LG GSA-4081B Multi DVD Recorder - Page 14

Conclusion

The latest recorder from LG Electronics, the GSA-4081B, is indeed a multi DVD writer. It managed to burn all the media formats we tested, including the DVD-RAM.

In the CD reading tests, the drive was slower than the other two drives we used as comparison, due to its 32x supported maximum reading speed. The seek times were good except for the full seek times which where were a little high.

The maximum CD writing speed of 24x is lower than we excpected, however the drive supports DVD-RAM writing and this more than makes up for any speed deficiencies. The drive burnt all of media brands we tried without reporting any problems. In the quality tests the C1 levels were low for almost all the discs, while no C2 errors were reported. However the the jitter levels were high, especially at 8x and 16x recording. Only TDK and Ritek media had acceptable jitter levels.

With the CD error correction test, the drive ranks somewhere in the middle, being neither one of the best nor among the worst drives we've tested. The performance with the ABEX TCD-721R test disc was acceptable, however the ABEX TCD-726 test disc which is normally a much easier disc proved a bit of a problem for the LG drive. The CD-Check Audio Test Disc, where the drive could not read even the second level was a major downfall. Obviously the drive is going to have problems with anything other than the small scratches or defects on a disc's surface.

The drive managed to make working backups for all SafeDisc protected game titles except for v2.9, which however has proven to be a problem with almost all drives.

In the DVD reading tests the drive performed well with good speeds and low seek times. It is also had high DVD-Video transfer rates. The GSA-4081B showed high DVD writing quality and according to Kprobe, the PI/PO measurements were low. However we didn't manage to burn at 8x with DVD+R media, and this is not good for the drive. However LG released a new firmware upgrade that might solve the problem. Unfortunately the firmware was released after the end of this test.

The drive's main advantage however is its ability to read and write DVD-RAM media. DVD-RAM recording speed is 3x. There are currently few drives on the market that support this format. Although LG assumes that the drive is capable of 3x DVD-RAM recording, according to our tests, the drive was slower at 1.3x due to data verification.

Finally, the drive is priced at around $135, which is an attractive and competitive price, especially for anyone wanting DVD-RAM capabilities.