16x Compatibility
Although the Pioneer device can burn DVD-R and DVD+R at a speed of 16x, compatible media are not yet available and will not be in the stores until the end of this year. In order to be able to take advantage of these high speeds anyway, some 8x media can theoretically be burned at 12x or 16x.
Pioneer already offers a compatibility table, dated July 20, which will be updated as the new firmware becomes available.
| Speed | Manufacturer/ Media |
|---|---|
| DVD-R | |
| 16x | Sony CorporationTDK Corporation (Media ID:TTH01)Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.(Maxell) |
| 12x | Taiyo-Yuden Co.,Ltd.TDK Corporation (Media ID:TTG02)Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Verbatim)CMC Magnetics CorporationRITEK Corporation |
| 8x | Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.(FUJIFILM)Prodisc Technology Inc |
| DVD+R | |
| 16x | Taiyo-Yuden Co.,Ltd.CMC Magnetics Corporation |
| 12x | Sony CorporationTDK CorporationHitachi Maxell, Ltd. (Maxell)Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Verbatim)Philips Electronics (Media ID:081)RITEK CorporationRicoh Company, Ltd. |
| 8x | Daxon Technology Inc.LEAD DATA INC.MOSER BAER INDIA LIMITEDOptiDisc Solutions LLCPhilips Electronics (Media ID:C08)Prodisc Technology Inc. |
Here are the results we got with the media that we had at our disposal for the test :
hp DVD+R 8x
Media Code / Manufacturer ID: MCC 003
Media revision no.: 00h
Speed at start of burning: 6x
Speed at end of burning: 12.15x
Average Speed: 9.99x
Time taken for burning: 7:02
Memorex DVD+R 8x
Media Code / Manufacturer ID: CMC MAG E01
Media revision no.: 00h
Speed at start of burning: 6.02x
Speed at end of burning: 12.15x
Average Speed: 9.96x
Burning time: 7:10
TDK DVD-R 8x
Media Code / Manufacturer ID: TTG02
Media revision no.: N/A
Speed at start of burning: 6x
Speed at end of burning: 12.15x
Average Speed: 9,67x
Burning time: 7:14
Traxdata DVD-R 8x
Media Code / Manufacturer ID : RITEK G05
Media revision no.: N/A
Speed at start of burning: 6x
Speed at end of burning: 12.1x
Average speed: 9.89x
Burning time: 7:09
Traxdata DVD+R 8x
Media Code / Manufacturer ID: RITEK R03
Media revision no.: 01h
Speed at start of burning: 6x
Speed at end of burning: 12.14x
Average speed: 9.98
Burning time: 7:08
Verbatim DVD+R 8x
Media Code / Manufacturer ID: MCC 03
Media revision no.: 00h
Speed at start of burning: 5.99x
Speed at end of burning: 12.12x
Average speed: 9.99x
Burning time: 7:02
All of the 8x media could therefore be burned at 12x which is not a bad result while we wait for true 16x disks to become commercially available. Only seven minutes to burn a DVD is very reasonable.
Conclusion
By choosing the Pioneer burner, you can be sure of the eventual speed for burning DVDs + and -R. Most 8x media will switch to 12x while waiting for the 16x and the 30 seconds or so that they will save. As is usual with Pioneer, this burner meets all the expectations in terms of performance and reliability, although it does not perform quite as well at 32x when burning a CD-R.
Pioneer has thus succeeded in offering a very consistent burner, which offers the best performance for each standard. It should also be noted that the DVR-A08XLA can read DVD-RAMs (versions 2.1 and 2.2)
However, the real achievement is switching to 4x in dual layer mode. If single layer mode saves you seconds, DL saves you dozens of minutes. When the cost of the media goes down to an acceptable price commensurate with the doubling of capacity, this would really be a weighty argument that ought to count in purchasing decisions today. Remember that at present, DVD DL costs five times the price of a single-layer disc. But the good news is that Verbatim's DVD+R DL 2.4x can be burned at 4x with no problem and is available in the stores. On the other hand, Traxdata products wouldn't speed up to 4x.
There are two versions internal versions of the Pioneer burner, the DVR-A08XLA and the DVR-108. The latter is an OEM version, and from the outside it looks like any other burner. The A08XLA version has an exclusive case like the previous generation and a beehive casing to reduce vibrations. It is bundled with Digital MediaSuite software, including MyDVD Deluxe 5.3, DLA 4.9, RecordNow. 7.2, Simple Backup 5.0 and CinePlayer.
