DVD-Rom Roundup Vol1

Review Pages

1. Introduction
2. Data Tests
3. RW reading tests
4. DAE Tests
5. DVD Tests
6. Conclusion

16x/48x DVD Round-up - Page 6

Conclusion

This time the final verdict isn't easy. Each one of the tested drives has its own positive and negatives features, which are listed below:

LiteOn LTD-163
Positive (+):	Negative (-):
- Seems to be the fastest 16x DVD around - Very good CloneCD reading performance, compared to the other tested drives - Reads SubChannel data from data/audio tracks - Best Data/DAE performance around - Very good DAE quality - Superb DVD ripping speed -Supports 90 and 99min CDs without any problems - Good price (75$)	- Higher seek times than the competition - Very slow when reading PSX CDs - Region-locked in hardware (RPC2) - Noisy when reading at full speed!

AOpen 1648
Positive (+):	Negative (-):
- The only region free 16x DVD-ROM (RPC1) - Fair CloneCD reading performance - Good Data/DAE performance - Very good DAE quality - Low Seek times - Low noise when operating!	- Some problems with 90/99min CDs - Low DVD ripping speed - Cannot read SubChannel data - Slow when reading PSX CDs - Higher price than competition

Matshita SR-8586
Positive (+):	Negative (-):
- Good CloneCD performance, with some CD protections - Reads PSX CDs very fast! - Very Good Seek times - Very Good DVD ripping speed - Reads SubChannel data from data/audio tracks - Very good Seek times - Supports 90min CD - Low price 65$	- Region-locked in hardware (RPC2) - Cannot read 96bytes of SubChannel Data (CD+G) - CloneCD reading performance is not satisfactory - Cannot rip 99min CDs - DAE quality is not perfect - DAE ripping speed is slow - Doesn't supports reading of DVD-RAM and DVD-R (4.7GB) discs - You won't find it easily in the stores

If you are looking for the best price/performance combo then the LiteOn LTD163 seems to be the ultimate solution for you. It is beyond any doubt the fastest of the the three tested drives in both CD/DVD formats, and has a high DAE ripping speed which comes in pretty handy for cooperating with your 20x/24x ultra high speed recorder. The noise levels are a bit high, and a drawback which might disappoint the user is the low reading performance with mode2 (PSX) CDs.

The AOpen 1648 is a safe buy and its region free status and noiseless operation will be greatly appreciated by all users. CloneCD fanatics will not like the drive, since it doesn't read SubChannel data and skips errors very slowly.

Lastly the Matsushita SR8586 seems to be an interesting alternative solution, but only if certain features, such as DAE quality/speed, are to be improved on a future firmware revision. The drive does have the fastest seek times around and reads PSX CDs as fast as hell. Last it supports reading of SubChannel data.

To end this roundup, before you go in front of your local computer store, smile at the seller, take your wallet out, and spell the magic words "Hello! I would like to buy a ..... DVD-ROM drive", you had better think twice about what you need it for. Do you need the best DAE and DVD ripping speeds? Then the LiteOn should be your choice. Do you own a vast collection of different region DVDs? Then pick the AOPen. Do you fancy a cheap PSX and various protection scheme beater? If you can find the Matsushita, then go for it. Not enough cash? Heh, stick to the traditional CD-ROM drive, but this is not a thing we would advise you to do :-)