STORAGE REVIEW

Pioneer DVR-A08XL review

7.5

Editors' Rating

Jon L Jacobi CNET

Published: 18 Jan 2005

If you've been looking into 8.5GB double-layer DVD burning but you were put off by the slow 2.4X write speed, you're going to love the Pioneer DVR-A08XL. Not only does it write double layer at 4X, it also reads all types of DVD media faster than any drive we've tested. The drive is rated to read CDs at 40X and write both DVD-R and DVD+R at 16X, DVD-RW and DVD+RW at 4X, and CD-R/RW at 32X/24X.

The retail version of the drive comes with a software bundle from Sonic comprising MyDVD Deluxe for the creation of DVDs and VideoCDs with menus and buttons; DLA (Drive Letter Access), which allows you to use a rewritable DVD or CD just like a hard disk; RecordNow! for writing DVDs and CDs; Simple Backup for backing up and restoring files to DVD or CD; and CinePlayer for video playback. All in all, Pioneer has put together an adept and easy-to-use software package.

Installing the A08XL, with its plain black or putty-coloured face and big silver eject button, is easy enough. However, the information-challenged installation guide will be no help. Also, although Pioneer includes four mounting screws, there are no cables. Generally speaking, most PCs will have an open connector or a spare IDE cable, but if you want to tap the drive's analogue audio output instead of playing music across the IDE bus, get a cable when you purchase the drive. The DVR-A08XL is also the first drive we've seen in quite a while that lacks a digital audio output.

The A08XL's performance may make you forget the missing cables. Its 4X double-layer writing smoked the 2.4X competition by nearly 20 minutes, and it edged out Asus's DRW-1604P by 3 seconds (check back soon for a review of the Asus drive). It turned in excellent times reading all types of DVDs. Alas, CD write and read performance was sub-par for a first-rank DVD burner, although it will easily be fast enough for the large majority of users.

Pioneer provides a one-year warranty on the DVR-A08XL, along with phone support via a national-rate number. Online support is good, with a knowledge base, downloadable firmware, technical guides, white papers and the like. You can also email support queries and, if you create an account, keep an online record of your interactions with Pioneer.