Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - BD-ROM:
To test the SE-406A's BD-ROM reading performance, I used the Blu-ray Disc version of The Fifth Element. This single layer disc is about 23GB in size.
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Transfer Speed | Access Times | CPU Usage | |||||||
| Average | Start | End | Random | 1/3 | Full | 1x | 2x | 4x | 8x | |
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Samsung SE-406A |
2.21x | 2.20x | 2.21x | 121ms | 227ms | 316ms | 0% | 1% | 2% | 4% |
While the SE-406A is rated at 6x when reading single layer BD-ROM discs, its speeds are limited to only 2.2x when reading AACS protected titles. According to Samsung, this was done to minimize the noise during playback.
Samsung's BD combo drive had no problems playing back The Fifth Element and The Simpsons Movie using the bundled version of PowerDVD. Just keep in mind that if your monitor is connected to your video card using DVI or HDMI, both need to be HDCP compliant to play AACS protected titles. If not, you can still play them by switching the connection to VGA or using software like Slysoft's AnyDVD HD.
Nero CD Speed v4.7.7.16 - BD-R and BD-RE:
Next we'll look at the drive's BD-R and BD-RE reading performance. For this I created a few data discs using single layer BD-R and BD-RE media from Memorex and TDK and then ran our BD read tests with CD Speed.
TDK BD-R
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Transfer Speed | Access Times | CPU Usage | |||||||
| Average | Start | End | Random | 1/3 | Full | 1x | 2x | 4x | 8x | |
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Samsung SE-406A |
4.59x | 2.60x | 6.10x | 124ms | 200ms | 342ms | 1% | 1% | 2% | 4% |
Memorex BD-RE
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Transfer Speed | Access Times | CPU Usage | |||||||
| Average | Start | End | Random | 1/3 | Full | 1x | 2x | 4x | 8x | |
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Samsung SE-406A |
3.63x | 2.25x | 4.01x | 123ms | 215ms | 345ms | 1% | 2% | 3% | 5% |
TDK BD-R DL
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Transfer Speed | Access Times | CPU Usage | |||||||
| Average | Start | End | Random | 1/3 | Full | 1x | 2x | 4x | 8x | |
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Samsung SE-406A |
3.63x | 2.27x | 4.02x | 123ms | 222ms | 362ms | 1% | 2% | 2% | 5% |
Samsung's new drive had no problems reading BD-R, BD-RE and BD-R DL media. In our tests, the SE-406A read BD-R discs at 6x and both BD-RE and BD-R DL media at 4x.
Performance Revisited:
Samsung's new portable BD combo drive performed as expected throughout most of our tests. The SE-406A had no problems playing back Blu-ray movies and was relatively quick when reading BD-R, BD-RE and BD-R DL media. The drive also did reasonably well in our CD and DVD read tests. While its access times were a little higher than I would have liked, it read both data and audio CD's at 24x and single layer data DVD's at 8x. Writing CD's and DVD's wasn't a problem for the SE-406A either. For a portable drive, it turned in some respectable times and the writing quality was fairly good with most CD-R and DVD±R media. With all things considered, the Samsung SE-406A gets a solid 8 out of 10 for its performance.
