ASUS produce a lot of laptops, netbooks and various other bits of kit, and now they have released a new portable external DVD rewriter known as the SDR-08D1S-U (quite a mouthful).
External DVD rewriters are really useful if your computer doesn’t have a DVD drive. Most desktop computers have one, but most netbooks (in fact you could pretty much say ALL netbooks) don’t have one and if you have a Windows Home Server from someone like Acer or HP then you won’t have a DVD drive either. This can often cause problems when it comes to installing new software, backing up your files, or even just watching movies and listening to music.
WHATS IN THE BOX?
The box is quite small and is very well packaged. It contains the drive, a stand, a software DVD, some instructions and a USB cable for connecting to your computer. The cable has two USB connectors on it in case your computer doesn’t provide enough power from a single USB port to power the drive, but on the desktop, notebook and netbook I tried the drive on a single USB port was sufficient. This is certainly better than having to carry around another power supply!
It comes in either black or white – in the case of this review I have the black one!
There is a stand that comes in the box to fit to the drive – it is just a simple case of removing a rubber cover from the back of the drive and then just slotting in the stand. It certainly makes it look nice and takes up less room than having it laying on it’s side.
SPECIFICATIONS
Write Speed
DVD-R? 8X
DVD-RW? 6X
DVD+R? 8X
DVD+RW? 8X
DVD+R(DL)? 6X
DVD-R (DL)? 6X
CD-R? 24X
CD-RW? 16X
DVD-RAM? 5X
Read Speed
DVD-R(Single): 8 X max.
DVD-RW(single): 8 X max.
DVD+R(Single): 8 X max.
DVD+RW(single): 8 X max.
DVD-R(DL): 6 X max.
DVD+R(DL): 6 X max.
DVD-ROM (Single): 8 X max.
DVD-ROM (Dual): 8 X max.
CD-ROM: 24 X max.
CD-RW: 24 X max.
CD-R: 24 X max.
Access time
DVD: 160 MS
CD: 140 MS
Writing Mode
DVD-R & DVD-R(DL)? DAO(Disc-At-Once)/Incremental Recording (Multi-Border Recording)
DVD-RW & DVD-RW (DL)? DAO(Disc-At-Once)/Restricted Overwriting/Incremental Recording (Multi-Border Recording)
DVD+R & DVD+R (DL)? Sequential Recording (Multi-Session Recording)
DVD+RW & DVD+RW (DL)? Random Recording
CD-R/RW? DAO(Disc-At-Once)/TAO(Track-At-Once)/SAO(Session-At-Once)/Packet Recording (Multi-Session Recording)
O/S Compatibility
Windows 2000
Windows NT
XP compatible
Vista compatible
Interface
USB2.0
Data Buffer
2 MB
Bundle Software
Cyberlink
Disc Formats
Write: DVD+/-RW,DVD+/-R,CD-R,CD-RW,DVD-RAM
Read: DVD-ROM,DVD+/-RW,DVD+/-R,Photo CD,Video CD,CD-DA,CD-Extra,CD-Text,CD-R,CD-RW,DVD-RAM
Disc Diameters
12cm/8cm
MTBF
60,000 Power On Hours
Operating Duty Cycle (Read) 10 % POH
Operating Duty Cycle (Write) 2 % POH
MTTR
30 Minutes
Mounting Orientation
Vertical and Horizontal ? +5 ° ~ -5 °?
Dimension (W x H x D)
156.4×140.8×21 mm (W x D x H)
Weight
412 g
Power Requirements
DC+5V ±5%,DC+12V ±10 %
Temperature
Operating: 0? to 40?
Storage: -30? to 60?
Humidity
Operating: 15% ~ 85% (Non-condensing)
Storage: 10% ~ 90% (Non-condensing)
Vibration
Operating: 0.2 G peak (at 10~500 Hz)
Storage: 1 G peak (at 10~500 Hz)
CYBERLINK DVD SUITE
The software that comes with the unit doesn’t need to be installed if you just wanted to use it as either a reader or if you want to use other software to write to it, however the software is good, and includes a firmware updater and also some software to increase the performance of the USB connection.
Choosing to update the firmware was easy – although at this time the drive ships with the latest available firmware so there was nothing to update, but you get the idea of how easy it is!
The ASUS Turbo Engine software is designed to increase the performance between the computer and the drive. It is easy to install and only took a few moments – although I will be honest I have yet to notice any real difference, but that is not to say there isn’t any!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have to say that I really love this drive. It is small, light, looks great, and works exactly as you would expect! I am in the process of writing a book on Netbooks at the moment so this is certainly a must have bit of kit for anyone with a netbook or anyone thinking of buying a netbook. The addition of a vertical stand really adds to the look.
The button on the drive tray is sturdy and only takes a light touch to open, which is nice – I have used other drives that you had to push so hard on the button that you thought you might break it!
It is very quiet as well, although this will depend on what media you are using, what speed, etc.
My only complaint of the whole thing is the length of the USB cable that is provided. It is very short – which was fine when I was using it on my netbook, but when I wanted to plug it into my desktop I found that I had to balance the drive on the top of it, which is under my desk! That said it would be easy to go and buy a longer cable, so it isn’t a showstopper.
The inclusion of disc encryption software is certainly a welcome addition!
It retails in the UK for around £50 and in the US for around $70 so the pricing is fairly consistent.
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