The PX-716AL retains the same qualities of its predecessor, the 716A drive and adds a few more. Firstly, the 716AL uses a different loading mechanism, slot loading or "caddy" as it is called, giving the drive a new look. CD and DVD reading speed is the same with its predecessor as well as CD error correction. Unfortunately, DVD error correction stays the same too, retaining all the error correction issues of the 716A.

Ripping performance remained the same, with the drive being able to successfully rip all inserted game protected media, while managing to backup the safedisc protected game only up to version 2.8, which can be described as average performance.

The 716AL also retained its predecessors DAE capabilities but improved its reading capabilities when it comes to 99mins Audio discs which can be read by the drive flawlessly. Protected Audio disc tests were no different from the 716A.

CD writing quality did not satisfy, with one out of four burned media actually passing the CDX test. DVD writing quality is very much dependent on the inserted media. Overall, DVD writing quality with the 716AL drive can be described as average to good in some cases.

Overspeeding was achieved with some of the inserted media, while in other cases we had the exact opposite with one or two 16X certified media burned at 12X. With DVD+R\-R media, the results were far from excellent and further improvement would be welcome.

A new addition to the drive's capabilities is the 6X max DL burning speed support for both the -R and +R DL formats compared to the 4X max writing speed of the 716A which was only available for +R DL media. Furthermore, the bitsetting feature is still available in order to maximize compatibility with stand alone players, successfully changing the Booktype to DVD-ROM for DVD+R and DVD+R DL media. Unfortunately, this is not available for DVD+RW media, just as with the 716A.

The price for the burner at the time of this review was at US$133, which is high. Drives with similar specifications can be found at around US$80. It seems, if you like the advanced loading mechanism, you'll have to pay for it. You can expect further review updates when new firmware arrives with improved writing features.

- The Good

• Supports overburning with CD-R/RW media
• Supports overburning with DVD+R media
• High CD reading speed
• FastDVD-Video DL ripping
• Fast ripping with Safedisk protection
• Can be used to measure (scan) DVD±R/RW media with a variety of tests (PI/PIF/Jitter)

- The Bad

• Cannot backup SafeDisc protected games with versions newer than 2.8
• Reading performance with 90min test media
• Cannot change the Booktype of DVD+RW media

- Like To be fixed

• Burning quality with specific DVD media
• DVD±RW writing quality
• CD recording quality

Retail Package
Reading
Error Correction
Protected Discs
Writing
Features