DataWrite is one of the higher profile brands of the E-net Distribution. Datawrite media is very popular in Europe and has earned itself a decent reputation. Thanks to E-net, we had a chance to test their Datawrite Yellow 16x DVD+R media

The Datawrite Yellow DVD+R 16x is sold in 50pcs of spindles. It has the characteristic bright yellow surface. The top of the disc also advertises a "Double protection system". We did not test the durability of the top coating, but it does have a quite tough feeling to it.

The media is made by Prodisc, which is a fairly good manufacturer. The discs have a PRODICS R04 media identifier.

The Test Method

In this test we burned a number of discs using the DVD recorders LiteON SOHW-1653S, Plextor PX-716UF and Pioneer DVR-110 with the latest firmware revisions available. In addition we also tested performance using a Panasonic DMR-ES10 DVD video recorder. For error rate analysis we used Nero CD-DVD Speed 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.

Performance using Plextor PX-716UF

The Plextor was the only drive to support the disc up to full 16x recording speed. The error rates are good and the graphs linear up 14x speed, where increased errors occur and speed was reduced to 12x. The single spike around the 1.5G marker is caused by the test environment and can be neglected. A decent result, but recording at lower than 16x speed is recommended.

Performance using LiteON SOHW-1653S

Our old LiteON only supported recording at the full speed of 16x. The error rates start increasign at the speeds above 12x and peaks quite high at the outer rim of the disc. Reducing the recording speed increased the quality significantly.

Performance using Pioneer DVR-110

Pioneer supports this media up to 12x speed. The error graphs show that Pioneer runs into problems with the Zone-CLV recording. The early parts of the disc are recorded at 6x speed, and it seems that the writing parameters are not optimal for this media at low speed. As the speed increases to 8x, the quality improves to a very good level and remains good to the very end. An Ok result and it could be improved if Pioneer fine tunes and updates the firmware.

Performance using Panasonic DMR-ES10

For the first time we used a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) in our media tests. We found this to be interesting as they have increased their popularity recently and they operate in low recording speeds. The Panasonic made a very high quality recording on this media with low and linear error rate graphs. A very good result.

Conclusions

The Datawrite Yellow 16x DVD+R by Prodisc is not bad media. It offers quite good recording quality and good playback compatibility. However, many drives seem to have problems recording this disc up to 16x speed, and lower recording speeds are recommended. Firmware upgrades may be able to fix this problem. We noticed no quality variation during testing. Datawrite Yellow is not a bad buy, but keep your eyes open for alternatives as there are many offering similar quality in the same price range.

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