Burn Quality Tests - Plextor PX-716A

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers Plextor Writer
#1

I am sure this has been asked and answered before, but I could not find the answer. I want to know what is the best way to quickly determine how readable a disc is or if it is becoming unreadable? I primarily use burners to back up data for archiving. I would like to be able to test old (5+ years) CD-R’s and new DVD-R’s I have burned. I think I am looking for “RAW” errors and what the threshold number is that I should consider making a new fresh copy. I primarily use Nero for burning to CD’s and DVD’s. I also have PlexTools Professional 2.21 that has many advanced tests (C1, C2, FE, TE, Beta, Jitter, PI, PO and TA) to choose from.

What test should I use to determine the quality of my past burns and what number of errors should concern me?

Please excuse this newbie if I am asking the wrong questions, this is my first post to cdfreaks.

#2

You should be able to find your answer here in the Plextor FAQ’s under Plextools, if not post back. :slight_smile: http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=49767#plextools-ptpipo

#3

I would propose an alternative solution.

The fastest way of determining whether a DVD can be read back without any problems is to perform a Read transfer test in either PlexTools or in Nero CD-DVD Speed. If you get a smooth graph going all the way up to the drive’s maximum speed, then you have a good disc.

If you have the time then you can also do a PI/PO scan, but the Read Transfer scan is more important in my opinion.

Examples:

  1. [li]Perfect Read Transfer[/li]Verbatim DL+ 16x DVD+R (MCC 004)
    Burned at 12x in Plextor PX-712A fw 1.05
    [li]Not so good Read Transfer[/li]Verbatim Pastel 8x DVD+R (YUDEN000 T02)
    Burned at 12x in Plextor PX-712A fw 1.06
#4

DrageMester, your solution seems ok, though I prefer to use an old Toshiba 1712 DVDrom unit for read transfer tests… Many burns that seems ok by the low SUM8 and1 count are read with repeated speed fluctuation. Those observations are very empirical but the PX-712A does not have TA analysis support and this can offer an alternative quality scan

#5

I agree with this, I use the same method myself as well.

#6

I have run the Transfer Rate test using Nero CD-DVD Speed on a Verbatim DVD-R disc I burned yesterday using the PX-716.

Attached are the results:

  1. Transfer Rate using PX-716A
  2. Transfer Rate using different drive, same machine

Questions:

  1. At what point would the dips in rate cause concern - currently looks like 4 0.5x dips. Would a single 6x dip cause concern or would 20 1x dips cause concern?

  2. Shouldn’t the Plextor drive graph look better than my second drive? The Plextor burned the disc and the transfer is lower, so why does the second graph look better?



#7

Those dips don’t concern me at all - they show up all the time on my PX-712 like in your graph, and you can also get small “ripples” on the graph just by using your pc while doing the Read Transfer. Look for significant dips in the graphs - this is really a judgment call!

There’s really no reason that a drive should read a disc better just because it was written on the same drive. Some drives just read better than others.

#8

After burning another Verbatim DVD-R today and running the PlexTools PIF/SUM1 test, I get the following results:

-------------------------------------------------------
PlexTools Professional V2.21     Q-Check PI/PO Test
Copyright (C) 1999-2005 Plextor SA/NV
Thursday, April 28, 2005
-------------------------------------------------------
                  PIF        POE        POF
       Avg       0.01          -          -
       Max          9          -          -
     Total       1463          -          0

PIF: ECC Block 59588 contains 5 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59591 contains 5 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59594 contains 5 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59597 contains 5 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59600 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59603 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59607 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59610 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59613 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59616 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59619 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59622 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59626 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59629 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59632 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59635 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59638 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59641 contains 9 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59645 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59648 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59651 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59654 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59657 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59660 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59664 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59667 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59670 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59673 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59676 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59680 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59683 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59686 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59689 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59692 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59695 contains 8 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59699 contains 7 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59702 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59705 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59708 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59711 contains 6 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59714 contains 5 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59718 contains 5 uncorrectables
PIF: ECC Block 59721 contains 5 uncorrectables

According to the FAQs ‘most consider a scan exceeding these values to be a “coaster”’. I had a Max PIF of 9, when the FAQs indicate above 4 to be a “coaster”. Does this mean I should not rely on this data DVD-R?


#9

Only you can decide that - you are in fact trying to predict whether this disc can be read sometime in the future when you need the data, so it’s a question of how you weigh the risks.

Personally I would consider the disc OK if it can provide a smooth Read Transfer and if it is not the only copy of whatever data is on it. If on the other hand it EITHER cannot provide a smooth Read Transfer OR it is the only copy of this data, then I would burn an additional copy.

#10

100% agree with DrageMester, that’s why some people includes read transfer test in addition to PI/PO Sum1 and Sum8 tests. However, a smooth read transfer graph alone may not reflect a good quality scan since some drives can smoothly read a bad disk without slowdown. Or in other case, a very small dip(s) in the read transfer test may cause PIE/PIF value over the limit.

#11

The maximum read speed for your Plextor with DVDR/RW media is 12x so you won’t see anything faster than that. Also, these small dips are normal, my Plextor drives do the same thing. Also PIF > 4 can cause read problems in sensitive players but individual spikes should normally not cause any problems. Even original/pressed DVD-Video’s sometimes exceed the PIF 4 limit.

#12

I burned the same files to a second Verbatim 16x DVD-R (MCC 03RG20) at 4x and here are the results:

SUM1 Test (PIF - Avg=0.00 - Max=2 - Total=266) "Passes"
SUM8 Test (PIE - Avg=1.51 - Max=33 - Total=204254) "Very Good quality"

Here are the results from the same files burned to the first Verbatim 16x at 12x:

SUM1 Test (PIF - Avg=0.01 - Max=9 - Total=1463) "Fails"
SUM8 Test (PIE - Avg=0.65 - Max=29 - Total=91964) "Very Good quality"

And, some more questions:[ol]
[li]I have been getting an “Address out of range (code 052100)” error, but I read that is because I did not eject the disc before testing it right after after burning it. Correct?
[/li][li]I read somewhere that it is best to burn a disc at the rated speed or just below. Don’t you generally get the best quality by burning at the slowest speed?
[/li][li]What should I do to get better quality burns at higher speeds?
[/li][li]What DVD media manufacturer that is widely available in U.S. (Best Buy, CompUSA, Office Depot, etc.) have the best quality?
[/li][*]Is there a list of MID (MCC 02RG20, MCC 03RG20, PRODISC R03 03, TYG01, TYG02, YUDEN000 T02, etc.) codes that list what discs have what MID code?[/ol]





#13

  1. Most likely yes. you can also use the File menu in Plextools Pro and choose “refresh” or better yet, “rescan devices” to acknowledge newly burned/inserted discs better.

  2. rated speed is the best. burning at a slower speed isn’t necessarily advantageous as the dye is formulated for a certain laser intensity/disc RPM. rated speed is the best choice.

  3. your burn quality (based on the results you posted above) is just fine.

  4. Branded Taiyo Yuden (Made in Japan TDK & Fuji) and Verbatim are my choices out of the B&M retail stores. Many CDFreaks prefer unbranded original Taiyo Yuden bought online.

  5. Time to read more of CDFreaks forum…in particular the Media section and the “Quality Scans” thread here in the plextor section…

#14

Can anyone tell me how to judge if a disc is within reasonable limits after a test. For instance, max(PI) < 20 is excellent and PO > 0 is bad.

What about the other tests: C1, C2, FE, TE, Beta, Jitter, and TA

I read the manual and the faq, but neither was sufficiently answering my question.

#15

http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=80545

http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=75573