Pioneer DVR-R100 (silver)

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Design : 7.0
  Features : 7.0
  Performance : 6.0
  Service and support : 6.0
  Overall score: 6.5 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jon L. Jacobi
• Edited by:
  Felisa Yang
• Reviewed on: 12/06/2005
• Released on: 06/01/2005

If movies are your thing, the Pioneer DVR-110D and its brethren really shine, outperforming all their competitors in ripping DVDs and most rivals in burning single- and double-layer DVD+Rs. The DVR-110D is only a mediocre rewriter, but in a couple of months of steady use, it didn't hiccup once. Moreover, Pioneer has posted several firmware revisions to support new media and fix a bug or two that affected a small number of users. The drive is available under a couple of different names, with different software bundles and support options. But underneath it all, the hardware is the same. The basic DVR-110D, the one we reviewed, is the bare drive (available in black, silver, or beige). The retail version, the DVR-R100 (available in black, silver, or beige), bundles Ulead DVD MovieFactory 4 authoring and mastering suite, Ulead CD and DVD PictureShow 3 SE, Ulead VideoStudio 9 SE DVD, and NovaStor NovaBackup. The DVR-610 version (available in black and beige), which is available primarily through e-tailers, bundles Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3.5 SE, Ulead Photo Explorer 8.5, and a 30-day trial of Computer Associates eTrust EZ Antivirus. No matter what the moniker, the software, or the faceplate color, it's the same drive, and you can bring it up-to-date with the same firmware upgrades.

Installing the DVR-110D is like installing any other DVD burner: straightforward. However, while Pioneer provides screws to affix the drive in an open drive bay, it doesn't include an IDE cable or an analog-to-sound-card adapter cable. There's no digital cable either, but that's less of a problem, since the DVR-110D lacks the digital output most drives offer. The Ulead software is straightforward and simple to install. It's generally easier to learn than Nero's software, but Nero can perform a wider variety of disc jobs.

The DVR-110D's movie-ripping performance was the best we've seen: it took a mere 5 minutes, 54 seconds to rip a 4.4GB movie and 11 minutes, 18 seconds to rip a 7.9GB movie. It also burned video quickly, taking only 18 minutes, 10 seconds to write a 7.9GB double-layer DVD and a mere 5 minutes, 53 seconds to burn a 4.4GB movie to a +R DVD. It wasn't nearly as handy at rewriting, so if backup is your primary focus, you might want to go for something swifter in that department, such as the Plextor PX-716A. However, it's fast enough for most users, even with its pedestrian audio-CD ripping and writing speeds.

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