1. Introduction - Retail Package
LG
GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 1
LG
Electronics, formerly known as GoldStar, was established in 1958 as
the pioneer in the Korean consumer electronics market. Since then, a
lot has changed in LG Electronics. In November 2000, Hitachi and LG
formed a new joint venture to manufacture optical storage drives
under the name "HL-DS". These recorders
are well tuned and with unique features.
Their
latest internal drives are the GSA-4120B 12X burner and the GSA-4160B
burner. The GSA-4120B model has already been tested by CDRInfo and was
found to have excellent writing quality performance. Let us see
in this review
if the new 4160B model continuous to write media as well as its
predecessor did, but now at the higher 16X speed.
- Features
The LG GSA-4160B can burn a full Single Layer disc
in less than 6 mins. It can write +R media at 16X, -R media
at 8X and can re-write at 4X. Of course, Double Layer media is also
supported, at 2.4X writing speed.
The main difference between this drive and other competitors drives
is that it can read and write DVD-RAM media, making it compatible with
all the DVD
media formats.
Below are the full specs for the drive:
Drive |
LG GSA-4160B |
Media |
DVD |
CD |
Transfer Rate Read |
16X DVD-ROM |
40X CD-ROM |
16X DVD±R |
8X DVD±RW |
40X CD-RW |
2X, 3X (CLV), 5X (Z-CLV) DVD-RAM |
8X DVD+R9 |
Transfer Rate Write |
16X DVD+R Z-CLV |
4X, 8X 16X (CLV), 24X, 32X, 40X (Z-CLV ) CD-R |
8X DVD-R Z-CLV |
4X DVD±RW CLV |
4X, 8X, 10X, 16X (CLV), 24X (Z-CLV) CD-RW |
5X DVD-RAM Z-CLV |
2.4X DVD+R9 CLV |
Access Time |
145ms (DVD-ROM) - 165ms (DVD-RAM) |
125ms |
Mechanism |
motorized Tray load mechanism for horizonal and vertical use |
Interface |
IDE / ATAPI |
Burst Transfer Rate |
PIO mode 4 / Ultra DMA 33 |
Cashe Memory |
2MB |
Audio |
digital-out and line-out at the back (MPC compatible) |
Media/Modes supported |
DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW,
DVD+R9, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-Audio, CD Extra, CD
Text, CD-IReady, CD-Bridge, Photo-CD, VideoCD, Hybrid CD |
Writing methods |
DAO(disc at once), SAO(session at once), TAO(track at once) with zero gap, variable or fixed packet, multisession, Incremental Recording, Restricted Overwrite (DVD-RW only), Random Write (DVD-RAM only) |
Weight |
0.9kgr |
Dimensions |
146(W) 184.7(D) 41.3(H) mm (without bezel) |
The drive uses the well known RPC II region
control,
allowing
a user to change the drive's region at most 5 times.
Below are the drive's main specs as given by NeroInfoTool and DVDInfoPro:
- The drive / Retail Package
We
received the LG GSA-4120B retail package, as well as the bulk
version of the drive. The retail package includes the internal SuperMulti
GSA-4160B
writer, and recording, DVD authoring and DVD playback software (Nero,
InCD, PowerProducer Gold and PowerDVD player). You will also find an
owner's manual and manual for Nero recording software, as well as an
audio cable, mounting
screws and atapi cable.
The front panel is not particularly impressive, since
LG used the same typical panel available on most LG recorders. You
can see the "Super
Multi", "DVD+RW", "US-RW" and "DVD
Multi Recorder" logos. However, there is no DVD+R DL format logo.
On the rear panel you will find the analogue and digital audio outputs (SPDIF), the IDE selection pins, the IDE connector and the power input.
Opening the device's case will void the warranty, so we advise against it. Instead, use the photos in this review for a closer look under the hood. Clicking on the image below will reveal a high resolution image.
The main chipset is the same chipset that the GSA-4120B
model uses, coming from TDK
and and with part number R8J32005FP.
The following picture shows the laser lens assembly of the LG GSA-4160B.
By clicking on the picture, you can see a higher resolution image.
This laser len is identical to that of the LG GSA-4120B.
- Installation
The device was connected in our test PC and was identified as "HL-DT-ST
DVDRAM GSA-4160B" under WinXP.
In this review, we will be comparing the drive with the LiteON SOHW-1633S,
NEC ND-3500A and Pioneer DVR-108 since all drives have similar specifications.
We received the drive with firmware version A301. We then flashed the firmware to the latest release, version A302. All writing tests are made with firmware version A302, while some reading test are made with firmware version A301, since reading performance of the drive is the same for both versions.
Improvement points of this new firmware is the addition of Optodisc DVD+R 8X (OPTODISCOR8), InfoDisc DVD+R 8X (INFODISCR20), Must DVD-R 8X (MUST003), DVD+R 16X codes of Sony, TDK and Philips, and some minor improvement of +RW and -RW rewriting ability.
- Testing software
In order to perform our tests we used:
- Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.30
- CDVD Benchmark v1.21
- ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
- Nero Info Tool v2.27
- KProbe v2.4.2
- PlexTools v2.17
- DVDInfoPro v3.16
- Nero Burning Rom v6.3.1.25
- DVD Decrypter 3.5.1.0
- CopyToDVD 3.0.29.48
To discuss this drive further or to discuss it with other users,
go to our forum.
2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 2
Transfer Rate Reading Tests
- CD Format
Remember that the LG drive supports up to 40X CD media reading speed, while
the other drives support up to 48X reading speed. This explains the speed differences
shown in the graphs above. However, with Ultra Speed Re-Writable media, the
LG model was the fastest of all.
- DVD Format
Although speed differences are not significant, the LG drive
performed extremely well, managing to be the fastest.
The two layers of a PTP DVD-ROM disc are read sequentially
with the drive starting reading from the inner part of the disc, which is the
beginning of each layer, progressing towards the outer range for each layer.
The Pioneer DVR-108 was the fastest drive. The GSA-4160B supports up to 8X reading speed for this media type, and performed better than the NEC and LiteON drives.
The graph shown above indicates the reading performance of
the LG GSA-4160B with OTP dual layer media. The first layer of an OTP dual
layer DVD-ROM is read exactly the same way as the first layer of the PTP disc
we
tested previously.
The difference here is the reading strategy of the second layer of the disc.
The beginning of the second layer is located in the outer part of the disc,
so the drive starts reading from the outer tracks towards the inner part of
the disc. Almost the same behavior as before, with the Pioneer model being
the fastest reader with this media type.
The reading speed could be further improved here. While not as slow as
the LiteON drive which was the slowest, the LG GSA-4160B was not that much
faster.
The LG drive performed well with a ripping speed of 9094Kb/s, with only
the LiteON drive being faster and not by much.
- DVD-RAM
The LG GSA-4160B can read DVD-RAM depending on the version of the inserted
media. For example it reads 3X DVD-RAM (v2.1) media at 3X CLV, while 5X DVD-RAM
(v2.2) at 3~5 P-CAV, as the following Nero CD Speed graphs showing:
3X DVD-RAM
5X DVD-RAM
-Appendix
Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs
3. CD Error Correction Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 3
CD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when reading
scratched / defective audio discs. The test discs used were the ABEX series
from ALMEDIO.
- ABEX TCD-721R
Errors
total |
Num:
2316428 |
Errors
(Loudness) dB(A) |
Num: 117221 |
Avg:
-76.1 dB(A) |
Max:
-26.0 dB(A) |
Error
Muting Samples |
Num: 6913 |
Avg:
1.2 Samples |
Max: 576 Samples |
Skips
Samples |
Num: 5 |
Avg:
6.0 Samples |
Max:
6 Samples |
Total Test Result |
68.2 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
99.2 % |
Unfortunately, the performance with this disc is not all that good. The total
error count was high, as was the reported maximum loudness level at -26dB.
High error rates are reported because the drive cannot automatically reduce
its ripping speed to correct these errors.
- ABEX TCD-726
Errors total |
Num: 63652 |
Errors (Loudness) dB(A) |
Num: 9883 |
Avg: -84.9 dB(A) |
Max: -47.0 dB(A) |
Error Muting Samples |
Num: 271 |
Avg: 1.0 Samples |
Max: 2 Samples |
Skips Samples |
Num: 0 |
Avg: 0.0 Samples |
Max: 0 Samples |
Total Test Result |
80.7 points (out of 100.0 maximum) |
C2 Accuracy |
100 % |
The Abex TCD-726 test disc is much easier for drives in general to read. However,
again the LG GSA-4160B didn't perform as well as we would have expected. High
error counts were reported, and the total test result score is low at
80.7. However, C2 accuracy
returned a perfect score of 100%.
- CD-Check Audio Test Disc
The CD-Check Test Disc is a very useful tool for evaluating the Sound Reproduction
/ Error correction capabilities of a CD player. The disc offers a signal combination
with disc error patterns to rate the drive's abilities to read music and reproduce
it completely. Five tracks on the disc contain a sequence of progressively
more difficult tests. These tracks are referred to as Check Level-1 through
Check Level-5.
The
tracks are being reproduced through a software multimedia player (i.e.
Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone
is smooth, continuous without interruptions, skipping or looping. The higher
the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound reproduction
of the tested drive.
Error Level
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
3/5
|
0/5
|
0/5
|
The drive successfully passed only the first two out of the five check levels for this test. This is a rather poor performance. Usually, all drives have difficulties reading the 5th level, and a good drive can read 4th level. But most drives will pass the third level without any problem.
- Summary
The CD error correction capabilities of the drive are just below average
and should be
improved by LG.
4. DVD Error Correction Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 4
DVD Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we examine the DVD reading capabilities of the drive with
scratched / defective DVD media. For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark
and Nero CDSpeed. The reference test media comes from ALMEDIO.
- Single Layer media
ABEX TDR-821
This is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with 4.7GB capacity, and its
surface has an artificial scratch of dimensions varying from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The following transfer rate picture comes from the CDVD Benchmark v1.21 transfer rate test.
The drive can read DVD media up to 16X, which is fast enough
compared to the competition. The scratched area did not affect the reading
process and no errors were produced.
ABEX TDR-825
This is also a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM of 4.7GB
capacity. The data structure of the disc is exactly the same as that of the
TDR-821, with the difference that there are no scratches on it but instead
defective areas of dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1 mm.
There are also fingerprints sized between 65 and 75 micrometers.
Same behavior with this test disc. No errors were reported and the drive
kept showing excellent DVD error correction capabilities.
- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841
This is an 8.5GB dual layer, single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches
of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm, on both layers.
.
Again, no problem at all for the GSA-4160B. The disc was read as if there were no scratches at all.
ABEX TDR-845
The disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc with a capacity of 8.5GB. The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the first includes defective areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defective areas range from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from 65 to 75 micrometers.
Fantastic performance by LG. The GSA-4120B is known to be an excellent reader,
and as you can see above, the new GSA-4160B carries on this reputation.
ABEX TDV-541
The TDV-541 is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with a capacity
of 8.5GB.The disc is based upon the TDV-540 series which is designed for inspection
and adjustment of DVD-VIDEO players. The disc checks the layer switch operation
from layer 0 to layer 1 and also includes test pictures and test signals for
DVD sound files.
The current TDV-541 also checks the error correcting capabilities of the
drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The drive automatically reduced its reading speed to read the scratched area
on the media. However, no errors were reported and the reading process was
completed successfully.
ABEX TDV-545
The TDV-545 disc is based on the TDV-540 series. It is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc with a capacity of 8.5GB.
The TDV-545 includes artificial black dots on the disc's surface, sized
from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65 - 75 micrometer thickness, fingerprints.
Perfect curve indicating good performance for this particular test.
The LG GSA-4160B has great DVD error correction capabilities.
5. Protected Disc Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 5
Protected Disc Tests
- Reading Tests
To create the image of the various protected titles to the hard disk, we used Alcohol 120% software and the appropriate settings, according to the protection type of the inserted discs. Below you can see the duration of each process as well as the transfer rate in each case.
Game Title |
Protection Scheme |
Duration |
Reading speed |
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme" |
Lybcrypt |
01:26 min |
1051 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
4:58 min |
1126 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
2:35 min |
2218 sectors/sec |
We should emphasize the LG drive's performance with SafeDisc
protected games since it is one of the fastest rippers on the market with this
copy
protection method.
The GSA-4160B was almost three times faster than the LiteON SOHW-1633S which
came in a distant second.
- Writing Tests
The drive supports the DAO-RAW writing mode. For checking the drive's
EFM correction status, we used 5 different game titles with different SafeDisc
2 versions having the latest software patches installed. After copying
the images of the various titles onto the hard disk, we burned them (maximum
speed)
with
Alcohol 120% v1.9.2.1705. Two different discs were created for each title;
one with the "Bypass EFM error" enabled and one more with the function
disabled.
- Fifa 2004 - Safe Disc v3.1x
- The Sims Superstar - Safe Disc v2.9x
- The Sims Unleashed - Safe Disc v2.8x
- Serious Sam Second Encounter - Safe Disc v2.51.021
- Max Payne - Safe Disc v2.51.020
The table below shows the results of the attempted backups and whether they worked (game installed / played normally), or not.
Drive |
Fifa 2004
SD v3.1 |
Sims Superstar SD v2.9 |
Sims Unleashed SD v2.8 |
Serious Sam-Second Encounter
SD v2.51.051 |
Max Payne
SD v2.51.020 |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
EFM OFF |
EFM ON |
Toshiba
SD-M1502 |
No |
Yes |
Creative CD5233E |
LG GSA-4160B |
The LG GSA-4160B can backup accurately only up to SD v2.8, while it fails
to backup SD2.9 and the newest 3.1 without EFM correction on.
6. DAE Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder -
Page 6
DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
The drive supports up to 40X CAV DAE speed. The following results were reported when using Exact Audio Copy.
The LG GSA-4160B came in second for both Pressed and CD-R media,
with the LiteON drive being the fastest of all. It should be noted that the
LG GSA-4160B's performance is similar to that of the GSA-4120B model. As EAC
reports, the drive can report C2 errors,
but caching is not supported.
- Advanced DAE Quality
All tested drives received a perfect quality score of 100. The LG drive
can read Leadin data but not Leadout, and can read CD Text and Subchannel data.
The reported average speed was 29.02X.
- Ripping 90mins AudioCDs
The drive can read/rip flawlessly 90min Audio CDs.
- Ripping 99mins AudioCDs
The drive can read/rip flawlessly 99min Audio CDs, with no speed drop near the end of the disc.
7. Protected AudioCDs
LG
GSA-4160B DL Recorder -
Page 7
Protected AudioCDs
For this test procedure we used three audio discs with different audio copy
protections. The ripping process on all protected Audio discs was carried out
with Exact Audio Copy v0.9beta5.
The sample protected Audio discs were:
- Sony's Key2Audio from "Celine Dion - New Day Has Come"
- Cactus Data Shield 200 from "Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island"
The Cactus Data Shield 200, contains artificial errors that are not easily bypassed by the reader, while the Key2Audio contains a second session, causing problems for readers when trying to read the Table Of Contents (TOC).
The tested tasks are:
- Recognition of the inserted disc (Yes/No).
- Ripping all wavs (with EAC's Burst Mode) to the hard disk with copy&compare function.
- Listening to the produced wavs for any click/skips.
The LG drive recognized up to the 12th Audio track of CDS200 disc,
and with the "Retrieve Native TOC" option removed, the 13th Data
track was also recognized.
The test results are shown in the following table:
|
Key2Audio |
CDS200 |
LG GSA-4160B |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison successful for all tracks |
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison not the same for all tracks |
With Key2Audio discs, EAC didn't report any timing
problems and at the same time, Read&Test CRC check comparison was the
same for corresponding tracks. The drive could not rip 100% accurately
the CD200 disc where Read&Test CRC check comparison was not the same
for corresponding tracks.
- Cactus Data Shield 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a (Aiko Katsukino - The Love Letter)
This is a "special" CDS200 build, since it doesn't contain any artificial errors during the ripping process. Most problems occur when trying to write the ripped wav files, since the produced CD-R disc contains C2 and CU errors! This "problem" is rumored to be connected with specific chipset weaknesses.
We ripped the disc contents with EAC and burned the wav file produced from the Cactus Data Shield 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a disc with the latest Nero version as AudioCD+CD-Text. The burned media was checked for C1/C2 errors and for BETA/Jitter errors with PlexTools software using Plextor PX-712SA (firmware v1.03) and LiteOn LDW-811S (firmware vHS0Q).
|
CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a |
LG GSA-4160B |
Reading/Writing performed without any errors |
- C1C2 Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712A (8X CLV reading speed)
- BETA/Jitter Error rate from PleXWriter PX-712A
The C1/C2 error graphs show that the drive did not manage to produce a 100%
error free disc.
We then tried to extract all wav files with the Plextor PX-712A and PlexTool DAE Error Correction 5th Level enabled:
No reading errors were reported after extracting all files. The C2 errors
as reported from Plextools could be due to the writing quality of
the drive, since the disc was burned at the maximum speed.
8. CD Recording Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 8
CD Recording Tests
- CD-R Format
The drive supports 4X, 8X, 16X (CLV), 24X, 32X and 40X (Z-CLV) writing speeds.
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive reached a maximum speed of 40.53X
after 3.11 mins. The test started at 16.01X and had an average
speed of 31.67X.
- CD-R Recording Times
We created an 80min data compilation with Nero Burning Rom
and recorded it on a 700MB disc. The writing performance varies according
to the inserted media. Below is a chart demonstrating all recording times
with various media.
The best recording time was achieved with Waitec media at 3:06 mins.
It should be noted that above recording times are an improvement on
the GSA-4120B model's times.
- Other features
The LG GSA-4160B supports overburning, writing up to 95mins and can read/write CD-Text.
- CD-RW Format
The drive supports both the HS-RW and US-RW formats. With US-RW media, 16X
(CLV) and 24X (Z-CLV) writing speeds are available.
Below you can see the Nero
CD-DVD Speed writing simulation test with blank 24x US-RW media from Mitsubishi
Chemicals.
According to Nero CDSpeed, the drive reached a maximum of 24.48X writing speed. The test started at 16.01X, having an average speed of 23.31X.
- CD-RW Mount Rainier
The drive doesn't support the Mount Rainier feature.
9. Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 9
Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
On this page, we present the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs when
using various media burned at 40X CAV writing speed.
- 3T Pit results
Traxdata 52X media recorded the worst results with a high of 50ns and in
general, we expected somewhat better figures from the LG drive, since almost
all media
overshot
the 35ns
limit. BenQ media
reported the best results.
Below are the average 3T Pit Jitter values for the various media:
- 3T Land results
Same image here, with high 3T Land values, overshooting
the 35ns limit. Again, the best results were achieved with BenQ media.
10. Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 10
Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
We measured the C1 / C2 error rate on the recorded discs we burned at the
various supported writing speeds. The software we used was PleXTools Professional,
and in particular the built-in Q-Check utility. The reader was the Plextor
PX-712A (firmware v1.05).
MMore 80min 52X @ 40X
Maxell 80min 48X @ 40X
Taiyo Yuden 80min 52X @ 40X
TraxData 80min 52X @ 40X
BenQ 80min 52X @ 40X
Waitec 80min 52X @ 40X
- Summary
CD writing quality varies, since the drive performed well with some
media and very badly with other. Traxdata media reported C2 and CU errors,
making the disc virtually unreadable.
- Appendix
Media Label |
ID Code |
Manufacturer Name |
Lead Out TIme |
MMore 52X |
97m22s67f |
|
79m59s74f |
Maxell 48X |
97m15s17f |
Ritek Co. |
79m59s70f |
TY 80min 48X |
97m24s 1f |
Taiyo Yuden |
79m59s72f |
TraxData 80min 52X |
97m15s17f |
Ritek |
79m59s70f |
|
|
|
|
Waitec 80min 52X |
97m28s26f |
Multi Media Masters & Machinery SA |
79m59s74f |
11. DVD Recording Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 11
DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
The LG GSA-4160B supports DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and DVD-RAM writing.
The maximum supported speeds are 16X Z-CLV for DVD+R, 8X Z-CLV
for DVD-R, 4X CLV for DVD±RW, 2.4X CLV for DVD+R9 and
5X Z-CLV for DVD-RAM media.
Nero Burning Rom reported speeds are shown below, after inserting a DVD+R
16X certified disc.
Note that when the software identifies a disc as 8X, the 2X writing
speed option is not available. However, if the maximum speed is
4X,
2X
writing
speed
is available..
By using Nero CD-DVD Speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we are able to see
the 16X, 12X, 8X Z-CLV recording technology being applied by the recorder.
The drive uses three zones to reach the 12X writing speed (6X->8X->12X)
and 6 zones to reach the 16X writing speed (6X->8X->10X->12X->14X->16X)
.
- Supported media list
LG officially, doesn't list the supported media at any of 8X, 12X
or 16X. The user has to insert a disc to check the maximum reported recording
speed
for the specific media,
so it's basically a test and see process. Depending on the inserted disc, the
drive may lower its recording speed.
- Burning Tests
We burned 4315MB of data on various DVD±R, DVD±RW media. We used the maximum allowed writing speed for each disc.
Best performance came with MMore 8X media. The drive needed 7:46mins to
complete a successful burn. It should be noted that Traxdata and 3A 8X certified
media was
burned at 4X. On the other hand, no 4X certified media could be burned at a
higher speed other than the certified maximum (i.e. 4X).
When we tried to test the 16X writing performance of the LG recorder, we were
saddened, observing that the media list is rather short for 16X recording.
CMC Magnetics and Traxdata 16X certified media could not be burned
at
16X speed.
Traxdata 16X media, for example, could be burned only at 4X! Although we had the A302 firmware version installed that is supposed to support Philips +R 16X certified media, the recorder can only burn at 4X.
On the other hand,
there is a wider range of 8X media that can be burned at 12X. Best
results came with Verbatim 16X media. The drive needed only 6:04mins to
complete a successfully burn.
- Comparison with other drives
With the +R media format, the LG GSA-4160B performed very well, taking
second place, with the LiteON drive being the fastest in this comparison
chart. On the
other hand,
with the -R media format, you can see big differences in speeds. This is because
the LiteON and the LG models offer up to 8X -R recording, while the NEC and
Pioneer models offer up to 16X -R recording. But again, if compared with several
8X reorders, the LG model is one of the fastest available.
With DVD re-writable media, the fastest burner was the LiteON, while LG
gets third place with both DVD+RW and DVD-RW media.
- DVD Overburning Tests
Using Nero CD-DVD Speed, we tested to see if the drive can overburn using
DVD+R and DVD-R media. Unfortunately, the drive does not support overburning,
giving
the following error with all inserted media.
- DVD+MRW Tests
The drive doesn't support the Mount Rainier feature.
12. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 12
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.
8X DVD-R Writing Speed
- Summary
Very good recording performance from the drive at 8X. All quality scans reported
PI values far below the 280 limit. However, worst performance came with
MMore media, but "worst" does not mean "bad performance".
13. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 13
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level
4X DVD-R Writing Speed
- Summary
The drive will surely produce error free, good quality discs at this speed.
The best results came with 3A media. It should be noted however, that several
8X media could be recorded only at 4X. We are happy to see that LG Electronics
aims at quality rather than speed, since this is the only way users will be
sure about their writing quality performance.
14. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 14
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.
16X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Summary
Usually, when recorders write at 16X speed, we expect to see higher PI/PO
error levels. What we got was a quality scan that could only be described as "fantastic".
We will not see quality scans like this at 16X for quite some time! Excellent
performance indeed.
15. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 15
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.
12X DVD+R Writing Speed
- Summary
Again, excellent performance, this time at 12X writing speed. Very low
PI/PO error levels for all media.
16. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 16
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.
8X DVD+R Writing Speed
- CMC Magnetics 8X DVD+R @ 8X
- Summary
As speed is reduced at 8X, we expect to see better quality results. Most media
performed well, except for some small exceptions, as in the case of Traxdata
and Philips 8X media. Especially with Traxdata 8X media, which exceeded the
280 limit, but
fortunately
the disc
was still readable.
17. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 6
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 17
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 6
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.
4X DVD+R Writing Speed
!!!
- Summary
Just take a look at the Verbatim 4X DVD+R quality scan! We
have never seen such good results from any recorder on the market. When users
refer
to "perfect quality scan", they should refer to this. No POE and
POF errors, and only 2117 PIE correctable errors. Absolutely fantastic!!!
18. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 7
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 18
CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 7
In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we
used two readers with two software applications:
- The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
- The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.
In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.
The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.
DVD+RW and DVD-RW media format
- Summary
The recording quality with most 4X +R media was very good. It should be noted, however, that some 4X -RW media (Traxdata -RW media for example) could only be recorded at 2X.
19. DVD+R DL - Page 1
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 19
DVD+R DL - Page 1
- Writing Tests
The LG GSA-4160B model supports Double Layer media. It can
record this type of media at 2.4X. We burned several Verbatim DVD+R DL and
Traxdata
DVD+R DL discs with DVD-Video content. The
source disc was "Gladiator Movie - Special Edition" Disc1 with a
total size of 6.86GB.
First, we transferred the movie to the hard disc with DVD Decrypter in
ISO format (single file). We used the latest version of CopyToDVD software
to burn
the image file to the Traxdata Double Layer media. We chose
the "GLADIATOR.ISO" image and we
selected the LG burner to start burning.
The recorder needed sometime to initialize the inserted media and the recording
process started after 21 seconds. Total burning time reported by CopyToDVD
was 37:59mins with 2.32X average writing
speed. The recorded disc was in DVD+R9 booktype.
We then repeated the same procedure with Verbatim Double Layer media.
CopyToDVD reported 38:00mins total burning time with 2.32X average
writing speed. Again, the recorded disc was in DVD+R9 booktype.
For comparison reasons, we post some burning results from other DL writers,
which all burned the same content ("Gladiator Movie - Special Edition" disc1),
using the CopyToDVD software:
Drive |
Time (mins) |
NEC 2510A (2.4X) |
37:17 |
BenQ DW1600A DL (2.4X) |
40:16 |
BenQ DW830A (2.4X) |
39:14 |
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD+R DL BookType |
38:33 |
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD-ROM BookType |
38:36 |
SONY DRU-700A (2.4X) |
|
LG GSA-4120B (2.4X) |
38:12 |
ASUS DRW-1604P (4X) |
23:10 |
ASUS DRW-1604P (2.4X) |
38:08 |
Pioneer DVR-108A (4X) |
23:10 |
Pioneer DVR-108A (2.4X) |
|
NEC ND-3500A (4X) |
22:52 |
TDK 1616N (4X) |
22:51 |
LG GSA-4160B (2.4X) |
37:59 |
BenQ DW1620A (2.4X) |
40:03 |
You can see that although the LG GSA-4160B model is not the fastest DL recorder,
burning time has improved over the GSA-4120B model.
20. DVD+R DL - Page 2
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 20
DVD+R DL - Page 2
- Writing Quality
In order to test the LG GSA-4160B DVD+R DL writing quality, we used the LiteOn SOHD-167T and the Plextor PX-712A drives.
- Verbatim Double Layer media @ 2.4X
- Traxdata Double Layer media @ 2.4X
- Compatibility
Unfortunately, we were not surprised to see that the DVD+R9 media was not
compatible with most stand-alone DVD players, since there is no official booktype
bit-setting utility provided by LG for the GSA-4160B model. Both Double Layer
media were recorded with DVD+R DL booktype.
21. DVD-RAM Tests
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 21
DVD-RAM Tests
The LG recorders are the first ever PC recorders to support 5X DVD-RAM
media. Maxell announced on 26th of May, 2004, the release of 5X DVD-RAM media.
DVD-RAM media is the most appropriate media for large file storage and recovery,
since
it
combines error correction system and BCM (Bismuth
Coupling Material) recording layer technology, which improves
signal to noise ratio for higher reliability during high-speed recording.
As Maxell stated: "DVD-RAM is an advanced recording media format that offers a range of digital data applications. Its phase-change recording material allows discs to be re-recordable and erasable, and a superior defect management system ensures accurate recording and playback. DVD-RAM allows instant, random access to any location on the disc for fast and easy data reading and writing. Because DVD-RAM supports fast formatting and no finalizing, it is an extremely easy-to-use media. And with DVD-RAM, changes can be made directly on the disc without the need to transfer data to a hard drive first, speeding up the editing tasks..."
For our test, we used two different DVD-RAM media, Optodisc 3X DVD-RAM media
and Maxell 5X DVD-RAM media. Below, you can see the media information according
to DVDInfoPro:
You can see that the Optodisc media comes pre-formatted with UDF2.00, meaning
WinXP/2k will recognize the disc directly, since DVD-RAM is supported by Microsoft.
Of course, you can format (erase) the disc and use it with a normal application
like Nero. LG includes the well known InCD for packet writing.
For our tests, we used the latest InCD version 4.3.0.5:
After installing InCD, a new TAB was added to the drive's properties providing
information about the media file system:
We formatted the Maxell media with InCD software. We can set
the disc's label name as well as set some advanced options:
InCD recommends UDF 2.00 as the main file system for the disc. The formatting
is almost instantaneous (less than 10secs). If you choose the "Verify" option in the format tab, formatting will take much longer:
- Burning Tests
Using NeroCDSpeed, we got the following graph:
The drive started writing at 1.36X and using the P-CAV writing
strategy, reached 2.42X, giving an average writing speed of 2.18X.
To find an explanation as to why the drive cannot reach 5X
writing speed, we need to look at writing strategies. The LG drive
uses
the "write and verify" function while writing to DVD-RAM media, as
opposed to +R/+RW or -R/-RW media,
where the verify function is not used. Hence, with DVD-RAM media, the drive
automatically verifies all written
data. This explains why the drive reports or implies a slower speed than the
specifications give.
LG commented that "...In the case of DVD-RAM, it has Write and Verify feature. This means drive reads after write to verify written data. Default setting of GSA-4160B and GSA-4120B for this Write and Verify feature is enabled. This is a reason why you see ~1.4-2.1X writing speed, half of 5X speed. In the case of video streaming data write, Write and Verify feature is disabled, therefore, in this case writing speed is 5X ZCLV..."
Comparing 5X vs 3X DVD-RAM media, we can see that the drive starts writing
at 1.03X and continues until the end at this speed, resulting in an average
speed of 0.98X.
Using the latest Nero version, we burned our usual Single Layer DVD complilation.
- Optodisc 3X DVD-RAM media
We hope to see lower recording times in the near future, or at least the choice
to select between "write and verify" or simply "write" with DVD-RAM
media.
22. BookType Setting
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 22
BookType Setting
We used several software applications to investigate booktype setting support
for this recorder. Unfortunately, the LG GSA-4160B does not officially support
booktype
changes. However, we hope to see bitsetting support as new firmware releases
will start shipping in from LG. Remember that originally, the GSA-4120B model
did not support booktype changes, but a new official firmware version was released
to solve
this problem.
The following snapshots indicate the error messages that were reported
from several applications regarding booktype setting.
23. Conclusion
LG GSA-4160B DL Recorder - Page 23
Conclusion
The
GSA-4160B model is LG's latest DVD recorder offering 16X +R recording speed.
When we
received the retail package, which included everything end users will need
to get them started, we were curious to see how this drive would perform
at this high speed.
LG models are known to be excellent readers, and this new model was no exception.
The drive did not only manage to read all tested media with no problems, but
it even managed to read defective media that could not be read by any other
drive we tested. Only CD error correction capabilities need to be further improved
by LG with future firmware releases.
CD/DVD ripping speed was acceptable. Especially with copy protected games,
the drive performed well in terms of speed, but unfortunately it cannot
backup the latest SD 2.9+ versions. CD writing quality could also be improved,
since most created media was readable, but reported high C1/C2 error rates.
The big advantage of this drive is its writing quality. Outstanding writing
quality was reported with Verbatim 4X +R media, and excellent writing quality
with Verbatim 16X +R media. The drive also supports Double Layer recording
at 2.4X. Although the competitions offers higher writing speeds, quality scans
indicated very good performance. As already stated in this review, LG prefers
to improve quality, even if the supported writing speed is reduced.
LG does not officially support booktype setting for this drive with
current firmware, but we hope to see future firmware releases solving this
problem, since LG has already released new firmware to support the booktype
setting for the GSA-4120B model.
Another advantage of this drive that cannot be found easily in other recorders
is the ability to read and write DVD-RAM media at 5X max. The drive automatically
verifies all written data, (a function that will reduce the effective writing
speed), offering the highest reliability among DVD re-writable media with 100,000
re-write
times and superior defect management.
The price of this drive is considerably low, making it a very attractive purchase
for users aiming at DVD reading performance and writing quality. It received
our "Editor's Choice" award, since it sets new standards for 16X
+R DVD writing quality.
- The Good
- Excellent DVD error correction
- Supports all DVD recordable/re-writable formats
- Write/verify function for DVD-RAM media to improve reliability
- Excellent DVD writing quality with most media, even at 16X speed
- Good CSS DVD-Video ripping speed
- Very quiet operation either when reading or writing
- Can overburn up to 95mins
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Can backup accurately up to v2.8x SD2 protected titles
- Can backup Audio protected discs
- Good price compared with competition
- The Bad
- Doesn't support DVD-ROM booktype for DVD+R/+RW/+R DL formats
- Reduced writing speed for DVD-RAM media (because of its write/verify function)
- Doesn't support overburning for DVD±R formats
- Medium CD error correction
- Doesn't support Mount Rainier
- Cannot be used to measure CD/DVD media
- Like To be fixed
- High C1/C2 errors with specific media
- Booktype setting support
- Option to enable/disable "write and verify" function for DVD-RAM
media
- Wider media support list for 16X +R media
Retail Package |
|
Reading |
|
Error Correction |
|
Protected Discs |
|
Writing |
|
Features |
|
To discuss this drive further or to discuss
it with other users, go to our forum.
Konstantinos Kioulafas