BIOS: Technology Means Business

Sony’s DRU-820A is a complete retail internal DVD burner with fast, DVD-RAM compatibility and comprehensive Nero software package. In typical Sony style, the drive also looks great and would make a neat upgrade for most typical desktop systems. The only downside is that it doesn’t support LightScribe direct labelling.

As Sony's 11-generation multi-format DVD burner the DRU-820A (re-badged BenQ) ships as part of a complete retail package which includes replaceable front bezels (black and beige) and Nero’s excellent recording software suite. The retail kit (Best Current Price: £43.77) also includes bonus tools for DVD authoring, audio editing and DVD backup, as well as an ATAPI cable, mounting hardware, and operating manual.

In addition to DVD-RAM media with a rewritable speed of 5x, the DRU-820A (146x173x41mm) burns all DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW media, including the latest double and dual layer DVD recordable discs, maintaining its high read/write speeds and writing quality.

The DRU-820A records DVD+R DL media at 8x speed, DVD-R DL media at 6x speed and single-layer DVD±R discs at 16x speed. Rewritable DVDs can be recorded at 8x (DVD+RW) and 6x (DVD-RW), respectively, and the drive offers 48x CD-ROM and 32x CD-RW burning. The drive is equipped with a buffer memory size of 2MB, Ultra DMA Mode 2 ATAPI interface, average access time of 130ms (DVD 16x) and 135ms (CD 48x).

Other technical specifications are equally impressive. Full media and modes supported include DVD-R/-R DL/-RW, DVD+R/DVD+R DL/+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, CD-DA, CD-ROM (XA), CD Extra, Video CD, Photo CD, CD Text, and multi-session.

The benefit of such widespread media support is that you can select the media you prefer and that best suits your needs, whether you’re after playback compatibility with a specific DVD player, less-expensive discs to distribute videos to friends, or higher capacity media for data backup.

There are currently two formats on the market that support recording to two layers of a DVD disc. The first was presented by the DVD+RW Alliance for the plus format and given the formal name Double Layer. The DVD Forum followed with its own standard for the dash format, which is named Dual Layer. For now, drives are only available in write-once formats called DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL.

The added DVD-RAM media support makes the new Sony DVD writer even more versatile. Thanks to the comprehensive, powerful and easy-to-use Nero software package, the DRU-810A is Sony’s fastest DVD burner to date. As a result it’s ideally suited for demanding audio, photo and video recording tasks, as well as data storage and entry-level backup.

The DRU-820A uses BenQ’s exclusive Dual Cooling System (DCS), which features an Anti-Dust Cooling System (ADCS) and Air Flow Cooling System (AFCS) to effectively reduce the risk of over-heating during high-speed reading and writing. It is the same feature found in BenQ’s DW1640, DW1650/DW1655 and DW1670. At the rear of the drive is a digital audio connector, analogue audio connector, jumpers to set the drive to cable select, slave or master, IDE connector and power connector.

Sony’s DRU-820A is a solid drive, but it’s not without its faults or limitations. Most noticeable is the lack of direct labelling technology. The drive doesn’t support overburning 4.6GB DVD+R media either, and the Turbo Boost (48x CD-R/ROM read/write) is disabled by default.

In our tests we also encountered relatively poor DVD-R writing quality and compatibility - especially 16x burns - and some 16x DVD+R media burns at lower than its rated speed. In general, DVD+R write quality is good and DVD-R media support is excellent. Disc quality (PI/PO) checking is not supported either, nor is DAO-RAW writing.

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