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Features
Its
features are impressive and like the ND-3540A we previously reviewed, they
are as high end as they come.
As with a majority of current drives, 16x
writing is supported with both DVD+R and DVD-R media.
High speed 8x writing is supported with +R
rewritable media. Thanks to Verbatim, we will once again be able to
test this capability.
New 6x writing is also possible with supported
-R rewritable discs.
 8x
double layer writing to DVD+R DL media is supported. However, keep in
mind that although Verbatim 4x media will write at this speed, it is not
recommended.
 While some
of the new next generation double layer writers can write at 6x to this
format, the BenQ DW1640 supports only 4x writing to DVD-R DL media.
Unlike a majority of the competition, no
corners were cut and the DW1640 doubles as one speedy CD writer, able to
read/write at 48x.
As writing speed is increased, signal loss
becomes the key cause of a Significant decrease in writing quality. BenQ’s
High-Speed Signal Algorithm manages the high EFM(Eight-to-Fourteen
Modulation) frequency signal loss that often takes place at high-speed
writing - ensuring superb writing quality.
Unlike other drives which preset the writing
power before the actual writing of data, the WOPC II (Walking Optimal Power
Control II) algorithm constantly evaluates writing quality and adjusts the
writing power accordingly in order to ensure optimal writing quality over
the entire disc. The BLER OPC (Block Error Rate Optimal Power Control)
further enhances the writing quality near the end of the disc, where the
risk of warping is higher.
Installation
As with any optical drive in a Windows XP
system, no issues were encountered during installation and the drive was
correctly identified in Device Manager.
All supported features were also identified in
Nero's InfoTool. One interesting note is that I can finally confirm
that the firmware included in the retail model does support DVD-R DL out of
the box. Now, for those who are only able to get the OEM version, I've
done some research and found that many have stated that select OEM drives do
indeed contain firmware supporting DVD-R DL media. This retail drive
did ship with firmware BSHB, which happens to be the second firmware release
by BenQ for this drive. However, BenQ has officially released firmware
BSJB, which is said to improve writing performance on low speed DVD+R DL
media.
Note: This article was about 70%
complete when BenQ released yet another new and very important firmware release.
Due to the excellent features this new firmware does offer, I upgraded to BSKB. Although this caused many more hours of work, this if good in
the sense that I'm able to provide our readers with results between the two
in most of the write tests that were performed.
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