Pioneer DVR-SK12D Dual DVD±R recorder - Page 14

Conclusion

Pros

Cons

Slim Dual DVD burner Stylish design Complete retail package Dual iEEE1394 & USB 2.0/1.1 interface Supports vertical & horizontal mounting DVD-R/RW/+R/+RW writing 16/10/24 CD-RW Acceptable CD seek times Good CD-R/RW/DVD-ROM/DVD±R/RW reading performance High error correction with defective / scratched CD-R media High reading accuracy with defective DVD media 24x max DAE Good CD-R writing quality Low 3T jitter Acceptable DVD-Video ripping speed Overburning up to 90min (CD) Supports CD-Text (reading/writing) Supports 99min audio discs Ideal for portable PC users

Cannot create working backups of SafeDisc versions greater than v.2.50 Does not support Key2Audio protected discs DVD seek times could be better DVD/CD writing could be faster Higher than expected PI/PO error rate with some media types

At first glance, the Pioneer DVR-SK12D appears to be a very good solution for notebook and portable PC users. It is the first of its kind, being able to deliver amongst other formats, recording of DVD-R and +R media in a slim drive. It is compact, and delivers very good performance with a wide range of capabilities. The dual interface is also a plus.

Very impressive was the fact that the drive was able to record on all the media we tested, although the maximum writing speed supported by the drive (i.e. 2.4x) is a bit on the slow side compared to what is currently available on the market. For example, the supported writing speed of 2.4x is slow when compared to drives that support 4x and 8x writing speeds. While overall the drive performed very well in the write tests, the PI/PO produced a higher than expected error rate, although it remained within the specifications.

The drive also performed very well with the reading tests. It read all media formats without problems. The drive's DVD video ripping capabilities were acceptable. Although seek times were adequate, it would have been desirable to have had faster seek times. A point which leads us once again, to the conclusion that, as with the writing speed, a slightly higher maximum reading speed would have been desirable.

CD reading and writing performed well, being well within the specifications of the drive. While there were no problems reading 10x HS-RW, there was a sharp drop-off while reading 24x US-RW (see relevant test results for this media under CD Reading Tests)

The error correction and concealment tests were also impressive with the drive yielding very good sound reproduction coupled with excellent error correction capabilities. This sort of performance was carried over into the DVD error correction tests where the drive performed flawlessly.

The DAE tests produced a perfect score, with the drive being able to read both CD text and subchannel data. Jitter was very low, amongst the best we have encountered, but this was to be expected since the drive operates at slightly lower speeds than current maximums.

The writing quality tests, C1/C2, exhibited low error rate for C1 and no errors for C2.

Summing up, this is an impressive drive and would suit someone who is interested in overall quality rather than speed. It's size makes it an ideal device for anyone needing to carry the drive from one location to another as is the case with portable PC users. It's price is around the €300.00 mark, and if you do a bit of shopping around on the internet, you should be able to find it for a good deal less.