Pioneer's latest DVD writer, the DVR-A05, is a vast improvement on its predecessor, the DVR-A04, with better overall performance and much quicker writing speeds for both DVD and CD formats.

Using DVD-R/-RW technology, the DVR-A05 is no slouch, writing at 4-speed DVD-R (the fastest mode at present) and 2-speed DVD-RW, with a 12-speed DVD read capability. When it comes to CD performance it's a little on the slow side, though; CD-R is 16-speed, CD-RW is 8-speed, while CDs are read at 32-speed, encumbered by the heavier read/write heads of the DVD mechanism.

The DVR-A05, which has a 2MB cache to prevent buffer under-run problems, uses a number of new technologies to maintain reliability when writing to DVD. LCTT (Liquid Crystal Tilt Technology) is something Pioneer uses in its high-end DVD car navigation systems to maintain accurate reading and writing. Smart Laser Driver is circuitry that controls the record signal, while Dynamic Resonance Absorber lessens the problems associated with poorly-balanced discs.

Visually, the DVR-A05 looks just like any other run-of-the-mill optical device (i.e. not particularly inspiring). The front panel has the usual features; eject button, indicator LED, headphone jack, force eject hole and volume control. The back of the drive has the IDE connector, power connector, jumper panel and - a little surprisingly - just an analogue audio socket, with no digital output.

Pioneer assumes that you will fit this drive either in addition to, or as replacement for, another drive, as it only includes four mounting screws and the audio cable, not an IDE cable. But things are better on the software front; the drive is supplied with Instant CD/DVD v6.5 for burning your CDs and DVDs, along with Sonic MyDVD Video Suite, a software DVD player. The DVR-A05 comes with a standard one year warranty.