• Sony Optiarc AD-7240S [Review]

    Sony Optiarc AD-7240S [Review]

    Jayesh Limaye, Apr 15, 2009 1300 hrs IST

    Fastest DVD writer that delivers excellent output

    Supports up to 24X DVD+R/-R, decent speeds, silent operation, runs cool

    No bundled cables, a bit expensive

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Features of the drive


 


The following Nero InfoTool screenshot details the different read and write optical media formats supported by the Sony Optiarc AD-7240S.


 



 


As is the case with most drives today, this is also an RPC-II drive and therefore you are allowed to set the DVD region code for up to five times before getting locked to the code set the fifth time. Its 2MB buffer is sufficient to prevent buffer underrun errors. Setting BookType bit for DVD+R/+RW is not supported by this drive. Though this is not much of a problem these days, it can be if you happen to be stuck with an old DVD player, which will refuse to play burnt DVDs without the media identification bit set to DVD-ROM.


 


It supports the DVD-RAM format too, thus allowing it to be used as a backup drive. The DVD-RAM format is good for backup purposes, as it can be written and rewritten to up to 1,00,000 times as opposed to 1,000 times for a DVD-RW/+RW. Writing to Dual layer media is also possible, thus allowing you to write up to 8.5 GB of data to such media.


 



 


The drive bezel looks startlingly similar to Lite-On drives, but this is not really a surprise since Lite-On is the OEM manufacturer of Sony Optiarc DVD-Writers. The black bezel is pretty simple and nowhere would you find the word Sony Optiarc written on it. This drive sports a half-height form factor, which allows it to fit in smaller cabinet easily. The tray build quality seems good and the tray mechanism is also smooth.


 


The tray has a shallow recess that allows you to use 8 cm and 12 cm discs with this drive. There are four notches at four corners of the tray surface to prevent the disc from falling off the tray. This lets you use this drive in a vertically mounted position if that is required. The eject button is placed on the right and is a bit recessed. The drive activity is indicated by a green LED. There is an emergency eject hole, and this helps you to eject the tray when it refuses to open with the eject button.


 



 


The SATA data and power connectors can be seen at the back. There are other connectivity options like analogue or digital audio port present too.


 

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Discussion Board
(2) Comments
Abhijeet
,Delhi, on Jul 03, 2010 05:55 AM
This drive is pretty bad as dvd reader. There is no way to get quality score above 30% with so high PI eroors and failures. A check with DVDinfopro will give accurate result.
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Mohit
,Chandigarh, on Aug 18, 2009 12:51 AM
I bought it for 1150 in Chandigarh, delaer was kind enough to give me sata power & data cable but was shrewd enough to say that it comes with no Nero CD/DVD.
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