CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 11/03/2004
- Released on: 03/22/2004
Like most ATAPI/EIDE drives, the SD-R5272 is a snap to install. Toshiba supplies both a quick-start guide and a more complete instruction manual, but the former should be sufficient for most users--even those who don't regularly visit the inside of their PCs. It clearly illustrates the various master/slave jumper settings and explains in plain English how to set them. We particularly liked the Media Recommendations section, an at-a-glance guide to recommended speeds for the types of blank discs the drive supports (everything from CD-R to DVD+RW).
The only software to install is the included Ahead Nero OEM Suite, which is identical to Nero 6.0 Ultra Edition save for the lack of a printed manual. It's the original 6.0 version, which is known to be highly buggy, so you'll want to download the latest patches. Unfortunately, Nero can't do this automatically--you have to visit the company's Web site, fetch the patches, and install them yourself. Otherwise, it's an excellent tool for authoring CDs and DVDs, making backups, creating slide shows, and even copying dual-layer DVDs to single-layer media.
Like any good burner, the SD-R5272 handles the big four DVD formats: DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW. It burns write-once media at 8X, rewritable media at 4X, and CD-RW media at a surprisingly slow 10X. That's probably not a deal breaker for most users, save those who regularly make backups using rewritable CDs, but it's worth noting that most other drives muster at least 16X for CD-RW.
The drive's design is as basic as it gets, with an off-white bezel (a black-bezel version is also available) and a single LED. Toshiba supplies just one piece of blank media: an 8X DVD+R disc.
CNET Labs recently changed its burner-testing methodology to more accurately reflect real-life usage. The new tests peg the Toshiba SD-R5272 as an average performer overall, excelling in some areas and falling way behind in others. For instance, it bested the other drives in our CD-audio rip test--a plus for users planning to convert massive CD libraries to MP3--but came in near the bottom of the pack in our DVD-movie burn test. And although it's a slowpoke with CD-RW media, it's one of the fastest drives at burning DVD+RW discs (with DVD-RW discs, it's just average).
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