- Strong Recording Speeds
- Includes Grey, White and Black Bezels
- Low Cost
- Access Times Slower than Rated
- Grey Bezel Doesn't Match Silver Cases
- 16x DVD+R and DVD-R Recording Speeds
- 4x DVD+RW and DVD-RW Recording Speeds
- 4x DVD+R DL Recording Speed
- 16x DVD-ROM and 12x DVD+/-R Reading Speeds
- 48x CD-R and 32x CD-RW Recording Speeds
- 48x CD Reading Speeds
- 140ms DVD and 120ms CD Access Times
- 2MB Buffer
- Ultra ATA/66 (ATAPI) Interface
- Nero 6 OEM Suite and Power DVD Software
7/12/05 – The AOpen DUW1616 is a multiformat drive that supports both the DVD+R and DVD-R formats at the 16x recording speeds. Rewritable media is also supported but at a lower 4x speed that is below some competing drives. DVD+R dual layer media is also supported at the 4x speed allowing the drive to store up to 8.5GB of data. CD reading and recording speeds are listed at 48x.
Testing of the drive was done using Nero's CD/DVD Speed application with the manufacturer recommended media. For CD recording and playback, the numbers were actually above the specification. DVD media scored right with the numbers that were quoted by AOpen on the specifications. The one area that the drive was well below specification was for access times. Access times for both CD and DVD media are slower than average which can reduce the time it takes the drive to find a track, but once it finds that track it can quickly read them.
The Nero 6 Express software package is a pretty good, but it lacks some of the features that those planning to create DVD videos. They are a number of alternative packages that those interested in digital video may want to look into to supplement the drive. On the CD burning side of things, the Nero package is one of the best currently available.
Overall, the AOpen DUW1616 is a pretty good package especially considering the price. While it may not have the best specs on the market, its overall reading and writing performance does make up for the slower access times.
