Product ReviewsCD/DVD drives
When Pioneer released its DVD-R/W drive late last year, Apple was quick to realise the possibilities it presented and included an OEM version in its top-of-the-range Power Mac. The SuperDrive, as Apple calls it, is now available in two Power Mac models and standalone versions are now being released in the UK. The EZQuest Boa FireWire DVD-R/RW is one of the first to arrive. The Boa is an imposing beast, measuring 260mm x 208mm x 67mm and weighing 2.8kg. Its glossy silver finish means it won't look out of place next to a Power Mac G4 or a Graphite iMac. Unlike some aesthetically pleasing case designs, the Boa's eject mechanism works smoothly and caused us no problems. As its name suggests, connection to your Mac is via FireWire, making it easy to set up and use. There are two FireWire ports located on the back, alongside the power supply socket and power switch. The mechanism inside the EZQuest is identical to that in the SuperDrive and has a feature not promoted by Apple in its drive - the ability to read and write DVD-RW discs. This is of limited use while the price of DVD-RW discs is high, but will be useful when the price of media drops. In addition to being able to read and write to DVD-R for General and DVD-RW media, the Boa FireWire DVD-R/RW also reads and writes CD-R and CD-RW discs, making it an incredibly versatile all-rounder. Quoted speeds are 8x for CD-R, 4x for CD-RW, 2x for DVD-R (equivalent to 8x CD-R) and 1x for DVD-RW. The CD-R and CD-RW speeds are relatively slow for a modern drive, but this is easily forgivable given the versatility of the device. Setting up is straightforward. After you've connected the hardware, you need only install the included drivers and the supplied copy of Toast 5 Titanium. The inclusion of Toast 5 Titanium is welcome - most CD-RW drives
Crown jewels However, the real jewel in the crown is its ability to write DVD-Video on to DVD for General media. This needs a suitable DVD authoring application and, for most Mac users, this will mean DVD Studio Pro (iDVD doesn't support external drives). We tested the Boa on a Power Mac G4 running Mac OS 9.2.1 and DVD Studio Pro. After resolving some initial problems with driver conflicts that caused the drive to spit out DVD-R media, we were very impressed. Choosing 'Build Disc' from the File menu in DVD Studio Pro leads you through a series of options, including the selection of the drive on which you want to build your project. The Boa drive duly showed up in the menu of options and allowed us to select it, just as if it were a SuperDrive built into the Mac. Once the disc had been authored, we were able to play it in the DVD-ROM drives of an iMac and iBook, using the Apple DVD Player, as if it was just a normal DVD movie disc. In theory, as the DVD-R for General format is now a part of the DVD-Video standard as defined by the DVD Forum, any consumer DVD player should be able to play a disc written in DVD Studio Pro and burned on the Boa. In practice, it's a different matter and there's no definitive list of players that are compatible. However, both Apple and Pioneer have tested various players and the results can be found on their respective Web sites. If it's important to you, check whether your DVD player is compatible before you buy. Pioneer's DVD-R/RW mechanism is truly revolutionary and EZQuest has done a great job of building a product around it. The inclusion of Toast 5 Titanium is excellent. The drive looks good and feels sturdy and solid. Despite a recent price drop, it's not cheap and as such may have limited initial appeal. However, the cost is chiefly governed by the price of the mechanism and as with most new technologies, this will fall quickly. This is a great technology, so if you're interested in authoring your own DVDs or backing up data on to DVD, then the EZQuest Boa FireWire DVD-R/RW may be just what you need. By Kenny Hemphill |
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