Electronics : Verbatim 43667 DVD+R 8x Dual Layer Print 25pk

Rating: - Verbatim 8x Double Layer DVD+R
Having recorded the maximum amount possible onto the Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media at its rated recording speed of 8x and above to all available review drives with Nero CD-DVD Speed, the next stage of this review will concentrate on Disc Quality.

The first part of the Quality tests involved scanning all the pieces of Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media recorded on each review recording device with the Plextor PX-755A using Plextools Q-Check tests to find out how many potential SUM8 (PI Errors) and Sum1 (PI Failures) a playback device would have to correct whilst playing or transferring the recorded media. This also enabled me to obtain which of the 5 recorded pieces of media most matched the average result. The average disc shown below was then subjected to a Beta and Jitter test. Although more tests are available I believe I am showing the most common factors in overall disc quality for the average user.

"As the whole purpose of reviewing media for our readers is to try and obtain a good idea of the average quality of a given media, I have come up with this new methodoligy for determing these factors. These are my own personal views and by no means as accurate as an Industry C.A.T.S device for measuring the quality of a disc but I believe I have come as close as I possibly can do with the equipment available to the average user."

I will expect that not every piece of media is capable of producing this with such influences as excepted media/ hardware tolerance levels having an impact but I will expect the results not to consistently stray too far from set standards for a recommended media. It is also the sum of all tests that I use to determine the overall quality of the media and not one test alone.

Taking into account all tests carried out during this stage of the review, it is clear to see that recording at the rated speed of 8x didn't dispaly any errors of any serious concern and that a good quality recording had been achieved on all devices. The BenQ DW 1640 however, achieved a very good overall level of quality Vs recording speed and the results from this drive could be considered the best of any tested recording devices overall. The Plextor PX-755A which managed 10x to some parts of the recording also produced very appealing quality. Anyone who uses Plextor drives and Power record will know all about the way the Plextor can adjust recordings to any media dependant on a disc to disc basis to obtain good quality recordings using correct laser power.

The Philips DVDR1660P1 achieved a very good level of quality even if it couldn't achieve 8x for both layers under present firmware. But lets not forget the Pioneer DVR 110. Under firmware 1.39 it achieved a very good level of quality in the Sum8 and Sum1 tests but the very quality concious may like to see Jitter lowered slightly on the second layer. The high but still within specification Sum8 values towards the end of the first layer of the NEC ND-4551A recording was the least favourable of any recording achieved during this review. Some work is needed towards the end of the first layer to reduce potential errors and bring it more in line with other results achieved.

So far in this review I have reported on how well/bad the Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media has performed on our 5 used review recording devices and given you a good idea as to how many potential errors may be seen on playback and transfer devices. One thing this hasn't prooven to is just how well the recorded media can be transfered at high speeds, although I can with experience draw an educated opinion on whether the discs will transfer ok from the Disc Quality results shown earlier in this review. Of course playback will be performed at 1x on a DVD playback device and so judging by the results I have shown up to now during previous tests I am happy that no problems with playback should occur on any of the Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media I have recorded to.

During this review, 3 pieces of the Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media where recorded to each drive used. Only the recording which most represents the average recording to each drive under the writers default settings are shown in this review. I feel this is the best way to get a good reflection on well a particular drive/media combination works.

I also subjected the recorded pieces of the Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media to the Advance Plextor Q-Check tests to try get as much accurate information about the recordings to the Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media as possible. As mentioned in the Disc Quality section, the Plextor allows us a more indepth look at each individual recording. The Liteon results with KProbe in conjuction with the Transfer tests are in my opinion, still a very valid indication of a good/bad recording. However, you do get a lot more detail about just how good/bad the recording was if using the advanced Q-Check tests available on the Plextor PX-755A.

So what did I think about this latest 8x DVD+R Double layer offering from Verbatim? Just like the 2.4x Double layer media I have reviewed a while back rated speed recordings where in place on all used recording devices. It is what I come to expect from Verbatim who really do seem to make every effort to get good support for their media. The increased speed to 8x cuts Double layer recording time almost in half on some writers and this now makes Double layer media more attractive to the end user. Infact the Plextor PX-755A nearly broke the 15 minute mark using its 10x recording strategy. The Plextor PX-755A is the first writer to offer such high Double layer recording speeds and judging by the quality and speed achieved, I'm sure it wont be long before other companies follow plextors lead. I'm eager to see how well the Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media handles possible speeds of 12x in the future! That said not every writer managed the rated speed on both layers - this is not down to individual quality of media but a need to update the way these writing devices handle this new high speed Double Layer media.

One of the main drawbacks of early Double layer media was the amount of time it took to record at 2.4x which coupled with its high price compared to single layer DVD+/-R media made users weary of using it. This is no longer the case to such an extent and, although still very expensive in comparison to single layer media, the recording times are now more attractive to users who may not want to compress a video presentation or span a backup over 2 single layer discs. Playback was smooth in the tested playback devices and transfer tests using my Plextor PX-755A also produced very nice graphs at the maximum transfer speed of 8x for Double layer media.

If the quality of all future Verbatim 8x DVD+R Double layer media can be equal in quality of the media I reviewed, I can highly recomend it as a very good high capacity backup solution. As always I look forward to hearing your comments and results with this media in the Media forum.