Turn off the Ad Banner  

To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu.

    -----------------------------------------------
This story was printed from CdrInfo.com,
located at http://www.cdrinfo.com.
-----------------------------------------------


Appeared on: Thursday, January 20, 2005
Liteon SOSW - 852SX External


1. Introduction

Liteon SOSW - 852SX External Burner - Page 1

Lite-On IT corporation introduces its fourth in line, external Slim DVD burner, the SOSW-852SX drive. Manufactured mainly for laptop use, the SOSW-852SX in some cases supports burning at double the speed of its predecessor, the SOSW-8D2SX. So where the SOSW-8D2SX supports 4X for all DVD+R media, the new SOSW-852SX supports up to 8X.

Moreover, the SOSW-852SX supports 4X for DVD-R, 2X for DVD+RW and DVD-RW, and 2.4X recording speed for Double Layer media. Finally, the SOSW-852SX can write and rewrite CDs at 24X speed.

- Features

- Specifications

Interface:
USB 2.0
Buffer Size:

2MB

PC Required :
Pentium 166 MHz or faster CPU, 64 MB DRAM Required
HDD must have access time < 20 ms, with a minimum of 100 MBytes Free space
Compatibility :
Windows 98 / 2000 / ME / XP
MTBF ( Life ) :
60,000 Hours
S/N Ration :
> 78 dB
Environment :
Operating 5C to 45C; Relative Humidity : 8% to 80%
Non-Operating -20C to 60C; Relative Humidity : 5% to 95%
Dimension : 138.0 ( W ) x 24.0 ( H ) x 155.0 ( D ) mm
Weight : 405 g
Power plug type : US, EU, UK, and AUS
DVD Family : Write: 8X+R, 4X-R, 2.4X +R9
  ReWrite: 2X +RW, 2X -RW Read: 8X Access Time: 130ms
CD Family: Write: 24X CD-R, 24X CD-RW, Read : 24X
  Access Time: 110ms

Below are the drive's main specs as given by NeroInfoTool, VSO Inspector and DVDInfoPro:

As we can see below, the SOSW-852SX uses the RPC II region control, which supports region selection changes for at most 5 times. We changed the drive to region free which can be done for the SOSW-852SX using utilities such as Kprobe.

Additional information on LiteOn SOSW-852SX by Kprobe:

- European Retail package

The retail version includes the LiteOn SOSW-852SX, the power adapter, and along with these the package includes Nero 6, the well known CD-DVD burning software and the also famous PowerDVD 5 for your DVD playback needs. Last but not least, the package includes two Single Layer media, one +R and one -R format.

On the unit's rear panel there are the USB and power adapter input.

A closer image of the drive's tray...

.

- Installation: The drive was installed with USB cable to USB 2.0 input on our PC and under WindowsXP was recognized as "SlimType DVDRW SOSW-852S". The drives firmware is the latest version availiable, PSX1. What follows is a Nero Burning Rom screenshot, listing the supported options for the LiteOn SlimType, such as supported media and buffer underrun protection.

For the requirements of this review and for comparison, we used the NEC ND_6500A and Pioneer DVR-SK12D drives, flashed with their latest firmware. Please note that all three drives (the reviewed drive and the comparison drives), are mainly for laptop PC use and so the main criteria should be quality, not speed...

- Testing software

In order to perform our tests, we used:

  1. Nero CD-DVD Speed v3.40
  2. CDVD Benchmark v1.21
  3. ExactAudioCopy v0.9 beta5
  4. Nero Info Tool v2.27
  5. PlexTools v2.17
  6. DVDInfoPro v3.16
  7. Nero Burning Rom v6.6.0.1
  8. DVD Decrypter 3.5.1.0
  9. CopyToDVD 3.0.34.58

2. Transfer Rate Reading Tests

Liteon SOSW - 852SX Burner- Page 2

Transfer Rate Reading Tests

- CD Format

The LiteOn SOSW-852SX supports a maximum reading speed of 24X for CD-R and CD-RW media. What follows are the results of the LiteOn SOSW-852SX's performance compared with the other two drives:

In the above graphs we can see that there is not much between the three drives. The LiteOn SOSW-852SX was only marginally slower than the other two with pressed CD and CDR media but faster with USRW media.

- DVD Format

Using Single Layer media and Pressed OTP (Oposite Track Path) dual layer DVD ROM media, the LiteOn was slightly faster. With PTP (Parallel Track Path) Dual Layer media, the Pioneer drive gave the fastest results while the LiteOn drive was a good deal slower reading this media type.

In general, the LiteOn drive displayed very good reading speeds with all the formats. The NEC ND-6500A was not that much slower while the Pioneer DVR-SK12D lagged behind.

Finally, in the DVD ripping test using a pressed DL movie, the LiteOn drive follows on in the tradition of LiteOn drives, with the fastest transfer rate, and hence, fastest DVD ripping...

- Appendix

Nero CD-DVD Speed Graphs


3. CD Error Correction Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 3

CD Error Correction Tests

How about we check out the drive's scratched and defective disc error correction capabilities, using the ABEX test disc series from ALMEDIO and the LiteOn SOSW-852SX. The results are given below...

- ABEX TCD-721R

Errors total
Num : 2156525
Errors (Loudness) dB(A)
Num: 89837
Avg:-72.0 dB(A))
Max:-27.9 dB(A))
Error Muting Samples
Num:6259
Avg: 1.0 Samples
Max: 11 Samples
Skips Samples
Num: 2
Avg: 300.0 Samples
Max: 300 Samples
Total Test Result
62.7 points (of 100.0 maximum)

The drive managed to achieve a total test result of 62.7 out of 100, which illustrates the ability of the drive with the specific test disc. Despite a low Loudness Error level (-27.9 dB(A)) compared to most drives, the total error count is very high which is why many samples had to be muted while 2 samples were skipped.

- ABEX TCD-726

Errors total
Num:
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 (out of 100.0 maximum)

The behavior of drive was much better in this case where it managed to correct all the disc's errors. The result was a perfect 100.

- CD-Check Audio Test Disc

In order to evaluate the sound reproduction and error correction capabilities of a CD player (currently the LiteOn SOSW-852SX), we used the CD-Check Audio Test Disc. The disc, designed and manufactured with error paterns, contains five tracks, each track progressively harder to read and reproduce with the CD player. These tracks are referred to 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.

Error Level
1
2
3
4
5
LiteOn Slimtype
5/5
5/5
3/5
0/5
0/5

The drive passed only the first two Check Levels of the test and managed only 3 out of 5 with the third level. The performance reveals less than average error correction. The fourth and the fifth levels include an error size of 1.125mm and 1.500mm respectively and the drive produced continuous audible clicks over these tracks, as do many of the drives we have reviewed in the past.


4. DVD Error Correction Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner- Page 4

DVD Error Correction Tests

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.

While the LiteOn SOSW-852SX proved capable of reading the artificially scratched disc, in order to progress and reach the end, the drive had to drop and fluctuate in speed (note the large area of activity over the defective region in the graph above), to the point that it becomes unacceptable.

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.

Here the performance is better in comparison with the previous test disc. But the speed fluctuations are once again numerous...

- 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.

Don't need to say much about this one, as it is clear as glass... The SOSW-852SX performed poorly in this case, with quite a few errors appearing in the first layer and performance in the second layer was not much better with again, fluctuations in speed. These show the tremendous problems the drive has in reading such defective DL media.

ABEX TDR-845

The disc is a single sided, dual layer DVD-ROM disc of a capacity of 8.5GB. The only difference between the TDR-845 and the TDR-841 is that the TDR-845 includes both defective areas and fingerprints.

Now, thats a breakthrough... The LiteOn drive did pretty well, managing to achieve good reading with this media test disc. Let's hope it can keep it up...

ABEX TDV-541

Using Nero CdSpeed, we tested the drive with the TDV-541, a single sided, dual layer DVD-VIDEO disc, with a capacity of 8.5GB. Based on the 540 series for inspection and calibration of DVD-VIDEO players, the TDV-541 inspects the layer switch operation and the error correction capabilities of the drive, including scratches ranging from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

click to enlarge!

The LiteOn performed well in reading the test disc. Quite a clean result.

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.

click to enlarge!

Like most drives with this disc, the LiteOn succesfully read both sides of the media test disc.Once again, a well done job.

- Conclusion
Certainly a reader of contrasts with very poor reading with the first few discs but finishing off nicely with the last set of discs. Overall though, it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

5. Protected Disc Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner- Page 5

Protected Disc Tests
- Reading Tests

In order to test the ability of the LiteOn SOSW-852SX drive in creating an image of a protected disc, we used the well known image maker Alcohol 120% and three types of protected media, one being a PSX game, one with SafeDisc protection and one with SecuRom protection. Below are the transfer rates and duration of the drive in each of the cases.

Game Title
Protection Scheme
Duration
Reading speed
PSX "NBA Jam Extreme"
Lybcrypt
4:35 min
328 sectors/sec
Serious Sam The Second Encounter
SafeDisc v.2.50.051
10:42 min
522 sectors/sec
VRally II
SecuROM v.2
4:40 min
1227 sectors/sec

With PSX media, we can see that the drive didn't perform well at all and came in a distant last, being the slowest in this category of the laptop drives. On the other hand, using Safedisc protected media, the LiteOn drive offered much better results in comparison with the other two laptop drives. With SecuRom, the performance was good.

- Writing Tests

The LiteOn SOSW-852SX supports the DAO-RAW writing mode. For checking the drive's EFM correction status, we used 3 different game titles with different SafeDisc 2 versions having the latest software patches installed. After making the images of the various titles onto the hard disk, we burned them (maximum speed) with Alcohol 120% v1.9.2.1705. Two different discs were created for each title; one with the "Bypass EFM error" enabled and one more with the function disabled.

The table below shows the results of the attempted backups and whether they worked (game installed / played normally), or not.

Drive

Fifa 2004
SD v3.1x

Sims Superstar
SD v2.9x
Sims Unleashed
SD v2.8x
Serious Sam-Second Encounter
SD v2.50.051
Max Payne
SD v2.51.020
EFM OFF
EFM ON
EFM OFF
EFM ON
EFM OFF
EFM ON
EFM OFF
EFM ON
EFM OFF
EFM ON
Toshiba
SD-M1502
No
Yes
Creative CD5233E

LiteOn SOSW-852SX

The drive is not made for game backups. However, it managed to make a working backup of SafeDisk protection version 2.8.


6. DAE Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 6

DAE Tests

- Pressed and CDR AudioCD

The specific LiteOn drive supports up to 24X CAV DAE speed. Using pressed AudioCD and its CD-R copy, we have the following results:

LiteOn, performed well in this test, achieving the fastest speed among the three drives.

- Advanced DAE Quality

Using the advanced features of the Nero CdSpeed Advanced DAE Quality Test, the LiteOn gave the best overall result a drive could give, scoring 100 points in the quality score.

- Reading 90/ 99mins AudioCDs

The drive could not complete reading of the 90min Audio CD, as is evidenced by the screenshot above.

click to enlarge!

In this case, the drive managed to read almost perfectly the 99min Audio CD, with a slight drop of speed near the end of reading, but nothing out of the ordinary in this case. An almost perfect reading (always according to the standards of the drive) compared to the 90min disc which reported reading errors and the process failed to finish.


7. Protected AudioCDs

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 7

Protected AudioCDs

For this test we used Exact Audio Copy (EAC) and three audio discs, each recorded with a different copy protection scheme.

The tested protected Audio discs were:

The "White Lilies Island" from Natalie Imbruglia comes with Cactus Data Shield 200, a disc which contains artificial errors, rendering a reader unable to proccess them, while Sony's Key2Audio on Celine Dion's album "New Day Has Come", contains a second session where readers are unable to access the TOC (Table Of Contents).

The tested tasks are:

The LiteOn recognized up to the 12th Audio track of CDS200 disc,

and with the "Retrieve Native TOC" option removed, it then recognized the 13th track.

The test results are shown in the following table:

Key2Audio
CDS200
LiteOn SOSW-852SX
Ripping process completed, EAC reports no problems, Read&Test CRC comparison successful for all tracks
Ripping process completed, EAC reports timing problems, Read&Test CRC comparison not the same for all tracks

The LiteOn will rip both Key2Audio and CDS200 protected audio discs. Both discs were recognized and their contents were ripped at the maximum speed.

This is a "special" CDS200 build, since it doesn't contain any artificial errors during the ripping process. Most problems occur when trying to write the ripped wav files, since the produced CD-R disc contains C2 and CU errors! This "problem" is rumored to be associated with specific chipset weaknesses.

We ripped the disc contents with EAC and burned the produced wav with the latest Nero version as AudioCD+CD-Text. The burned media was checked for C1/C2 errors with PlexTools using the Plextor PX-712A (firmware v1.05).

 

CDS 200.0.4 - 3.0 build 16a
SlimType SOSW-852S
Reading performed without any errors, writing produces a few C2 spikes

The C1/C2 error graphs show that the drive managed to produce a 100% error free disc.

We then tried to extract all the wav files with the Plextor PX-712A and PlexTools DAE with Error Correction 5th Level enabled:

No errors were reported after extracting all files.


8. CD Recording Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 8

CD Recording Tests

The LiteOn Slimtype supports 24X CD-R and 24X US-RW recording speeds.

The drive supported CD recording speeds are...

The following screenshot confirms the maximum speed of 24X. The test started at 10.01X and finished at 24.05X, having an average speed of 17.11X. Click on the image for a full CDSpeed graph:

For the burning tests, we created an 80min data compilation through Nero Burning Rom and recorded the data on a 700MB disc. In only 5:40 mins, the LiteOn completed the task with a maximum speed of 24X.

In the graph that follows, we can see all the recording times with various discs, with the writting performance varying only slightly depending on the inserted media.

- Other features

Overburning writing
No
CD text reading/writing
Yes

The LiteOn supports 24X Z-CLV rewriting speed with Ultra Speed Rewritable Media (US-RW).

Below you can see the Nero CD-DVD Speed writing simulation test with blank 24X US-RW media from Mitsubishi Chemicals.

The drive starts the writing task at 10.01X and reaches a maximum of 24.05X, having an average speed of 16.39X.


9. Writing Quality - 3T Jitter Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 9

3T Jitter Tests

On this page, you can see the 3T Pit & Land Jitter graphs for various media burned at 24X CAV writing speed.

- 3T Pit results

At 24X writing speed, all media except for Maxell reported low to medium levels, which indicates good performance. Best results came with Creation and BenQ media.

- 3T Land results

Once again, except for Maxell media, the Jitter tests report medium 3T Land levels, indicating good performance. Best results came with Creation and BenQ media again..

On the following page, we check the C1 and C2 error rates of the same discs, to come up with more specific conclusions.


10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 10

C1 / C2 Error Measurements

With the aid of PleXTools v2.16 and Plextor 721A, it's time to start measuring the C1 / C2 error rates on the discs we burned with the Nero burning software, at the maximum supported speed of 24X.

 

BenQ 80min 52X @ 24X

 

Creation 80min 48X @ 24X

 

Maxell 80min 48X @ 24X

 

MMore 80min 52X @ 24X

 

TY 80min 48X @ 24X

- Summary

The reported uncorrectable errors with BenQ and Maxell media and the C2 in other cases, illustrate average performance.

- Appendix

Media Label
ID Code
Manufacturer Name
Lead Out TIme
BenQ 52X
97m22s67f
Daxon
79:59:74
Taiyo Yuden 48X
97m24s 1f
Taiyo Yuden
79:59:72
MMore 80min 52X
97m17s 6f
Moser Baer India, Ltd.
79:59.74
Creation 80min 48X
97m27s18f
Plasmon Data Systems Ltd.
79:59:74
Maxell 80min 48X
97m15s17f
Ritek Co.
79:59:70

11. Writing Quality Tests - Clover System Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 11

Writing Quality Tests - Clover System Tests

The Clover Systems CDX Compact Disc Analyzer is a high-speed 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 maximum speed of 40X.

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 below. If you click on the images you can see a more detailed table, indicating error levels. 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.

BenQ 80min 52X @ 24X

Click for full results

Creation 80min 48X @ 24X

Click for full results

Maxell 80min 48X @ 24X

Click for full results

MMore 80min 48X @ 24X

Click for full results

TY 80min 48X @ 24X

Click for full results

- Summary

Taiyo Yuden media revealed the best writing quality. All other media brands reported E32 errors.


12. DVD Recording Tests

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 12

DVD Recording Tests

- Writing Performance

The maximum supported speed for DVD+R media is 8X while with DVD-R it is 4X, and for rewritable media 2X.

The supported recording speeds as shown by Nero Burning Rom...

 

By using Nero CD-DVD Speed with DVD-R and DVD+R media, we should be able to see the 8X recording technology being used by the recorder for +R media, and 4X recording technology for -R media.

click to enlarge!

Although we expected to see 8X writng, the drive successfully completed the simulation task at only 4X in 15:00mins, no matter which media we tried, even that certified for 8X. The test started at 2.01X, reached a maximum writing speed of 4.12X and reported an average speed of 4.02X.

click to enlarge!

The test started at 2.01X, reached a maximum writing speed of 4.11X and reported an average speed of 4.02X. As we can see from the above graphs, the drive could not stand true to the task and offer 8X recording for +R which is the official maximum speed supported by the drive. All that remained was in the great majority, discs burned at 4X for +R/-R media, and some at 6X which as we will see, is the highest practical speed supported by the SOSW-852SX burner.

- Burning Tests

The maximum writing speed supported by the LiteOn with -R media is 4X. The best performance in terms of speed (burning time), came with Sony 8X media, burned in 14:37 mins.

In the category of +R media, the LiteOn drive officially supports up to 8X. Although Nero reported 8X, the final burning times indicate a different speed. Best performance was reported with Ricoh 8X media, which was burned in 14:20 mins with most of the remaining media hovering around 14:30 to 15:00 mins.

- Comparison with other drives

With DVD±R and DVD+RW media, the LiteOn had very good writing times. Best performer overall was the NEC ND-6500A which had very fast, steady times while the Pioneer DVR-SK12D was also steady but slow.

- DVD Overburning Test

Unfortunately, the drive does not support DVD overburning for both -R and +R media formats, giving the above error messages.

- DVD+MRW Tests

The drive does not support the Mount Rainier feature.


13. Media Support list

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 13

Media Support list

What follows is a comlpete list of the media supported by the LiteOn SOSW-852SX, according to the BSX1 firmware version on the drive.

DVD-R
DVD+R
AN32 /00 [2x]
BeAll G00001/50 [2x]
BeAll G40001/00 [4x]
CMC MAG. /00 [2x]
CMC MAG. AE1/00 [4x]
CMC MAG. AF1/52 [4x]
DAXON004 /00 [4x]
Dvsn /52 [4x]
FORNEX101 /00 [4x]
FUJIFILM03 /52 [4x]
GSC001 /50 [2x]
GSC001 /52 [4x]
GSC002 /52 [4x]
LD /00 [2x]
LEADDATA /00 [2x]
LEADDATA01 /00 [2x]
LONGTEN 001 /00 [4x]
MBI /50 [2x]
MBI 01RG20 /52 [4x]
MCC 00RG200 /00 [2x]
MCC 01RG20 /52 [4x]
MCC 02RG20 /00 [6x]
MCI4XG01 /52 [2x]
MCIG01 /50 [2x]
MEI 00V001 /50 [2x]
MEI 00V002 /00 [4x]
MXL RG01 /50 [2x]
MXL RG02 /52 [4x]
MXL RG03 /00 [6x]
NANYA P1861 /00 [2x]
NANYA-JC001 /00 [4x]
OPTODISCK001/00 [2x]
OPTODISCR004/52 [4x]
PRINCO /50 [2x]
PRINCO /52 [2x]
ProdiscF01 /00 [4x]
PRODISCG02 /00 [2x]
ProdiscS03 /00 [4x]
ProdiscS04 /52 [4x]
PVC001001 /00 [2x]
PVCR001002 /00 [4x]
RITEKG03 /50 [2x]
RITEKG04 /00 [4x]
RITEKG05 /00 [4x]
RITEKG06 /00 [4x]
RITEKM02 /00 [2x]
SKC Co.,Ltd./00 [4x]
SONY /00 [2x]
SONY04D1 /00 [4x]
SONY08D1 /00 [6x]
TAIYOYUDEN /00 [2x]
TAROKO-MX4 /00 [4x]
TDKG02000000/50 [2x]
TTG01 /52 [4x]
TTG02 /00 [6x]
TTH01 /00 [6x]
TYG01 /52 [4x]
TYG02 /00 [2x,4x]
TYG03 /00 [6x]
Yi Jhan 001 /52 [4x
]
AML /001/00 [4x]
BeAll000/P80/00 [4x]
CMC MAG /E01/00 [2.4x,4x]
CMC MAG /F01/00 [4x]
CMC MAG /M01/00 [2.4x,4x]
CMC MAG /R01/00 [2.4x]
DAXON /AZ1/01 [2.4x]
DAXON /AZ2/00 [4x]
DT-D02 /02 /00 [4x]
DT-D03 /004/00 [4x]
GSC502 /002/00 [4x]
INFODISC/R10/02 [4x]
INFODISC/R20/00 [4x]
INFOME /R20/00 [4x]
LD /A02/00 [4x]
LD /S03/00 [6x]
LONGTEN /002/00 [2.4x]
MAXELL /001/00 [4x]
MAXELL /002/00 [2.4x,4x]
MAXELL /003/00 [6x]
MBIPG101/R03/00 [4x]
MBIPG101/R04/01 [4x]
MCC /002/00 [4x]
MCC /003/00 [4x]
MCC /004/00 [2.4x,4x]
MJC /003/00 [4x]
MPOMEDIA/040/00 [4x]
MPOMEDIA/080/00 [4x]
MUST /002/01 [4x]
NANYA /CHX/00 [2.4x]
NANYA /CLX/00 [4x]
NANYA /RJB/00 [2.4x]
OPTODISC/OR4/00 [2.4x]
OPTODISC/OR8/00 [4x]
PHILIPS /C08/00 [4x]
PHILIPS /C16/00 [4x]
Plasmon /c01/00 [4x]
PRODISC /R01/01 [2.4x]
PRODISC /R02/00 [4x]
PRODISC /R03/03 [6x]
PRODISC /R04/04 [2.4x,4x]
RICOHJPN/R00/01 [2.4x]
RICOHJPN/R01/02 [4x]
RICOHJPN/R02/03 [6x]
RITEK /M02/01 [4x]
RITEK /R01/01 [2.4x]
RITEK /R02/01 [4x]
RITEK /R03/01 [4x]
RITEK /R03/02 [4x]
RITEK /R04/01 [4x]
SONY /D11/00 [6x]
SONY /D21/00 [2.4x,4x]
TDK /001/00 [4x]
TDK /002/00 [2.4x,4x]
VDSPMSAB/001/01 [4x]
YUDEN000/T01/00 [4x]
YUDEN000/T01/01 [4x]
YUDEN000/T02/00 [6x]

+R9
CMC MAG /W01/00 [2.4x]
CMC MAG /W02/00 [4x]
DAXON /D41/00 [4x]
DAXON /D42/00 [4x]
INFODISC/A01/00 [2.4x]
INFODISC/A10/00 [4x]
MBIPG101/W03/00 [2.4x]
MBIPG101/W04/00 [4x]
MCC /A01/00 [2.4x]
MKM /A02/00 [4x]
NANYA /DRW/00 [4x]
NANYASC /DRW/01 [2.4x]
OPTODISC/OP1/01 [2.4x]
OPTODISC/OP4/01 [4x]
PHILIPS /010/02 [2.4x]
PHILIPS /041/00 [4x]
PRODISC /W01/00 [2.4x]
PRODISC /W02/00 [4x]
RICOHJPN/W01/00 [2.4x]
RICOHJPN/W11/01 [4x]
RITEK /001/01 [2.4x]
RITEK /004/00 [4x]
RITEK /W04/00 [4x]
SENTINEL/W01/00 [2.4x]
SENTINEL/W02/00 [4x]
SONY /S11/00 [4x]

DVD-RW
DVD+RW
CMCW02 /00 [2x]
DAXON_RW2X01/00 [2x]
JVC/VictorT7/00 [2x]
JVC0VictorD7/00 [2x]
JVC_VictorW7/00 [2x]
MCC 00RW11N9/00 [1x]
MCC 01RW11n9/00 [2x]
MCC 01RW4X /00 [4x]
OPTODISCW002/00 [2x]
OPTODISCW004/21 [2x]
PRINCO /20 [1x]
PRINCO /21 [2x]
Prodisc DW04/21 [2x]
ProdiscDVDRW/00 [1x]
PVCW000001Q9/20 [1x]
PVCW00V00245/00 [2x]
RITEK000V11A/00 [1x]
RITEKW01 /00 [2x]
RITEKW04 /00 [2x]
SONY000000U9/20 [1x]
TDK401saku=3/20 [1x]
TDK501saku]3/20 [1x]
TDK502sakuM3/00 [2x]
TDK601saku /00 [4x]

CMC MAG /W01/00 [2.4x]
CMC MAG /W02/00 [4x]
DAXON /D41/00 [4x]
DAXON /D42/00 [4x]
INFODISC/A01/00 [2.4x]
INFODISC/A10/00 [4x]
MBIPG101/W03/00 [2.4x]
MBIPG101/W04/00 [4x]
MCC /A01/00 [2.4x]
MKM /A02/00 [4x]
NANYA /DRW/00 [4x]
NANYASC /DRW/01 [2.4x]
OPTODISC/OP1/01 [2.4x]
OPTODISC/OP4/01 [4x]
PHILIPS /010/02 [2.4x]
PHILIPS /041/00 [4x]
PRODISC /W01/00 [2.4x]
PRODISC /W02/00 [4x]
RICOHJPN/W01/00 [2.4x]
RICOHJPN/W11/01 [4x]
RITEK /001/01 [2.4x]
RITEK /004/00 [4x]
RITEK /W04/00 [4x]
SENTINEL/W01/00 [2.4x]
SENTINEL/W02/00 [4x]
SONY /S11/00 [4x]

As we saw in the DVD burning tests, the drive did not produce 8X burning speed with any of the +R media. Here, we can clearly see that this is indeed the case where no media brand is listed at 8X...


14. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 14

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 1

In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:
  • The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
  • The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

8X DVD+R Writing Speed

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

- Summary

In general, the writing quality was good.


15. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 15

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 2

In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:
  • The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
  • The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

4X DVD+R Writing Speed

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

- Summary

The best Plextools and CD/DVD Speed reading was produced by Traxdata 4X DVD+R media, a good combination...


16. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 16

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 3

In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:

  • The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
  • The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

8X DVD-R Writing Speed

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

- Summary

TY media gave the best results with both CD/DVD Sspeed and Plextools. With the remainder, quality was average.


17. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4

Waitec Action 16 Burner - Page 17

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 4

In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we used two readers with two software applications:

  • The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
  • The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

4X DVD-R Writing Speed

  • BenQ 4X DVD-R @ 4X

click to enlarge!

  • MAM-e 4X DVD-R @ 2.4X

click to enlarge!

  • MMore 4X DVD-R @ 4X

click to enlarge!

  • SKC 4X DVD-R @ 4X

- Summary

At 4X writing speed, the drive did not give the expected results, even though the recording speed was 4X, as supported by the drive. BenQ media reported the best readings.


18. CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 18

CDSpeed/PlexTools Scans - Page 5

In order to test the writing quality and readability of the burned media we are used two readers with two software applications:

  • The LiteON SOHD-167T with patched firmware being able to read DVD5 up to 16X CAV and DVD9 up to 10X CAV. For the transfer rate tests we used the latest Nero CDSpeed version.
  • The Plextor PX-712A with the latest available firmware. For scanning the disc, we used the latest PlexTools version at 2X CLV reading speed, BURST mode, with middle accuracy.

In general, a "perfect" disc should have a smooth reading curve, very low PIE/POE and zero (0) POF error rates. Most times however, even though a disc has very low PIE/POE error rates, the reading curve may not be smooth containing dropoffs. Due to the fact that we oversped the reading capabilities of the LiteON SOHD-167T, such drops are expected, especially near the outer area of the disc.

The measurements below should be taken not as the absolute criteria of the burning quality, but as an indication level.

4X -RW, +RW Writing Speed

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

click to enlarge!

- Summary

We'll just say that the best readings came with TDK 4X media and move on to another page...


19. DVD+R DL - Page 1

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 19

DVD+R DL - Page 1

- Writing Tests

We burned two DVD+R DL discs with DVD-Video content. The source disc was "Gladiator Movie - Special Edition" disc1 with a total size of 6.86GB. First, we transferred the movie to the hard disc with DVD Decrypter in ISO format (single file). Afterwards, we used CopyToDVD v3.0.0.26.

  • Traxdata DL

The writing process was finished after 39:30 minutes. The average speed was 2.24X as reported by CopyToDVD software. The recorded disc had the DVD+R9 format booktype setting.

  • Verbatim DL

The writing process was finished after 38:56 minutes. The average speed was 2.28X as reported by CopyToDVD software. The recorded disc had the DVD+R9 format booktype setting.
Disc Label
Disc Information
Max Allowed Writing Speed
Total Recording Time (mins)
Verbatim 2.4X
MKM 001
2.4X
38:56
Traxdata 2.4X
RITEK D01
2.4X
39:30

For comparison reasons, we post DL burning times for other writers, with the same disc content and same recording software:
Drive
Time (mins)
ASUS DRW-1604P (4X)
23:10
Pioneer DVR-108A (4X)
23:10
NEC ND-6500A
37:42
ASUS DRW-1604P (2.4X)
38:08
LG GSA-4120B
38:12
Pioneer DVR-108A (2.4X)

38:23

LiteON SOHW-832S DVD+R DL BookType
38:33
LiteON SOHW-1633S
38:34
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD-ROM BookType
38:36
SONY DRU-700A

38:39

LiteOn SOSW-852SX
38:56
BenQ DW830A
39:14
BenQ DW1620A
40:03
BenQ DW1600A DL
40:16

Well, as we can see form the above list, the review drive isn't first, but at least it's alos not last in the list of DL burners. In any case, as we mentioned in the beginning, being a laptop drive, emphasis should be given to quality and not speed.


20. DVD+R DL - Page 2

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 20

DVD+R DL - Page 2

- Writing Quality

Now, let us have a look in the writting quality of the drive, using the LiteOn SOHD-167T and the Plextor PX-712A drives.

click to enlarge!

Reading the DL media with Nero CDSpeed, we got the above graph which indicates poor quality performance. Simply too many speed fluctuations.

Using Plextools, we got the above scan, with the PI/PIF to the max. The LiteOn performed poorly in the specific DL tests and maybe a possible future upgrade would improve its performance with DL writing. Moving on...

click to enlarge!

Again, using CDSpeed, we got the above quality scan, smooth from the beginning until the completion of the reading test. Now this is closer to what we expected.

 

The graphs above speak for themselves... Verbatim reported good quality but we expected it to be better, as we expected for Traxdata as well.


21. SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 1

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 21

SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 1

For checking exactly what the Action 16 reports, we used three different media, burned with other recorders. The three media have been measured with the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system at 1X.

The drive is capable of reporting PI/PIF errors, so we will compare those measurements for various reading speeds:

Please note that the posted results are only valid for the specific tested LiteOn drive. Using other drives, even another SOSW-852X, can produce totally different results. Be aware!

#1st Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 8X Reading speed

The PI/PIF error values differ from those of the SA300, but the trends are similar.

#1st Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 6X Reading speed

Once again the trend lines are similar for both systems while the values differ but not by too much.

#1st Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 4X Reading speed

Here too the trend is the same even though the values may differ.


22. SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 2

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 22

SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 2

For checking exactly what the Action 16 reports, we used three different media, burned with other recorders. The three media have been measured with the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system at 1X.

The drive is capable of reporting PI/PIF errors, so we will compare those measurements for various reading speeds:

Please note that the posted results are only valid for the specific tested LiteOn drive. Using other drives, even another SOSW-852X, can produce totally different results. Be aware!

#2nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 8X Reading speed

#2nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 6X Reading speed

#2nd Test Disc - PISum8/PIF Comparison - 4X Reading speed

The reported error values from the SA300 are totaly differrent from the error values given by the LiteOn. The trendlines however are similar.


23. SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 3

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 23

SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 3

In this instance, the drive could not recognize the MCC DVD-R disc, hence the blank page...


24. SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 4

LiteOn SOSW-852SX Burner - Page 24

SOSW-852SX vs. SA300 - Page 4

For checking exactly what the Action 16 reports, we used three different media, burned with other recorders. The three media have been measured using the well known AudioDev SA300 DVD CATS system at 1X.

The drive is capable of reporting PI/PIF errors, so we will compare those measurements at various reading speeds:



Home | News | All News | Reviews | Articles | Guides | Download | Expert Area | Forum | Site Info
Site best viewed at 1024x768+ - CDRINFO.COM 1998-2024 - All rights reserved -
Privacy policy - Contact Us .