Test machine

For this review we are testing the Sony BWU-200S mounted inside of our Intel based system with the following components:

• Motherboard: ASUSTek, P5K Deluxe
• Processor:  Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, 2.4GHz
• Memory:  4GB G-SKILL  DDR2-800
• Video: GeForce 8600 GTS
• Sound:  SoundMAX integrated Digital HD Audio, onboard
• Hard Disks: 250GB Seagate SATA-II, X2
• Optical Drives: Lite-On DH20A3P, LG GSA-H62L, ASUS BC-1205PT, Optiarc DVD RW AD 7170A,  BenQ DW1650, Samsung SH-S203B, Lite-On CD-RW SOHR-5239V, and the ASUS DRW-2014L1T

Software:

Windows Vista Business 32bit installed on our test system; we will also be using the following software for this review:

• Nero Burning Rom 8 Ultra Enhanced
• Nero CD-DVD Speed
• Nero InfoTool
• Slysoft CloneCD
• K-Probe 2.5.2
• DVD Identifier

A Little More About Blu-Ray:

Until recently, optical disc technologies such as DVD, DVD±R, DVD±RW, and DVD-RAM relied on a red laser to read and write data. The new technology Blu-Ray format uses a blue-violet laser, which explains the name Blu-ray.

Blu-ray drives can also be made backwards compatible with CDs and DVDs through the use of a BD/DVD/CD compatible optical pickup unit.

A blue-violet laser (405nm) has a shorter wavelength than a red laser (650nm); this makes it possible to focus the laser with even greater accuracy. This will allow data to be packed more tightly, so it’s possible to squeeze more data on the disc even though it’s the same size as a CD/DVD. This together with the change of numerical aperture to 0.85 enables Blu-ray discs to hold 25GB/50GB.

Now let’s take a look at the track pitch and compare them with that of DVD:

As we can see in the above screenshots, the storage density of Blu-Ray is much higher than DVD. The Blu-Ray laser beam spot is also much narrower than that of DVD.

Blu-Ray Error specification:

In the above table we present some of the specifications for reported errors on Blu-Ray media. At present we have no equipment or software available for measuring these errors.

Installation and Supported Features:

The installation was flawless; we hooked the drive up using a standard SATA cable

Here is the Nero InfoTool output for the drive and its supported features:

CD-DVD Speed reports the burst rate of 46 MB/s, confirming that Ultra DMA Mode 4 is in effect:

On the next page we will take a look at the Disc Writing Technology of the Sony BWU-200S.