Ricoh has quite a good reputation for their DVD media range. Thanks to Ricoh Europe we had a chance to test Ricoh 8X Ultra Speed DVD+RW media.

The product

Our test discs were in the slim jewel cases (10 pack). The disc itself has a silver top coating. Good looking disc. The discs carry a RICOHJPN W21 (001) Manufacturer ID.

The test method

In this test we burned a number of discs using the Plextor PX-716UF, Pioneer DVR-110D, LG GSA-4163B and BenQ DW1640 with the latest firmware. Your results may vary depending on your recorder. We will add more results later. For error rate analysis we used nero CD/DVD Speed software and the BenQ DW1640 and Pioneer 110D drives. This test method is not scientifically valid or 100% accurate, but usually gives a good idea of the quality.

Performance using Plextor 716UF

Unfortunately Plextor's firmware 1.08 was clearly not tuned for this type of DVD+RW Ultra Speed media and 8x speed. During testing we discovered that Plextor had updated to v1.09, but didn't show any improvements. The error rate of Plextor starts fairly low, but goes up the hill towards the end. Naturally, the disc wasn't playable in the DVD players we tested - there was constant stuttering in the playback.

We also tested writing at the lowest allowed speed 6x. In Plextor's case it helped a lot. The error rates dropped quite close to Pioneer 110D results. After all, the point of using Ultra Speed media, is to get the high performance - there is plenty of good alternatives that work at lower speeds and bring better results.

Performance using Pioneer DVR-110D

The results with Pioneer were usable, to but not too great. The amount PIE is high, and the curve is far from linear. However, the amount of PIF remains low all the way, thus giving a high Nero CD Speed quality score. There was no playback problems in the DVD players tested. While being far from excellent, the results indicate that the disc is usable with Pioneer, but the results could be a lot better too. We also tried reducing the recording speed, but it did not have significant impact on the recording quality

Performance using LG GSA-4163B

Our LG GSA-4163B drive seems to like these discs. PIE average is low and also the curve is linear. There is a little PIF spike, but nothing serious. This disc was scanned with BenQ writer which uses 8ECC scanning interval (Max PIF should be < 16). Liteon uses 1ECC scanning interval (Max PIF should be < 4). Quite good results.

Performance using BenQ DW1640

BenQ DW1640 also performs very well with this media. Very similar results as with LG GSA-4163B. Again this disc was scanned with BenQ writer which uses 8ECC scanning interval (Max PIF should be < 16). Liteon uses 1ECC scanning interval (Max PIF should be < 4). Good results as well.

Conclusions

The results we had with the Ricoh DVD+RW 8x Ultra Speed are a mixed bag, varying from good to bad. The reason for this perhaps is not the media, but rather the drives and their firmwares. It appears not all of the drives have been optimized for this type of media and there is plenty of room for improvement. After all, with BenQ and LG the results are quite good.

This is our initial test result. We welcome you to use our comment feature in order to give your feedback about this media. We will still continue using and testing this media and update this review if needed.

You can discuss Ricoh and DVD media in general at our DVDR Media Forum