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1. Introduction

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Hitachi LG Data Storage (HLDS) recently released a new Super Multi DVD Rewriter, capable of writing DVD recordables at 20x and supporting the RAM 2 specifications (Ver 2.1) for 12x writing on DVD-RAM media. The GSA-H55L supports HP's Lightscribe disc labeling technology and introduces for the first time the SecurDisc technology, co-developed by LG and Nero. SecurDisc allows users to password protect their data stored on optical discs. More information about the technology is available in the following pages.

- Drive Features & Specification

- 20x DVD±R Write Speed
- Compatible with all DVD/CD formats
- LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling Support

SecurDisc™ Technology

- Password Protection
- Digital Signature
- Data Integrity Check - Data Reliability
- Copy Protection (Supports PDF file only)

Write Speed (DVD+R)	2.4x, 4x (CLV), 8x (ZCLV), 12x (PCAV), 16x, 18x,20x (CAV)
Write Speed (DVD+R DL)	2.4x, 4x (CLV), 6x , 8x (ZCLV), 10x (PCAV)
Write Speed (DVD-R)	2x, 4x(CLV), 8x (ZCLV), 12x (PCAV), 16x, 18x,20x (CAV)
Write Speed (DVD-R DL)	4x (CLV), 6x, 8x (ZCLV), 10x (PCAV)
Write Speed (DVD+RW)	2.4x, 4x,6x (CLV), 8x (ZCLV)
Write Speed (DVD-RW)	1x, 2x, 4x , 6x (CLV)
Write Speed (DVD-RAM)	2x, 3x (CLV) , 5x, 6x, 8x,12x PCAV (Ver. 2.0 & Higher )
Write Speed (CD-R)	16x (CLV), 24x (ZCLV), 40x, 48x (CAV)
Write Speed (CD-RW)	4x, 10x, 16x (CLV), 24x, 32x (ZCLV) (High Speed: 10x . Ultra Speed = 16x)
Read Speed (CD-R/RW/ROM)	48x/40x/48xmax
Read Speed (DVD-R/RW/ROM)	16x/12x/16x max
Read Speed (DVD-ROM)	16x/12x max (Single/Dual)
Read Speed (DVD-RAM (Ver.1.0/2.1))	5x, 12x PCAV
Read Speed (DVD-Video(CSS Compliant Disc))	8x max. (Single/Dual layer)
Write Method(DVD-RAM/+RW)	Random Write
Write Method(DVD-R/RW)	Disc at Once Incremental Recording Restricted Overwrite (DVD-RW only)
Write Method(DVD+R)	Sequential Recording
Write Method(DVD+RW)	Random Write
Write Method(CD-R/RW)	Disc at Once (DAO) Session at Once (SAO) Track at Once (TAO) Packet Writing
Access Time	DVD-ROM (SL/DL) 140/175 ms typ / CD-ROM 120 ms typ
Buffer Size	2MB
Loading Type	Tray type
Interface Type	X3T13 ATA/ATAPI5/1321D
W x D x H	148 x 42 x 17 mm
Weight	Max 800g (Net)
Sustained Transfer rate	DVD-ROM 22.16 Mbytes/s (16x) max maxCD-ROM 7,200 kB/s (48x) max

The retail package of the drive includes the LG GSA-H55N, and the LG DVD Writer Solution CD-ROM which includes:

• Nero Express DVD/CD Recording solution with SecurDisc support
• InCD UDF packet writing software and SecurDisc reading Software
• PowerProducer DVD authoring software
• PowerDVD DVD-Video playing software
• Owner's manual
• Quick setup guide
• Extra bezel

The ATAPI drive comes with black front bezel, as well as with an extra ivony bexel to match with your PC set. The SecurDisc and the lightscribe logos indicate the supported technologies.

The GSA-H55N is based on the Panasonic MN103SC7GRT1 704U6F28 2
and Panasonic AN22117A 704P4002 chipsets, also found on the company's LG GSA-H22N model.

- Nero Info Tool

- DVD Info

Let's move to our usual CD/DVD reading and recording tests, as well as the writing quality tests of the LG drive, powered by DaTARIUS.

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2. CD - DVD Reading

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For our CD transfer rate tests, we used the Nero CD-Speed utility and a set of data and audio CD-R/RW/ROM. The drive can read CD media at a maximum speed of 48X. The results of two other 20x DVD burners have been included in the charts for comparison.

For each CDSpeed graph, you can click on the image to see the complete screenshot of the software, including the measuring results.

- CD-ROM

 

- US RW

The following CD Speed graph shows the reading performance with US-RW media. For all the CDSpeed graphs, you can click on the image to see the full CDspeed snapshot.

 

 

- AudioCD

In the CD Speed Advanced DAE quality test, the drive's average speed was 28.53X with a quality score of 100.

- 90/99 mins Audio disc

Both the 90min and the 99 min audio CDs gave a read error, as you can see in the screenshots above.

- DVD Format

Now let's have a look at how the drive performs with DVD media. This time, a set of SL and DL DVD media was used. The drive is capable of reading at 16X maximum speed for single layer DVD ROM and at 12X for dual layer DVD ROM media.

DVD-ROM SL media -

 

 

 

PTP DVD-ROM -

The two layers of a PTP DVD-ROM disc are read sequentially with the drive starting reading from the inner part of the disc, which is the beginning of each layer, progressing towards its outer range.

 

The LG drive did not reach the 12x CAV reading speed with the PTP Dual Layer DVD-ROM.

OTP DVD-ROM -

The first layer of an OTP dual layer DVD-ROM is read exactly the same way as the first layer of 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 and progresses towards the inner part of the disc.

The sharp drop down of the speed just before the swift layer area could be considered as an issue here.

- DVD-R

 

- DVD-RW

 

- DVD+R

 

- DVD+RW

 

 

 

- DVD-R DL

 

 

- DVD+R DL

 

 

- DVD-RAM (Ver 2.1 12X)

 

- DVD Ripping speed.

Average - 7.869 kB/s (5.7x)
Maximum - 11.025 kB/s (8.0x)

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3. CD Error Correction

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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

 

An average score for the LG drive with the scratched audio CD. The error correction capabilities of the drive are not very high, but the amount of samples that were muted indicate that the drive has strong error hidding capabilities, which mean that noise may not make it to your speakers.

- ABEX TCD-726

First of all, the drive was extremely slow when it ripped the specific ABEX test disc. Ripping finished after more than three hours, and then the ripped audio file was compared with the same file, ripped from a disc that had not any defects on its surface. According to the graph, the drive started error correction quite early, revealing either bad optics or low error correction capabilities. But again, the amount of the muted samples is very high, meaning that the errors may not be audible. The answer is given in the test that follows.

- CD-Check Audio Test Disc

The CD-Check Test Disc is another 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 a bilities 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 reproduced through a software multimedia player (e.g. 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.

The drive read flawlessly all 5 tracks. The tracks were played in a row and the tone remained continuous and smooth, even with the last track, where the scratch is higher.

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4. DVD Error Correction

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In the following tests, we examined the DVD reading capabilities of the drive (error correction) 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.

A goog read without any problems with the scratched DVD-ROM disc.

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.

 

 

The god performance continues with the second DVD-ROM.

- 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.

 

 

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 defective areas and fingerprints.

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 disc checks the layer switch operation from layer 0 to layer 1 and also includes test pictures and test signals for DVD sound files..

The current TDV-541 also checks the error correcting capabilities of the drive and includes scratches from 0.4 to 3.0 mm.

There is a serious issue here, since the drive had hard times to read the second layer of the disc. Although the test did not return a read error and reading resumed as the scratch became narrower towards the inner part of the disc (OTP), the behavior is not the expected.

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.

These kind of defects were easily overcomed by the drive, giving a very smooth reading graph.

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5. Memorex 48x CD-R

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For this test (and every test from now on), each CD-R disc was burned to its maximum capacity and at its maximum speed. Then the same disc is read with the CDSpeed software, and the disc was scanned for digital errors (BLER, C1 and C2) with our system provided by Clover Systems. To simplify the presentation, we present the BLER, E31 and E32 error rates for each disc, which unveil the most serious errors on each disc.

-Disc Info

Memorex 48x CD-R

Manufacturer	Ritek
Brand	Memorex
MID	97m15s17f
Capacity	79:57.70 702 MB

- Writing strategy

 

 

Average Writing Speed: 36.54x
Writing time: 02:10min

- Reading speed

 

- Writing Quality - Clover Systems

 

Low E31 and no E32 (uncorrectable) errors. A nice burn with the specific disc.

- About Clover Systems

The Clover Systems CDX Compact Disc Analyzer is a 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 speed of 4X.

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.

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6. TAIYO YUDEN 16x CD-R

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- Disc Info

TAIYO YUDEN 16x CD-R

Manufacturer	TAYIO YUDEN
Capacity	79:57.72 702 MB

- Writing strategy

Average Writing Speed: 16.00x 
Writing time: 05:22min

Strangely enough, the disc was recorded at 16x.

- Reading

 

- Writing Quality - Clover Systems

 

 

Another good burn for LG media drive.

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7. MoserBaer 52x CD-R

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- Disc Info

MoserBaer 52x CD-R

Manufacturer	MoserBaer
Capacity	79:57.74 702 MB

- Writing Info

 

Average Writing Speed: 36.22x  
Writing time: 02:48min 

- Reading speed

 

Writing Quality - Clover Systems

No E32 (uncorrectable) errors at all but in the end of cd writing the speed sharply dropped. Eventhough the disc write was very good.

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8. Verbatim 48x CD-R

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- Disc Info

Verbatim 48x CD-R

Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Kagaku
Capacity	79:57.73 702 MB

- Writing strategy

Average Writing Speed: 36.76x  
Writing time: 02:43min 

- Reading

 

 

- Writing Quality - Clover Systems

An exellent writing from LG Media drive. Very low E31 errors an no E32 errors at all.

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9. Mitsubishi Kagaku HS-RW

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- Disc Info

 

Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Kagaku
Capacity	97:34.25 656 MB

- Writing strategy

Average Writing Speed: 25.77x  
Writing time: 03:33min 

Note that the disc is a CD-RW, although the CDSpeed software reports it as a CD-R.

- Reading speed

 

- Writing Quality - Clover Systems

Not exactly a good burn with some errors reported as uncorrectables (E32).

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10. DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x

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The DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x is one of the cornerstones in DVD quality control equipment, and is truly unique in the industry. It allows checking of replicated DVDs with single and dual layer structure (DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10, DVD-14, DVD-18) and written DVD recordable, at 1X and 2X speed. It is based on the Pulstec Reference Pickup and Drive, developed in close co-operation with Pulstec and according to the standards of the DVD Forum.

In short, the device's features include:

• Analysis of pre-recorded DVDs, single and dual layer, and written DVD Recordable
• Analysis of pre-recorded DVDs, single and dual layer, and written DVD recordable
  Double and single speed analysis
• Double-check function at reference speed
• Double-check function at reference speed
• Multi-dimensional calibration
• HF, jitter, mechanical and tracking parameters checked
• Radial tilt control, focus offset compensation and slicing level adjustment for jitter measurement
• Local defect detection/missing pits
• Error flag analysis (PI-errors, PI-fail, PO-fail)
• According to DVD Forum specification
• Double-Check function
• Control datasimulation
• DVD-9 OTP sector number check

An explanation of the various parameters the DaTARIUS DVD Analyzer R 2x offers is available here. At the same page, you can read more details about the error signals and a brief analysis the possible meaning of its parameter in the overall quality of each burn.

In the following pages, we present the writing quality measurements of various DVD recordable and rewritable media, burned with the LG GSA H55L DVD burner.

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11. RITEGK05 DVD-R

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We start our DVD writing quality measurements with DVD-R media. A variety of different MIDs were selected and were burned at the maximum allowed speed. In each of the following pages you can find detailed information about each disc, the burning and reading procedure as well as the related signal measurements that construct the overall quality picture of each disc.

You can always navigate across the different MIDs of this test, using the page navigation drop down menu.

- Media Info

 

Writing - 8x (7.34x average) in 09:18min

 

Reading - 16X (12.04X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

Another example of a readable disc that reports high PISum8 errors and POFs. Although the high FE signal could be attributed to disc defects (invisible), the PiSum8 errors as well as jitter sharply rised at the point where the burning speed jumped at 8x (Z-CLV).

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12. MXL RG03

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- Media Info

Writing - 8x (7.36x average) in 09:14min

 

 

Reading - 16X (12.07X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

Another average burn for LG. The disc present the most errors when sthe drive changed its burning speed from 4x to 8x . And we say average since the disc was burned at just 8x.

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13. BeAll G40001

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 4x (3.97x average) in 15:04min

Reading - 16X (11.94X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

One of the gretest burns of the LG drive, at 4x of course.

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14. INFODISC-R20

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 8x (7.35x average) in 09:19min

 

 

Reading - 16X (12.02X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

This should be considered as a good burn, since all the signals are in general in specs. The POF error reported is due to local defect, judging from the spikes reported on the FE and RADIAL signals at the specific position.

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15. ProdiscF02

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 16x (11.88x average) in 05:35min

 

 

Reading - 16X (12.01X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

 

And thats a very good burn at 16x with low digital errors.

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16. TTH02

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 8x (7.35x average) in 09:18min

Reading - 8X (6.11X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

Good performance for the LG drive at 8x.

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17. FUJIFILM03

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- Media Info

Writing - 8x (7.35x average) in 09:16min

 

Reading - 8X (6.11X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

 

Here we had a bad reading and the drive managed to read the disc with many difficulties. The DaTARIUS results where also not so good. Presenting some PIE (correctable) errors and POFs. The writing strategy of the LG drive with the specific MID seems not to be the appropriate.

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18. ProdiscS05

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 16x (11.82x average) in 05:35min

 

Reading - 16X (11.91X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

 

High PiSum8 error rate at the end of the data area as well as some POFs ruined the good picture of the specific disc.

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19. CMC MAG AM3

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 16x (11.90x average) in 05:33min

Reading - 16X (11.91X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

Again, PiSum8 rate increases towards the end of the data area, although the disc is fully readable.

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20. OPTODISC R016

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- Media Info

Writing - 16x (11.86 average) in 05:36min

 

 

Reading - 16X (11.88X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

High digital error rate for this disc although the reading process finished with just a smal dip at around the 3.3GB mark, as you can see in the corresponding CDSpeed graph.

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21. MCC 03RG20

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 20x (14.88x average) in 04:40min

 

Reading - 16X (11.93X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

 

 

This is the first disc on this test recorded at 20x. A readable disc with uncorrectable digital errors at the end of the data area, and high PISum8 rate after the middle of the writing process.

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22. TYG03

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- Media Info

Writing - 20x (14.91x average) in 04:39min

Reading - 16X (11.92X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

Considering the high recording speed the drive used for this disc, the result is very good and among the best we have seen from a drive that burns at 20X. PISum8 just gave a peak at the very end of the data, without however influencing the readbility of the disc.

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23. DAXON016S

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 16x (11.87x average) in 05:35min

Reading - 16X (11.93X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

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24. MCC 004 (000)

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- Media Info

Writing - 20x (14.86x average) in 05:03min

 

Reading - 16X (11.92X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

In some occasions this disc might not be readable.. However, the drive read it despite the very high digital errors.

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25. CMC MAG E01 000

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 8x (7.35x average) in 09:12min

 

Reading - 16X (11.78X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

Considering the low recording speed for the CMC MAG disc (8x), the result is not what we expected. The digital errors clearly influenced the playability of the disc, as you can see in the CDSpeed reading test.

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26. OPTODISC OR8

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- Media Info

Writing - 8x (7.35x average) in 09:24min

Reading - 16X (11.81X average)

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

An excellent writing; without PIF or POF at all. An unexpected drop in the end of the end of the writing process is mostly related to a local defect on the disc surface.

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27. PRODISC R05 001

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- Media Info

Writing - 16x (11.86x average) in 05:49min

 

 

Reading - 16X (11.92X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

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28. MAXELL 003 000 (00)

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 20x (14.84x average) in 05:01min

Reading - 16X (11.92X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

 

 

The specific burn could nto be considered as a good one, giving serious digital errors towards the end of the data area.

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29. PRODISC R04 004

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- Media Info

Writing - 16x (11.84x average) in 05:52min

 

Reading - 16X (11.92X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

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30. RICOHJPN R03 (004)

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 16x (11.87x average) in 05:49min

Reading - 16X (12.04X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

Again, the error rate increases significantly at the outer parts of the disc, where the speed reaches the 16x. Readability was slightly influenced in the same area, but we cannot consider this burn a a good one.

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31. RITEK R04 001

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 12x (10.61x average) in 06:24min

 

 

Reading - 16X (10.25X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

PIFs were reported in the whole area of the disc, indicating the existence of optical defects that interfere with the normal read-out. These defects could be scratches or dots. However, the disc we used in this test looked perfectly shaped. So the PIFs should most probably be related to bad HF signal for the 12x burning speed. The drive lowered the reading speed at around the 2.4 GB mark. Reading was resumed after this position.

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32. CMC MAG M01 000 (00)

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 16x (11.83x average) in 05:49min

 

Reading - 16X (11.97X average)

 

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

 

 

This is a typical example of a disc with digital errors in the outer data area. Readability was affected at the same areas where PiSum8 increased.

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33. DAXON AZ3 (000)

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- Media Info

Writing - 16x (11.83x average) in 05:52min

 

Reading - 16X (11.82X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

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34. YUDEN000 T03

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 20x (14.88x average) in 05:02min

 

Reading - 16X (11.72X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

 

 

 

A good writing also but as about the reading part ...at the end of it the drive sharply droped its speed in order to read the disc. At the same areas, the PISum8 error increased, without reaching the limits.

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35. MKM 03RD30

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- Media Info

Writing - 10x (9.08x average) in 13:17min

 

 

Reading - 12X (9.10X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

Layer 0

/DVD-R DL/Verbatim MKM 03RD30/dig_l0.png" width="470" height="780" align="middle" />

 

 

 

Layer 1

 

 

The disc first layer was written in an exeptional way presenting no errors. The second layer of the disc reported some errors, although the disc was fully readable.

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36. RITEK S04 001

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 8x (6.26x average) in 19:57min

Reading - 12X (9.11X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

Layer 0

 

 

Layer 1

 

The LG here didn't go that well since on both layers preseted POF (uncorrectable) errors and many PISum errors.

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37. MKM 003 (000)

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 10x (9.05x average) in 14:13min

 

 

Reading - 12X (9.12X average)

 

DaTARIUS Scans -

Layer 0

 

Layer 1

 

 

An exeptional dual layer writing by the LG drive :-)

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38. MKM A03 000

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 8x (7.71x average) in 08:54min

 

Reading - 12X (9.11X average)

 

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

A generaly good burn, despite the POF reported in the very beginning of the test, which is possibly noise due to the sudden start of the measurement. This is an issue often met when measuring with the AEC-1000 device, and should not influence the disc playability.

About Almedio AEC-1000

The AEC-1000 consists of a DVD Drive and the "ALChecker" error measurement application which can check the written data quality. The application is capable of 1X CLV measurement as well as 4X CLV on DVD-Video/ROM and finalized DVD+R/-R media.

There are three measurement modes:
Fine Mode: checks a series of eight consecutive ECC blocks,
Rough Mode: checks eight consecutive ECC blocks every 100h ECC blocks
Quick Mode: checks three specified areas

The checking status is shown graphically in real time while you can save the error graph at the end of the test. The reported errors are the PI and the UncPO. In the case of PI, it counts the number of rows corrected by the PI error correction in each group of eight consecutive ECC blocks. In the case of UncPO, it counts the number of ECC blocks in which more than one byte is uncorrectable in eight consecutive ECC blocks. For our quality scans, we set for 1X CLV and Fine Mode which is the slowest and with the safest results. Also, we chose to measure all the media burned at the maximum available writing speed.

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39. MKM 01RW6X01

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- Media Info

Writing - 6x (5.99x average) in 10:26min

 

 

Reading - 12X (9.11X average)

 

Writing Quality - Almedio AEC-1000

We could say a good writing presenting some PI (correctable) errors but it is a pretty good writing thought.

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40. MXL22

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- Media Info

 

Writing - 12x (10.05x average) in 5:55min

 

 

Reading - 12X (10.23X average)

At 12x, the DVD-RAM was fully recorded in 5:55min, a significantly lower time compared to that reported when burning the 5x DVD-RAMs. We have to mention that DVD-RAMs 12x are not compatible and cannot be recorded from drives that support DVD-RAMs 2x. or 5x.

Finally we have to say that the we expect the availability of 12x DVD-RAMs to be wider in Europe in the future, in order to become more popular among users.

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41. Media List

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In the following table we have gathered the findings of the DVD quality measurement tests. Note that each disc was measured under the same conditions with the DaTARIUS equipment. On the left side of the table you can find the discs that did not return uncorrectable digital errors, while on the right side are the rest of the discs. For detailed measurement data, visit the corresponding pages.

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42. Secure Disc Capability

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Secure Disc Capability

Fist of all we have to explain what is the SecurDisc capability our drive supports. SecurDisc is a technology which provides data protection and content access control on media throught an optical drive-software combined solution.

The function works with Nero and LG drives only, at least for now.

SecurDisc can be used with the following disc formats:

• CD-R, CD-RW
• DVD+R, DVD-R
• DVD+RW, DVD-RW
• DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL
• DVD-RAM

Now let's take a closer look at SecurDisc features:

1. Password Protection: Protects user data against unauthorized access through password protection. SecurDisc's password protection feature uses data encryption (AES-128) to restrict access to confidential files and folders.
2. Digital Signature: Provides origin of data through digital signature verification.
3. Data Integrity Check: Detects altered data through checksum verification.
4. Data Reliability: Maximazises data reliability via redundancy storage and defect data managment system.

In order to use the Secure Disc option, we had to install Nero 7 Essentials, which was included in the retail package of the LG drive. In the future, this plug-in will be incorporated in the Nero Full package.

Though Nero 7Essensials we may select burn Secure Disc Data CD or DVD.

Now here in this screen we add our data as we usually do when burning a CD/DVD disc with the diffrence that we select the two options, available on the left side of the program's window. (Protect Data Password & Digitally sign disc). We select the "Digitally sign disc" option and SecurDisc asks us to import our digital key and in case we don't have one, it guides us to push start button in order to create a new one.

We procceed by clicking next..

In the new key creation process, SecurDisc ask us to type some text in order to generate some random data and create our new key.

We name our new key ...

Back to the main screen with the difference that we have now our new key, ready to use..

 

We press ok and back to the main usual screen.. Now by the time we press next button the application asks us to create a password for our data .

As we can see the application examines and informs us how secure & strong our password is ....

and below ask us to reenter our password in order to confirm it.

Finally at the end of the procedure which is the usual we burn our disc. On average, SecurDisc recording time is longer than with a non SecurDisc optical drive. This is because SecurDisc always fills the CD or DVD completely, regardless of the size of data that you are copying. The additional information stored on the CD or DVD consists of redundancy and check-sum data, included in order to increase the chances of retrieving information in case your disc gets damaged. Also, some additional time is required to prepare SecurDisc files on the hard drive.

As we can see above our data have been digitally signed.

After our disc is burned we try to access our data ... but the SecurDisc asks us for the password as our data are protected :-)

Currently, only PDFs can be protected using the SecurDis feature. In order for you, or anyone else, to view a copy protected PDF, you require a special application called SecurDisc Viewer. SecurDisc Viewer can be downloaded free of charge at www.securdisc.net. PDFs that are copy protected using SecurDisc can only be read from the original DVD that was created. That means, if a SecurDisc copy protected PDF is copied to another media, it will no longer be readable, even with SecurDisc Viewer installed. In order to read a copy protected SecurDisc, a SecurDisc compatible drive is required.

To sum up, to take advantage of SecurDisc's features, you will need the following applications: Nero Express, to create SecurDiscs Nero InCD / InCD Reader, to access content on a SecurDisc SecurDisc Viewer, to view copy protected PDFs.

InCD Reader is available at www.SecurDisc.net.

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43. LightScribe

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- LightScribe

LightScribe is a laser printing technology on exlusive lighscribe discs. The only simple thing you need to do is to burn the data in to a LightScribe disc, flip it over, place it back in the drive and burn the label.

Let's just move to the procedure itself .

First of all in order to create a LightScribe Disc, we need draw the label first. There is where Nero CoverDesigner fullfil our needs. Nero CoverDesigner is useally installed with the Nero Burning Rom or with Nero Essensials.

This is the label we draw for our LightScribe Disc.. We press Next...

Our label is being drawed (burned) by the LG GSA H55L drive.

And the result printed on our LightScribe Disc :-)

Finally we have to say that there are 3 options as far as the quality of printing.

1. Draft
2. Normal
3. Best

We burned our LightScribe disc at Best quality which took us 22:16mins and the result is the one you see in the picture above. Draft and Normal takes less minutes in order to burn the disc but tha quality is no the same.

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44. Conclusion

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LG' s latest proposal for DVD burning packs many intrersting features while it offers an overall decent performance in terms of reading and recording capabilities.

The drive supports reading of all CD and DVD formats. Reading speeds are adequate, with a small exception in the DVD Video ripping, where it could be slightly faster to catch up with competitive drives. The error correction capabilities of the drive when reading problematic CDs is a mixed bag. The drive lowers its reading speed in order to read accurately, but this could make your life more difficult since in severe cases, the drive could take hours to rip your favourite music files to the hard disk. In our error correction tests for example, the scratched audioCD test took more than 3 hours to complete. The results indicated that the drive did not manage to correct the read errors, although it succesfully muted the error samples. The error hiding capabilities of the drive are very high; a feature that could be useful when you use it for audio playback. Here we should note that our test pushes error correction to its limits, so in real life everyday reading tasks the drive is faster. In addition, the drive supports "cache" of files, witch further complicated the audio ripping procedure, in the specific error correction test.

On the other hand, DVD error correction was stronger. The drive read the DVD-ROM test discs flawlesly. Again ,an exception was the scratched DVD Video disc where the drive had hard times to read the second layer.

The writing performance of the drive should be also considered as good. The LG GSA-H55L is capable of burning specific DVD recordables in high quality, even at 20x with specific media. Of course, there were also cases where the results were not the expected, as it happens in the majority of today's drives. In these cases, high digital errors were reported in the areas were the burning speed reached the 16x or higher. The fact however, that the drive selects a lower burning speed for some media should be considereded as positive, in order to maintain quality. Firmware could adjust the writing strategy of the drive in some cases, especialy when Z-CLV is used, in order to avoid digital errors as the drive jumps at higher burning speeds. All the recorded discs were readable. CD burning gave a good overall quality.

Of the most intreresting features of the drive, SecurDisc technology is supported and it is an extra that could attract candidate owners of the LG drive. Although it could take some time for someone to get familiar with the basic features around SecurDisc, using it is helpful. LightScribe support is also welcomed for creating labels on your favorite discs.

Last but certainly not least, the LG GSA-H55L supports the 12x DVD-RAM media for writing/reading. This upgrade in the DVD-RAM speed was eagerly expected among users of DVD-RAM media, since the recoding time was significatly decreased. We would like a wider availability of 12x DVD-RAM media worldwide.

The LG GSA-H55L is a good all-around good performer and will fulfil the majority of your needs in your everyday reading/writing tasks, while it offers some extras for all those who are seeking for advanced control over DVD burning. The drive is available in online stores for around $69 U.S.