In House Review - Plextor PX-708A 8x DVD±RW

[Ian]

The wait is finally over. Today, we bring you an in depth look at Plextor's new 8x DVD±RW drive, the PX-708A. This highly anticipated DVD writer features 4x DVD-R/DVD+RW and 2x DVD-RW writing speeds as well as a maximum DVD read speed of 12x. Plextor's new drive can also write to DVD+R media at 8x, an industry first. Of course, Plextor hasn't stopped there. The PX-708A also includes 40x CD reading and writing speeds and features like Plextor's own PoweRec and VariRec technologies.

In this review we'll take a look at some of the features found on the PX-708A and see how it compares to some of the DVD±RW drives from the competition. Does Plextor have another winner here? Are 8x DVD rewriting speeds really as good as they sound? You'll have to read the review to find out.

[url=http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index.php?reviewid=203]

Plextor PX-708A 8x DVD±RW[/url]

If you have any comments or questions about this review or the Plextor PX-708A, please post them in the forum by clicking the link below.

[BMR]

A very thorough review Ian, well done!

There was nothing in your review that I did not expect
about this drive as it has been well discussed in the forum.

Any word yet on a possible firmware upgrade to 8X -R when
the standard is ratified ??

BMR

[BurninMan921]

Wow, a perfect 10 review for a Plextor drive...who woulda thunk it?

[Ian]

Wow, a perfect 10 review for a Plextor drive...who woulda thunk it?

Actually, I haven't given a 10 to a Plextor drive in some time.

As far as 8x DVD-R writing speeds go, we'll have to wait for the specs and media to become available. Then Plextor will let us know if its possible.

[VEFF]

Wow; perfect 10 for performance, perfect 10 for features and perfect 10 overall!!

I already loved mine before the review (I have two), but it is still nice to see it score so well of course.

I'll have to read it in depth tonight.

To think those scores based on firmware 1.01!
1.02 which just came out, improves the drive's write performance, among other things...

[vsekh]

I would give this drive a 10 overall also.

Great review.

[VEFF]

I read much of the review; very well done Ian!!
I know it takes a lot of work to do a comprehensive review such as this.

The only thing I would modify (for newbies to this drive, since the rest of us know it refers to 4X media) is the part in the Negatives section where you say "tendency to slow (down) when writing at 8X to some media".
I would qualify that by changing it to read "...some 4X media".

[Ian]

The only thing I would modify

Done.

[wicked1]

Wow that is awesome especially considering that my new plex just arrived about 10 minutes ago

[jidoo]

The minimum recommended CPU for the Plextor is 700 Mhz PIII. I've got a 550 Mhz PIII. Would you say that the Plexy is "too advanced" for my 3 yr old PC once recognized as a "muscle machine"?

[Robotnik]

Plextor has a technology similar to HD-Burn - GigaRec, that lets you burn 1GB or so of data onto an ordinary 700MB CD-R. Does this drive have this feature?

[aviationwiz]

No,

Only the Plextor Premium is capable of using GigaRec.

[Robotnik]

No,

Only the Plextor Premium is capable of using GigaRec.

That's too bad. GigaRec sounds like a good thing to have, and I gather, readable in many more drives than Sanyo's HD-Burn.

[VEFF]

The only thing I would modify

Done.

Cool! Thanks.

I am going to upgrade my 2nd drive to 1.02 tonight, just to get the improvements that it gave the 1st one.

These two 8X drives may VERY well be the last '4.7 GB' DVD burners I buy:
Any additional time savings (from upgrading to 12X or 16X) won't be that dramatic - for my purposes at least. I can always do other things (watch TV, read, eat/drink, relax and .....) while the burns are being performed; although 7 - 8 minutes is such a short amount of time, that it will be over before I know it

[OC-Freak]

It for sure is a superb drive, but for me it's not a perfect 10.

This should be fixed before it should have gotten a perfect 10 from me:

-More DVD-R/RW media support.
-Do not recognize some Princo 4X media (Important to fix as princo is sold everywhere under many brands).
-Writes coasters with ritek G04 DVD-R media (serious issue as ritek G04 is widely used!!).
-Fails at some types of CD-R discs (power calibration errors or write errors later on the disc).
-Do not work with princo 2X DVD-RW media.

When this is fixed...it deserves a perfect 10, until then only 9.

Yes I've mailed plextor Europe several times but they just keeps sending the same mail back that the information has been sent to right persons etc.....

[aviationwiz]

It for sure is a superb drive, but for me it's not a perfect 10.

This should be fixed before it should have gotten a perfect 10 from me:

-More DVD-R/RW media support.
-Do not recognize some Princo 4X media (Important to fix as princo is sold everywhere under many brands).
-Writes coasters with ritek G04 DVD-R media (serious issue as ritek G04 is widely used!!).
-Fails at some types of CD-R discs (power calibration errors or write errors later on the disc).
-Do not work with princo 2X DVD-RW media.

When this is fixed...it deserves a perfect 10, until then only 9.

Yes I've mailed plextor Europe several times but they just keeps sending the same mail back that the information has been sent to right persons etc.....

It's possible that it is just the media as far as the Princo's go. Princo is, generally, low quality media. As far as it being sold under many brands, there I have to disagree, it is sold under maybe 1 or 2 brands other than Princo, as, no one would want to use Princo media for thier disks. I hear the disks are OK once you burn the stuff, but I hear burning the stuff isn't so easy, with any drive.

[Ian]

OC-Freak, you bring up some interesting points. I have to admit that I didn't try any Princo DVD-R or DVD-RW media. Those discs aren't sold in my area.. probably because they're low quality, as aviationwiz pointed out. However, I know they are popular online because they are cheap. I might have to pick some up for future tests.

What CD-R discs did you have problems with? I know you've had problems like this in the past. Maybe the media sold here in the US is better?

Anyway, its my opinion. I don't expect everyone to agree.

[Jon_J]

Ian,
None of the media suggested for the 708 at Plextor's site is available in my area. I even Emailed Plextor about Plextor media, and the response was they do not sell Plextor brand media in the United States. (Is that because Mr Bush went to war with Iraq?)
I have only found one type of media that works properly and it seems to be the "main" brand sold in this area.
DVD+R Fujifilm RICOHJPN R00 01 It is 2.4X only
I tried some Memorex DVD-R Version 2 ProDiscg02 It is 1X, 2X
My plextor cannot retrieve some of the files burned from it.
I burned a directory of 1292 files, 4.2GB
I have tried Officemax, Staples, Best Buy, Circuit City, Walmart.
I find Fujifilm DVD+R at all but Walmart.
Walmart has the Memorex DVD-R.
I don't shop online, otherwise I probably would find the Acceptable "brands" everyone else is using here and at CDFreaks.

Jon

[VEFF]

The media is available and you don't have to buy online:

I think you are looking for the manufacturer IDs Plextor listed, instead of the branded media that the media in question is actually sold as...

BestBuy and Office Depot (among others you mentioned) have Memorex 4X, TDK 4X and Verbatim 4X DVD+R media, which are made by Ricoh and MCC.
These are the manufacturers that Plextor recommends...

[Scour]

Hello!

Wow, a perfect 10 for the Plextor

Great review of a great writer

[Jon_J]

VEFF thank you for your reply,
You're correct, my bad. I was looking at the Official Plextor reccomended media, I printed it and took it to Best Buy.
http://www.plextor.be/english/technical/recmedia.asp
They do have TDK 4X. DVD+R
The list confused me, as it shows TDK under DVD-R and DVD-RW, but not under DVD+R.
A question: In the Plextor recommended list, what are the "Model" numbers for? are these numbers on the media package?

Thank you,
Jon

[VEFF]

No problem Jon.

Yes, I think the model numbers might be the official mfr item no.,
including # of discs per package, although I haven't verified this...

[MikeTR]

Wow, a perfect 10 review for a Plextor drive...who woulda thunk it?

Actually, I haven't given a 10 to a Plextor drive in some time.

If you do end up giving out another 10 to a Plextor, people might start to call you aviationwitz.

Just kidding, very thorough review and a great looking drive. If only it was a little more affordable I'd buy one right away. If Plextor solves the problems mentioned by OC-Freak I still might.

[aviationwiz]

Hahaha,

Ian will never be as much of a Plextor fan as me. He's a little more, eh, un-biased. I have used two Plextor drives, and I love them both. Ian has used many drives, from many companies, including quite a few Plextor drives, and has seen the good and bad in all of those.

[OC-Freak]

Ian: These do not work: Memorex 48X, smartbuy 48X, Xidex 48X CD-R discs all manufactured by Prodisc.

Some princo DVD-R discs work though, but not all batches. Princo DVD-R is not that bad compared to its price.

Memorex dual-x fw 1.07 written Princo:



Plextor PX-708A fw 1.02 written princo:



Notice that the plex written disc have playback issues at the end due to the increased errorlevel.

With Princo DVD-RW it simply says "PMA update failed" or "Power calibration error", the same discs works ok in the memorex.

In other words: pioneer DVR-106(memorex dual-x) is a higher quality product than the plex PX-708A. But the plex have its higher speed advantages......along with some customer support which for me have done little to help me.......

Hopefully plextor is working their ass off to improve the DVD-R/RW compatibility, both fw 1.01 and 1.02 have not been any real improvements......[/img]