DataWrite is one of the better known brands of the E-net Distribution. It is considered one of their higher profile brands, and has earned itself a rather good reputation. According to their website, the Datawrite Titanium product stand out with even higher quality. We had a chance to test the Datawrite Titanium DVD+R 8x.

In this test we burned a number of discs using the DVD recorders LiteON SOHW-1653S, Plextor PX-716UF and Pioneer DVR-109 with the latest firmware revisions available. For error rate analysis we used Kprobe software and the LiteON drive. This test method is not scientifically valid or 100% accurate, but usually gives a good idea of the quality. The discs were also tested in various playback devices, including DVD-ROMs, a Playstation 2 and DVD players.

The Datawrite website gives us the following statement:

The introduction of the highly successful Titanium dvd-r 8x in 2004 has set an immense precedent in the market. In fact, everything about the Titanium range resonates excellence!

From the tough titanium sandblast finish to the high-grade polycarbonate plastic used, the Titanium range is guaranteed to be less than 0.00001% defective.

Features:

• Write-once format DVD
• 7 times the storage capacity of CD-R
• Durable, long lasting archives
• Excellent performance
• Storage acceleration tests guarantee safe storage for more than 30 years
• Printable surface compatible with any cd/dvd printers
• Utilizes superb premium organic dye that ensures stable writing with   excellent quality
• Ideal for Data Video and Audio
• Up to 16X compatible
• Best UV resistance & heat resistance
• Compatible format for DVD+ROM master disc production and a high capacity for archive storage

Datawrite Titanium comes in a fancy wrapping, featuring explosions and stealth fighters. The disc itself has a matte gray top coating, which actually seems quite tough. The disc is made by Prodisc.

Disc Type                               DVD+R               
Book Type                               DVD+R
Manufacturer                            Prodisc Technology Inc.
Media ID                                PRODISCR03
Protection System                       None
Region                                  1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Capacity                                4,38 GB
Free Size                               4,38 GB
Free Blocks                             2295104
Number of Layers                        1
Linear Density                          0.267 um/bit
Track Density                           0.74 um/track
Maximum Read Speed                      3,2x
Maximum Write Speed                     6,0x
Current Write Speed                     6,0x CLV
Write Speed Performance Descriptor 1    6,0x CLV
Write Speed Performance Descriptor 2    4,0x CLV

As we can see from the graph, Plextor has serious problems with this media when burned at 8x speed. The PI value peaks over 100, while the PIF remains quite low. However, this seems to be a Plextor problem rather than media related.

As we can see, reducing the recording speed just to 6x results a beatiful linear graph, with very low PI and PIF values. So the overall performance with Plextor varies from very good (6x speed) to medicore (8x).

The Pioneer delivers excellent results with this media. The PI value peaks at 10 and PIF at 2. The graph is linear all the way. Reducing the speed had very little impact in the results. Overall the performance with Pioneer is very good.

Unfortunately, the LiteON is only able to record this media with the maximum speed of 6x. However the results at the 6x speed are excellent, giving very low PI and PIF peak and average values. Therefore it seems odd that higher recording speeds are not supported.

Prodisc has been delivering good quality CD and DVD recordable media for years, and their PRODISCR03 dye seems to be no exception. However, it seems that DVD recorder manufacturers could do better in tweaking their firmwares and write strategies, as Plextor delivers good results only up to 6x and LiteON refuses to burn faster than 6x, while the results with Pioneer show that this media can perform very well at it's certified maximum speed of 8x.

As usual, we will continue testing and using this media as long as we run out of samples. This is the inital review and we will update if we discover something. You can post your experiences with this media using the Comment feature below.