Pros: Fast dual-layer DVD burning. Single layer disc burning better than average.
Cons: Slow DVD+RW creation. Mediocre DVD-RW burning speed. More expensive than the competition.
As is the standard now, Pioneer’s new DVR-110D burns DVD-R and +R discs at 16x speed. Taking six minutes and three seconds on average to create a DVD-R disc, Pioneer’s drive is slightly faster than the average internal drive. The same applies to DVD+R creation, which the DVR-110D performed in five minutes and 55s.
Dual- and double- layer DVD creation has become increasingly popular as speeds and especially reliability have improved over the last year – and prices of media have dropped. DVD+R DL (double layer) and DVD-R DL (dual layer) discs can fit up to 8.5GB of data on them. The DVR-110D took 18 minutes exactly to create a DVD+R DL disc and 18 minutes and 22 seconds to create a DVD-R DL disc. These are impressive times – the -R DL speed is the fastest we’ve seen – but the +R DL score is still over two minutes slower than Plextor’s PX-740A.
The DVR-110D’s took almost twice as long to burn a DVD+RW (14 minutes and 10 seconds) than the leading LG GSA 4163B drive. The Pioneer drive’s DVD-RW creation time of ten minutes and 14 seconds is better, but within a few seconds of many other drives.
This unit is also mediocre at CD burning, as its 40x speed leaves it minutes behind most 48x speed models.
The DVR-110D is truly nothing special. Compared to our leading model, NEC’s ND3540, Pioneer’s drive is slightly faster at the creation of DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL and DVD-RW discs - though slightly slower with DVD-Rs, and much slower with DVD+RWs.
For most users though, there’s nothing between them technically – they even share the same Nero 6 software – so we’d plump for the ND3540 as it’s a fiver less expensive.
DVD-R DL: 8x
DVD+R DL: 8x
Read speeds - DVD: 16x
Buffer size: 2MB
Windows software: Nero 6 OEM
Mac software: None