Integrate Review — Sony DRX-500UL

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DVD: The New Demo Reel Standard?

New DVD burner finally makes the ‘plus-minus’standards war irrelevant.

A 4X recording speed for DVD-R media makes the DRX-500UL the fastestburner on the market—but to support that rate, a firmware updateand 4X media are required.

Sony's DRX-500UL makes the current thumb-wrestling over competingDVD standards seem trivial by showing just how easy it is to put themtogether in one device. Blank DVD media comes in R (recordable) and RW(rewritable) flavors, and the DVD format is, of course, capable ofseveral applications including video, data storage, and archiving.

DVD+R and DVD+RW are backed by Hewlett Packard and Microsoft, amongothers. The alternative standard, DVD-R and DVD-RW, draws support fromthe Apple/Pioneer/Panasonic camp. Sony can't solve the compatibilityissues with legacy DVD devices, but the DRX-500UL really can serve twomasters. (Make that three masters, actually. The DRX can also play andrecord CDs.)

Besides the DRX-500UL, Sony also offers an otherwise identicalinternal version, the DRU-500A. The external DRX-500UL is aspace-saving device (6"×1.6"×7.5"), with one USB 2.0 and dualFireWire ports (Sony calls this i.Link) in the rear panel. A cable withan inline transformer carries the main power. While these thin-wirecables are a little less onerous in terms of cable clutter, theconnector has no snapping mechanism to keep the connector in thesocket. This is not specifically a Sony problem, as low-voltage powercables are now an industry standard for many peripherals. Still, I'vehad the cables pop out while just moving a drive a few inches across myworkspace. The interface protocol is ATAPI or, as many peopleincorrectly call it, IDE or EIDE.

The DRX supports Windows 98E, 2000, XP, and the latest 4X DVD-R and2X DVD-RW media, making it the fastest DVD burner currently available(the 4X recording speed requires a firmware update).

I connected the Sony DRX-500UL to a new dual-processor IBMIntelliStation using the USB connector. Sony bundles a comprehensiveauthoring and backup software suite. Veritas Record Now is a masteringapp for creating custom CDs and DVDs as well as backup copies. VeritasDLA, a drive-formatting app, lets CDs and DVDs perform like a harddrive by letting files be moved back and forth on the DVD media.Veritas Simple Backup serves as a backup and data-protection app. But Iwas really interested in the software applications for recording andplaying DVD video and audio. Sony's software suite includes SonicSolutions MyDVD for authoring video DVDs and Arcsoft ShowBiz, anapplication for editing video segments with simple transitions.

My first attempt at making a DVD with the DRX-500UL ran intoproblems when the bundled MyDVD software had problems reading QuickTimefiles, which are supposed to be supported. Sony might be better offwith some other software than MyDVD 4.0. This is consumer-levelsoftware with some good features, including the ability to record froma DV camera directly to a DVD, the ability to make menus in variousstyles, and a slide-show capability for still images. But thedocumentation is scant at best. A trip to Sonic's site wasdisappointing and the company's knowledge base should never be used asa replacement for detailed, step-by-step tutorials. But maybe there's areason for the poor documentation — Sonic's tech support is $30.Outrageous. Compared with an Apple system, making a DVD with Windows isless intuitive.

Not being able to import Mac-made After Effects movies in QuickTime,I captured DV from a Canon Optura through FireWire. This worked, and Iwas able to make a DVD-R after a little experimentation —although MyDVD quit in the middle of processing the footage during thefirst attempt at a burn. The second burn worked fine, however, and theresulting disc played on a G4 and a Panasonic set-top DVD player. Next,I tried the same experiment with DVD+R and burned a disc withoutincident. The DVD+R played in my set-top without a hitch.

In a frenzy of disc burning, I made CDs and DVD+RW backups, thenwent back and made changes to files on the discs — all of whichworked as advertised. I was unable to test the speed advantage of the4X upgrade because the firmware was not available. According to Sony,the faster recording speed allows a 4.7GB DVD+R disc to burn in lessthan 15 minutes. 4X media arrived in stores around the end of lastyear.

DVD is a great format, and Sony has executed a very good idea withan end run around the standards war. The good news is that by provingthe viability of multi-format drives, Sony gives every computer owner asolution to the barriers put up by the feuding coalitions. Sony couldgo further if the DRX-500UL supported the Mac better and the companyleaned on Sonic to provide better documentation for the bundledsoftware. But all in all, this is an excellent and strategically shrewdproduct.

S.D. Katz is a New York-based writer/director. He is the author ofthe best-selling books Shot by Shot and CinematicMotion.

Company: Sony; Park Ridge, N.J. (800) 686-SONY
www.sony.com/professional

Product: DRX-500U

Assets: Records and plays CD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, and DVD-R/RWmedia; supports the latest 2X DVD-RW and 4X DVD-R media (after requiredfirmware update); includes software with backup, editing, and authoringapplications.

Caveats: Could support Mac better; needs better softwaredocumentation.

Demographic: Editors, compositors, and shooters who arelooking to burn DVD demo reels in small volumes but are wary ofcompeting standards.

Price: $349

DVD: The New Demo Reel Standard?

U-matic 3/4in. composite video has been hanging on as the standardformat for commercial demo reels in the advertising industry, despitethe arrival of a vastly superior format: DVD. In New York, virtuallyevery ad agency has a DVD player, although, like a PlayStation or GameCube, it might be in an art director's cubicle. Still, at less than$140 for a reasonably well-featured set-top player (and with a DVD inevery G4 in the broadcast department), DVD reels have yet to eliminate3/4in. tape despite that format's chroma bleed, deterioration, lowerresolution, and the need to shuttle through the tape to find aparticular spot. The reason 3/4in. is still with us is that it is 100%reliable and dubbing costs are lower than DVD for orders of 100 andover.

While an intern at a production house can burn DVDs throughout theday, making 100 DVD demo discs is a major project. Duping houses are adime a dozen when it comes to 3/4in., but making copies of a DVDrequires it to be authored at a dedicated DVD production company. Costof authoring a DVD professionally: about $1,000. DVDs are a bargain ifyou need 25, but 100 and up means stamping, not burning, the discs. Butthere's one more issue: compatibility.

At the moment, DVDs of either the + or — variety may encounterproblems with set-top DVD players. Even though the percentage ofinitialization failure is low (10% to 15%), you always run the risk ofsending your reel to an ad agency that's not able to play it. Thesituation will improve as more new players replace older players, buthaving your disc go unseen is still a risk. The newer DVD players atThe Wiz and Circuit City have stickers promising DVD-R compatibility,but there are a lot of older players out there. So check on playbackcapabilities before you send DVD demo reels to prospectiveclients.
— SK

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