Model: Pioneer DVR-116D 20x DVD±RW
Manufacturer: Pioneer Electronics
Pioneer has been a leader in the consumer electronics industry for more than five decades. While best known for their audio and video products for the home and car, they're no stranger to the world of optical storage. In fact, the optical storage industry probably wouldn't be where it is today without them. From the development of the DVD-R and DVD-RW formats to the introduction of the world's first DVD recorder, Pioneer has been a major influence upon much of the technology used today.
While Pioneer has begun to introduce drives based on the Blu-ray Disc format, they haven't abandoned the DVD quite yet. This spring, the company announced two new 20x DVD writers, the DVR-116D and DVR-216D. Featuring some of the fastest DVD reading and writing speeds available, the two drives are capable of 20x DVD±R, 12x DVD±R DL, 8x DVD+RW and 6x DVD-RW writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. The DVR-116D and DVR-216D also feature internal mechanisms to reduce noise and protect against dust as well as support for Pioneer's Optimum Write Speed technology. This new technology automatically adjusts the writing speed to deliver the best writing quality possible.
As it's been some time since we've had one of their DVD writers in the 'Labs, the fine folks at Pioneer Electronics were more than willing to send us a DVR-116D to review. To give you an idea of what to expect from Pioneer's new writer, we'll take a look at some of the drive's features and then see how it compares to the 20x DVD±RW drives from the competition. Can the DVR-116D deliver the features and performance we've come to expect from Pioneer? Is it the fastest DVD writer around? Keep reading as we find out.
