format discs
High CD-R writing quality
Supports Drag & Drop writing
Overburning
Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
Supports 99min discs
Supports Audio Protected discs

1x DVD-RW writing speed
Average CD error correction capabilities
Cannot create working backups of latest SafeDisc v.2 builds
DAE speed could be higher
High media price
DVD-RAM incompatible with most stand alone DVD players

Panasonic DVD Burner II is definitely improved over the previous Panasonic DVD-RAM series. It supports writing of DVD-R /RAM media at 2x recording speed (equivalent to 18x CD rate). This means that you can write up to 4.7GB in less than 30 minutes.

The DVD-RAM format can be used for both computer and consumer electronic applications, providing a solution for home video, personal computing and data archiving needs. The provided storage capacities start from 650MB (CD-R) and reach the 9.4GB on DVD-RAM media. In addition, the DVD-RAM offers robust data management and a very high number of erasing cycles per medium that reaches the range of the 100,000 times.

The DVD-RAM physical structure allows a user to format the DVD-RAM disc and use it as a large floppy disc. The attached software utilities make this procedure very easy allowing formatting under either UDF or FAT modes. After formatting, simple drag&drop movements through your Windows environment are enough to have a fast and reliable archive of your data.

The retail package includes all the necessary software for CD and DVD recording, video authoring, DVD Video playback and other useful operations such as DVD-RAM physical condition testing and securing the DVD-RAM contents. All this is offered under an easy integration of the DVD-RAM features into the Windows environment.

In the reading part, the drive is fast and supports 12x CAV speed for the DVD-ROM, while the access times are also low. What is very important is the drive's high performance in the DVD error correction tests with the ABEX discs. No errors occurred in the reading process with single and dual layer media. In addition, the drive is able to read DVD+R/+RW discs. The attainable DVD ripping speed is also high.

Concerning the CD format, the drive offers 12x CD-R recording speed, 8x rewriting and 32x reading. The supported DAE speed is less than 32x and this could also be improved. Reading of subchannel data and CD-Text is available, and the CD-R writing quality is high. Protected audio discs are easily handled by the drive and can be read accurately. On the other hand, we consider the lack of the DAO RAW writing mode as a negative point, along with the average error correction capabilities for CD-R discs.

The Panasonic LF-D521 left us a positive overall impression. This is mainly due to the fact that the drive fulfills the needs for both reliable DVD recording and easy handling of AV applications. The suggested retail price is expected to be around £200. What we could think as a weakness of the DVD-RAM format is the limited DVD player support and the increased price of the DVD-RAM media.