CDFreaks Presents the Memorex 16x DDL-IN DVD Burner review

We at CDFreaks present the Memorex 16x DDL-IN DVD Burner review. You can find the review here: http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/273.

why the comment thread is placed here?

is it a rebadge of a NEC drive?

Thanks crossg for a great review.
No doubt about that, I hope.

Im waiting to find out which NEC this is so I can crossflash already...
I just noticed this drive is using my hard drive led also.. none of my other drives do this. Is there a way to stop that? What ever my memorex led does my hard drive led does.. I never had this prob before..

Is it a 3550A maybe?

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Last edited by tweakmaster420; 04-05-2006 at 16:58.

There's one thing in the Advanced tests section that I don't understand.

Overburning of CD-R media is tested, but a normal 80min/700MB CD-R is tested to see whether it can be successfully overburned to 90 minutes (89:57.74) and this fails of course!

But what's the point of doing that?

I could see the point in overburning an 80min CD-R to some reasonable value between 81-83 minutes.

I could also see the point in (over)burning 90min CD-R or 99min CD-R.

But I simply don't get the point of trying to squeze 90 minutes onto an 80 minuted CD-R (unless the drive has GigaRec or similar technology).

Well I did it, crossflashed to 3550A 1.06. Thanks liggy
thats what the NECDriveConv.exe said greyed out so I went for it.

Hi DrageMester. I actually just popped in an 80 minute CD and did the CD Speed overburning test. If I had a 99 minute CD I would think (89:57.74) wouldn't be an overburn. So the settings in CD Speed were default when tested and the drive actually finished writing the overburn but it failed the read back test. I am pretty new to this so next time I will use a 99 minute CD.

@tweakmaster420. Didn't see your other thread and yes this is a rebadged Nec 3550 but one should make sure the ID string is 16x DDL-IN because Memorex has a few drives that look the same but are manufactured by different drive manufactures.

99 minute CD-R is definitely difficult to come by nowadays.
I'll try to get some over to crossg for the next review.
Thanks for the comments DrageMester

Yea, im aware of that as I also had (and sold) thier LITE-ON 1673s rebadge.
the NEC face design was a dead giveaway and @30$ I couldn't pass up the deal. Now im wondering if I should offer my friend an upgrade and give him my A10XL for 10$ more and get my litey back since I got an A11XL now..
no reason to have an A10 and A11 I still have all his computer parts just waiting for him to pick up the CPU so I can build his rig....

I actually flashed the memorex to a 4551 cause I could afford to take the chance at that price. Disc T@2 is pretty cool for those disc's that are not a full 4.37GB burn anyway. Just got through testing it on an old RITEK G03 I had laying around for kicks. Pretty cool, almost holographic looking

Interesting, cdrlabs.com also reviewed same type of drive, but that one is named MRX-500N...

Different naming in North America and Europe?

The CDRLabs unit and the unit that crossg has are both from North America.
CDRLabs used the formal product name, while we used the DRIVE ID STRING that shows up in all of the programs.

Hi pinto2. If you look at the front picture of the box you will MRX-500N on the lower left corner.

Thanks crossg. I was reading your review and looking at all those scan, just didn't noticed that.

At first I also thought your reviewed drive was never then MRX-500N...

Does this mean that if I buy it now, it can be a different drive from the one you reviewed, and even more if it is the external version???

Have you found out something sure? Is it a nec? Which one???

What about its scanning abilities?

Sorry didn't see your post right away. If the front of the box has MRX-500N in the lower left corner it will be the same drive.

No problem!
So, in the front of the paper box you mean? that 500 maybe is for nec 3500...
I saw that nec 3550 is quite controverted drive... Not good scanner as pioneer etc... 3500 is so too? Or it would be a good purchase?

Cross,
I wrote to Memorex but till now they were not able to tell me which is the drive I would really buy if I buy their external model in this link:
DVD Double-Layer Recorder, 16x16 Dual Format External, Part Number: 32023288
Your review, if I understood well, is about this internal model:
http://www.memorex.com/html/products...=115&opento=11
I can suppose, just suppose, that the drive into the external model should be the same of the internal version.
So, finally, which Nec is it???
In this CdFreaks review there is a Memorex external, but I guess is an older model:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=140225
And they say it was a Nec 3500. Chas told me that the 3500 would be a great deal, a very good drive, and, as I am having problems in getting a good enclosure here, I am loosing the hope to use a BenQ 1650 or a LiteOn 160p6s. As i can easily get the memorex 32023288 model, and at a good price (good for argentina), if it is a Nec 3500 I would buy it if it is true is so good to compite with those benQ and Liteon I told You (not in speed but in burn and scan quality). But if it is a 3550, which so many people told me it is not at all a very good drive, i woud try a bit more to get an enclosure...
How can I know which drive i will get buying the Memorex 32023288, without having it in my hands?