1. Retail package - Installation
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S- Page 1
LiteOn,
the well known as manufacturer of CD-RW/combo recorders, introduced its first
DVD+R/RW writer, the LiteOn LDW-401S. The Taiwanese manufacturer has chose
the "plus" format for its debut in the DVD recording market, without
however,
following the same policy for the future products. The ATAPI/IDE half-height
DVD+RW writer supports 4x writing for both DVD+R/+RW formats.
-Features
Smart-Burn
technology is engaged by LITE-ON due to succeed buffer- under-run-free function
and great media compatibility for high-speed writing DVD+R, DVD+DW, CD-R,
CD-RW media.
With
the Smart-X technology LiteOn gives you the opportunity for constant Audio
CD/VCD/DVD playback and excellent data extraction. The buffer memory of 2MB
helps on DVD recording procedure.
- VAS® Reduce vibration & noise during recording & reading
- Specifications
DVD Family |
Writing |
DVD+R |
4x (5400KB/sec)
CLV |
Rewriting |
DVD |
4x (5400KB/sec)
CLV |
Reading Speed |
|
12x (16200KB/sec)
maximum CAV |
DVD-ROM
(Dual layer)
|
8x (10800KB/sec)
maximum CAV
|
Access Time |
160 ms |
CD Family |
Writing Speed CD-R |
40x (6000KB/sec)
maximum CAV |
ReWriting speed CD-RW |
24x (3600KB/sec) maximum PCAV
in UltraSpeed disc |
Reading |
40x (6000KB/sec) maximum CAV |
Access Time : |
140 ms |
Buffer Size : 2MB |
Dimension :145 ( W ) x 41.3 ( H ) x 170 ( D ) mm |
Writing methods : |
Fixed Packet, Variable Packet, TAO, SAO, DAO,
Raw Mode Burning & Over-Burn |
DVD read format: |
DVD single/dual layer (PTP, OTP), DVD-R (3.9G/4.7G),
DVD-R multi-borders, DVD+R, DVD+R multi-sessions, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW |
CD read format: |
CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA , Photo-CD, Multi-session,
Karaoke-CD,
Video-CD, CD-I FMV, CD Extra, CD Plus, CD-R, and CD-RW |
Transfer mode : PIO mode 4, DMA mode 2
and Ultra DMA mode 2 |
Support both 8cm and 12cm disc of
CD and DVD family |
As you can see from the tables above LiteOn supports writing for DVD+R/RW
and CD-R/RW media.
The burn procedure can easily approach the 4x speed under CLV with
DVD+R and DVD+RW media. As far as it concerns the CD family, the maximum writing
speed for the CD-R is 40x CAV and 24x P-CAV for CD-RW Ultra Speed discs. The
internal
memory
of the drive is 2MB.
LiteOn LDW-401S uses the RPC II region control, allowing user to change
the drive's region 5 times in total. For our tests, we set the region code
to 2
(Europe).
The drive supports reading of all the DVD recordable/rewritable discs except
DVD-RAM which is also not included in the writing capabilities of the drive
along
with the DVD-R/-RW format and Mount Rainier.
- Unpacking
The
European retail package includes the LiteOn IDE drive, one 4.7GB 4x DVD+R by
Ricoh, one 4.7GB 4x DVD+RW by Ricoh, a quick installation guide,
an audio
cable and mounting screws.
The attached software includes only Cyberlink's Power DVD XP
for video playback LiteOn could definitely include at least a burning /authoring
software for CD/DVD, as it is usually happens with all the compatible retail
boxes.
The front panel of the drive is colored in ordinary gray with an eject/load
button, a busy led indicator which is green at the read process and red at
the writing,
a
headphone
jack with a volume control knob and the emergency eject hole.
On the disc loading tray you can see the sticker of the LiteOn website URL
placed on the right next to the CD-RW format logo while the DVD+RW format logo
is placed on the left side of the tray.
On the rear panel you can see the analog output, the ATAPI interface connector
and the power input.
The mainboard of the drive is available in the following picture. You can
click on the picture to see it in a higher resolution but please be patient
while it is loading.
- Installation
The LiteOn drive was connected to our test PC and was identified
as "LITE-ON DVD+RW LDW-401S" under
WinXP. All tests were done with firmware revision ES0G.
2. CD Reading Tests
LiteOn DVD+RW LDW401S - Page 2
CD Reading Tests
- Pressed CD results
On
this test we used an 80min data pressed disc. Lite-On supports the maximum
reading speed of 40x with CD-ROM media. According to the graph the drive read
the disc under the CAV mode. By the 80min mark, the drive had reached the
41.76x and average
overall speed is 31.48x.
During the test the recorder needed 96ms for Random seek. As it was expected
the 1/3 seek value at 115ms was faster than the Full seek at 190ms. The seek
times are low and very compatible to other DVD writers.
- CDR Media results
With
the CD-R media the performance is almost the same with the previous test. The
reported average speed was very close to that for the pressed disc
but
seek times were higher in all modes, although they are generally kept to adequate
levels.
- HS-RW Media
For
this test we used a Mitsubishi 24x HS-RW media. The drive supports 32x reading
with rewritable media so the average speed is lower than in the previous tests
(25.35x).
The seek times are good and closer to those measured with CD-R media.
3. CD Error Correction Tests
LiteOn DVD+RW
LDW401S -
Page 3
Error Correction Tests
In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when it comes to reading
scratched / defected discs. The test discs that we are using are the ABEX Test
disc series from ALMEDIO.
- ABEX TCD-721R
Errors total
|
Num: 1101429
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 51457
|
Avg: -73.2 dB(A)
|
Max: -21.9 dB(A)
|
Error Muting Samples
|
Num: 3443
|
Avg: 1.0 Samples
|
Max: 11 Samples
|
Skips Samples
|
Num: 0
|
Avg: 0.0 Samples
|
Max: 0 Samples
|
Total Test Result
|
76.7 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
As you can see from the graph, the drive performed quite well. Many errors
were corrected, and the the error hiding capabilities of the drive are high,
since
the average level of the signal is less than -60dB (-73.2dB). According to
EAC author,
such
level
is
acceptable and does not lead to audible problems in the output signal.
In addition no synchronization errors occurred, resulting to an overall score
of 76.7 points our of 100.
- ABEX TCD-726
Errors total
|
Num: 0
|
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
|
Num: 0
|
Avg: -174.0 dB(A)
|
Max: -174.0 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
|
100.0 points (of 100.0 maximum)
|
According to EAC, the comparison of the original .wav file with the defected
one gave no differences, which
means
that
the drive
managed
to make
an accurate rip of the defected disc. The performance is high and the
total
test result
of the drive is the perfect 100.0.
- Conclusion
Test Disc
|
Reading Speed
|
Score
|
ABEX TCD-721R
|
Max
|
76.7 |
ABEX TCD-726
|
100.0 |
Average Score
|
88.35 |
LiteOn DVD+RW
LDW401S gets very good average score of 88.35 points
with the
721R and 726 Abex test discs. The drive corrected a high percentage of the faulty
bits and managed to hide many errors. The 726 test disc was read with
remarkable accuracy and this means that LiteOn LDW-401S is tuned to perfectly
handle errors lower than one critical level. Our though is that this level
is high enough to cover your everyday needs.
- 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
difficult tests. These tracks are referred as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.
The files are reproduced (played) through a software multimedia player (i.e.
Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone coming
out from the speakers is smooth, continuous without interruptions, skipping
or looping. The higher the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound
reproduction of the tested device.
Each file was played 5 times. A 5/5 score donates that the file was played
flawlessly without problems.
Error Level
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
LiteOn LDW-401S
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
5/5
|
0/5
|
0/5
|
LiteOn LDW-401S successfully passed the first 3 Check Levels of the test.
The performance reveals good sound reproduction and error correction. The fourth
level includes an error size of 1.125mm, and the drive gave back audible clicks.
The fifth level could also not be played correctly.
As we also mentioned in the EAC tests, the drive performs perfectly below the
critical "threshold", which is the 1.125mm scratch in our case.
4. DVD Reading Tests
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S -
Page 4
DVD reading tests
In the DVD reading tests we compare the LiteOn LDW-401S with
another DVD+RW writer, the Ricoh MP5240A.
- Single Layer DVD-ROM (Click
for CDSpeed results)
The differences between the drives was expected, since
the LiteOn offers 12x CAV reading while the Ricoh drive is slower with 8x
CAV. The LiteOn drive read the single layer DVD-ROM fast and
the reported
average
speed
was 9.21x.
The
end
speed
for the drive reached the 12.32x.
The seek times of LiteOn LDW-401S are lower than Ricoh MP5240A as
far as it concerns the random mode, 89ms to 112ms.
At the 1/3 mode the LiteOn was again faster with 97ms over the 125ms of Ricoh.
The results were proportional at the Full seek time mode where LiteOn was faster
with 178ms.
- Dual Layer PTP DVD-ROM (Click for
CDSpeed results)
The dual layer DVD-ROM was read under CAV mode by LiteOn approaching
the same speed
on both
layers (8x).
The average reading speed,
reported by NeroCdSpeed, was 6.31x. The drive is slightly faster than Ricoh
MP5240A.
The seek times reported were higher than those with the single layer DVD-ROM.
However, this is normal and was noticed with all the DVD readers. LiteOn LDW-401S
needed 94msec for the random seek and 236msec for full seeking:
- Dual Layer OTP DVD-ROM
The
first layer of an OTP dual layer DVD-ROM is read exactly the same way as 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
toward the inner part of the disc.The performance is not different than in
the previous test, with the drive
to give a 6.27x average reading speed.
The seek times of LiteOn with the dual layer OTP DVD-ROM are low with reported
full seek time at only 164ms.
- DVD Ripping Tests
We measured the DVD Ripping speed using the "Matrix" DVD Video
title (4.7GB) and the latest version of the DVD Decrypter software.
LiteOn manage to reach the maximum speed of 11.264KB/s on the DVD ripping
test and needed 9:45min to finish the task. The average reported speed was
9.264KB/s (6.86x).
- DVD Recordable/Rewritable
The chart below shows the Nero CDSpeed reading tests with the following
media:
As we can see from the graph above LiteOn LDW-401S gave back approximately
the same average reading speed for the DVD-R and DVD-RW media. With
the other two formats, DVD+R and DVD+RW, the average speed is exactly the
same at 4.63x. The drive reached the maximum speed of 6.85x with the "dash" and
the maximum 6.17~6.25x "plus" discs. All discs were read under CAV
mode.
The Ricoh drive was faster in all reading tests but we have to consider that
it supports the 8x CAV reading speed.
5. DVD Error Correction Tests
LiteOn DVD+RW
LDW401S -
Page 5
DVD Error Correction
Tests
In the following tests we examined the DVD reading capabilities of LiteOn
LDW-401S drive
with scratched / defected DVD media.
For the tests we used CDVD Benchmark v1.21 and the Nero CDSpeed. The
reference test media
come
from
ALMEDIO.
- Single Layer media
ABEX TDR-821
This is a single sided, single layer DVD-ROM with a 4.7GB capacity, in which
there are scratches with dimensions from 0.4 to 3.0 mm. The following transfer
rate picture comes from CDVD Benchmark v1.21.
The disc was read without any problems. The scratched area of the disc seems
not to be a problem for the LiteOn drive. The test finished fast and CDVD didn't
report any read errors. The
performance
in the test is very good.
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 of 0.5
to 1.1 mm. There also fingerprints sized from 65 to 75 micro meters.
Again the test was completed fast and without any read errors. As we can
see from the screenshot above, the drive starts reading the disc at 5x and
finished the task with reported end speed at 12x.
- Dual Layer media
ABEX TDR-841
This is a 8.5GB dual layer, single sided DVD-ROM disc with artificial scratches
with dimensions of 0.4 to 3.0mm, in both layers.
Both layers of the PTP DVD-ROM disc were accurately read. The reading
speed throughout the whole disc was not infected by the scratched areas.
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.
As in the corresponding test with the ABEX TDR-825
(defected single layer DVD-ROM), the drive had no problems to finish the task
successfully with end speed at 8.5x for each layer.
ABEX TDV-541
The
TDV-541 is a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with 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. The current TDV-541 checks also the error correction capabilities
of the drive and includes scratches sized of 0.4 to 3.0 mm.
The drive had some reading problems in the outer addresses of the first layer,
approximately at the 3.2GB mark. Although reading was resumed quickly, the
problems were repeated in the beginning of the second layer. The drive
needed to slow down to read the scratched areas. With this behavior in mind,
we checked the playability of the specific DVD Video disc with Power DVD software.
The movie gave some stills in the second layer, but the playback was resumed
very soon.
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 fingerprints
sized of 65 - 75
micro meters
On this test the drive read the contents of the disc without any read errors.
The average speed was 6.32x..
6. Protected Disc Tests
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S - Page 6
Protected Disc
Tests
- Reading Tests
For this test we used a variety of copy protected discs and tried to backup
them to the hard disk with Alcohol 120%. First we checked the speed
of LiteOn on the image making process.We used the
default
settings
of
Alcohol
120% according
to the protection of each disc.
In the table below are illustrated the average reading speeds for each protection
scheme, when making the image to the disc (max speed selected):
Game Title |
Protection Scheme |
Duration |
Reading speed |
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme" |
Lybcrypt |
3:30 min |
437 sectors/sec |
Serious Sam The Second Encounter v1.07 |
SafeDisc v.2.60.052 |
9:32 min |
581.13 sectors/sec |
VRally II |
SecuROM v.2 |
2:46 min |
2071 sectors/sec |
LiteOn
performed well with all games we tested. With the SafeDisk v2 protected
discs the drive needed more time than on normal reading to complete the task
but
this does not effect the validness of the image.
- Writing Tests
Drive
|
Game Title
|
SD2 Build
|
Settings
|
Bypass EFM Error enabled
|
Bypass EFM Error disabled
|
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S |
Serious Sam - The Second Encounter v1.07
|
v.2.60.052
|
OK
|
OK
|
The Sims - Unleashed
|
v2.80.010
|
OK
|
OK
|
The Sims-Superstar |
v2.90.040 |
OK |
OK |
LiteOn is a very good copy protection writer. The drive performed fast and
managed to make working copies of all the discs we checked.
The SafeDisc v2.90 protection was successfully handled and the produced backup
worked without any special contribution by the software (Bypass EFM error).
7. DAE Tests
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S - Page 7
DAE Tests
LiteOn supports 40x CAV maximum
DAE with audioCDs. Below is a CDSpeed transfer test with a pressed audioCD.
The average reading speed is 30.83x:
- Pressed and CD-R AudioCD ripping
On this test we used a pressed and a CD-R audio disc to test the ripping
performance of the drive. The software we used is the CD-DAE. The LiteOn drive
was faster with the CD-R media and gave back average speed at 31.3x. On the
pressed disc the average speed is 29x.
In the same test, Ricoh MP5240A was slower since it supports 32x CAV DAE.
Drive
|
Pressed Audio Disc
|
CD-R Audio Disc
|
LiteOn LDW-401S
|
29X
|
31.3X
|
Ricoh MP5240A
|
26.2X
|
22.4X
|
- Advanced DAE Quality
The drive got a 100.0 (perfect) quality score. As we can see from the screenshot below LiteOn LDW-401S supports reading Leadin and Leadout data,
CD Text and Subchannel Data. Ripping was done at an average speed of
28.39x
- Ripping of 99mins AudioCDs
Tested drives |
Ripping up to |
LiteOn
LDW401S
|
99min |
- 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 |
LiteOn LDW401S |
OK |
OK |
Ricoh MP5240A |
Cannot recognize |
OK |
LiteOn is fully compatible with protected audio discs. The drive manage to
read and rip the contents of both discs without problems.
8. CD Recording Tests
LiteOn DVD+RW
LDW401s - Page 8
CD Recording Tests
- CD-R Recording
We
used the latest version of Nero Burning Rom.
LiteOn LDW-401S supports the 40x, 32x, 24x, 12x, 10x and 4x writing
speeds.
The
following screenshot comes from Nero CDSpeed writing simulation test with a
blank 700MB CD-R disc. The drive starts writing at 18.47x and reaches the 41.69x
at the end of the process. According to CDSpeed the average writing speed with
a 80min
disc is 31.55x.
We created a 80min data compilation in Nero Burning Rom and we burned the
same media brand in all available writing speeds with LiteOn. The recording
times are illustrated on the below graph.
The following picture comes from Nero after
a successful
burning at the maximum 40x speed:
- CD-RW Recording
We used Nero Burning Rom for writing CDs in the maximum RW speed. LiteOn DVD+RW
LDW-401S supports the 24x P-CAV maximum rewritable speed. User is also able to
rewrite at 16x with the same media, and 10x, 4x with HS-RW media.
According
to NeroCDSpeed writing simulation test, the LiteOn drive starts writing at
18.56x. At the 12min mark the speed is increased and reaches
the maximum
24x. Of course, writing at 24x premises usage of 24x US-RW media. For this
test we used 24x media by Mitsubishi Chemicals.
Burning a 700MB data compilation with Nero Burning Rom at 24x took 3:44min.
The quick erase process was also fast.
- Packet Writing Tests
On the first step of the Packet Writing test we made a quick format on a
Mitsubishi 24x US-RW media with Nero. The formatted disc had 530 MB of free
space. We used InCD to copy a 403 MB file from the hard disk to the formatted
RW media through the Windows explorer (drag and drop) and then we reversed
the process (reading).
|
Writing |
Reading |
Duration |
Average speed |
Duration |
Average speed |
LiteOn
LDW401S |
5:00 min |
8.95x |
4:08 min |
10.83x |
LiteOn LDW-401S finished the quick format task in 41sec.
The writing process with InCD finished after 5 minutes which is a slow result
proportionally to the writing speed of the drive, while reading was
faster.
- Other features
Overburning
|
Up to 99min
|
CD text reading/writing
|
Yes
|
9. CD-R Writing Quality Tests
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S -
Page 9
CD-R Writing Quality Tests
We used 80min 48x CD-R media by Taiyo Yuden and burned the same AudioCD project
at 8x,16x, 24x, 32x and 40x. Below you can
see the 3T
Pit & Land jitter graphs.
- 3T Pit results
As we can see from the graph above the disc recorded at 8x and 16x gave
slightly increased pit jitter in the fist minutes of the disc. In the same
time, the rest of the discs gave lower jitter. After the 70min mark of all
discs the jitter is increased again to about
38ns and
ends
with
values
up to
44ns
for
the 40x
written disc. This is an indication of possible high C1 errors in these areas.
The average 3T Jitter values for all recording speeds are illustrated in the
following table.
Although the average pit jitter values of the discs do not exceed the
35ns Red Book limit, we should notice that the lower recording speeds did not
gave the best results as we might expect.
- 3T Land results
The Land Jitter values of the same written discs are shown on the
graph above. All discs gave back good results, even
in their outer addresses . The only exception is the 40x written disc that
gave high land jitter after the 70min.
The average 3T Land results are lower over the in the previous
measurements of the 3T Pit Jitter.
Recording Speed
|
Average 3T Pit Jitter (ns)
|
Average 3T Land Jitter (ns)
|
Values exceeded 35ns
|
Max values (ns)
|
8X |
33.78 |
30.39 |
Yes |
36 Pit, 32 Land |
16X |
34.54 |
29.90 |
Yes |
41 Pit, 32 Land |
24X |
31.27 |
28.41 |
Yes |
42 Pit, 35 Land |
32X |
32.05 |
30.54 |
Yes |
39 Pit, 37 Land |
40X |
32.78 |
32.10 |
Yes |
44 Pit, 46 Land |
- 3T Jitter Summary
The average 3T Pit and Land jitter values are below the 35nsec standard for
all the recording speeds. However, most of the discs gave high jitter in the
outer addresses so the error rate will be possibly higher there.
- CDSpeed CD Quality Check
CDSpeed v2.10 includes a built-in CD quality test, measuring C1 and C2
(only uncorrectable) errors on recorded CD-R media. The utility is available
with Plextor Premium and LiteOn recorders as readers. In addition, CDSpeed
gives back a total quality score for each disc, calculated by using the average
and maximum values of both C1 and C2 errors.
For our tests we used Plextor Premium v1.04 CD-RW as a reader, and the reading
speed was set to 8x, in order to have the maximum consistency in the evaluation
results.
- Summary of C1/C2 measurements
|
Manufacturer |
Recording Speed |
C1 |
C2 |
Quality Score |
Total |
Max |
Average |
Taiyo Yuden 48x |
Taiyo Yuden |
8x |
2729 |
15 |
0.57 |
0 |
98.3 |
16x |
4289 |
36 |
0.90 |
0 |
94.9 |
24x |
2576 |
11 |
0.54 |
0 |
98.3 |
32x |
5366 |
23 |
1.12 |
0 |
96.6 |
40x |
3591 |
24 |
0.75 |
0 |
96.1 |
TDK 48x |
TDK |
40x |
8936 |
26 |
1.86 |
0 |
94.7 |
Imation 48x |
CMC Magnetics |
40x |
17139 |
34 |
3.58 |
0 |
91.5
|
The error rate is low for all the recording speeds. and none of the discs
gave back C2 errors. The results confirmed the jitter measurements and higher
C1 was reported in the same areas where jitter was increased. Starting from
the Taiyo Yuden media, the 24x and 8x recording speeds gave the best quality
score, and the less total errors. The 32x speed gave the highest total amount
of errors as well as the highest average C1 rate. Last, the 16x and 40x speeds
got the lowest quality scores, mostly because of the maximum C1 values and
the total amount of errors reported (adequate, however).
The lowest quality score among the all the media we tested was reported with
Imation 48x media recorded at the maximum 40x speed.
Note that the CDSpeed will only report uncorrectable C2 errors. CD Speed can
also show fatal read errors (sector(s) cannot be read) indicated in red color.
10. DVD Recording Tests
LiteOn DVD+RW LDW401S - Page 10
DVD Recording Tests
- Writing Performance
LiteOn
supports DVD+R and DVD+RW writing. The maximum supported speeds is 4X for both
formats.
The
following pictures come from Nero CDspeed writing simulation test. The first
one shows the writing behavior of LiteOn with a 4x
Ricoh
DVD+R
and 4x DVD+RW media.
According to CDSpeed, the drive uses the 4x CLV writing strategy for the
DVD+R/+RW formats. Note that the drive recorded at 4x only with Ricoh DVD+RW
media.
We
burned a 4315MB DVD-Video on 4x DVD+R, 2.4x DVD+RW and 4x DVD+RW media
by Mitsubishi Chemicals, Taiyo Yuden, Verbatim, Maxell, Ricoh and Sentinel.
The following table illustrates the various media information along with the
recording times at the the maximum allowed speed.
DVD Recording Tests (max speed) |
Media discs |
Disc Information |
Recording Speed |
Recording Time |
Ricoh 4x DVD+R |
RICOHJPN-R01 |
4X |
14:07 |
Ricoh 4x DVD+RW |
RICOHJPN-W11 |
4X |
13:57 |
Maxell 2.4x DVD+R |
RICOHJPN-R00 |
4X |
14:22 |
TY DVD+R |
YUDEN000 T01 |
4X |
14:08 |
MC DVD+R |
Verbatin MCC0002 |
4X |
14:09 |
Sentinel DVD+RW |
SENTINELW01 |
2.4X |
23:23 |
Verbatim DVD+RW |
MCC A01 |
2.4X |
23:33 |
The drive gave the expected recording times for 4x. The drive recorded at
4x with all of the DVD+R media we tested, including the Maxell 2.4x. In the
next page we will see whether this affected the writing quality.
For 4x DVD+RW we only used media by Ricoh, since the availability of such
discs is limited to very few manufacturers.
- DVD+RW Packet Writing Tests
On this test we used the same 412MB file just like the CD-R test. The tested
media was a Ricoh 4X DVD+RW. The reading / writing speeds reported below were
measured while the DVD+RW background formatting was in progress.
|
Writing |
Reading |
Average speed |
Duration |
Average speed |
Duration |
LiteOn
LDW401S |
1.09x |
4:40 min |
1.2x |
4:09 min |
Although the LiteOn drive support writing speed 4x for the DVD+RW media
the average reading and writing
speed under packet writing is lower in comparison to a normal read or
write process. This can be explained by the fact that the background formatting
process was running in parallel with our tests.
11. DVD Writing Quality Tests
LiteOn DVD+RW LDW401s - Page 11
KProbe PI/PO
measurements
In the following screenshots you can see the PI/PO scans for various 4x DVD+R
and DVD+RW media, recorded with LiteOn LDW401S at the maximum speed.
The software we used for the measurements is the KProbe v1.1.23, and the reader
is the same drive, the LDW401S. The specific methodology is very depended on
the drive we
use as a reader, and the reliability of the PI/PO provided output is also not
technically confirmed. As a result, we cannot safely come up with absolute
results,
but we are
allowed
to compare
the behavior
of
the
drive
with
various
DVD recordable/rewritable
media. The official specifications for DVD demand that the PI should be < 280/sec
(PI<<280/sec good quality)
and the PO should be zero.
The recordable discs we used come from Maxell, MC, TY, Sentinel,
and Verbatim. More information about each disc type is available
in the bottom of the page.
- Maxell 2.4x DVD+R (Recorded at 4x)
- MC 4x DVD+R (Recorded at 4x)
- Taiyo Yuden 4x DVD+R (Recorded at 4x)
- TDK 4x DVD+R (Recorded at 4x)
- Ricoh 4x DVD+R (Recorded at 4x)
- Sentinel 2.4x DVD+RW (Recorded at 2.4x)
- Verbatim 2.4x DVD+RW (Recorded at 2.4x)
Media
|
Code
|
MC 4x DVD+R
|
Verbatin MCC0002
|
Maxell 2.4X DVD+R
|
Maxell 001
|
Sentinel 2.4x DVD+RW
|
SENTINELW01
|
TDK 4X DVD+R
|
RICOHJPNR01
|
Philips 2.4X DVD+R
|
RICOHJPNR00
|
Ricoh 4x DVD+R
|
RICOHJPNR01
|
Verbatim 2.4x DVD+RW
|
Verbatim MCC A01
|
Ricoh 4x DVD+RW
|
RICOHJPN-W11
|
Taiyo Yuden 4x DVD+R
|
YUDEN000 T01 |
12. Conclusion
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S -
Page 12
Conclusion
LiteOn
DVD+RW LDW401S |
Pros
|
Cons
|
- 4X DVD+R/RW writing
- 12x DVD-ROM
reading
- 40/24/40 CD-RW
- Fast
DVD Video ripping
- Supports
CDS 200 and key2Audio audio protections
- Good
CD/DVD seek times
- Maximum
40x DAE
- Good error CD correction/concealment
- Good error handling with defected DVD-ROM discs
- Good writing speeds
- Overburning
up to 99min
- Supports CD-Text (reading/writing)
- Supports 99min discs
- Working
SafeDisc v.2.90 backups
- Adequate
CD writing quality
|
- Poor
retail package
- Does
not support Mount Rainier
- DVD+R/+RW reading speed could be higher
- Possible
reading problems with scratched dual layer DVD-Video
- Increased 3T jitter at 40x
|
LiteOn LDW401S supports maximum writing speed 4x for both the DVD+R and the
DVD+RW formats. This means that the drive needs about 14min to write a 4.4GB
file. LiteOn was fully compatible with all media we test and the written process
was done at the maximum allowed speed of 4x. The quality of the recorded discs
was measured with LiteOn KProbe v1.1.23 software. The results are fair enough
with all discs, although the +RW media average PI and PO error rate was increased
in comparison to the +R media.
On the DVD reading side LiteOn supports 12x for a single layer and 8x for
a dual layer DVD-ROM. The transfer rate tests confirmed the specifications
of the drive, although we would prefer the drive to read DVD+R/+RW media at
a higher speed than the 6-7x CAV. The drive was also fast on the DVD-Video
ripping process.
The DVD error correction of the drive is good and this is confirmed by the
reading performance of the Abex scratched/defected DVD-ROM media that were
read accurately without read errors. However, the scratched dual layer DVD-Video
disc was read slower than the rest discs. The problem is located in the second
layer of the disc, where the drive slowed down reading. The behavior was confirmed
with a simple playback of the DVD movie through Power DVD software. Playback
was momentarily stilled to resume in a few seconds.
LiteOn is also a reliable 40/24/40 CD recorder, providing fast reading and
low seek times. The drive supports CAV writing strategy for all the supported
burning speeds offering competitive recording times, adequate writing quality,
while the 3T jitter was generally low, with an exception when recording at
40x.
The maximum supported speed for DAE is 40x CAV. In addition, Key2Audio and
Cactus Data Shield 200 are supported.
The majority of your defected discs will be probably read accurately. Although
assigning the error correction limits is risky, we could say that the drive
handled successfully scratches sized up to 1.125mm.
Another important issue, however, is the ability of the drive to backup protected
discs. LiteOn managed to make working back-ups even of the latest SafeDisc
v2.90. On the plus side is the fact that the drive supports RAW DAO 96 writing,
CD Text and reading of 99min discs.
LiteOn LDW-401S is available in the market at a very attractive price of
$100~110. LiteOn traditionally offers low prices for its products, and this
is probably its main advantage of its products. In case your needs include
writing of DVD-R/-RW formats also, you can spend some extra $25-35 and buy
the newer LiteOn LDW-411S dual DVD writer. The new drive will be also demonstrated
in this web site soon.
Written and Edited by
Tony Veglis