Ricoh MP5120 IDE CD/DVD+RW- Page 13

Conclusion

Ricoh's DVD+RW proposal comes with the codename "MP5120". This is the first drive that supports CD and DVD+RW formats and it settles a new generation of super combo recorders. The drive supports 12x writing (CD), 10x re-writing (CD), 32x reading (CD), 8x DVD reading and 2.4x writing (DVD+RW). The only drive that possibly can be compared is the Pioneer DVR-A03, which however supports the established DVD-R/RW formats.

DVD+RW format from specifications seems an interesting format due to increased writing speed and various other features (Lossless linking, Defect Management). Many people claim that DVD+RW will substitute not only DVD-RW but also DVD-R quite soon. If you think about the companies that assembles it, you can be sure it will have its share in the market and if the competition from DVD Forum doesn't improve DVD-R/RW writing speeds this will happen true. There are rumors that the second generation of DVD+RW drives will support up to 4x DVD+R/RW writing speeds. That would bring the burning time of a full DVD down to 12mins!

The comparison of DVD+RW with DVD-R is not fair. When the DVD+R come out we will see how good it compares to DVD-R. We should compare DVD+RW with DVD-RW. In short DVD-RW supported from the DVD Forum and has 1X writing speed. The DVD+RW supported from 8 leading manufacturers and has 2.4X writing speed. The DVD-RW doesn't contain any anti-buffer underrun technology while DVD+RW support 'Lossless linking'. DVD-RW doesn't include any defect management of bad sectors and while DVD+RW supports, the Ricoh MP5120A doesn't. The DVD+RW formatting needs only few minutes, when DVD-RW needs much more time.

Should i buy the Pioneer DVR-A03 or the Ricoh DVD+RW MP5120A?

The answer depends upon your needs. DVD-R is, for now, the format with the maximum compatibility among DVD-ROM/DVD players as most people agree. If your needs include re-writing, DVD+RW should be examined also. If only current DVD+RW drives supported DVD+R things would be easier for users who wish both recordable and re-write DVD solution in one package. Last the drive's price is expected to cost almost the same as the Pioneer DVR-A03.