Sony DVDirect VRD-MC3 DVD Writer
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What is the DVD Write speeds? CAV, CLV, PCAV, ZCLV. Read our DVD Writer colum explanation.
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Sony DVDirect VRD-MC3 OEM:N/A Chipset:N/A |
40xCDR CAV 24xCDRW ZCLV 16xDVD-R CAV 6xDVD-RW ZCLV 8xDVD-RDL ZCLV 16xDVD+R CAV 8xDVD+RW ZCLV 8xDVD+RDL ZCLV |
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40xCD 16xDVD |
USB2, Memory Card Reader, Integrated video capture, Supports stand-alone operation,
More info |
$250 | 9.0/10 1 votes Read 1 comments (9830 views) Post comment |
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| This is a strange little piece of equipment, but it just happens to do exactly what I was looking for, and nothing else. Though it's a consumer deck, the picture quality is exceptional, and the simplicity of operation is stunning. And at $210 online ($200 on sale at Sears!), it's really quite a bargain -- though I'm not sure what market it ultimately serves (other than mine). In fact, calling it a "deck" might not be quite correct. It's listed on this site under "DVD Writers" rather than "DVD Recorders," but it's really a cross between the two. It looks like an over-sized external DVD drive, and can be used in that fashion, but it really shines when it's nowhere near a computer. Basically, you hook up a video source, stick in a blank disc, press record and walk away. For video sources, it accepts analog video by RCA jack or S-video, and digital by Firewire or USB. It also has slots for all the common memory cards, and can turn the photos on those cards into standard video DVDs. (It claims to work best with Sony camcorders, and can control them to allow for some fancy types of incremental transfers. I don't use it that way.) As for discs, it writes to DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW and claims to also accept double-layer discs and DVD-RAM, though I haven't tried anything but DVD-R. The list of approved media is rather small, and I've come across plenty of horror stories from people who did not use approved media. My preferred media, Ritek DVD-R 8x hub printable, is not on the approved list. But I tried them anyway since that's all I had and I've not had a single coaster (that was not my fault) in about 100 transfers. Pressing record (big round button, can't miss it) initiates a transfer from whatever video source the unit detects. If there is no video signal, the transfer does not start until you press play on your source. If there is a break in the source signal, the deck goes into pause for up to two minutes while waiting for the signal to resume. As a result, you will never transfer large sections of snow. As long as the recording is only paused (and not stopped) the video will all go into one title. If you press stop, or the deck times out and stops itself, the next recording will go into a new title. The automatic menu will have one button for each title set. There are plenty of configurable options including the interval of automatic chapter points (5 minutes is the default), the background graphic on the main menu (four choices), and recording quality. I only use the two-hour mode, and the quality is exceptional. In the three-hour mode, which I tried on one project, there were some noticeable artifacts. (Advertisements say that you can get up to 12 hours on one disc, but this is with a double-layer disc recorded at the six-hour setting.) The menu system is very simple, and the controls on the front are sparse and highly intuitive. One missing option, which was present in earlier models of this line, was the ability to select whether the disc you create is auto-play or menu-driven. The menu is fine, but with usually only one button, I'd rather create auto-play discs if I had a choice. A pleasant surprise was the color LCD which shows the video as it's being recorded. This saves me having to buy and cable monitors for each unit. Having said that, I do wish it were possible to turn off the data display while recording is in progress. It covers the top and bottom of the picture, which is where tracking problems on the source sometimes can't be detected until you play back the finished disc. Most of the coasters I made were because I didn't realize the tracking had gotten bad. I also wish the monitor were on a hinge so I could tip it up to be more easily seen. Better yet, a rack-mountable version of the MC3 would be an amazing thing. The unit prompts you to finalize a disc when you press eject. They make you confirm your choice twice before it gets done, but you will never forget to do it. There are, as always, some annoyances -- though they are relatively minor. The DRM circuits are obnoxious, and periodically mistake static or video noise for copy-protection signals. When this happens, the only option is to stop the disc, start the tape again, and hope for the best. The power and eject buttons are located on the front two corners of the drive. Unfortunately, this is where you will naturally rest your fingers as you wait for a transfer to end, and you can accidentally interrupt a transfer by doing so. Finally, the drive insists on operating in either Stand-Alone or Connected mode. So you can't have it hooked to your computer AND do stand-alone transfers. It's one or the other. If I could do both simultaneously, I'd be able to create my sleeves without ever ejecting the disc. As it is, I must finalize the disc on the MC3 then move it to a computer drive to acquire the thumbnail images for the sleeve. This unit is aimed squarely at the consumer with a stack of video tapes to transfer, but I think this may not be a very lucrative market. The MC3 can't play DVDs to your TV (there are no outputs of any kind), and it doesn't have a tuner or timer or remote control or any of the things people want in DVR-style DVD recorders. Plus, it's far too expensive to consider as just an external DVD writer. The VRD-MC3 is all about transfers, and if that's what you're looking for, this is a real gem. Comments posted by Rixware from United States, March 25, 2007. Rated this writer 9 of 10. |
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Column Explanation:  Click on this for
more technical information.New comments= New comments since your last visit. New Writer = New DVD Writer since your last vist. OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer. Chipset The manufacturer of the main chipset the DVD writer/recorder is based on. Write support / Read support DVD-R = Works DVD-R? = Not tested Single Layer(4.7GB) write speeds 1x (CLV) = about 58 minutes 2x (CLV) = about 29 minutes 2.4x (CLV) = about 24 minutes 4x (CLV) = about 14.5 minutes 6x (CLV/ZCLV) = about 10-12 minutes 8x (PCAV/ZCLV) = about 8-10 minutes 12x (PCAV/ZCLV) = about 6.5-7.5 minutes 16x (CAV/ZCLV) = about 6-7 minutes Dual/Double Layer(8.5GB) write speeds 1x CLV = about 105 minutes 2.4x CLV = about 44 minutes 4x CLV = about 27 minutes Single Layer (4.7GB) read speeds 1x read speed is 1.321MB/s = ~56 minutes 6x CAV (avg. ~4x) read speed is max 7.93MB/s = ~14 minutes 8x CAV (avg. ~6x) read speed is max 10.57MB/s = ~10 minutes 12x CAV (avg. ~8x) read speed is max 15.85MB/s = ~7 minutes 16x CAV (avg. ~12x) read speed is max 21.13MB/s = ~5 minutes DVD Write types CAV = Constant Angular Velocity, the DVD is written at a constantly increasing speed. CLV = Constant Linear Velocity, the DVD is written at a constant speed. ZCLV = Zone Constant Linear Velocity, the DVD is divided into zones. After each zone the write speed is increased. PCAV = Partial Constant Angular Velocity, the DVD is being written at an increasing speed until a certain speed. After this speed it will not increase anymore. Connection Desktop = Standalone desktop DVD Recorder EIDE = Computer DVD Writer with EIDE/IDE connection SCSI = Computer DVD Writer with SCSI connection USB = Computer desktop DVD Writer with USB 2.0 or/and 1.1 connection FireWire = Computer desktop DVD Writer with IEEE 1394/FireWire/i.Link connection (some standalone desktop dvd recorder supports this also but then it is usually to connect your DV camera to the recorder) Rating The first rating is based on a weighted rank (the true Bayesian), it requires at least 5 votes to get a weighted rating. The second rating between the ( ) is a normal average rating. |
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