LG GSA-4120B

Review Pages

1. Introduction - Specs
2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests
3. CD Error Correction Tests
4. DVD Error Correction Tests
5. Protected Disc Tests
6. DAE Tests
7. Protected AudioCDs
8. CD Recording Tests
9. Writing Quality Tests - 3T Jitter Tests
10. Writing Quality Tests - C1 / C2 Error Measurements
11. DVD Recording Tests
12. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 1
13. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 2
14. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 3
15. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 4
16. KProbe/PlexTools Scans - Page 5
17. DVD+R DL - Page 1
18. DVD+R DL - Page 2
19. DVD-RAM
20. BookType Setting
21. Conclusion
22. Firmware Hacks

LG GSA-4120B DL Recorder - Page 3

CD Error Correction Tests

In the following tests we check the drive's behavior when reading scratched / defective audio discs. The test discs used were the ABEX series from ALMEDIO.

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total	Num: 2347561
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 116405	Avg: -75.9 dB(A)	Max: -25.3 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 6999	Avg: 1.2 Samples	Max: 582 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0.0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	75.0 points (out of 100.0 maximum)
C2 Accuracy	99.6 %

The performance with this disc is not very good. The total error count was high, as was the maximum level of the loudness errors reported at -25.3dB, meaning the error would be audible with the human ear. The big problem is that the drive doesnt slow down its ripping speed, which is why we get such high error rates... A test result score of 75 points is not good, while the C2% accuracy score seems high enough at 99.6%.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total	Num: 36554
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)	Num: 116405	Avg: -84.7 dB(A)	Max: -47.6 dB(A)
Error Muting Samples	Num: 5019	Avg: 1.0 Samples	Max: 2 Samples
Skips Samples	Num: 0	Avg: 0.0 Samples	Max: 0 Samples
Total Test Result	82.0 points (out of 100.0 maximum)
C2 Accuracy	100 %

The Abex TCD-726 test disc is much easier for drives in general to read. However, again the LG GSA-4120B didn't perform as well as we would have expected. The drive recorded a high error count and a test result score of 82.0 points. The errors here are not noticable with the naked ear, and if the drive lowered its reading speed while extracting the tracks, things would be much better. Again, the C2 accuracy is high with 100% (perfect).

- CD-Check Audio Test Disc

The CD-Check Test Disc is a very useful tool for evaluating the Sound Reproduction / Error correction capabilities of a CD player. The disc offers a signal combination with disc error patterns to rate the drive's abilities to read music and reproduce it completely. Five tracks on the disc contain a sequence of progressively more difficult tests. These tracks are referred to as Check Level-1 through Check Level-5.

The tracks are being reproduced through a software multimedia player (i.e. Windows Media Player). Each level is considered as passed, if the tone is smooth, continuous without interruptions, skipping or looping. The higher the Check Level passed, the more reliable the sound reproduction of the tested drive.

Error Level	1	2	3	4	5
LG GSA-4120B	5/5	5/5	3/5	0/5	0/5

The drive successfully passed only the first two out of the five check levels for this test. This is a rather poor performance. Usually, all drives have difficulties reading the 5th level, and a good drive can read 4th level. But most drives will pass the third level without any problem.

- Summary

CD error correction of the drive is just on average and should be improved by LG.