Pioneer DVR-610 (beige)

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.

DVD movie rip/burn tests (min:sec)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

4.4GB DVD Video burn test

4.4GB DVD Video rip test (from DVD Video)

Asus DRW-1608P (16X DVD+R)

05:41 

13:55 

Pioneer DVR-110D (16X DVD+R)

05:53 

05:54 

Asus DRW-1608P (16X DVD-R)

05:56 

Memorex 16X16X DL IDE (16X DVD-R)

05:56 

Sony DRU-800A (16X DVD+R)

05:58 

08:52 

Memorex 16X16X DL IDE (16X DVD+R)

06:05 

15:58 

Plextor PX-716A (16X DVD+R)

06:05 

06:05 

Pioneer DVR-110D (16X DVD-R)

06:08 

Plextor PX-716A (16X DVD-R)

06:10 

Sony DRU-800A (16X DVD-R)

06:12 

Double-layer DVD movie rip/burn tests (min:sec)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

7.9GB DVD Video burn test

7.9GB DVD Video rip test (from DVD Video)

Plextor PX-716A (6X double-layer DVD+R)*

10:54 

11:40 

Pioneer DVR-110D (8X double-layer DVD+R)

18:10 

11:18 

Asus DRW-1608P (6X double-layer DVD+R)*

18:49 

26:47 

Memorex 16X16X DL IDE (4X double-layer DVD+R)**

26:05 

30:43 

Sony DRU-800A (4X double-layer DVD+R)**

26:16 

17:03 

Sony DRU-800A (4X dual-layer DVD-R)

27:47 

CD Audio rip/burn tests (min:sec)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

74:35 CD Audio burn test

74:35 CD Audio rip test

Sony DRU-800A (48X CD-R)

02:39 

03:53 

Memorex 16X16X DL IDE (48X CD-R)

02:54 

03:50 

Plextor PX-716A (48X CD-R)

03:01 

03:27 

Asus DRW-1608P (40X CD-R)

03:16 

04:20 

Pioneer DVR-110D (40X CD-R)

03:19 

10:36 

RW read/write tests (min:sec)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

4.22GB RW write test

4.22GB RW read test

Memorex 16X16X DL IDE (8X DVD+RW)

07:14 

09:44 

Plextor PX-716A (8X DVD+RW)

07:31 

06:29 

Sony DRU-800A (8X DVD+RW)

07:33 

09:21 

Asus DRW-1608P (8X DVD+RW)

08:07 

09:19 

Asus DRW-1608P (6X DVD-RW)

09:52 

09:20 

Sony DRU-800A (6X DVD-RW)

10:05 

09:34 

Memorex 16X16X DL IDE (6X DVD-RW)

10:14 

09:46 

Plextor PX-716A (4X DVD-RW)

14:33 

06:27 

Pioneer DVR-110D (8X DVD+RW)

17:23 

09:22 

Unless otherwise mentioned, all write tests are run with Verbatim media, rated at the drive's maximum speed. Find out more about how we test optical drives.

Pioneer supports the DVR-R100 bundle with a one-year warranty. Free technical support is available weekdays from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PT. Online support for the DVR-R100 is helpful and easy to find. The main product page prominently displays links to online registration and manuals. The only other things we would like to see are a prominent link to firmware upgrades and a user forum to augment Pioneer's e-mail support. The docs that ship with the drive are more than sufficient to guide you through setup and minor troubleshooting issues. E-tailers are the first line of support for the DVR-610, and their hours may vary.

See pricing