INcoder
TS24C-C1 portable CD-RW/DVD drive -
Page 1
- Introduction
INcoder
is a Taiwanese company established in 1996. The company mainly focuses on external
optical storage and external cases to extend existing Desktop PCs, Notebooks,
workstations and servers, for professionals and business use mainly.
INcoder's goal is to provide stylish and objectively high quality tools in
order to fully approach the user's need for reliable and user friendly products.
As the company characteristically says "the "IN" (of "INcoder")
means the concept of an interface bridging between human beings and machines
(digital codes), which applies humanity-based thinking logic on technical products.
We have the chance to review a new INcoder product, the INC-TS24C-C1. This
is a portable slim combo drive, which supports CD-R/RW writing among with DVD
reading capabilities. The drive is an alternative solution for Notebook and
desktop PC use.
- Drive features
The supported writing speeds are the 2X and 10X (CLV), and 16X and the maximum
24X (Z-CLV). The 24X speed the supported reading speed for the CD-R and the
HS-RW media can be written at 10X. The maximum reading speed for DVD-ROM is
8X.
The INcoder TS24C-C1 offers a dual connection interface allowing user to select
between the USB1.0/2.0 or IEEE1394 connections. The features mentioned above
are valid for the USB 2.0 and IEEE1394 connections. By selecting the USB1.0
interface (12Mbits/sec), the reading /writing supported speeds are 4X for CD-R
and CD-RW writing, 6X for reading and 0.7X for the DVD-ROM format.
The buffer underrun protection and the 2MB cache buffer will prevent any
buffer underrun problems in CD-R/RW formats. The drive is compliant to the RPCII
regulations, allowing user to change the region code of the drive 5 times.
The supported disc formats are: DVD-ROM (single layer/dual layer), DVD-R (General
in case of writing), DVD-RW (Ver 1.o & 1.1), DVD-RAM, CD-ROM Mode 1, CD-ROM
XA Mode 2, Photo CD, CD-DA, CD-Extra, CD-R/RW . The supported writing formats
are the DAO, SAO, TAO and fixed/variable packet writing.
The dimensions of the drive are 144 X 153 X 23 mm (WxLxH) and its weight is
526gr.
- The package
The
retail package included the 24X combo drive, a USB2.0 cable, a Firewire cable,
1 HS-RW disc and 1 CD-R blank disc. The software bundled is Nero Burning Rom
for your writing tasks and the WinDVD software DVD player.
In addition, the package a quick installation guide, a multi-lingual operating
instructions manual and a device driver floppy. The drive is powered through
the provided AC/DC adapter (DC 5V, 2A).
A very stylish carrying pouch is also available in order to store the drive
and carry it easily.
The INcoder TS24C-C1 operated in both horizontal and vertical positions. For
vertical operation you will need the two metal foot-stands provided in the retail
package. The foot-stands can be easily adjusted on the side panel of the drive,
as you can see in the picture below. It is recommended to use the special rubber
pad for horizontal usage, also bundled in the retail package. Just place the
drive on the pad in order to avoid vibrations and to ensure stability during
operation.
The silver drive looks very stylish and robust due to its complete metal case
and structure. On the disc loading tray you can find the eject button, the emergency
eject hole and the busy LED indicator. The "INcoder" logo is stamped
on the top of the drive.
On the rear panel there are the power input and the USB and Firewire connectors.
As we have mentioned the drive supports a dual build-in connection interface.
- Installation
The INcoder TS24C-C1 was connected to our test PC through the USB2.0 interface,
and was identified as "TEAC DW-224E" under WinXP. The October
2002 model came with firmware version v1.0A installed, that was used to make
all the reading/writing tests.
We compare the new drive with an already tested slim combo drive, the Plextor
PX-208T.
