The Pioneer DVR-111 series returns with a better firmware. This newest firmware revision adds new media while improving the writing and reading performance of the drive. But there is still room for improvement. For example, writing quality with +RW media or DVD-R 16X quality could be improved, while also the 16X compatibility list for DVD+R could and should be expanded.

The DVR-111 drive is a good, typical reader with CD media. It can read up to 40X speed all CD-R discs and up to 32X CD-RW media. DVD reading speeds are satisfactory, with the drive being able to read up to 16X pressed SL media and 12X pressed DL media. DVD-RAM is also supported and the drive can read and write DVD-RAM media at a max speed of 5X. In DVD ripping, the DVR-111 did not disappoint us, achieving an excellent speed, being among the fastest on the market.

Protected discs are definitely a problem for the drive, as it also happened with the DVR-111DBK. It did not manage to rip Sony's Key2Audio protected media, although the other two audio protected titles were ripped successfully. Protected games were not successfully ripped, with the drive showing poor capabilities since it was unable to backup even old Safedisc v2 protected discs.

The CD error correction mechanism of the drive is good, where with the CD-Check Audio Test, the DVR-111 read the fourth track without any errors and produced only two audible clicks in the fifth track. In DVD error correction , the drive did not report any errors while reading all our test media at maximum speed, with the only exception of the ABEX TDV-541 test disc, where reading speed fluctuated at the end of the first layer and remained slow during the second layer.

Moving on to burning quality and CD quality in particular, the drive did not manage to produce good quality CD burns, even at low speeds (32X), and according to CDX Clover Systems, none of the five burned media produced a "GOOD" condition.

DVD burning quality has not changed that much from the previous firmware. Even though it has expanded the 16X DVD-R compatibility list, the quality, according to CD-DVD Speed and Plextools at that speed was good to average. DVD+R media at 16X was in an excellent condition, although only three media were burned at that speed. As for unreadable or high error rate media, produced by our LiteOn or Plextor used during the tests, we re-checked them with the Almedio AEC-1000 error checker and none of these errors were reproduced.

DVD±RW quality has not been changed with +RW media producing high error levels and counts. However, DL quality has been fixed and the MKM-R DL 4X, which had high error rates with the DVR-111DBK and fw1.06, now has more satisfactory levels. Unfortunately, 8X DL compatibility has not been fixed yet. We inserted a Ricoh+R DL 8X disc and it was recognized as 2.4X, while MKM-R 8X was recognized as 2X.

Something else that hasn't changed from the Pioneer DVR-111DBK fw.1.06, is the booktype, which by default is set to DVD-ROM and only for DVD+R DL media.

- The Good

• Supports 8X DVD±R DL
• Very good DVD error correction
• Can read & write DVD-RAM media
  
• Supports overspeeding for 8X media up to 12X
• Can measure the writing quality on media
• DVD writing quality, especially with DVD+R media

- The Bad

• Cannot create working backups of SafeDisc versions
• Cannot read 90/99 Audio CDs
• Limited overburning for CD format (90mins)
• Does not support DVD overburning
• Limited media list for 16XDVD+R media
• Limited media list for 8XDVD±R DL media

- Like To be fixed

• Writing quality for CD-R, DVD-R@16X and DVD+RW media
• More media compatibility
• Bitsetting for DVD+R and DVD+RW media

Reading
Error Correction
Protected Discs
Writing
Features