Teac DV-W58G

Review Pages

1. Package - Installation
2. Data CD Reading Tests
3. CD Error Correction Tests
4. DVD reading tests
5. DVD Error Correction Tests
6. Protected Disc Tests
7. DAE Tests
8. CD Recording Tests
9. 3T Jitter Tests
10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements
11. DVD Recording Tests
12. KProbe PI/PO quality tests
13. Conclusion

Teac DV-W58G - Page 13

Conclusion

Pros	Cons
8x DVD+R writing 4x DVD+RW writing 40/24/40 CD-RW DAE speed Good CD/DVD Error correction CD-R Overburning Fast DVD ripping Partially working backups with Safedisc v3.10 protection Support of 90/99min discs	Cannot playback/rip Key2Audio disc Increased PI/PO values with some DVD media Low CD Writing quality with specific media CD-RW and DVD±R/RW reading speed

In the CD reading tests, the drive returned very good results, with low seek times and accurate reading even at the maximum speed of 40x. The reading accuracy of the drive was also very good, which means that it can safely be used for playback and ripping of old and ligtly scratched media.

With DVD media, the drive had low seek times and accurate reading under the supported CAV mode. In the DVD ripping process with DVD Decrypter, Teac had the fastest speed compared to the other two drives used in the comparison. In addition, the error correction tests with defective DVD media posted near perfect results, where the drive managed to pass all the tests without read errors.

The drive also proved to be a good recorder for protected games. For our tests we used games with the latest protection schemes, like Safedisc 3.10 where the drive managed to create a valid backup, with Amplify Weak Sectors (Clone CD) enabled.

The DAE speed of the drive was high, although it does not support Key2Audio protected discs.

In the recording tests, the drive confirmed the supported 40x writing for CD-R format. The writing strategy is CAV and all media we tested was written at the maximum available speed. The only exception was MAM media, which was recorded at 24x. Despite the writing speed compatibility, written discs reported increased Pit and Land jitter values with some discs such as Taiyo Yuden, TDK and Creation. In addition, the C1/C2 error measurements revealed high C1 levels, while in two others, C2 errors were reported.

For DVD+R media the drive used the 6-8x Z-CLV writing strategy, making it faster than other DVD burners, offering a three-step Z-CLV implementation (4x-6x-8x). This means that the writing time is about 8:20 min for DVD+R. On the other hand, DVD-R was burnt in 14:30 minutes. The quality of the DVD written media was checked with KProbe which reported high PIPO values with some brands. However, with Taiyo Yuden and Mitsubishi Chemicals DVD+R media, the drive made quality recordings.

Weighing up all the pros and cons, and despite the fact that overall performance could be better, the reasonable price of the Teac DV-W58G at around $130 on the market, could be a good enough incentive for buying it.