Today we will make some tests with Lite-On's latest BD-ROM drive, the iHOS104. The drive does not offer the writing capabilities found on more expensive units, but its relatively low cost could be attractive to users who need a BD drive in order to watch Blu-ray movies on their computers. The drive retails for about $70 in online stores.
Basic features inlcude 4x BD read speeds, reading of DVD's at 8x and CD's at 32x. Of course, the , the drive comes with CyberLink's PowerDVD software.
Features:
- SATA interface, 5 ¼" Half-Height internal BD ROM drive.
- Max. 4X BD-ROM/BD-RE SL and 4X BD-ROM/BD-R/BD-RE DL CAV reading
- Max. 8X DVD-ROM/+R/+RW/+RDL/-R/-RW/-RWDL CAV reading
- Max. 32X CD-ROM/R/RW CAV reading
- Fast access time and high data transfer rate, could be vertical mounted (optional)
- SMART-X function smartly adjusts CD-DA / VCD / DVD data extraction to a fastest allowable speed according to both data request rate from host and disk quality
- Supporting DOS 6.xx, Windows XP/ 2003/ Vista and Linux Operating System
- BD read compliant: BD data, BD video of 12 cm diameter
- CD read compliant: CD-DA,CD-ROM, CD-ROM/XA , Photo-CD, Multi-session Video-CD, CD-I FMV, CD Extra, CD Plus, CD-R , and CD-RW discs of 8 or 12 cm diameter
- DVD read compliant: DVD single/dual layer (PTP, OTP), DVD-R(4.7G), DVD-R multi-borders DVD-R Double Layer, DVD+R, DVD+R multi-sessions, DVD+R Double Layer, DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs
- Flash ROM support on line programming capability
- Serial ATA Revision 2.6, ATA-8, MMC-6 and SFF-8090 V7 compliant
- MPC level 3, PC2001 System Design Guide, MultiRead/UDF compliant
- Support Ultra DMA mode 5
- AACS compliant (incl. Rom mark)
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The retail package of the drive includes:
- iHOS104 BD-ROM drive
- CyberLink Software CD
- User's Manual
- Quick Installation Guide
- Silver Replacement Bezel
- SATA Cable
- Mounting Screws
- Warranty Information
The drive sports a glossy finish, and has the typical single operation LED below the tray, following the design of LiteOn' ODD drives. The retail version of the iHOS104 also comes with a silver replacement bezel:
The rear panel is straightforward and and has a power connector and the SATA interface:
Let's take a look at the drive's internal board. It is recommended not to open the case of your drive since that would void the warranty.
The main board is small as you can see in the picture below.You can click on each picture for a larger view:
The drive uses the Sunext SC6300B3 a single-chip all-format optical disc controller with integrated Serial ATA host interface. The SC6230 reads Blu-ray format, as well as all CD and DVD standards. Sunext Technology Company Limited is privately held and a supplier of semiconductor products for Optical Disc Drive (ODD) applications. The company is using ODD patents from Philips since a licensing agreement sugned between the companies in 2006.
The drive was connected to the PC via a typical SATA interface and was identified as "iHOS104".
