MaximumPC 2004 12

2eViewS

102 MA XIMUMPC DECEMBER 2004

Pioneer $V2-!

Fastest DVD burner yet—if you can stand its software

P

ioneer’s release of the first consumer-level DVD burner using

the DVD-R format made a laughingstock of the competing DVD+R

format that had been vaporware for years. But in a striking reversal of

fortune, DVD-R has lagged months behind the competition in developing a

specification for double-layer DVD recording. That spec has finally arrived,

and the good news is that Pioneer’s DVR-A08 is the first DVD burner to hit

4x with certain brands of existing DVD+R DL discs. (Unfortunately, DVD-R DL

discs were unavailable at press time.)

We slipped a DVD+R DL disc from Verbatim into the DVR-A08, and wrote

8.3GB in a record-breaking time of 27:04 (min:sec). That’s more than a quar-

ter-hour faster than any other DVD burner we’ve tested. But we can’t say

we were euphoric about the achievement. We received only two pieces of

media for testing, and the bundled disc mastering app crashed during tests

with both discs. When we contacted Pioneer for more double-layer media,

an epic struggle to find a single disc ensued. The lesson here is clear: Before

you’re seduced into buying any optical drive, make sure you check the avail-

ability—and the price—of compatible media.

Another lesson is to avoid the sinister suite of applications bundled with the

DVR-A08. After an interminable installation routine that flung a number of error

messages at us, we struggled to find the basic disc mastering application in our

Start menu, which turned out to be called Ulead MovieFactory 3.5 SE. It’s a slug-

gish beast, often taking several seconds to respond to menu selections. As we

mentioned, initial attempts to burn a double-layer disc were unsuccessful. We

were able to burn to a DVD+R disc at 16x speed without any problems, complet-

ing the task in 7:29—a single second slower than the Memorex 16x DVD burner

we reviewed last month. But we encountered more problems in CD burning

tests. MovieFactory insisted our traditional test folder was too large for the

disc’s capacity, but the application window doesn’t display file size information

or even support right-clicking

a file for property information,

which would have helped us

trim the contents.

We’re delighted about

Pioneer’s technical achieve-

ment with the DVR-A08. We

hope some day we’ll be able to

say the same about the media,

the price, and the software.

—LOGAN DECKER

The DVR-A08 is furiously fast, but it’s expensive, the media

is scarce, and the software is nasty. What’s the point?

Extremely fast double-layer burning. Quiet even at

maximum speeds.

THE -A. 7HO 7AS.T THERE

THE -EDIA THAT 7AS.T THERE

The paucity of discs does not bode well for this

format. Horrible software.

$190, http://www.pioneerelectronics.com

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-aXtor /ne Touch II

Bigger, better, faster—this backup drive gives us thrills

and frills

W

e reviewed the Maxtor One Touch

backup drive in May, and bestowed

it with a 9 verdict for its superb per-

formance, despite a somewhat frill-less pack-

age. Undaunted, Maxtor has fired back with a

totally revamped “solution” that injects a few

extras missing in the first version.

For starters, Maxtor upgraded the new, improved One Touch with

its top-shelf 7,200rpm Diamond Max 10 drive. As a result, capacity has

increased from 250GB to a generous 300GB, and onboard cache has been

doubled to 16MB. That’s good news indeed. Connectivity options remain

the same, including one USB 2.0 port and two FireWire ports on the rear

of the aluminum outer shell, which are intended to daisy-chain a device

off the One Touch. We wish there were an extra USB port on the back—or

front—as well.

While we welcome the hardware upgrade, the real upgrade lies in the

device’s software. While it still uses Dantz Retrospect Express , Maxtor

has added a slick front-end interface that takes any guesswork out of the

process and makes it much easier to manage. Even the greenest newbie

could use this software, as could your average Mac user (well, probably).

Maxtor added a few new features to the software as well. Our favorite

is the ability to password-protect the One Touch. You can also create

historical backups, making it possible to restore individual files from a par-

ticular day. Lab tests revealed that both of these features work flawlessly,

as did every other aspect of the drive. Another cool new feature is the

ability to

choose between

a very quiet “normal” mode,

or a slightly louder “performance” mode that

offers improved seek times.

In the final tally, we’re

impressed with the steps

Maxtor took to significantly

improve what was already

a great product. If it had a

media reader and USB hub—

like the Western Digital Media

Center—it would undoubtedly

receive a perfect 10.

—JOSH NOREM

Talk about

useful: Maxtor

has converted

the front of

its One Touch

drive into an

electric razor.

Best backup software ever, huge capacity, and

quiet.

DIA-O.D-A8

:IRCO.IA-A8

Unlike the WD competition, it lacks a media

reader and USB hub.

$380 ($330 for 250GB), http://www.maxtor.com

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