DVD Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the Pioneer DVR-SK12D drive with scratched / defective DVD media. For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark and Nero CDSpeed. The reference test media come from ALMEDIO.

- Single Layer media

ABEX TDR-821

This is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with a 4.7GB capacity, and its surface has an artificial scratch with dimensions varying from 0.4 to 3.0 mm. The following transfer rate graph comes from the CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test.

The drive read the disc at 6x CAV, which is 2x slower than the supported 8x CAV for a single layer DVD-ROM. However, the scratched area did not affect the read process at all. The disc was read accurately and no read errors were reported. The performance reveals high error correction capabilities with scratched single layer DVD-ROM discs.

ABEX TDR-825

This is also a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM of 4.7GB capacity. The data structure of the disc is exactly the same as that of the TDR-821, with the difference that there are no scratches on it but instead defective areas of dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm. There are also fingerprints ranging between 65 and 75 micrometres.

Once again the disc was read without any read errors. The reading speed was not reduced when the drive read the defective areas, and the test was finished successfully.

- Dual Layer media

ABEX TDR-841

This is an 8.5GB dual layer, single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm, on both layers.

Keeping up the good performance exhibited thus far, the dual layer disc was read at 6x CAV and no read errors were reported.

ABEX TDR-845

The disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc with capacity of 8.5GB. The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the first includes both defective areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defective areas range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from 65 to 75 micrometres.

As in the corresponding test with the ABEX TDR-825 (defective single layer DVD-ROM), the disc was read accurately. The average reading speed for each layer was 6.06x.

ABEX TDV-541

The TDV-541 is a single sided, dual layer Video/S-2 disc, with a capacity of 8.5GB.The disc is based on the TDV-540 series which is designed for inspection and adjustment of DVD-VIDEO players. The discs check the layer switch operation from layer 0 to layer 1 and also include test pictures and test signals for DVD sound files. The current TDV-541 also checks the error correction capabilities of the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

Both layer were read flawlessly at 6x CAV. The scratched areas did not slow down reading, even in the second layer of the disc, where most DVD writers have reading (focusing) problems.

ABEX TDV-545

The TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer Video/S-2 disc with a capacity of 8.5GB. The TDV-545 includes artificial black dots on the data surface, sized from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65 - 75 micrometrer fingerprints.

The drive managed to read the disk without encountering any problem. The test was finished successfully while the drive exhibited a smooth performance. The starting speed was 2.56x and the average 6.11x.