1. Optorite DC4801 - Features, Installation
48x
CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 -
Page 1
With the market full of new and fast
DVD recorders, some people may think that buying a combo drive (one able to
record CD's and read DVD's) is out of fashion. There are several reasons
in favor of this argument, but there are also also several others
against it. Combo drives offer high CD-R/RW recording and reading speeds,
a fast DVD
reading speed and are significantly cheaper than DVD recorders. If DVD writing
is
not your first need, then a combo drive is what you need. We have in our labs
two new combo drives, the Optorite DC4801 and the LiteOn LTC48161.
Most
of us are already familiar with the Optorite series of optical products. The
Taiwanese company offers a wide range of CD-RW and DVD recorders, as we have
already
tested in our previous articles. This time we take a look at the Optorite DC4801,
a 48/24/48/16 combo drive.
- Drive features / Specifications
| Burn Guarantee prevents Buffer Under Run |
| EXACT-Rec (Enhanced eXtracting & Adapting
Control Technology for Recording) monitors accuracy of writing |
| AWSS (Advanced Weighting Suspension System)
Technology reduces vibration & noise. |
| |
| Support discs capacity: |
DVD: 4.7GB/8.5GB/9.4GB/17GB |
| |
CD: 790MB(90min)/700MB(80min)/650MB(74min) |
| Disc formats: |
DVD: DVD-ROM, DVD±R (read), DVD±RW (read). |
| |
CD: CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA, Mixed mode CD, CD-I, Video-CD,
Photo CD, CD Extra, CD-TEXT, Bootable CD, CD-UDF compatible |
| Writing Method: |
Disc At Once, Track At Once, Session At Once, Packet Writing. |
| Write: |
CD-R: 4x, 8x, 12x, 16x, 24x, 32x, 48x |
| |
CD-RW: 4x, 8x,12x,16x, 24x |
| Read: |
CD-ROM/R: 48x Max, |
| |
DVD Single Layer: 16x Max |
| |
DVD Dual Layer: 8x Max |
| Random Access time: |
CD-ROM: 100 ms (Typical) |
| |
DVD-ROM: 110 ms (Typical) |
| Audio Extraction: |
Maximum 48x |
| Internal Buffer: |
2 MB |
Optorite DC4801 supports 48x CAV CD-R writing and reading. The maximum rewriting
speed is 24x P-CAV, which means that we should probably expect very low rewriting
times with respect to US-RW media. For the DVD format, Optorite supports 16x
DVD-ROM reading, and 8x CAV for the DVD±R
and DVD±RW media.
The provided buffer underun protection is called "BURN GUARANTEE".
The EXACT-Rec feature
monitors
the writing process and ensures a high degree writing quality
The supported AWSS (Advanced Weighting Suspension System) technology reduces
vibration and noise, at high reading/ writing speeds.
Optorite DC4801 implements strict RPCII region
control, allowing 5 changes of the region code in total.
The supported reading/writing speeds are illustrated below:
The
drive supports reading of CD-R/RW, Video CD, and both DVD±R/RW formats.
Mount
Rainier support is not included in the drive's specifications.
Optorite DC4801 also supports RAW DAO 96 and RAO SAO 96 writing
modes, as well as packet writing.
- The package
The
retail package includes the Optorite DC4801 IDE combo drive, Nero Burning Rom
CD recording software, Intervideo WinDVD playback software and a quick installation
guide.
The package does not include any CD-R/RW media and, additionally, you can
find the usual audio cable and mounting screws.
The retail kit is available at a price of about $55-60.
On the front panel of the drive there is the disc loading tray, the head
phone jack and volume control, the eject button, a play / fw button used for
Audio CD control, and the busy/write LED
indicator.
On the rear panel there are the analog and digital outputs, an ATAPI connector
and the DC input.
After removing the screws on the button we can easily see
the drive's internal design
- Installation
The Optorite DC-4801 drive was connected to the secondary IDE of our test
PC as "Master" and worked under the Ultra DMA Mode 2 transfer mode.
The drive was identified
as "OPTORITE
COMBO DC4801" under
WinXP. The installed firmware version was 130E.
2. LiteOn LTC48161H - Features, Installation
48x CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 2
LiteOn
has established a strong position in the optical storage market and is always
a leader when it comes to manufacturing large quantities of CD-RW and
DVD-ROM drives. Recently, the company announced its plans to expand its product
line
to dual
DVD recorders,
and has
made strategic partnerships with other IC manufacturers to deliver leading
DVD writing
speeds.
As we mentioned in the first page, we have in our hands the LiteOn LTC48161H
CDRW/DVD combo drive. It would be very interesting to see how the drive performs
in a straight comparison against the Optorite DC4801.
- Drive features / Specifications
| SMART-BURN avoiding Buffer
Under Run error, Automatically adjusting writing strategy & running
OPC to provide the best burning quality |
| SMART-X Smart Monitoring & Adjusting
Read-speed Technology for eXtraction |
| VAS® to reduce vibration & noise during recording & reading |
| Mt. Rainier support |
| |
| Disc formats: |
DVD: DVD-ROM single/dual layer ( PTPT,
OPT ), DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW |
| |
CD: CD-R & CD-RW discs ( up to 99min.
) |
| Writing Method: |
Fixed Packet, Variable Packet, TAO, SAO, DAO, Raw Mode
Burning & Over-Burn |
| Write: |
CD-R: 48x ( 7200KB/sec ) CAV ( 21x ~
48x ) |
| |
CD-RW: 24x ( 3600KB/sec ) CAV |
| Read: |
CD-ROM/R: 48x ( 7200KB/sec ) CAV ( 20x
~ 48x ) |
| |
DVD Single Layer: 16x ( 21600KB/sec )
CAV ( 2x ~ 16x ) |
| Access time: |
CD-ROM: 120ms |
| |
DVD-ROM: 140 ms |
| Audio Extraction: |
Maximum 48x |
| Internal Buffer: |
2 MB |
LiteOn LTC48161H supports 48x CAV reading for both the CD-R and CD-RW media.
The same speed is used for CD-R writing, while DVD reading can be achieved
at 16x CAV maximum.
The drive uses the SMART-BURN feature and a 2MB buffer size to avoid buffer
underun errors and keep the writing quality at high levels, while the SMART-X® feature
ensures the accurate extraction od bits while reading.
Also the LiteOn combo drive uses the
VAS® technology to
reduce vibration and noise
during recording and reading .
LiteOn came with region Code II selected, and the RPCII region control allows
the user to change the region code only 4 more times.
The drive supports reading of all the CD and DVD formats (except DVD-RAM),
retrieves C2 error information and is Mount Rainier compliant. In addition,
the drive supports RAW DAO 96, packet writing and overburning.
- The package
The
retail package includes the LiteOn LTC48161H drive, a quick installation guide,
mounting screws
and the usual internal audio cable.
The software package includes PowerDVD XP v4.0 DVD playback software, Nero
Express v5.5.10.13 (OEM version), one blank CD-R (Ritek), and one LiteOn
CD-RW (Plasmon, 10x-24x). The retail package is available at a street price
of $55-65.
The front panel of the drive includes the usual headphone jack, the volume control
knob, the eject button and the operation LED.
On the rear panel there are the analog and digital outputs, the IDE connector,
the device jumper configuration and the typical power input
After removing the screws we can see the drive's internal design:
- Installation
The LiteOn drive was connected on IDE 1 of our test
PC as a "Master" and worked under the Ultra DMA Mode 2 transfer
mode. The drive was identified
as "LITE-ON
COMBO LTC-48161H" under
WinXP. The firmware version installed and used for the tests was KH0F. By the
time we write these lines, a new firmware has been released, adding support
for more
media. The new firmware (vKHOK) version is available here.
3. Data CD Reading Tests
48x CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 3
Data CD Reading Tests
Both combo drives support 48x CAV reading for CD-ROM/R
media. Although the LiteOn drive started reading at a higher speed (24.18x)
than the Optorite DC4801 (22.62x), and reached the maximum speed
of 50.41x, the drives gave similar average reading speeds.
The Optorite drive reached the maximum supported 48x speed as
early as at the 72:00 min address of the disc, and read the rest of it at
48x. The reading
strategy resembles to P-CAV and thus, the average reading speed is increased.
Looking at the seek times with the same pressed CD, LiteOn
gave slightly better results on Full and 1/3 mode reading. The Optorite
drive is faster in the random seek
mode with only 91ms. Both drives performed well in this test.
When it comes to CD-R media, the transfer rate results are almost the
same as with respect to those for pressed CD's.
Optorite DC4801 was faster at the begriming of the test with a starting speed
of t 22.27x, while the LiteOn drive offered the highest ending speed
(50x).
The average
speed of both drives is almost
the
same, with LiteOn being a bit faster at 37.64x
In the seek times test, the LiteOn drive still offered
good results, as in previous test. On the other hand, the Optorite
drive was slower
in all the seek modes, and especially in the Full stroke test.
For
the HS-RW reading test we used
Mitsubishi Chemicals 24x US-RW media.
The Optorite drive is faster than the LiteOn, since it supports 48x CAV reading
with rewritable media.
LiteOn reached a maximum speed of 42.2x at the end of the task and thus the
average reading speed was 31.85x.
4. CD Error Correction Tests- Optorite DC4801
48x
CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 -
Page 4
Error Correction Tests
Optorite DC4801
In the following tests we examine the behavior of the Optorite DC4801 with
respect to scratched/defected CD-R media. The drive initially rips the contents
of a pressed audio disc (non-defect), and the resultant .wav file
is stored onto the hard disk. Afterwards, the ripping procedure is repeated,
but this time, the
inserted
disc
is artificially scratched (ABEX TCD-721R) or defected (ABEX TCD-726). The recorded
contents of all the test-discs are the same. Both original and defected .wav
files are
compared through the software provided by the author of the
EAC software.
The more identical the extracted .wav file is with respect to the original,
the better error correction
/ error concealing capabilities the tested drive features.
- ABEX TCD-721R
|
Errors total
|
Num: 402587538
|
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 1884092
|
Avg: -24.1 dB(A)
|
Max:-3.7 dB(A)
|
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 762087
|
Avg: 4.8 Samples
|
Max: 3584 Samples
|
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 0
|
Avg: 0 Samples
|
Max: 0 Samples
|
|
Total Test Result
|
67.3 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
|
C2 Accuracy
|
50.1 %
|
According to the graph, the signal had a high average level (-24.1dB(A))
and its maximum value was -3.7dB(A). According to the EAC author, the calculation
of these parameters does not include any particular acoustical model. This
means that the high dB(A) values do not have a direct connection with
respect to the acoustical output of your speakers. However, testing
has showed that the acceptable Error level should be below -60dB(A). In our
case, although the drive reported high
error rates, many of them were muted by the drive itself. As a result, the
total score in the test is not very bad, reaching at 67.3 points out
of 100.
The same software reports that the Optorite DC4801 offered a 50.1% of C2 accuracy,
by using the particular test disc.
- ABEX TCD-726
|
Errors total
|
Num: 74531
|
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num:11829
|
Avg: -79.4 dB(A)
|
Max:-20.5dB(A)
|
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 515
|
Avg: 2.8 Samples
|
Max: 43 Samples
|
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 0
|
Avg: 0.0 Samples
|
Max: 0 Samples
|
|
Total Test Result
|
79.0 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
|
C2 Accuracy
|
66.4%
|
The ABEX TCD-726 test is always easier to handle for most drives.
The errors reported were less than that in the previous test. The
average level was low (-79.4dB(A)). Some erroneous samples were muted, and
no synchronization
problems were reported (samples skipping). The score in this test is good, 79.0 points
out of
100
and the C2 accuracy is thus determined to be 66.4%.
- Conclusion
|
Test Disc
|
Reading Speed
|
Score
|
|
ABEX TCD-721R
|
Max
|
67.3
|
|
ABEX TCD-726
|
79.0
|
|
Average Score
|
73.15
|
The Optorite DC4801 gave back a quite good score 73.15 out
of 100 at the reading error correction tests. The drive seems to be able to
rip the scratched areas of the test disc at maximum speeds, reporting high
error
rates, but most of them were successfully concealed. The behavior of the
drive
with defected discs was also good, as it was able to rip the
contents of the discs accurately. On the other hand, the reported C2 accuracy
is not high.
- Nero CDSpeed test
- ABEX 721R
Nero CDSpeed test confirmed the results we got from the EAC test suite. The
reported
quality score of the drive is good, 89.7, while the C2 Accuracy
is not even close to 100%, as it was expected.
5. CD Error Correction Tests - LitrOn LTC4801H
48x CD-RW
Combo Roundup Vol.1 -
Page 5
Error Correction Tests
LiteON LTC48161H
In the following tests we examined the reading behavior of
LiteOn LTC48161H, while reading the Almedio Abex 721R and 726 pressed discs.
- ABEX TCD-721R
|
Errors total
|
Num: 176533614
|
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 832521
|
Avg: -27.0 dB(A)
|
Max:-5.7 dB(A)
|
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 373192
|
Avg: 1.2 Samples
|
Max: 3572 Samples
|
|
Skips Samples
|
Num:66
|
Avg: 776.9 Samples
|
Max: 2939 Samples
|
|
Total Test Result
|
48.4 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
|
C2 Accuracy
|
50.4 %
|
Concerning the number ad severity of the reported errors, LiteOn LTC48161H had
almost the same behavior as the Optorite DC4801. However, the LiteOn drive
reported less muted samples. Some synchronization problems
occurred. The
performance
is low and the average score is only 48.4 points out of 100.
The
C2 accuracy of the drive with respect to the Abex 721R test disc is only 50.4%.
- ABEX TCD-726
|
Errors total
|
Num: 71
|
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num:171
|
Avg: -83.8 dB(A)
|
Max:-50.9 dB(A)
|
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num:0
|
Avg: 0 Samples
|
Max: 0 Samples
|
|
Skips Samples
|
Num:0
|
Avg: 0 Samples
|
Max: 0 Samples
|
|
Total Test Result
|
90.4 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
|
C2 Accuracy
|
100%
|
In most cases the ABEX TCD-726 test resulted to high overall
quality scores. The drive read the disc accurately,
and the
average error level was low (-83.8 dB(A)). No skip errors were reported, and
the quality score is high (90.4 points). The drive also retrieved the C2 information
accurately.
- Conclusion
|
Test Disc
|
Reading Speed
|
Score
|
|
ABEX TCD-721R
|
Max
|
48.4
|
|
ABEX TCD-726
|
90.4
|
|
Average Score
|
69.4
|
The average score for both tests is quite good (69.4 points). However, please
have in mind that the drive showed two different faces in the tests. The
performance with the scratched test disc was poor, mainly because of
the reported skip errors.
On the other had, less serious problems on the disc surface, such as the artificial
fingerprints on the ABEX TCD-726 disc, were easily handled with great success.
- Nero CDSpeed tests
- ABEX 721R
The increased amount of sync errors did not allow CDSpeed software to give
a high quality score. Of course, the C2 errors reported were more than in case
of Optorite DC4801, since the C2 accuracy of the LiteOn drive is higher.
6. DVD Reading Tests
48x CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 6
DVD reading tests
Both drives support 16x CAV reading on single-layer DVD-ROM media.They
gave almost identical average reading speeds, in both cases around 12x.
With respect to the seek times, the LiteOn drive is faster in the full seek
mode, but the random seek test gave low times for both drives. The
performance was around 100msec.
According to their specifications, both drives support 8x CAV reading for
dual-layer DVD-ROM discs. The LiteOn drive is again a bit faster than the
Optorite DC4801, with a 6.05x average reading speed. The Optorite drive is
slower
due to the lower reading speed that can be achieved in the outer part of the
disc (just 7.38x).
Both drives gave higher seek times on dual-layer than on single-layer media.
The Optorite DC4801 needed 120msec for the random seek and 292msec for the
full seek mode. LiteON LTC48161H is faster requiring only 217msec
for the full seek test.
- DVD Ripping Tests
We measured the DVD Ripping speed using the "Matrix" DVD Video
title and latest version o the DVD Decrypter software.
The average ripping speed for the Optorite drive was 2388 KB/sec (1.77x),
while the LiteOn LTC48161H was significantly faster, achieving 8972 KB/Sec
(6.65x).
- DVD±R/RW reading Tests
The chart below shows the Nero CDSpeed results when using the media in the
following table. The DVD±R media we used is 4x certified and manufactured
by Verbatim.
Both LiteOn and Optorite drives support 8x CAV (3-8x) reading speed when
using DVD±R/RW media. The average reading speed for both drives was
approximately 6x. According to CDSpeed, the Optorite drive gave higher seek
times than LiteON
LTC4816H. This behavior was also noticed in the case of the DVD-ROM reading
tests.
7. DVD Error Correction Tests - LiteOn LTC4801H
48x CD-RW
Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page
7
DVD Error Correction
Tests
LiteOn LTC48161H
In the following tests we examine the DVD error-correction capabilities of
the LiteOn LTC48161H drive.
For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark v1.21 and Nero CDSpeed . The reference
test
media
come
from
ALMEDIO.
- Single Layer media
ABEX TDR-821
This is a single-sided, single-layer DVD-ROM of 4.7GB capacity, which
is "equipped" with scratches of dimensions ranging from 0.4 to 3.0mm. The
following picture displaying transfer rates comes from CDVD Benchmark v1.21.
LiteOn LTC-48161H had no problems reading the disc. The
drive read the inner part of the disc at 7x and reached almost
the maximum reading speed (16x) without reporting any read errors.
ABEX TDR-825
This is also a single-side, single-layer DVD-ROM with of a 4.7GB capacity.
The data structure of the disc is exactly the same as that in the case of TDR-821.
The difference is that there no scratches on it, but defected areas
of dimensions ranging from 0.5 to 1.1mm. There are also fingerprints sized
from 65 to 75 micrometers.
The drive did not encounter any problems reading the disc contents. The
yellow dots correspond to speed at each particular area of the disc. The
CDVD software
reads each sector multiple times and then decides about an average value
to define within the main
graph. The reading speed of the disc at the outer
part was 15x.
No read errors were reported.
- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841
This is a 8.5GB dual-layer, single-sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches
of dimensions in the range between 0.4 to 3.0mm, in both layers.
The dual layer DVD-ROM disc was read accurately and no read errors were reported.
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
defected areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defected areas are in
the range between 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from
65 to 75 micro meters.
Once again the drive had no problems to read the scratched dual layer DVD.The
drive starts reading the disc at 3.5x at the beginning of each layer and reach
8x at the end of each layer.
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 discs
check
the layer
switch
operation
from layer 0 to layer 1 and also include test pictures and test signals for
DVD sound files. Using the current TDV-541 disc, we are able to check also
the error correction capabilities of the drive, since it includes scratches
ranging from 0.4 to 3.0
mm.
LiteOn start reading the disc at 3.07x under CAV mode. At the end of
the first layer the reported speed is 8x, while the drive had to slow
down
momentarily
to
read the scratched area.The task was completed successfully and the average
speed was 5.91x. The LiteOn drive read the dual layer
DVD
scratched
disc without posting any errors.
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 has also 65 -
75 micro meter fingerprints.
Black dots and fingerprints were not a problem at all for the drive.It
didn't slow down its speed at the scratched areas and the test was successful,
at an
average speed of 6.07x.
8. DVD Error Correction Tests - Optorite DC4801
48x
CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 8
DVD Error Correction
Tests
Optorite DC4801
In the following tests we examined the DVD error correction capabilities
of the Optorite DC4801.
For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark v1.21 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 of 4.7GB capacity, in which
there are scratches of dimensions 0.4 to 3.0 mm. The following transfer
rate picture comes from CDVD Benchmark v1.21.
The drive read the disc normally from the begginning of the disc until sector
1.000.000, where the scratched area became large enough to be able to continue reading at
maximum speed. The drive slowed down and finished reading at a speed lower
than 8x. However, no read errors were reported.
ABEX TDR-825
This is also a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with a 4.7GB capacity.
The data structure of the disc is exactly the same as the TDR-821, with the
difference that there not scratches on it but defected areas with dimensions
from 0.5 to 1.1 mm. There also fingerprints sized from 65 to 75 micro meters.
The drive didn't have any problems to read the disc contents. Optorite DC4801
read the disc under the CAV mode until the end of the disc and reached the
maximum read
of 16X. The
test was completed succesfully and no read errors occured.
- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841
This is a 8.5GB dual layer, single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches
with dimensions from 0.4 to 3.0mm, in both layers.
This time the scratched areas of both layers were read flawlessly. The Optorite
drive had no problem to finish the ABEX 841 test with no reading errors. Although
the scratched areas are the same as in the case of the ABEX 821 test disc (single
layer), the drive did not slow down and gave
the maximum supported read of 8X by the end of each layer.
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 defected areas and fingerprints. The dimensions of the defected
areas are ranged from 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the fingerprints are sized from 65
to 75 micro meters.
Optorite DC4801 finished and this test without read errors. The disc was
read a normal dual layer DVD-ROM disc at 8X CAV.
ABEX TDV-541
The TDV-541 is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with capacity
of 7.91GB. The disc is based upon the TDV-540 series which is designed for
inspection and adjustment of DVD-VIDEO players. The discs check the layer
switch operation from layer 0 to layer 1 and also include test pictures and
test signals for DVD sound files. The current TDV-541 checks also the error
correction capabilities of the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0
mm.
The drive had reading problems in the second layer of the disc. The reading
speed was reduced down to 3X and reached the 1X in the inner part
of the disc. It seems that the drive could not read the scratched areas of
the second layer only, and this is also confirmed by the increased seek times
reported.
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 has
also 65 - 75 micro meters fingerprints.
This time, the defects on the disc surface did not cause reading problems
and both layers were read easily at 7X CAV reading speed.
9. Data Protected DiscsTests
48x CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 9
Data Protected
DiscsTests
We used Alcohol 120% and 3 original CDs - Serious Sam 2 (SafeDisc 2),
V-Rally 2 Expert (SecuROM 2) and NBA Jam Extreme (PSX) - and made the image of
each title to the hard disk (max speed).
Although we did not use the CloneCD for the reading tests, the drive information
provided by the software could be usefull:
- PSX Pressed Media
For this test we used the PSX game 'NBA Jam Extreme' and we ripped the
image to the HD with Alcohol 120%. We used the default PSX settings with Read
Sub-Channel Data option enabled. The Optorite DC4801 was faster than LiteOn
and finished
the image making process in only 75 sec.
- SafeDisc v.2 Results
Optorite DC4801 need 7:13 to complete the task and again is faster than LiteOn
LTC48161. However, none of the drives gave the best performance we have experienced
ever, and some CD-RW drives are definitely faster.
- SecuROM Results
Both drives read subchannel data from data and audio tracks. This time the
LiteOn drive was faster and read the disc contents at an average speed of 2491KB/sec.
- Writing Tests
The Alcohol software reports that both drives supports the DAO-RAW and DAO-SAO
writing modes. For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 3 different
game titles
with different builds of SafeDisc v2.x protections, with the latest software
patches installed. We used the drive as reader/writer at maximum reading/recording
speed. The "Bypass EFM Error" feature was enabled and disabled for each game
backup.
|
Game Title
|
Tested Drive
|
SD2 Build
|
Settings
|
|
ByPass EFM Error
On
|
ByPass EFM Error
Off
|
|
Serious Sam - The Second Encounter v1.07
|
LiteOn LTC48161H
|
v.2.60.052
|
Ok
|
Ok |
|
Optorite DC4801
|
Ok |
No |
|
The Sims - Unleashed
|
LiteOn LTC48161H
|
v2.80.010
|
Ok |
Ok |
|
Optorite DC4801
|
No |
No |
The LiteOn drive is a good solution for backing up Safedisc v.2 protected
discs.The drive managed to make a valid backup of The Sims- Unleased and Serius
Sam without
the assistance of the Bypass EFM error feature. Optorite cannot backup correctly
the Safedisk2 v2.80.010 protection of the same game. Even enabling the
Bypass EFM error option of Alcohol did not make the disc playable. The Optorite
DC4801 manage to make a working backup of Serious Sam only with the software
assistance by Alcohol 120%.
10. DAE Tests
48x CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 10
DAE Tests
- Pressed and CDR AudioCD results
In this test we examine the DAE speed of the drives. The audioCD we used held
74:00 min of audio tracks.
Both drives are fast and support the 48X CAV speed for audio extraction.
Optorite DC4801 was approximately 1X faster than the LiteOn drive. In addition,
the drives were sightly slower when ripping the CD-R media.
- CDSpeed Advanced DAE Quality
LiteOn LTC48161H
|
 |
Optorite DC4801
|
 |
LiteOn and Optorite gave back the same quality score 100.0 (Perfect).
On the advanced features tab, the software reports that both drives support
reading of LeadIN/LeadOut data and CD text.
- Ripping 99mins AudioCDs
|
Tested drives
|
Ripping up to 99min
|
Optorite DC4801
|
OK
|
LiteOn LTC 48161H
|
OK
|
For this test we used an 99min audio disc and EAC. Both drives managed to
rip
all the contents of the disc without posting any errors.
- Reading/Ripping Protected AudioCDs
For the test procedure we used 2 protected AudioCDs, which we
tested in both recognition and ripping (with EAC) processes:
* Pressed AudioCD with Sony Key2Audio (Celine Dion - New Day
Has Come)
* Pressed AudioCD with Cactus Data Shield 200 (Natalie Imbruglia
- White Lilies Island)
|
|
Key2Audio
|
CDS200
|
|
EAC
|
Optorite DC4801
|
OK
|
OK
|
LiteOn LTC 48161H
|
OK
|
Recognizes disc contents but cannot
rip them
|
Optorite DC4801 manages to extract both Key2audio and Cactus Data Shield 200
audio protected discss without problems.
On the other hand, LiteOn is able to recognize both discs but cannot extract
the CDS200 contents. The Key2Audio protection was not a problem for the LiteOn
drive.
11. Recording Tests
48x CD-RW
Combo Roundup Vol.1 -
Page 11
CDR Tests
We tested both drives with the latest version of Nero Burning Rom.Optorite
and LiteOn supports the same maximum writing speeds and use the same
writing strategy.
All the available writting speeds are illustrated below:
Below you can see the CDSpeed writing simulation with 80min CD-R media. The
drive uses the CAV writing strategy and the average writing speed is 37.01X.
The Optorite DC4801 aslo supports 48X CAV maximum writing speed. The CDSpeed
test gave the drive a 36.60X average writing speed.
- Recording Tests
We used Nero Burning
Rom to create an 80min data compilation. The project was burned in both Optorite
DC4801 and LiteOn LTC4816H. The following chart illustrates the recording times
with Taiyo Yuden 48X blank discs. The writing times were not very different
as it was expected. The Optorite drive was 12 seconds faster:
The following picture comes from Nero after a successful burning at 48X with
LiteOn LTC-48161H and Optorite DC4801:
Both drives decide the maximum allowed recording speed according to the inserted
media. In the following chart you can see the maximum allowed writing speeds
according
to
the inserted
disc
type:
|
Disc |
ID Code |
Capacity |
LiteOn LTC48161H |
Optorite DC4801 |
|
Plextor 48X |
TaiyoYuden 97m24s01f |
79:59:72 |
48X |
48X |
|
Mitsubishi Chemicals 48X |
97m34s23f |
79:59:73 |
48X |
40X |
|
SKC 48X |
97m26s26f |
79:59:73 |
48X |
48X |
|
Imation 48X |
CMC Magnetics 97m26s66f |
79:59:71 |
48X |
48X |
|
TDK 48X |
97m15s05f |
79:59:74 |
48X |
16X |
|
Professional 48x |
97m32s19f |
79:59:72 |
48X |
48X |
|
EMTEC 48X |
97m17s06f |
79:59:74 |
48X |
32X |
Mitsui 48X |
Mitsui 97m27s58f |
75:59:74 |
48X |
16X |
Ciba plasmon 48X |
97m27s18f |
79:59:74 |
48X |
48X |
Memorex 52X |
CMC Magnetics 97m26s66f |
79:59:73 |
40X |
48X |
The Optorite DC4801 recorded the Mitsui 48X and TDK 48X media at 16X. The
LiteOn drive accepted the maximum 48X speed with the most of the discs we tested,
except Memorex 52X, which were written at 40X.
In the chart below you can see the best writing times we measured
for the available writing speeds.
The LiteOn drive is faster at the writing speeds from 12X to 32X. The drives
gave the same writing time at 40X, and the Optorite DC4801 is faster in the
maximum supported speed.
- Other features
Tested Drives |
Optorite DC4801 |
LiteOn LTC 48161H
|
|
Overburning
|
Up to 98min
|
Up to 94min |
|
CD text reading/writing
|
Yes
|
Yes |
12. Jitter Measurements 1 - Optorite DC4801
48x CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 12
Writing Quality Tests - page 1
Optorite DC4801
We used 80min 48X CD-R media by Taiyo Yuden and burned the same
AudioCD project at all the available recording speeds from 12X-48X
Below
you can see
the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs.
- 3T Pit results
According to the graphs, higher recording speeds lead to increased 3T
Pit jitter values. The 24X graph has a high jitter peak in the 25:00 address
of the disc, approximately. Optorite DC4801 uses the P-CAV writing strategy
for 24X writing, and it seems that high jitter is produced as the drive reaches
the 24X writing speed.
The higher jitter values were reported in the 40X and 48X recording speeds.
The 48X graph reached the 52 nsec corresponding to the outer parts of the disc,
where the writing speed was nearly 48X (CAV).
The
average 3T Pit Jitter values for all recording speeds are illustrated in
the following table.
- 3T Land results
The 3T Land jitter values were increased over those measured in 3T Pit jitter
tests. Jitter was increased from the lower recording speeds, and surprisingly
was lower at the maximum 48X speed. The highest 3T land jitter was reported
in the disc recorded at 24X (55nsec).
Below you can see the average 3T Land Jitter values for all recording
speeds. As we mentioned, the drive produced higher jitter at 24X.
- Conclusion
|
Recording Speed
|
Average 3T Pit Jitter (ns)
|
Average 3T Land Jitter (ns)
|
> 35ns
|
Max value (ns)
|
|
12X
|
33.66
|
44.90
|
Yes
|
35 Pit, 46 Land
|
|
16X
|
34.66
|
44.54
|
Yes
|
36 Pit, 46 Land
|
24X
|
37.85
|
47.10
|
Yes
|
46 Pit, 55 Land
|
32X
|
37.36
|
|
Yes
|
39 Pit, 46 Land
|
40X
|
38.22
|
43.29
|
Yes
|
39 Pit, 45 Land
|
48X
|
45.71
|
40.7
|
Yes
|
47 Pit, 46 Land
|
Optorite DC4801 produced increased jitter values in all the available recording
speeds. The 3T Pit jitter values were lower in the wriitng speeds from 12X
to 32X, but for the same speeds, the 3T Land jitter reported was high.
The 40X and 48X writing speeds introduced high Pit and Land jitter, which
reached the 47nsec. The results indicate that the writing quality of the drive
could possibly be negatively influenced at the highest recording speeds.
13. Jitter Measurements 2 - Optorite DC4801
48x CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page 13
Writing Quality Tests - page 2
Optorite DC4801
We tested the Optorite DC4801 with a variety of other media. Note that the
recording speed for each disc
is the maximum allowed by the drive.
- 3T Pit results
The first results at a glance would be that the drive gave the best results
with Mitsui 48X (MAM 48X) and Mitsubishi Chemicals 48X media. The 3T Pit jitter
reported for these discs was adequate, but have in mind that those discs were
recorded at 16X and 40X, respectively (writing speed controlled by the drive).
Among the rest media we tested, the best results at 48X came with Ciba Plasmon
48X. The rest media produced high jitter values especially in the outer part
of the discs.
The highest average 3T Pit jitter values were reported with Memorex 52X and
SKC 48X media.
- 3T Land results
The 3T Land jitter results were better although the jitter values reported
were higher than 35nsec in most cases. Again the Ciba Plasmon media gave the
best results at 48X. Below you can see the average 3T Land jitter values for
all the discs we tested.
- Conclusion
|
Media
|
3T Pit Jitter (ns)
|
3T Land Jitter (ns)
|
> 35ns
|
Max value (ns)
|
|
MAM 48X
|
33.48
|
32.15
|
No
|
35 Pit, 35 Land
|
|
Ciba Plasmon 48X
|
34.59
|
33.20
|
Yes
|
42 Pit, 39 Land
|
|
Memorex 52X
|
45.71
|
40.07
|
Yes
|
52 Pit, 43 Land
|
|
MC 48X
|
37.12
|
37.98
|
Yes
|
43 Pit, 42 Land
|
|
SKC 48X
|
44.66
|
|
Yes
|
51 Pit, 46 Land
|
|
Prodisc 40X
|
41.59
|
43.24
|
Yes
|
47 Pit, 46 Land
|
In generall, the drive introduced high jitter values with the most of the
media we tested. The discs that were not allowed to be burned at the maximum
48X speed gave better results, (MC 48X and Mitsui 48X) as it is usually noticed
in the jitter tests.
It is not always easy to characterize the writing quality of a drive judging
solely from the jitter measurements. However, the tests strongly indicate that
recording at 48X could affect the integrity of your data.
14. Jitter Measurements 1 - LiteOn LTC4801H
48x
CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 -
Page 14
Writing Quality Tests - page 1
LiteOn LTC-48161H
We used Taiyo Yuden 80min 48X CD-R media and burned the same AudioCD project
at all available recording speeds from 12X-48X.
- 3T Pit results
LiteOn LTC48161H gave low 3T Pit jitter values for all the recording speeds.
Writing at 40X and 48X did not affect the Pit jitter level and the bahavior
of the drive is generally good.
The average 3T Jitter values for all recording speeds are illustrated in
the following table.
- 3T Land results
The drive unusually gave higher Land jitter values at the lower writing speeds.
The 12X graph showed that the jitter reached the 42nsec, while the behavior
for the 16X speed is better. The 40X and 48X speeds gave very good results.
On the graph above you can see the average 3T Land jitter values for
all the supported writing speeds. As we have mentioned, the drive performed
well at the highest writing speeds and gave increased jitter at 12X and 16X.
- Conclusion
|
Recording Speed
|
3T Pit Jitter (ns)
|
3T Land Jitter (ns)
|
> 35ns
|
Max value (ns)
|
|
12X
|
33.05
|
41.02
|
Yes
|
35 Pit, 42 Land
|
|
16X
|
31.27
|
35.41
|
Yes
|
32 Pit, 38 Land
|
24X
|
30.29
|
32.44
|
No
|
31 Pit, 35 Land
|
32X
|
32.22
|
|
No
|
34 Pit, 34 Land
|
40X
|
33.32
|
33.39
|
Yes
|
37 Pit, 36 Land
|
48X
|
32.68
|
33.12
|
Yes
|
36 Pit, 35 Land
|
LiteOn LTC48161 performed well in the most recording speeds, concerning
the jitter introduced to the discs. In most cases the jitter was lower than
35nsec, and the high recording speeds did not influence the overal quality.
15. Jitter Measurements 2 - LiteOn LTC4801H
48x
CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 - Page-15
Writing Quality Tests - page 2
LiteOn LTC-48161H
We burned with LiteOn drive a variety of CD-R media, in order to measure the
jitter. Note
that the recording speed for each disc is the maximum allowed by the drive.
- 3T Pit results
The 3T Pit Jitter was higher in the outer parts of the various discs, where
the corresponding writing speed was reaching the 48X. The TDK 48X, Mitsubishi
Chemicals 48X and Emtec 48X media gave the highest jitter, without, however,
exceeding the 40nsec. The rest of the media we tested gave good results.
- 3T Land results
The 3T Land Jitter values are lower than the corresponding Pit values. An
exception to this is the TDK 48X disc measurements. The jitter reached the
46nsec some minutes before the end of the disc area.
- Conclusion
|
Media |
3T Pit Jitter (ns) |
3T Land Jitter (ns) |
> 35ns |
Max value (ns) |
|
MAM 48X |
29.37 |
28.39 |
Yes |
36 Pit, 34 Land |
|
TDK 48X |
33.44 |
38.95 |
Yes |
39 Pit, 46 Land |
|
Memorex 52X |
34.20 |
32.10 |
Yes |
36 Pit, 34 Land |
|
MC 48X |
29.90 |
29.83 |
Yes |
40 Pit, 39 Land |
|
SKC 48X |
31.66 |
31.12 |
Yes |
36 Pit, 37 Land |
Emtec 48X |
30.98 |
27.12 |
Yes |
39 Pit, 35 Land |
|
Ciba Plasmon 48X |
29.78 |
29.05 |
Yes |
36 Pit, 35 Land |
The LiteOn drive performed very well concidering the fact that is is actually
a combo drive. The jitter values were acceptable for the most CD-R media we
tested, and the high writing speeds did not affect the writing quality, at
least from the jitter aspect.
16. HS-RW Media Tests
48x
CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 -
Page 16
HS-RW Tests
We
used Mitsubishi HS-RW 24x discs and Nero Burning Rom for writing CD's in the
maximum RW allowed speed of each drive.
LiteOn LTC48161H supports the 10x, 16x and 24x rewriting speeds using 24x
US-RW media. The drive uses the 24x CAV writing technology and, according
to CDSpeed, the average 24x rewriting speed is actually 18.54:
Optorite DC4801 reaches the 24x speed faster than the LiteOn drive. The writing
strategy followed by this drive is the P-CAV, and the average rewriting speed
is high (22.84x):
The recording tests confirmed that the Optorite drive is faster at 24x rewriting.
The drive finished the task in 3:46min (using 24x P-CAV), while the LiteOn
drive was 51 seconds slower (using 24x CAV):
- Packet Writing Tests
We used the latest version of InCD and Mitsubishi Chemicals 24x US-RW media
for all Packet Writing tests. The formatted disc had 530mbs of free space.
We copied
a 403
MB file
(403.147
kbytes)
from a
Hard Disk (on the same
PC as the writers) to the formatted RW media, using explorer (we dragged and
dropped). We completed each test twice in order to eliminate possible time
measurement faults and user errors:
Although the Optorite drive was faster in the rewriting tests, it was a
slower
reader/writer under the UDF packet writing format. LiteOn LTC48161 finished the
writing process at an average speed of 12.3x, and read the file back at 17.8x.
- Mount Rainier Tests
LiteOn LTC48161H supports Mount Rainier. We used again Mitsubishi Chemicals
24x US-RW media and formatted them under the Mt Rainier. With simple drag
and drop
operations
we measured the reading/writing speeds of the drive, while formatting was in
progress in the background.
|
Average Writing |
Average Reading |
Optorite DC4801 |
Does not support |
LiteOn LTC48161H |
10.88X |
16.69X |
Under the Mt Rainier, the LiteOn drive was slower than the respective
case of normal packet writing, mainly because of the background formatting
that was concurrently in progress.
The Optorite DC4801 does not support Mt Rainier and thus was not tested in this
case.
17. Conclusion
48x
CD-RW Combo Roundup Vol.1 -
Page 17
Conclusion
Optorite DC4801
|
Pros |
Cons |
- 48/24/48/16 CDRW/DVD combo drive
- 16x CAV DVD-ROM
reading
- 48x CAV CD-R/RW
reading
- 7x CAV Dual
layer DVD-ROM reading
- 8x CAV DVD-R/RW,
+R/RW reading
- Fast 24x rewriting
(P-CAV)
- Good error correction performance with defected CD-ROM/DVD-ROM discs
- 48x CAV DAE
speed
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Supports 99min discs
- Supports Key2Audio & CDS200
audio discs
|
- Inaccurate reading of scratched CD-R discs
- C2 Information accuracy
- Cannot create working SafeDisc v2.80 backups
- Seek times with DVD media could be lower
- Does not support Mount Rainer
- Low DVD ripping speed
- Problematic reading of scratched Dual Layer DVD-ROM
- Increased 3T Jitter values
|
LiteOn LTC48161H
|
|
Pros
|
Cons
|
- 48/24/48/16 CDRW/DVD combo drive
- Good CD/DVD seek times
- 16x CAV DVD-ROM
reading
- 48x CAV CD-R
reading
- 8x CAV Dual
layer DVD-ROM reading
- 8x CAV DVD-R/RW,
+R/RW reading
- Good error correction performance with defected
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM discs
- Fast DVD ripping
(6.7x average)
- Low 3T Jitter
- 48x CAV DAE
speed
- Support of SafeDisc v.2.80 discs
- Mount Rainier compliant
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Supports 99min discs
|
- Inaccurate reading of scratched CD-R discs
- Does not support Cactus Data Shield 200 audio discs
- C2 Information accuracy
|
Both drives performed quite well in the reading part of CD and DVD media.
The 48x CAV reading speed for CD-R/ROM media was easily achieved and the reported
seek times were low and compliant to the specifications of each drive. The
supported DAE speed was the maximum 48x for both drives. Furthermore, the Optorite
DC4801 was faster than the LiteOn drive in the reading tests of 24x CD-RW media,
supporting the maximum 48x CAV speed.
The single layer DVD-ROM media were read at 16x CAV, while the supported speed
for dual layer DVD-ROM's was 8x CAV. However, the Optorite drive was slightly
slower in the particular reading tests, giving a 7x CAV speed. Reading
of DVD±R/RW
discs was fully supported at 8x CAV. As a comment to Optorite's performance,
we could
say that the seek times with DVD media could be lower. In addition, the LiteOn
drive ripped the DVD contents to the hard disk at 6.7x , on average, while
Optorite DC4801 was slower here achieving only a speed of only 1.7x.
Both drives did not face any problems with the defected / scratched DVD-ROM
discs. The LiteOn drive performed very well and read the disc contents accurately.
The Optorite drive was also accurate, with an exception when reading a scratched
dual-layer DVD-Video disc. According to the CDSpeed, the drive lowered the
reading speed at the second layer, finished the test slowly and it seems that
some read errors did occur.
The DAE results with scratched / defected CD-ROM media were also very interesting.
Both drives read the disc contents fast, but the produced .wav files were not
accurate, containing many errors. In this area, the Optorite drive seems to
have a better error concealing behavior than the LiteOn LTC48161H. The
situation was different with respect to the ABEX TCD-726 disc (black dots,
fingerprints), since
this one was accurately read by both drives. Note that none of the drives retrieve
C2 error information with a 100% accuracy.
In the writing part, the supported 48x CAV speed offered low CD-R writing
times. The drives recorded most of the discs we used at the maximum respective
speeds, but the writing quality was not always high. The 3T jitter measurements
showed
that the Optorite drive introduces high jitter values in the maximum speeds,
while the LiteOn LTC48161H gave better results.
Last, we should mention that the Optorite DC4801 is not able to create working
SafeDisc v2.80 backups (SD v2.60 works fine), and the LiteOn drive is certainly
one of the alternative options for this task.
Optorite DC4801 is available to the market at a price of $55-60, and LiteOn
LTC48161H can be found at a similar price range of about $55-65.