Product Reviews

Manufacturers tend to make grand claims about how fast their DVD writers can burn discs. Samsung claims the Super Writemaster SH-S203 can write to DVD+R DL discs at a blistering 16X and DVD-R DL discs at 12X. Pioneer's claims for its latest DVD writer, the DVR-112, are less ambitious with a claimed 10X for both types of two-layer disc. While the Super Writemaster is faster than the DVR-112, the gap isn't as wide as the specifications suggest.

The Super Writemaster couldn't reach its stated speeds for writing two-layer DVDs, managing just over 7.5X for both DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL discs, although this still makes it one of the fastest DVD

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writers we've seen when burning 8.5GB discs. Similarly, while it couldn't reach its claimed 20X speed for single-layer DVDs, managing just under 11X, this is still faster than many other current DVD writers.

Pioneer's DVR-112 is slower than the Super Writemaster at writing two-layer DVDs, burning discs at less than 6.5X. It cannot quite keep up with the Super Writemaster and it can't match its claimed 10X for writing 8.5GB discs, either. It came very close to matching the Super Writemaster when burning single-layer DVDs, though, despite being 2X slower on paper.

Unlike the DVR-112, and most other DVD writers, the Super Writemaster uses SATA instead of PATA to connect to your PC. The thinner and more flexible SATA cables are easier to install, especially if the interior of your computer is messy and strewn with cables.

Although the Super Writemaster isn't significantly faster than the DVR-112, it's the better-value DVD writer. Both burners cost £26, but Samsung's drive is bundled with software, including Nero Recode, which allows you to compress an 8.5GB DVD movie to fit on a 4.7GB disc. The Super Writemaster SH-S203 is a speedy DVD writer with an excellent software bundle, and all at a great price.