We put three 4x DVD writers from Sony, HP and Plextor through their paces to determine the current DVD burning champion.

2003 promises to be the year when home DVD recording becomes mainstream. The DVD format, which seemed a little too out of reach for most users last year, is now coming within shooting range at under AU$650. When push comes to shove, you really can't argue with 4.7GB of space, which is roughly eight times the amount you can fit into a measly CD-R.

The latest internal DVD+R/RW drives from Sony, Hewlett Packard (HP) and Plextor cross a new threshold, offering 4x write speeds and the capability of burning a full 4.7GB DVD+R disc in under 20 minutes. While they offer significant performance gains over their 2x predecessors, these high-speed DVD burners don't come cheap--with an entry-level price of AU$650, even the cheapest copier in this roundup is four times the price of an average AU$150 CD writer.

When paying a premium for such a product, buyers naturally want the best deal. Here, we put three 4x drives--HP DVD300i EIDE, Plextor PX-504A DVD+RW EIDE, and Sony DRU500AX EIDE--through a series of tests to find out which one offers the right blend of price and performance.

Round One: Features
A DVD-Drive is more than just a drive -- which unit offers the most capabilities and features?

Round Two: Performance
4x drives are already quite fast -- but which drive reigns supreme?

Round Three: Price
Which drive wins out in the battle for your hard-earned dollar?

Round 1: Features

The writer's software bundle range from a DVD video editor (ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD) to backup applications (Simple Backup) for users to archive their data onto CDs or DVDs. The DLA (Drive Letter Access) utility is used to perform packet writing to both DVD+RW and CD-RW for convenient drag-and-drop. This program is similar to Nero's InCD packet writing utility but has its limitations: The file transfer works with only the DVD200i and DVD300i model, so if you're running a different DVD-ROM or writer you can only read from but not move data onto the media.

Unlike the Sony DRU500AX, which has the unique ability to support all popular recordable DVD formats (except DVD-RAM), the DVD300i's DVD recording support is limited to DVD+R and DVD+RW. This means your self-mastered movies may not play back on older DVD players due to incompatibility in standards. Support for CD-R (16x) and CD-RW (10x) mastering comes standard.

For error-protection during writing, HP uses a 2MB memory buffer to prevent underruns that may otherwise damage the media.

Plextor PX-504A DVD+RW EIDE
Like the DVD300i, Plextor's PX-504A writer reads and writes on just about any CD or DVD media--the burner writes DVD+Rs at 4x, CD-Rs at 16x and CD-RWs at 10x. The only notable exception is DVD-RAM and DVD-R/RW support, technologies that compete with DVD+R/RW.

Plextor is a bit parsimonious with the media bundled in the box; you get one CD-R and one DVD+R but no rewritable media. But other necessities like mounting screws, an emergency-eject pin and an IDE ribbon cable are included in the box. The drive also comes equipped with a 2MB buffer to ensure clean and damage-free media mastering.

The PX-504A's package includes a capable and easy-to-use software bundle for all your burning needs. The anchor is Roxio's popular Easy CD Creator 5.0 DVD Edition, which makes it easy to create everything from audio CDs to DVDs.

Also included is Roxio Direct CD, which uses packet writing to make optical discs as easy to use as magnetic storage, Roxio PhotoSuite 5.0 SE, which helps you organise and edit digital images and create slide shows, and Roxio DVD Builder, which lets you burn DVD movies or VideoCDs. The bundle also includes a 30-day trial version of Dantz Retrospect Professional, a capable backup utility.

Sony DRU 500AX EIDE
The DRU-500AX comes with a generous list of software titles that include Veritas RecordNow DX for mastering both writable and rewritable DVDs and CDs; Veritas DLA (Drive Letter Access) for packet writing; Veritas Simple Backup for backing up data; Sonic MyDVD, which turns your home movies into video DVDs; ArcSoft ShowBiz for video editing; MusicMatch Jukebox, which lets you play, record, and organise your music; and CyberLink PowerDVD 4.0 for DVD movie playback.

Other accessories include an IDE cable, mounting screws, illustrated hardware and software quick-start guides, one 2.4x DVD+RW, and a software CD.

For movie mavens, the main highlight is the drive's unique multi-format recording feature: Not only does the DRU-500AX support all four recordable DVD formats, it also does its job with amazing speed. It writes both DVD-R and DVD+R media at 4x, CD-Rs at 24x, and CD-RWs at 10x. To prevent buffer-underrun errors, the DRU500AX features an 8MB buffer memory and Power-Burn technology which matches the burning speed with the amount of data in the buffer.

Verdict: Sony by a mile. You really can't argue with the DRU-500AX's resume. Along with the generous software package, you get also a large 8MB buffer memory (compared to 2MB offered by competitors) for smoother burns and the fastest CD-R mastering speed (24x) from a DVD recordable drive; although the drive's multi-format ability alone is enough to secure it the top spot in this round.

Round 2: Performance

All write tests are run with both the drive's recommended media (submitted by the manufacturer), rated at the drive's maximum speed.

Verdict: A mixed bag this one. Although good read/write performance with DVD+R puts the Plextor ahead in most of our benchmark tests, overall, the speed differences between the three drives were merely marginal. All three drives hit well below the 20-minute mark when recording with high-speed 4x DVD+R media.

Round 3: Price

At around AU$899, Sony's multi-format maestro tops the DVD pricelist. Of course, the ability burn on almost DVD media (DVD-RAM being the only exception) will be a major appeal for hardcore video editing enthusiasts, but for approximately AU$250 less, mainstream buyers are still guaranteed good performance and ample software with both the DVD+R/RW-only Plextor PX-504A and HP DVD300i drives.

Looking from an initial investment viewpoint, the AU$650 Plextor unit does appear the better choice for budget buyers, but if you factor in the blank media and superior ArcSoft DVD authoring software supplied, it's actually the similarly priced Hewlett Packard writer that's all-round the best value for money.

Verdict: Not an easy pick. Mainstream buyers will most likely opt for the sub-AU$650 burners, leaving Sony's high-end AU$899 writer for the niche power crowd. But it's HP's DVD300i that narrowly edges out the competition with its AU$649 price tag and a smart software bundle that will appeal to both newbies and advanced users. As always, it pays to shop around, as vendor prices can vary markedly.

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