CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review - Club CD Freaks

**zevia** · 05-03-2006

Check it out here: http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/260

Feel free to comment on the review in this thread.

[buck] · 05-03-2006

Thanks for the review zevia!

zebadee · 05-03-2006

Hi

Thanks zevia.

El_Mariachi_X · 05-03-2006

thanks much

shimman · 05-03-2006

@zevia,
completed much faster than i expected; great job

**alan1476** · 05-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimman

@zevia,
completed much faster than i expected; great job

Great job Zevia, where you got the 16X rated Maxell media must be secret, but I know you have your sources.

teNtiON · 05-03-2006

Thanks for the review

**zevia** · 05-03-2006

Thanks all.

alan1476: Maxell in New Jersey sent me the Maxell media used in the review. Also other companies listed in the "Thanks To:" in the conclusion page.

[buck] · 05-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by alan1476

Great job Zevia, where you got the 16X rated Maxell media must be secret, but I know you have your sources.

I don't know where zevia got his, but I got mine directly from Maxell Canada as replacements for defective media.

**zevia** · 05-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by RangeRoad

I don't know where zevia got his, but I got mine directly from Maxell Canada as replacements for defective media.

RangeRoad, yeah I saw your post a while ago. You're lucky you got MAXELL003. I got PhilipsC16 for Maxell 16x DVD+R (Made in Taiwan), but fortunately received MXLRG04 for the Maxell 16x DVD-R (Made in Japan).

[buck] · 05-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by zevia

RangeRoad, yeah I saw your post a while ago. You're lucky you got MAXELL003. I got PhilipsC16 for Maxell 16x DVD+R (Made in Taiwan), but fortunately received MXLRG04 for the Maxell 16x DVD-R (Made in Japan).

Yep, PhilipsC16 is pretty mediocre most of the time.

It's too bad I only have a 3 pcs of MAXELL003.

Bhairav · 05-03-2006

Good review, zev. Thanks. Hope they improve their -R writing.

drunkndisordly · 05-03-2006

Thanks for the great work put into this review.Think I'll pass on this one.Nothing better than I already own.

sweetleaf · 05-03-2006

Very nice review zevia. The drive seems solid and has some potential. However, if this is a rebadged BenQ (which obviously is the case), why buy the Sony version? Apart from the Sony branding and firmware, are there any compelling advantages over the equivalent BenQ model?

**alan1476** · 05-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by zevia

Thanks all.

alan1476: Maxell in New Jersey sent me the Maxell media used in the review. Also other companies listed in the "Thanks To:" in the conclusion page.

I live very close to the Maxell facility in Fairlawn NJ and I have dealt with them before. I even know the distribution manager, I should give him a call.

**alan1476** · 05-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by RangeRoad

Yep, PhilipsC16 is pretty mediocre most of the time.

It's too bad I only have a 3 pcs of MAXELL003.

Is the MXLRG04 the only Maxell media that is MIJ? I know I am posting this in the wrong forum, but if I post it in the media forum they will have no idea what I am talking about since the media isn't available to the public yet. What about the Maxell003 16X, I would think that is + media because the Maxell002 is MIJ +.

**zevia** · 05-03-2006

@All:

The hardware used in this Sony drive is a BenQ hardware so I left a redirect in BenQ forum but this review will stay in the Lite-On / Sony forum.

ghetocowboy · 06-03-2006

Which BenQ drive is this drive based on?? BenQ DW-1670??? Thanks for the review Zevia.

I did not like the scan on TY -R

And speaking of Philips, even their own media, are made in China. Very disappointing.

I am kinda suprised that BenQ continues to use Panasonic chipset as I have seen disappointment in DQ60 drive. Is BenQ done with Philip chipset? Any1 knows??

**zevia** · 10-03-2006

TYG03 (Taiyo Yuden 16x DVD-R, unbranded)
Sony DRU-820A fw 1.0b, burned at 16x.

The new firmware 1.0b looks the same compared to 1.0a with this media. Still very good in my book.

**zevia** · 10-03-2006

MAXELL003 (Maxell DVD+R 16x, Made in Japan)
Sony DRU-820A fw 1.0b, burned at 16x.

Excellent.

sillysally · 11-03-2006

Hi Zevia.
Just flashed my drive. Sony DRU-820A fw 1.0b
Seems that the mkm001 now only burns at 4x have you tryed to burn a mkm 001. With fw 1.0a mkm001 burned at 6x.

**zevia** · 11-03-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillysally

Hi Zevia.
Just flashed my drive. Sony DRU-820A fw 1.0b
Seems that the mkm001 now only burns at 4x have you tryed to burn a mkm 001. With fw 1.0a mkm001 burned at 6x.

Hi sillysally: I see here it's supported up to 6x. I haven't try to burn anything though.

sillysally · 11-03-2006

Thanks for your reply Zevia:
I use ImgBurn. I did however have ImgBurn set to max. My burn just completed. Took 31 min for a 8gig burn, and average write speed was 3.7. Looking at the link you posted for supported disc there is a * by the mkm001 @2.4 speed. I think what the * is there for the mkm001 disc can be burned @4x. See what your take on this is.
Thanks.

**zevia** · 11-03-2006

sillysally: no problem here burning MKM001 @6x with 1.0b firmware.

MKM001 (Maxell 2.4x DVD+R DL, Made in Singapore)
Sony DRU-820A fw 1.0b @6x

This Maxell MKM001 disc burns with very similar PIE/PIF trends, see burn made with 1.0a firmware. Quite different with the Verbatim MKM001 one. Different batch different quality.

mrmagnet · 11-03-2006

Hello, I have just purchased the DRU-820A as a replacement for an old CD-ROM drive. Thought I'd upgrade. I like it and it is definetly fast.

I have a question about it. Whenever there is a disk in the drive, the drive spins, even if it isn't being accessed. It is quite noisy while it is spinning too. Is this normal or should I take the drive back and get a replacement?

Thanks in advance for the information.

Jeff

05-03-2006	#1 (permalink)
zevia Admin & Review Coordinator N.America Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 9,183	CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review <a href='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a13febf7&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=30&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a13febf7' border='0' alt='' /></a> Check it out here: http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/260 Feel free to comment on the review in this thread. __________________ Click here to join CDFreaks.com Join CDFreaks Distributed Computing Team, have fun while helping to save some lives! My review PC & Specs & Media Blu-ray to DVD guide Forum Rules \| BenQ/Philips FAQ \| Tools: BQFlasher, MCSE, WOPC Tool, WinDWFlash \| NeroRegedit: EnableSolidBurn, Overburn5000MB LG GGW-H10N Blu-ray/HD-DVD \| LG GBW-H10N Blu-ray \| Panasonic SW-5582 Blu-ray

05-03-2006	#2 (permalink)
[buck] CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ottawa, ON, CA Posts: 809	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Thanks for the review zevia!

05-03-2006	#3 (permalink)
zebadee CD Freaks Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Hiding in backwater. Posts: 4,755	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Hi Thanks zevia. __________________ Click HERE to join cdfreaks.com Hi, I'm a BQFlasher: with aWOPC Tool: tendency suffering from MediaCodeSpeedEdit: BenQs' QSuite 2.1: Plus Manual: Meet the family Slysoft (Daddy) AnyDVD - (Mommy) CloneDVD2 - (Son) CloneCD - (Nephew) CloneDVDmobile CD/DVDSpeed: + NEW User's Guide[en]: [Italian ver:] Plus ala42's EnableSolidBurnReg: WinDWFlash: FWCheck:

05-03-2006	#4 (permalink)
El_Mariachi_X CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,042	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review thanks much __________________ You wrote that the world doesn't need a savior but every day i hear people crying for one - Kal El

05-03-2006	#5 (permalink)
shimman CD Freaks Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 277	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review @zevia, completed much faster than i expected; great job __________________ FS: HP dvd640e enclosure(prolific 3507 chipset) 25usd + actual shipping

Commercial message
<a href='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a3f0e81c&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://adstats.cdfreaks.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=29&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a3f0e81c' border='0' alt='' /></a>

05-03-2006	#7 (permalink)
teNtiON New on Forum Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Thanks for the review

05-03-2006	#8 (permalink)
zevia Admin & Review Coordinator N.America Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 9,183	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Thanks all. alan1476: Maxell in New Jersey sent me the Maxell media used in the review. Also other companies listed in the "Thanks To:" in the conclusion page. __________________ Click here to join CDFreaks.com Join CDFreaks Distributed Computing Team, have fun while helping to save some lives! My review PC & Specs & Media Blu-ray to DVD guide Forum Rules \| BenQ/Philips FAQ \| Tools: BQFlasher, MCSE, WOPC Tool, WinDWFlash \| NeroRegedit: EnableSolidBurn, Overburn5000MB LG GGW-H10N Blu-ray/HD-DVD \| LG GBW-H10N Blu-ray \| Panasonic SW-5582 Blu-ray

05-03-2006	#12 (permalink)
Bhairav CD Freaks Die Hard Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Bombay,India Posts: 1,294	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Good review, zev. Thanks. Hope they improve their -R writing. __________________ A64 X2 4200+ \| 2GB Micron RAM MSI 7900GTO VIVO DFI SLI-DR Expert 840GB HDD space Lite-On 52327S QS0B Pioneer DVR111 8.26 Benq 1640 BSLB X-Fi XtremeMusic Laptop: LG GCC-4241N

05-03-2006	#13 (permalink)
drunkndisordly New on Forum Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Seoul Posts: 22	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Thanks for the great work put into this review.Think I'll pass on this one.Nothing better than I already own.

05-03-2006	#14 (permalink)
sweetleaf CD Freaks Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bombay, India Posts: 157	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Very nice review zevia. The drive seems solid and has some potential. However, if this is a rebadged BenQ (which obviously is the case), why buy the Sony version? Apart from the Sony branding and firmware, are there any compelling advantages over the equivalent BenQ model?

05-03-2006	#17 (permalink)
zevia Admin & Review Coordinator N.America Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 9,183	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review @All: The hardware used in this Sony drive is a BenQ hardware so I left a redirect in BenQ forum but this review will stay in the Lite-On / Sony forum. __________________ Click here to join CDFreaks.com Join CDFreaks Distributed Computing Team, have fun while helping to save some lives! My review PC & Specs & Media Blu-ray to DVD guide Forum Rules \| BenQ/Philips FAQ \| Tools: BQFlasher, MCSE, WOPC Tool, WinDWFlash \| NeroRegedit: EnableSolidBurn, Overburn5000MB LG GGW-H10N Blu-ray/HD-DVD \| LG GBW-H10N Blu-ray \| Panasonic SW-5582 Blu-ray

06-03-2006	#18 (permalink)
ghetocowboy CD Freak Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 3,293	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Which BenQ drive is this drive based on?? BenQ DW-1670??? Thanks for the review Zevia. I did not like the scan on TY -R And speaking of Philips, even their own media, are made in China. Very disappointing. I am kinda suprised that BenQ continues to use Panasonic chipset as I have seen disappointment in DQ60 drive. Is BenQ done with Philip chipset? Any1 knows?? __________________ Current System: Asus U6S-A1 with Intel T7500 2.2ghz C2D; 4gb RAM, 200gb Hitachi 2.5" 7200RPM /w 16mb cache; 12" Led Backlit Display; Hitachi/LG GSA-U10A laptop drive; Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit; BenQ 1655 in Cypress ATA2+ Chip Enclosure; Seagate 500gb Pro eSATA drive; HP 30" LCD S-IPS display via HDMI-DVI converter from Asus U6S-A1 Output

11-03-2006	#21 (permalink)
sillysally CD Freaks Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 82	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Hi Zevia. Just flashed my drive. Sony DRU-820A fw 1.0b Seems that the mkm001 now only burns at 4x have you tryed to burn a mkm 001. With fw 1.0a mkm001 burned at 6x.

11-03-2006	#23 (permalink)
sillysally CD Freaks Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 82	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Thanks for your reply Zevia: I use ImgBurn. I did however have ImgBurn set to max. My burn just completed. Took 31 min for a 8gig burn, and average write speed was 3.7. Looking at the link you posted for supported disc there is a * by the mkm001 @2.4 speed. I think what the * is there for the mkm001 disc can be burned @4x. See what your take on this is. Thanks.

11-03-2006	#25 (permalink)
mrmagnet New on Forum Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4	Re: CDFreaks presents: the Sony DRU-820A DVD Burner Review Hello, I have just purchased the DRU-820A as a replacement for an old CD-ROM drive. Thought I'd upgrade. I like it and it is definetly fast. I have a question about it. Whenever there is a disk in the drive, the drive spins, even if it isn't being accessed. It is quite noisy while it is spinning too. Is this normal or should I take the drive back and get a replacement? Thanks in advance for the information. Jeff