Sony Slim-Line DRX-S50U Review

DVD+R/-R Double Layer writing performance and quality:

The Sony DRX-S50U supports the DVD+R DL standard for writing Double Layer discs with a size around 8.5 GB at a writing speed of 4x.

Testing procedure:

We created an ISO Image from a pre-authored DVD-Video compliant file set, with a total on-disc size of nearly 8.5GB. We then wrote this image file using Nero Burning ROM 7. Below are the results:

Very good scan and the transfer rate curve is smooth.

The Sony DRX S50U burned this disc at 2.4x speed with good results.

DVD-R Dual Layer writing speed and quality:

The Sony DRX-S50U supports the DVD-R DL standard for writing Dual Layer discs with a size around 8.5 GB at a writing speed of 4x.

Testing procedure: We created an ISO Image from a pre-authored DVD-Video compliant file set, with a total on-disc size of nearly 8.5GB. We then wrote this image file using Nero Burning ROM 7 and CD-DVD Speed. Below are the results:

The result is OK; we hoped for a better burn with this Verbatim media.

The Sony DRX S50U did not fare well with this test media.

From our tests we find that this drive prefers the DVD+R DL format.

Standalone DVD-Player compatibility:

We only have 2 standalone DVD-Players available to test the DVD+R DL media (Book Type: DVD-ROM) and the DVD-R DL media (Book Type: DVD-R):

·         Pioneer DV-656A

·         Koss DVP2161

Compatibility results: 

All brand of DVD+R DL play nicely in both players. However, the Verbatim DVD-R DL freezes at the layer break in Koss DVP2161 and the Ridata DVD-R DL froze in both standalone players. We would like to mention, that the compatibility issue with standalone DVD Players and the DVD-R DL media format is also caused by incompatibilities with the standalone devices used in this review, as we know the DVD-R DL format has inferior compatibility compared to DVD+R DL especially with older standalone player.

Summary:  The Sony DRX-S50U burns DVD+R DL with good results but did not perform as well with our DVD-R DL media.