Digital Trends

Sony DRU-530A February 19th, 2004 | by Ian Bell

Introduction

Sony was the first to market with a multi-format DVD writer, the DRU-500A. Since then multi-format has become the standard and most new drives are offering 8X DVD write speeds. Sony's new 8X DVD+/-RW drive, the DRU-530A attempts to make its mark in the already saturated recordable DVD drive market.

As we have pointed out in past reviews, there is little difference between 4X and 8X DVD write times, but with DVD recorder prices dropping to record lows, it just may be time to upgrade your CD-RW drive and venture into the DVD realm.

Featuring a software package that is different than what other manufacturers are providing, the DRU-530A hopes to give a reason to choose a Sony over the rest. Priced between $160 and $200 dollars, the DRU-530A offers 8X DVD+R write times for around $25 dollars less than its closest competitor, the Plextor PX-708A.

Features and Design

Let's face it, when it comes to DVD writers speed is king. Every magazine or Website will boast about how fast one DVD writer is compared to the rest. But when it comes right down to it, we are talking seconds of difference, not minutes in most cases. Is it really worth spending the extra money on a drive that can complete a DVD or CD 23 seconds faster than the rest? Maybe, but what you should really be looking at is the overall package. What does the drive offer as far as features and software?

We have seen drives with a lot of controls on the front of the unit such as those from Plextor and MSI, and we have seen some drives come with very complete software packages that are user friendly such as the HP and TDK drives. The Sony DRU-503A comes with a software package that seems to cover everything you would want to do with your DVD writer.

Included with the DRU-503A is Sonic's RecordNow DVD & CD recording software, Sonic DLA packet writing software, Sonic MyDVD DVD video authoring and editing software, Cyberlink PowerDVD 5 and MusicMatch Jukebox. The Sony DRU-503A drive may very well be compatible with both Windows and Mac based computer systems, but the included software is only compatible with Windows 2000 and XP operating systems. We've run across optical drives that don't mention Mac compatibility, but when installed, they work fine.

Sony says the DRU-503A writes DVD-Rs at 1X, 2X, and 4X. It writes DVD-RWs at 1X and 2X, DVD+R at 2.4X, 4X and 8X and DVD+RW at 2.4X and 4X. CD writing speeds are rated at a max of 40X for CD-R and 24X for CD-RW. Read speeds are rated at 12X for DVD and 40X for CD.

While competitors are introducing drives with an 8MB buffer, the DRU-503A features a standard 2MB buffer. However, in our tests, a larger buffer doesn't necessarily mean the creation of less coasters. Modern drives with built-in buffer underrun protection often handle burning and multi-tasking just fine with a 2MB buffer.

As is the case with almost every other Sony product, the DRU-503A looks physically different than their competitor's products. The front tray is lined with a clear plastic shield which gives the drive a very futuristic look. The silver and white design makes it look good in many different colored cases. It looks very similar to the original DRU-500A and the DRU-510A, however, unlike the DRU-510A, there are no volume controls or a headphone jack located on the drive. For most this will not be a huge deal since few people seem to use these features, but it still would have been nice for Sony to include them, considering they are useful to some users.