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This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,
located at http://www.cdrinfo.com.
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Appeared on: Tuesday, February 6, 2007
LITE-ON LH-20A1P


1. Introduction

LiteOn aims high with its On LH-20A1P. This drive is an all-round DVD/CD ReWriter with support for DVD-RAM media and is the first drive to support the 20x writing speed with high quality 16X media. The drive is based on the Mediatek MT1898E 0639-ACSL KHW87 chipset, a very popular solution also used by other drives from BenQ, Samsung and Sony.

The maximum writing speeds for the LiteOn DVDRW drive are set at 20X for DVD±R, 8X for DVD±R DL, 8X for DVD+RW, 6X for DVD-RW, 12X for DVD-RAM and 48X for CD-R.

LiteOn's SmartWrite technology allows this drive to increase the writing speeds of specific media. Furthermore, SmartWrite optimizes the writing strategy of each particular writing session. Through the drive's self learning mechanism, it automatically detects and decides the optimal writing strategy for DVD±R recordable media.

At a glance, the basic features of the drive include:

The retail package offers the Nero 7 CD Kit which contains the following:

Along with these, the retail package also includes a quick installation guide, 4 screws for mounting the drive and an audio cable.

Our test sample was manufactured in November 2006 in China.

The drive uses the MT 1898E chipset. This chipset is also used by the previous LiteOn release, the LH-18A1P, and by some Samsung, Sony and Benq drives.

Click for High Resolution Image

Click for High Resolution Image

Installation

The LiteOn LH-20A1P was installed as a typical IDE drive and was recognized as "LITE-ON DVDRW LH-20A1P".


2. CD/DVD Reading tests

For our CD transfer rate tests, we used the Nero CD-Speed utility and a set of Pressed CDs. The drive can read CD media at a maximum speed of 48X. For these tests, we present a comparison of the LiteOn DVDRW drive with the Plextor PX-760A, Optiarc AD 7170A and Samsung SH S182D drives. See the full CDSpeed graph photos by clicking on them.

Pressed CD

Press for Larger Picture

US RW CD

The following CD Speed graph shows the reading performance with US-RW (32X) media.

Press for Larger Picture

The Liteon drive is slower than the others, supporting up to 32X reading speed with rewritable media.

- AudioCD

In the CD Speed Advanced DAE quality test, the drive's average speed was 33.24X with a quality score of 100.

A typical DAE task with an 80min non-protected Audio CD produced 29.1X average ripping speed.


- 90/99 mins Audio disc

Both the 90min and the 99 min audio CD readings produced an error, as you can see in the screenshots above.

- DVD Format

Now let's have a look at how the drive performs with DVD media. This time, a set of SL and DL DVD media was used. The drive is capable of reading at 12X maximum speed for single layer and at 8X for dual layer media.

DVD-ROM SL media -

PTP DVD-ROM -

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 its outer range.

OTP DVD-ROM -

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 and progresses towards the inner part of the disc.

- DVD-R /-RW

16X CAV reading strategy for DVD-R and DVD-RW media:

DVD-R

DVD-RW

- DVD+R /+RW

DVD+R

DVD+RW

- DVD+R DL

-DVD-R DL

-DVD-RAM

The drive supports reading of 5x as well as 12x DVD-RAM media. Below is the reading strategy with Maxell 5x DVD-RAM. The test will be updated soon with the addition of readings of 12x (RAM2) media.

- DVD Video Ripping speed.

Average - 11.632 KB/S (8.4x)
Maximum - 17.285 KB/s (12.5x)


3. CD Error Correction

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: 746128
Errors (Loudness) dB(A) Num:39347 Avg: -73.4 dB(A) Max: -23.9 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples Num:2439 Avg: 1.0 Samples Max: 9 Samples
Skips Samples Num: 0 Avg: 1.0 Samples Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result 77.3 points (of 100.0 maximum)

This is a very satisfactory result for the specific test. The overall error count is relatively low, and most importantly there were no skipped samples.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total Num: 0
Errors (Loudness) dB(A) Num:36 Avg: -34.4 dB(A) Max :-25.9 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples Num: 0 Avg: 0 Samples Max: 0 Samples
Skips Samples Num: 4 Avg: 297.0 Samples Max: 342 Samples
Total Test Result 78.7 points (out of 100.0 maximum)

This was not as good as we would have expected. There are skipped samples and the Test Result Score of 78.7 is quite low.

- 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 reproduced through a software multimedia player (e.g. 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
LiteOn LH-20A1P
5/5
5/5
5/5
0/5
0/5

The drive achieved flawless reading with the first 3 tracks. Playing the fourth and fifth track produced audible interruptions in the sound as well as clicks.

- Summary

Overall, the drive appears to have average CD Error correction capabilities.


4. DVD Error Correction

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 a 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.

Respectable reading with no read errors from the LiteOn drive.

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.

No issues for the LiteOn LH-2B1S drive, continuing its good performance:

- 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.

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.

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.

There were no errors and the drive read the disc flawlessly at a speed of 12X CAV.

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 data surface, sized from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. It also has 65 - 75 micrometer fingerprints.

- Summary

Overall, very good error correction mechanism with DVD media.


5. Daxon CD - Quality tests

For this test, each CD-R disc was burned to its maximum capacity and at its maximum speed. Then the same disc is read with the CDSpeed software, and the disc was scanned for digital errors (BLER, C1 and C2) with our system provided by Clover Systems. To simplify the presentation, we present the BLER, E31 and E32 error rates for each disc, which unveil the most serious errors on each disc.

Disc Info

We weren't able to retrieve information about the inserted media with CDSpeed,

so we checked the disc using another drive and got the following:

Manufacturer
Daxon
MID
97m22s67f
Capacity

79:59.74

703 MB

The BenQ CD-R disc was burned at a speed of 28x using the CAV writing strategy.

Writing strategy - 37.33X Average
Writing time - 2:38 min

Reading strategy - 37.10X Average

The disc was read flawlessly. However, the integrity of the digital data is inspected in the following writing quality tests.

Writing Quality - Clover Systems

We present the BLER and the E31, E32 error rate flags, which practically determine whether the data can be retrieved with overall low error rates that can be digitally corrected. The E32 errors are uncorrectable and thus, they should not be present$ with a good burn. The E31 error rate is reported by the first error correction level (two available in total), and indicates the most severe case of errors from the first stage (three or more bad symbols -this block is uncorrectable at the the first stage and it is passed onto the C2 stage).

We see Low E31 and no E32 (uncorrectable) errors.

- About Clover Systems

The Clover Systems CDX Compact Disc Analyzer is a tool to quantitatively measure the quality of a CD. It will analyze CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM XA, CD-I, CD-R, Photo-CD, Enhanced CD and CD-RW discs at 4X, 8X, 24X, 32X or 40X speed. It effectively measures disc quality by examining the quantity and severity of CIRC errors generated during playback. It also provides the capability to measure signal parameters related to pit geometry, such as asymmetry and reflectivity. Together, all these bits of information provide a thorough analysis of disc quality. The Clover Systems Analyzers can also perform various format-checking tests on data discs, and do bit-for-bit data comparison on all types of CDs. All tests are carried out at the speed of 4X.

CIRC error correction uses two principles to detect and correct errors. The first is redundancy (extra information is added, which gives an extra chance to read the disc), and the second is interleaving (data is distributed over a relatively large physical area). The CIRC error correction used in CD players uses two stages of error correction, the well known C1 and C2, with de-interleaving of the data between the stages.

The error type E11 means one bad symbol was corrected in the C1 stage. E21means two bad symbols were corrected in the C1 stage. E31 means that there were three or more bad symbols at the C1 stage. This block is uncorrectable at the C1 stage, and is passed to the C2 stage. Respectively, E12 means one bad symbol was corrected in the C2 stage and E22 means two bad symbols were corrected in the C2 stage. E32 means that there were three or more bad symbols in one block at the C2 stage, and therefore this error is not correctable.

BLER (Block Error Rate) is defined as the number of data blocks per second that contain detectable errors, at the input of the C1 decoder. Since this is the most general measurement of the quality of a disc, you will find BLER graphs for all media tested . The Red Book specification (IEC 908) calls for a maximum BLER of 220 per second averaged over ten seconds. Discs with higher BLER are likely to produce uncorrectable errors. Al low BLER shows that the system as a whole is performing well, and the pit geometry is good. However, BLER only tells us how many errors were generated per second, and it does not tell us anything about the severity of those errors.


6. Verbatim CD - Quality tests

Disc Info

Again, we weren't able to retrieve ID information about the inserted media with CDSpeed,

so we checked the disc using another drive and got the following result:

Manufacturer Verbatim
MID

97m34s23f

Capacity

79:59.73

703 MB

Writing strategy - 37.28X Average
Writing time - 2:39 min

Reading strategy - 37.07X Average

Writing Quality - Clover Systems

There are no uncorrectable errors.


7. Moser Baer CD - Quality tests

Disc info

Unable to retrieve information about the inserted media with CDSpeed,

we checked the disc using another drive and got the following:

Manufacturer Moser Baer
MID
97m17s06f
Capacity

79:59.74

703 MB

Writing strategy - 37.37X Average
Writing time - 2:37 mins

Reading strategy - 37.16X Average

Writing Quality - Clover Systems

Again, no uncorrectable errors were reported.


8. Taiyo Yuden CD - Quality tests

Disc Info

Unable to retrieve information about the inserted media with CDSpeed,

we checked the disc using another drive and got the following:

Manufacturer
Taiyo Yuden
MID
97m24s01f
Capacity

79:59.72

703 MB

Writing strategy - 37.14X Average
Writing time - 2:38 mins

Reading strategy 36.93X Average

Writing Quality - Clover Systems

Near perfect writing with the Taiyo Yuden CD-R disc.


9. The DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x

The DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x

The DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x is one of the cornerstones in DVD quality control equipment, and is truly unique in the industry. It allows checking of replicated DVDs with single and dual layer structure (DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10, DVD-14, DVD-18) and written DVD recordable, at 1X and 2X speed. It is based on the Pulstec Reference Pickup and Drive, developed in close co-operation with Pulstec and according to the standards of the DVD Forum.

In short, the device's features include:

An explanation of the various parameters the DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x offers is available here. At the same page, you can read more details about the error signals and a brief analysis the possible meaning of its parameter in the overall quality of each burn.

In the following pages, we present the writing quality measurements of various DVD recordable and rewritable media, burned with the LiteOn LH-20A1P vKL05.


10. CMC MAG E01 (000)

We start our DVD writing quality measurements with DVD+R media. A variety of different MIDs were selected and were burned at the maximum allowed speed. In each of the following pages you can find detailed information about each disc, the burning and reading procedure as well as the related signal measurements that construct the overall picture quality of each disc.

Media Info -

Click For larger Image

Writing - 8X (7.82X average) in 8:20 mins

Click For larger Image

Reading - 16X (12.28X average)

Click For larger Image

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

The measurements are summarized in the table below. You can see the limits for each signal, the average and maximum value as it was reported by the DaTARIUS equipment and the values at three specific positions (radius) on the disc (radius 25.0mm, 40.0mm and 55.0 mm)

Click For Larger Image

The POF error reported at the very last addresses is an issue commonly produced during the writing quality measurements. The specific scan should be considered as a good one.


11. CMC MAG M01 (000)

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (12.09X average) in 5:50 mins

Click For larger Image

Reading - 16X (12.22X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

Click For Larger Image

This is a bad disc due to high number of digital errors and the large amount of uncorrectable ones. Jitter is also high, meaning that either the dye properties of the specific disc or the writing strategy of the LiteOn drive with this disc are not the most appropriate.


12. MAXELL 003 (000)

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (12.11X average) in 5:49 mins

Reading - 16X (12.22X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

Click For Larger Image

A very good burn from the LiteOn drive with the Maxell 003 disc.


13. MCC 004 (000)

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (12.09X average) in 5:50mins

Reading - 16X (12.20X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

Click For Larger Image

The results indicate high Radial1 and Radial2 signals, which means that the centre of the pits on a track are not at the same line, in the specific areas. The PUH has to move to centre itself and follow the pits. The peaks in the radial noise can be caused by black spots or scratches. However, the disc we burned was in perfect shape - at least looking at it with the naked eye. So the specific disc has to be burned and measured again.


14. PRODISC R04 (004)

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (12.09X average) in 5:50 mins

Reading - 16X (12.20X average)

DataRIUS Scans -

Click For Larger Image


15. PRODISC R05 (001)

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (11.96X average) in 5:51 mins

Reading - 16X (12.20X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

The digital errors reported at the end of the disc ruined its good overall behavior.


16. YUDEN000 T03 (000)

Media Info -

Writing - 20X (14.69X average) in 5:10 mins

Reading - 16X (12.19X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

This is further proof that the Taiyo Yuden media is among the best available today. The disc was recorded at 20X and produced a low digital error rate. The correlation between the jitter (JC) and the PiSum8 signals is obvious here although their levels are not very high. Both signals gave a peak at the 47mm radius mark on the disc, possibly in the position where a parameter of the writing strategy changed.


17. YUDEN000 T02 (000)

Media Info -

Writing - 8X (7.80X average) in 8:21 mins

Reading - 16X (12.18X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


18. RITEK R04 (001)

Media Info -

Click For Larger image

Writing - 16X (12.08X average) in 5:50 mins

Reading - 16X (12.13X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

Definitely a bad burn with the specific disc.


19. CMC MAG AM3

Media Info -

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

Writing - 20X (14.7X average) in 5:04 mins

Reading - 16X (12.09X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

The CMC MAG AM3 disc was the second to be burned at 20X. However, as the recording process accelerates towards the maximum speed, the PiSum8 error rate also increased. In addition, POFs appeared. It almost appears as though the drive was just set to burn this MID at 20X without making taking into consideration any required adjustments.


20. DAXON016S

Media Info -

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

Writing - 18X (13.64X average) in 5:22 mins

Reading - 16X (12.2X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


21. INFODISC-R20

Media Info -

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

Writing - 8X (7.76X average) in 8:26 mins

Reading - 16X (12.2X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

A good burn with the INFODISC-R20disc, with low digital errors.


22. MBI 01RG40

Media Info -

Click For Larger Image

Writing - 16X (12.11X average) in 5:52 mins

Reading - 16X (12.21X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


23. MCC 03RG20

Media Info -

Click For Larger View

Writing - 16X (12.1X average) in 5:54 mins

Reading - 12X (9.30X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


24. ProdiscF02

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (11.92X average) in 6:04 mins

Reading - 16X (12.19X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


25. ProdiscS05

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (12.07X average) in 5:57 mins

Reading - 16X (12.20X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


26. RITEKF1

Media Info -

Writing - 16X (12.13X average) in 5:52 mins

Reading - 16X (12.23X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

The reported POF is most probably due to a local defect on the disc, not related to the writing strategy.


27. RITEKG05

Media Info -

Writing - 8X (7.79X average) in 8:27 mins

Reading - 12X (10.77X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


28. TTH02

Media Info -

Writing - 18X (13.63X average) in 5:24 mins

Reading - 16X (12.17X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -


29. MKM 01RD30

Media Info -

Click For Larger View

Writing - 4X (3.98X) in 28:13 mins

Reading - 12X (9.20X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

Layer 0

Layer 1

The first layer of the Verbatim MKM01RD30 DVD-R DL disc did not produce any serious problems, but the second layer returned POF errors. However, the disc was readable.


30. MKM 03RD30

Media Info -

Click For Larger View

Writing - 8X (6.81X) in 18:24 mins

Reading - 12X (9.2X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

Layer 0

If you take a look at the ASY (Asymmetry) signal for the first layer, you will notice it dips as soon as the drive changes its writing speed. Changes in the ASY value help in the determination of deviation, jitter or digital errors. In our case, and since the specific MID has been burned flawlessly with other burners in the past, we can lay the blame on the writing strategy of the LiteOn drive.

Layer 1


31. MKM 003 (000)

Media Info -

Click For Larger View

Writing - 8X (6.8X) in 17:49 mins

Reading - 8X (5.69X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

Layer 0

Layer 1

The drive does not seem to be well tuned for burning the specific dual-layer disc, its aim being more at readability only. The ASY signal rapidly changes with the corresponding changes in speed found in Z-CLV strategy. Although this could be normal and the ASY value stays within limits, at least for the first layer, this change is related to the high PIsum8 error rates reported at the same positions.


32. MKM 01RW6X01

Media Info -

Writing - 6X (5.76X average) in 11:03 mins

Reading - 12X (9.23X average)

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

The quality test reported no POF.

About Almedio AEC-1000

The AEC-1000 consists of a DVD Drive and the "ALChecker" error measurement application which can check the written data quality. The application is capable of 1X CLV measurement as well as 4X CLV on DVD-Video/ROM and finalized DVD+R/-R media.

There are three measurement modes:

The checking status is shown graphically in real time while you can save the error graph at the end of the test. The reported errors are the PI and the UncPO. In the case of PI, it counts the number of rows corrected by the PI error correction in each group of eight consecutive ECC blocks. In the case of UncPO, it counts the number of ECC blocks in which more than one byte is uncorrectable in eight consecutive ECC blocks. For our quality scans, we set parameters at 1X CLV and Fine Mode, which is the slowest but with the most accurate results. Also, all the media measured was burned at the maximum available writing speed.


33. RITEKW06

Media Info -

Writing - 6X (5.76X average) in 10:45 mins

Reading - 12X (9.22X average)

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000


34. MKM A03 (000)

Media Info -

Writing - 8X (7.24X average) in 8:04 mins

Reading - 12X (9.26X average)

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000


35. RICOHJPN W21 (001)

Media Info -

Writing - 8X (7.24X average) in 8:04 mins

Reading - 12X (9.24X average)

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000


36. MXL 16

Media Info -

Writing - 5X (4.95X average) in 11:26 mins

Reading - 5X (4.65X average)


37. Burned Media List

In the following table we have gathered together the findings of the DVD quality measurements. Note that each disc was measured under the same conditions with the Datarius equipment. On the left side of the table are the discs that did not produce uncorrectable digital errors, while on the right side there are the rest of the discs. For detailed measurement data, visit the corresponding pages.

Media type
Digital errors within limits
Digital errors exceed limits
DVD+R MAXELL 003 000 (00) burned at 16X MCC 004 000 (00) burned at 16X
YUDEN000 T03 (000) burned at 20X CMC MAG E01 000 (00) burned at 8X
  CMC MAG M01 (000) burned at 16X
  PRODISC R04 (004) burned at 16X
  PRODISC R05 (001) burned at 16X
  RITEK R04 (001) burned at 16X
 

YUDEN000 T02 000 (00) burned at 8X

DVD-R INFODISC-R20 burned at 8X CMC MAG. AM3 burned at 20X
MCC 03RG20 burned at 16X DAXON016S burned at 18X
ProdiscF02 burned at 16X MCC 01RG40 burned at 16X
ProdiscS05 burned at 16X RITEKF1 burned at 16X
TYG01 burned at 4X RITEK G05 burned at 8X
  TTH02 burned at 18X
DVD-R DL   MKM 01RD30 burned at 4X
  MKM 03RD30 burned at 8X
DVD+R DL   MKM 003 (000) burned at 8X
DVD-RW MKM 01RW6X01 burned at 6X

RITEKW06 burned at 6X

DVD+RW RICOHJPN W21 (001) burned at 8X MKM A03 000 (00) burned at 8X

- Burning times

Here we have gathered the results of the burning tests for DVD media. The numbers in "Bold" indicate the best recording time for each format.

DVD+R BURNING RESULTS
  Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
LiteOn LH-20A1P CMC Magnetics DVD+R 8X CMCMAG E01 (000) 7.82X 8:20
CMC Magnetics DVD+R 16X CMCMAG M01 (000) 12.09X 5:50
Maxell DVD+R 4.7GB 16X Maxell 003 (000) 12.11X 5:49
Verbatim DVD+R 4.7GB 16X MCC004 (000) 12.09X 5:50
Prodisc DVD+R 4.7GB 16X PRODISC R04 (004) 12.09X 5:50
Ritek DVD+R 4.7GB 16X RITEK R04 (001) 12.08X 5:50
Taiyo Yuden DVD+R 4.7GB 8X YUDEN000 T02 (000) 7:80X 8:21
Taiyo Yuden DVD+R 4.7GB 16X YUDEN000 T03 (000) 14.69X 5:10

DVD+R DL BURNING RESULTS
  Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
LiteOn LH-20A1P Verbatim DVD+R DL 8x MKM 003 (000) 6.80X 17:49

DVD+RW BURNING RESULTS
  Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
LiteOn LH-20A1P Verbatim DVD+RW 4.7GB 8X MKM A03 (000) 7.24X 8:04
Verbatim DVD+RW 4.7GB 8X RICOHJPN W21 (001) 7.24X 8:04

DVD-R BURNING RESULTS
  Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
LiteOn LH-20A1P CMC Magnetics DVD-R 4.7GB 16X CMCMAG AM3 14.70X 5:04
BenQ DVD-R 4.7GB 16X DAXON016S 13.64X 5:22
INFODISC DVD-R 4.7GB 8X INFODISC-R20 7.76X 8:26
Moser Baer DVD-R 4.7 GB 16X

MBI 01RG40

12.11X 5:52
Verbatim DVD-R 4.7GB 4X MCC03RG20 12:10X 5:54
Prodisc DVD-R 4.7GB 8X ProdiscF02 11.92X 6:04
Prodisc DVD-R 4.7GB 16X ProdiscS05 12.07X 5:57
Ritek DVD-R 4.7GB 16X RITEKF1 12.13X 5:52
Ritek DVD-R 4.7GB 8X RITEKG05 7.79X 8:27
TDK DVD-R 4.7GB 16X TTH02 13.63X 5:25

DVD-R DL BURNING RESULTS
  Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
LiteOn LH-20A1P Verbatim DVD-R DL 8.5GB 4X MKM 01RD30 3.98X 28:13
Verbatim DVD-R DL 8.5GB 8X MKM 03RD30 6.81X 18:24

DVD-RW BURNING RESULTS
  Media Manufacturer Manufacturer ID Average Burning Speed Burning Time (mins:secs)
LiteOn LH-20A1P Verbatim DVD-RW 4.7GB 6X MKM 01RW6X01 5.76X 11:03
Traxdata DVD-RW 4.7GB 6X RITEKW06 5:76X 10:45

38. Supported Media List

-Supported Media Types and Speeds

Below you can see the supported media types and the corresponding speeds of the LiteOn drive, as they are stored in the the drive's EEPROM.

Media Code Speed Edit V 1.0.9.6
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Firmware: LITE-ON DVDRW LH-20A1P KL052006/11/21 11:12
Bootcode: LITE-ON DVDRW LH-20A1P 0L0A2006/10/31 15:20
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Overall supported media types: 91
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DVD-R9 supported media types: 8
DVD-R supported media types: 55
DVD-RW supported media types: 28
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DVD-R9 supported media types: 8
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CMC MAG. AD4 4x,2x
CMC MAG. AD8 8x,6x,4x
MKM 01RD30 4x,2x
MKM 03RD30 8x,6x,4x
MXL RGD02 8x,6x,4x
RITEKP01 4x,2x
RITEKP02 8x,6x,4x
TYG11 8x,6x,4x

DVD-R supported media types: 55
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BeAll G16001 16x,12x,8x,6x
CMC MAG. AE1 8x,6x,4x
CMC MAG. AF1 4x
CMC MAG. AM1 12x,8x,6x
CMC MAG. AM3 16x,12x,8x,6x
CMC MAG. AM3 20x,18x,16x,12x,8x,6x
DAXON008S 8x,6x,4x
DAXON016S 16x,12x,8x,6x
DAXON016S 18x,16x,12x,8x,6x
FUJIFILM03 8x,6x,4x
FUJIFILM04 16x,12x,8x,6x
GSC003 8x,6x,4x
GSC004 8x,6x,4x
INFODISC-R20 8x,6x,4x
LEADDATA S03 8x,6x,4x
MBI 01RG20 4x
MBI 01RG40 16x,12x,8x,6x
MBI 03RG40 16x,12x,8x,6x
MCC 01RG20 4x
MCC 02RG20 8x,6x,4x
MCC 03RG20 16x,12x,8x,6x
MCC 03RG20 16x,12x,8x,6x
MUST 007 16x,12x,8x,6x
MXL RG02 4x
MXL RG03 8x,6x,4x
MXL RG04 16x,12x,8x,6x
MXL RG04 18x,16x,12x,8x,6x
NAN YA A01 8x,6x,4x
NAN YA F02 12x,8x,6x
OPTODISCR008 8x,6x,4x
OPTODISCR016 16x,12x,8x,6x
PRINCO 4x
ProdiscF01 8x,6x,4x
ProdiscF02 16x,12x,8x,6x
ProdiscS04 8x,6x,4x
ProdiscS05 16x,12x,8x,6x
RITEKF1 16x,12x,8x,6x
RITEKF1 16x,12x,8x,6x
RITEKG04 4x
RITEKG05 8x,6x,4x
RITEKM02 4x
RITEKM16 16x,12x,8x,6x
SONY08D1 8x,6x,4x
SONY16D1 16x,12x,8x,6x
SONY16D1 20x,18x,16x,12x,8x,6x
TTG01 4x
TTG02 8x,6x,4x
TTH01 8x,6x,4x
TTH02 16x,12x,8x,6x
TTH02 18x,16x,12x,8x,6x
TYG01 4x
TYG02 8x,6x,4x
TYG03 16x,12x,8x,6x
TYG03 20x,18x,16x,12x,8x,6x
UME01 8x,6x,4x

DVD-RW supported media types: 28
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CMCW02 2x
CMCW03 4x
CMCW04 6x,4x
DAXON_RW2X01 2x
INFOMEDIAA20 4x
JVC0VictorD7 4x
JVC1Victord7 6x,4x
JVC_VictorW7 2x
MCC 01RW11n9 2x
MCC 01RW4X 4x
MKM 01RW6X01 6x,4x
OPTODISCK001 2x
OPTODISCW002 2x
OPTODISCW004 4x
OPTODISCW006 6x,4x
PRINCO 2x
PRINCORW0004 4x
PRINCORW2X01 2x
PVCW00D002K9 2x
PVCW00V00245 2x
Prodisc DW04 2x
Prodisc DW06 4x
RITEKW01 2x
RITEKW04 4x
RITEKW06 6x,4x
TDK502sakuM3 2x
TDK601saku 4x
TDK701saku 6x,4x

-Smart-Burn Application

The LiteOn LH-20A1P supports the "Smart-Burn" Burning Application tool, with which you can control the Smart-Write function of the drive.

By enabling HyperTuning, we can enable the SmartWrite technology .

The OverSpeed function will increase the certified maximum speed of media in one step.

 

LiteOn engineers recommend the following media for 20X writing:

Media Type
Manufacturer
Media ID
16X DVD+R
TAIYO
YUDEN000 T03
16X DVD+R
MBI
MBIPG101-R05
16X DVD-R
TAIYO
YUDENTYG03
16X DVD-R
CMC
CMC MAG. AM3
16X DVD-R
SONY
SONY 16-D1

- Booktype Settings

The LiteOn LH-20A1P supports the Booktype feature only for single-layer media.

- DVD Overburning

The LiteOn drive does not support overburning with DVD recordable media, according to CDSpeed.


39. Conclusion

Designed primarily for enthusiasts seeking for the ultimate specifications, the LiteOn LH-20A1P is fast with its 20X writing capability and OverSpeed technology. We were able to burn 16X discs at 18X and 20X, a fact which makes this drive the fastest DVD ReWriter currently. However, nobody wants a top-speed drive unless it is also a good all-around performer.

According to our experience through years of hardware testing, recording DVDs at speeds higher than 8x is not always recommended - at least not if you want your data to be readable long term. Of course, this is a rule of thumb but it does not mean that your disc recorded at 16x, 18x or even at 20x will not be readable. A fine-tuned writing strategy in combination with a high-quality disc could give you satisfactory results. A good example is the Taiyo Yuden T03 DVD+R disc, which produced very good results, despite the 20x recording speed. Furthermore, LiteOn recommends this disc for the specific model drive in its 20x "selected DVD +R/-R media".

In general, the drive produced average writing quality at high burning speeds with DVDs. All discs were readable after burning, but the quality varied significantly between the different MIDs, for the same burning speeds.

As a reader, the drive was very fast and reliable with CD-ROM/R media, although the supported 32X speed with CD-RW (Ultra speed) media could be higher, compared to the competition. The DAE speed is high enough, while its performance when reading defective audio CDs was also adequate.

We should also add the 12x DVD-RAM support as well as the very good DVD error correction of the drive as a definite plus.

The LiteOn LH-20A1P is currently available from online stores for US$35-50.



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