This is latest IDE DVD writer from Iomega, which can read and write on to all major formats available in DVDs and CDs. The drive can read DVDs at 12X, and record both DVD+\- media at 4X. Coming to its DVD-RW speed, the drive can rewrite DVD-R at 2X and DVD+R at 2.4X. One new feature is support for DVD-RAM, even though it is currently unavailable in the market. It can write on to DVD-RAM at 3X. On the CD-RW front, the drive reads CDs at 32X, writes at 24X and rewrites CD-RW at 16X. 

On the DVD writing front, the drive took around 15 mins and 25 secs to burn 4.3 GB data on 4X DVD+R, and 15 mins and 44 secs on 4x DVD-R. This was a minute slower in creating a data DVD than its older cousin, the Iomega Dual DVD-writer, reviewed in September 2003 (page 170). The drive took only 35 secs to format 4X DVD+RW, which is quite good. On the CD writing front, it took 4 mins and 50 secs to burn 650 MB mixed data on 48X CD-R, which is average. To create an audio CD from 74 mins audio, it took only 4 mins and 48 secs, which is again quite good. While duplicating data and audio CDs, the drive took around 5 mins.

This drive comes with Iomega HotBurn for writing CDs and DVDs, and another useful software called Iomega Automatic Backup software for automatic data backup on CDs or DVDs. On the whole, a good drive and among the few in the market to support DVD-RAM format. You’ll have to Priced high due to this additional feature.

Sanjay Majumder