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The DVD Matrix by Rossi Fernandes and Aliasgar Pardawala
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 ASUS
E608Low-cost home entertainer A good set of features along with the price makes this DVD drive more suited for the home user. Features : Came with manual, installed software and additional CD-Speed suite software Accessories : Audio cable supplied, but was without data cable Build Quality : Play and forward button with volume control knob and 3.5 mm headphone socket at the front end. Digital and analog audio out and IDE interface on the back portion of the drive Speed : 8x for DVD drives and 40x for CD drives Overall : 56.25 per cent rating. More suited for home entertainment Grading : + Good pack of accessories + Inexpensive - Bad performance with DMA-enabled Verdict : B+ Specifications : Access Time : 107 ms Onboard buffer : 512 KB Contact : Zeta Technologies Phone : 022-4102277 Distributor : Rashi Peripherals Phone : 022-8260257 E-mail : ho@rptechindia.com Price : Rs 6,100 
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 Creative
DVD 1242ECool, but low-end drive The build quality may leave you amazed but then the performance tests didn't exactly match up. Features : Bundles with software that includes Creative Lava! Player and Creative Mediaring talk Build Quality : Cool Speed : 12x for DVD drives and 42x for CD drives Data Transfer Speeds : Good, maximum time of 56 seconds to open a 100 MB Adobe Photoshop file Average Access Time : Highest among all the drives, Poor performance with DMA-enabled Scores in ZD CD Winbench and SiSoft Sandra : Average Digital Audio Encoding test : Didn't do that well Overall : 48.84 per cent rating. Low-end drive with not many features and average performance Grading : + Good software packages included + Good CD read speed - Extremely bad performance with DMA-enabled Verdict : B+ Specifications : Access Time : 127 ms Onboard buffer : 512 KB Contact : Compuage Electronics Phone : 022-4913986 Fax : 022-4919069 Price : Rs 7,000
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 Creative
DVD 8401ESpeed at a price With quite good data transfer and digital audio encoding rates you might think it ideal for watching movies, but then the price is equally steep. Accessories : Came with an additional DXR3 card, which gave some problems in the test machine with Athlon processor Speed : 8x for DVD drives and 40x for CD drives Scores in ZD CD Winbench and SiSoft Sandra : Average Sequential Read and Random Read capabilities : Above average Data Transfer Speeds : Blazingly fast, maximum time of 43 seconds to copy files totalling 100 MB Digital Audio Encoding test : Very good results Error correction : Worked perfectly although it took a lot of time for completing the test Overall : 64.72 per cent rating. One of the best drives, though steeply priced Grading : + DXR3 decorder card with DTS support + Lots of accessories supplied - DXR3 card gives problems with AMD Athlon machines Verdict : B+ Specifications : Access Time : 97 ms Onboard buffer : 512 KB Contact : Compuage Electronics Phone : 022-4913986 Fax : 022-4919069 Price : Rs 15,000
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 LG
DRD8080BQuality build for the home This drive did have a tray, unlike the Pioneer drives, but managed a smooth tray movement that matches up to the best. Build Quality : Front-end of the drive has volume control, 3.5 mm headphone socket and eject button. Back of the drive has regular interface connector and digital and analog audio out. Smooth tray movement Feature : Bundled with manual, installation software CD and floppy for DOS Speed : 8x for DVD drives and 40x for CD drives Accessories : Audio cable and IDE interface cable Overall : 53.47 per cent score which qualifies as a good buy for the home segment Grading : + Good accessories and drivers included - No multimedia controls on drive - Below average performance Verdict : B- Specifications : Access Time : 99 ms Onboard buffer : 512 KB Contact : Aditya Promoters Phone : 022-2692583 Fax : 022-2692583 Price : Rs 12,500
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 Pioneer
303SASCSI speeds ahead Obviously, with the SCSI interface, the drive out-performed most others in the transfer tests, but lost out on the features part. Build quality : Doesn't have a tray, so less susceptible to damage. Foam lining to ensure that the DVDs are drawn in smoothly. Has eject button, volume control and a 35 mm headphone socket. Analog and digital audio input is at the back of the drive with the SCSI interface port Features : Did not come with any manual of cables Speed : 6x for DVD drives and 32x for CD drives Interface : SCSI; SCSI id is selected through jumper Overall : 70.90 per cent score; worth having Grading : + Good performance despite a 6x DVD drive - No bundled software and manuals included Verdict : B+ Specifications : Access Time : 83 ms Onboard buffer : 512 KB Contact : Integra Dataware Phone : 022-8215179, 022-8352325 Fax : 022-8231461 E-mail : mumbai@integramicro.com Price : Rs 9,000
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 Pioneer
DVD 105SZGood playback and performance The fastest transfer rates, due to its 16x speed, superior build quality and you have an absolute winner in your hands. Build Quality : Doesn't have a tray, so there's less chances of accidental damage. The foam lining on both sides protects the media from scratches. The front of the drive has one volume control knob, 3.5 mm headphone socket and eject button; the digital and analog audio out along with IDE interface connector are at the back of the drive. Data Transfer Rates : Above average Overall : 93.49 per cent score. Good choice for those who need good playback and performance Speed : 16x for DVD drives and 40x for CD drives Grading : + Good data transfer - No cables and manuals included Verdict : A- Specifications : Access Time : 55 ms Onboard buffer : 512 KB Contact : Integra Dataware Phone : 022-8215179 Fax : 022-8231461 E-mail : mumbai@integramicro.com Price : Rs 9,500
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 Samsung
SD-612 DVDAbove average performance The error correction test might have given some problems but still the drive managed a commendable performance. Speed : 12x for DVD drives and 40x for CD drives Score in ZD CD Winbench : 1120 Kbps, which is reasonable Score in SiSoft Sandra 2000 : Best score among all the drives Sequential Read capabilities : 9 MBps Random Read and Average Access capabilities : Similar to other drives Error correction : Pretty good, though took a lot of time (two to three minutes) to complete the test Data Transfer Rates : Took quite less time to copy a single 100 MB file, but took time to copy multiple files Overall : 66.05 per cent score. Is good except for the error correction test Grading : + Very good sequential read transfer rates + Good SiSoft Sandra results - No cables included Verdict : B+ Specifications : Access Time : 103 ms Onboard buffer : 512 KB Contact : Ark Computers Phone : 022-3451140/9820158725 Distributor : Savex Computers Phone : 022-2861616 E-mail : savex@bom3.vsnl.net.in Price : Rs 8,500 |
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