Super review, D_R.
I have some remarks and suggestions, though.
A couple of typos:
- Ph
eonix BIOS in your test rig (should be Ph
oenix- that's a very persistant one
)
- reference to GSA-41
60B in DVD-Video transfer rate test
Introduction wrote:CD-RWs can be recorded at an incredible 24x
That should be normal now- or are you being ironic? (but see below...)
I ran a few tests using some of the media available in my area.
Now that's an understatement if I ever saw one!!
I hope that this didn't exhaust your enthusiasm so that you will continue to make reviews here!
In fact, there is so much information that the format for the reviews is inadequate. It's very difficult to get to the additional results (the images to which you link with transfer rate, jitter, beta, etc.), and that is a shame, considering the amount of data available and the work you've put into gathering it. Each link leads to a new window, and there is no possibility for easily viewing all results for a given media type. I ended up looking at only 4 or 5 media types in detail, and found it difficult to make comparisons. I
did notice, though, that Plextor and BenQ seem to have completely different ideas as to what jitter is.
What I'd like to see is a simple link to a new page for each burn, e.g. with the 4 full-size images of results under one another or side-by-side. That should actually be less work than the detailled formatting you did and would make the results more accessible.
Ian- since D_R is on vacation, maybe you can comment on this. Is there a restriction in the review format that would prohibit sub-pages? I thought cfitz did something like this in his
review of the AOpen COM4824 combo drive, but he actually made combined images with results from 2 scans.
I greatly appreciate seeing quality tests with rewritable media too! 2 things caught my notice with regard to rewritables:
You managed to write 32x rated CD-RW media (Daxon and Verbatim) with this drive, albeit at 24x. This is very significant because
Ultraspeed+ media requires a different technology to write that normal 24x CD-RW. I have a single 32x test disc (Verbatim) lying around which is not supported by either my LiteOn CD or DVD burner.
Furthermore, the writing time to the Verbatim 8x DVD+RW disc was the fastest of all 8x burns (7:33 vs. ca. 8 min. for write-once media!) Were the data amounts different or is this a real effect?
I just got back from a wonderful week in Venice
(which is why these remarks are so late in coming) and hope you enjoy your well-earned vacation too and come back with renewed energy!
G
Actually, that isn't true, I start my vacation tomorrow! 
