Here is a quick review of the new Sony DVD Writer DRU-700A, dual layer multi-mode external unit now on sale for about 229$

ITS GREAT!  Rarely have i purchased hardware that makes me think “wow, as humans, we are truely amazing creatures.”  Exceptions to this have been the TR and the IPOD. Now there is the DRU-700a.  Its sleek look out of the box is impressive, with a matching finish that’s perfect for the TR desktop setup.  See pic below:

The DRU-700a, TR3, and ION 160GB external HD.

I chose the DRU-700a because I really dont know much about DVD-authoring except it seems overly confusing; see this page for details on how confusing it can be:     Well, my strategy for getting the latest and greatest has paid off.  After putting this DVD writer thru it’s paces, I have to report is does everything advertised…with one caveat, I can’t test on DVD-9 media - 8.5 GB storage capability - ‘cause the media does not seem to be available in the LA area yet!  But anyway, everything else has performed as advertised perfectally. 

Test results while connected to TR1 using Firewire:
 

Test results while connected to TR1 using USB2:
 

Its important to note that i dont understand a thing about these test results, i just used the supplied OEM Nero suite to run the tests.  One thing that i noted that was important to me, a neophite user, was that when the drive was connected to firewire, it used less CPU during the burn, allowing me to continue to do light work, like surf the web, while the machine was burning dvds. When connected to USB, this is noticably less fun.

Okay, that’s the hardware—looks cool with the trap door bezel,  nice paint job, heavy duty clear acrylic stand, etc.. The power supply is of reasonable size and weight, and my only beef there here is that the usb cable is a dull beige color, while most usb cables shipping with other boxes is of the clear type.  The drive activity led is subdued in the corner of the unit, and does not distract when flashing but u can see it if u want too. the unit is also very quiet during operation. Its just sleek.

The software is what really impressed me.  Many lower priced burners on the market today dont seem to come with anything worth using, which probally acconts for the millions of web pages citing DVD coaster woes. But the Sony bundles with the latest version of Nero’s Ultra Suite.  A download is required to bring u up to the latest levels, but the installation of the software and the downloads were flawless.  And all the software seems to work!  The suite lets u do just about anything u can think of doing with a DVD burner, which is really nice.  I canned Uleads VideoStudio8 and a myriad of DVD-related utulities once Nero was installed. I almost canned my Veritas backup software and opted for Nero’s Back IT Up, but that tool was the only one in the entire suite to disappoint…it’s too slow (but compression is good) of a backup tool for me.

On adverage, copying a DVD takes about 5 minutes.  Transcoding older projects about 1.5 hours (VCD to DVD).  That’s the range for about all the activities u can do.  Authoring a DVD from fragments of video and then creating a menu system for the movie and a few added slide shows of photos was accomplished in under an hour, and i had never used Nero before.  Pretty easy peasy!!!

Okay, all in all i give this new product a 5 out of 5 star rating, and highly recommend it as a companion to your TR system.

as for the firewire connection.. is it a 6 to 4 pin connection with external power or it’s got one of those sony cables that can utilize the tr’s power out..?   thanks for the review.

USB is a dumb interface. By “dumb” I mean that it works only in a master/slave (sorry, i know it’s not “politically correct” but I don’t care about that) configuration while firewire uses a more intelligent peer-to-peer configuration. The M/S setup requires the CPU to handle and negotiate transfers thus using more CPU time. The P2P type connection is more autonomous needing less CPU intervention. The firewire peripherals themselves can negotiate transfers and bus conflicts without the CPU getting involved.

I thought you were going to test the DVD capabilities of the TR on its own with its internal DVD writer, i mean how bad is that? It must take about half an hour to write a dvd with 2 x.

no, i decided to buy an external dvd writer to have an extra drive and as not to have to dig into the laptop.  i dont think the sony internal will write dual and its pricey as i recall. anyway, the sony external comes with a ilink cable that plugs direct into the firewire port.  power is by an external ac/dc adapter. there is no mention of using the internal dc port.

at 2x it only takes this writer from 5-10 minutes to write/copy a DVD. but what i like is the pretty color.

So the original DVD writer in the TR which is also 2 x would take the same time or does it have some thing to do with the external one connected to the super fast firewire port ?

ya know, to be honest, i dont have any clue about mfg claims nor rating the insane rating systems 8x, 2.4x, etc..  of both writers AND media. that’s why i decided to get something new on the market and hoped for the best.  so far the time it takes to write a dvd seems reasonable. even recoding a VCD to DVD, which took a little over an hour, seemed reasonable.  but most tasks using a variety of media takes less than 15 minutes.