I use these blanks for about 5 years, have a total of 5 different burners certainly already 600 blanks fired and was always very satisfied - I can not remember a false fire or the like. Now I have burned a few DVDs in which I again wanted to have the assurance that the data hold for some time to it. All DVDs are worse over time if the DVDs are burned but already with few errors, they last longer through. I have therefore decided to take the current production again more closely.
I currently use an HP EliteBook 8540p with Windows 7 64-bit, 8GB Ram and have two burners programs to choose from:
A) The freeware "CDBurnerXP" and
B) Nero Burning ROM 10 (for a fee)
The DVD burner at the laptop is an HP DVD RW AD-7701H with firmware 2.85
To analyze the quality of the fired blanks I use Nero DiscSpeed 5.4.24.0 (Freeware).
I actually always used CDBurnerXP, but a lot to me then when testing on the burner and the blanks that this software is always the maximum speed burner (with me 8x) setting. If I 6x, 4x or 2.4x pick it displays it, but burns de facto 8x.
At first I thought, well, maybe the burner can not properly recognize the blanks. Using Nero, it is however not a problem - all speeds, which are selected, are also set and used. It is up to the software CDBurnerXP. This also shows that the software also definitely worse DVDs produced when burning itself as Nero.
I got the following test results (repeatedly tested to detect if necessary individual, poor blanks (but it was not such a case)):
---------- Software: CDBurnerXP - 8x ----------
================================================
Burning time: 12:15 min
----- Disc quality -----
-> PI errors:
Average: 9.45; Maximum: 57; Total: 167745
-> PI failures:
Average: 0.04; Maximum: 10; Total: 5536
-> PO failures: 0; Quality Index: 94
----- Disk test / C1 / C2 - PI / PO test -----
Surface Scan:
"Good": 96.1%; "Damaged": 3.9%; "Incorrect": 0.0%
---------- Software: Nero Burning ROM 10 - 8x ----------
================================================== =======
Burning time: 12:12 min
----- Disc quality -----
-> PI errors:
Average: 2.22; Maximum: 22; Total: 39675
PI failures:
Average: 0.03; Maximum: 8; Total: 3647
-> PO failures: 0; Quality Index: 95
----- Disk test / C1 / C2 - PI / PO test -----
Surface Scan:
"Good": 97.5%; "Damaged": 2.5%; "Incorrect": 0.0%
---------- Software: Nero Burning ROM 10 - 6x ----------
================================================== =======
Burning time: 14:26 min
----- Disc quality -----
-> PI errors:
Average: 1.62; Maximum: 14; Total: 28922
-> PI failures:
Average: 0.01; Maximum: 8; Total: 1695
-> PO failures: 0; Quality Index: 95
----- Disk test / C1 / C2 - PI / PO test -----
-> Surface Scan:
"Good": 98.9%; "Damaged": 1.1%; "Incorrect": 0.0%
---------- Software: Nero Burning ROM 10 - 4x -----------
================================================== =======
Burning time: 17:03 min
----- Disc quality -----
-> PI errors:
Average: 1.39; Maximum: 11; Total: 24818
-> PI failures:
Average: 0,001; Maximum: 6; Total: 670
-> PO failures: 0; Quality Index: 97
----- Disk test / C1 / C2 - PI / PO test -----
-> Surface Scan:
"Good": 99.9%; "Damaged": 0.1%; "Incorrect": 0%
What do these numbers really mean? Shortly beforehand: All data are very good and have a very good overall quality.
PO failures:
The Parity Outer failures are the most serious errors that can be found on a DVD. Normally PO failures are a sign that there are on the disc unreadable data.
C2 error:
A C2 error describes the error rate on the lower levels of a burned CD that are automatically corrected during reading. Each blank has this error, the less it is, the better the quality. At elevated C2 error rates this indicates focal problems or quality defects.
PI errors:
The Parity of inner code is part of the structure of the data block of a DVD and is used for error correction. Unable to read a PI a DVD, one speaks of a PI error. Up to the value of 280 faults players should have no problems with it, play discs - the error rates are higher and can not be reproduced correctly a DVD with so many errors, if necessary. So the less error the higher the burning quality.
So far so good, who wants to know more can also googling.
Here you can but sometimes easy (if you have one) do their own tests. Burns times a DVD (the brim, like me) and this puts then into the drive and makes the analysis with Nero DiscSpeed. So you see the comparison. Of course it also depends on the burner and the software. But as a guide, this value are times I find quite interesting.
The blanks can be described by the way good with a permanent marker.
I just could blanks (2 years ago with a Plextor burner fired) still read them all.
The price is fair and the AZO layer of protection against scratches seems to be good, my blanks are also sometimes exposed and lying on the writing side around (though not permanently).
Since I have had good long-term experiences I forgive 5 stars for these blanks - it is but as I said on the burner (and the software (see above) In tests by computer magazines (eg C'T) these blanks land incidentally also regularly. the front seats.
Greeting,
Fredrik
