Samsung SH-W08A

Review Pages

1. Package - Installation
2. Data CD Reading Tests
3. CD Error Correction Tests
4. DVD reading tests
5. DVD Error Correction Tests
6. Protected Disc Tests
7. DAE Tests
8. CD Recording Tests
9. CD Writing Quality - 3T Jitter Tests
10. C1 / C2 Error Measurements
11. DVD Recording Tests
12. KProbe PI/PO Quality Tests for DVD+R/RW
13. BookType Setting Tests
14. Conclusion
15. KProbe PI/PO Quality Tests for DVD-R/RW

SAMSUNG SH-W08A DVD±R/RW recorder - Page 1

Samsung's new 8x DVD dual format optical disc drive is compatible with all current formats such as DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW media and CDs.

- Features

The drive features 8x DVD+/-R writing, 4x DVD+/-RW rewriting, 32x CD-R writing, 16x CD-RW rewriting, 40x CD-ROM reading, 24x CD-RW reading and 12x DVD-ROM reading. Buffer underrun protection and DVD-RAM reading (only) are supported.

- Specifications

Host/Interface	ATA / ATAPI, PIO mode 4, Ultra DMA Mode 2
Disc Data Capacity	CD: 74min/650MB, 80min/700MB DVD: 4.7GB
Usable Discs	CD: CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-DA, CD+E(G) CD-MIDI, CD-TEXT, CD-ROM XA, Mixed Mode CD, CD-I, CD-I Bridge (Photo-CD, Video-CD), Multisession CD (Photo-CD, CD-EXTRA, Portforio) DVD: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM (Read Only)
Write data transfer speed	DVD+R: ZCLV 8X (Max 10.8MB/sec) DVD+RW: CLV 4X (Max 5.4MB/sec) DVD-R: ZCLV 8X (Max 10.8MB/sec) DVD-RW: CLV 4X (Max 5.4MB/sec) CD-R: ZCLV 32X (Max 4.8MB/sec) US-RW: ZCLV 16X (Max 2.4MB/sec) HS-RW: CLV 10X (Max 1.5MB/sec) CD-RW: CLV 4X (Max 0.6MB/sec)
Read data transfer speed	DVD+R: CAV 8X (10.8MB/sec) DVD+RW: CAV 4.8X (6.3MB/sec) DVD-R: CAV 8X (10.8MB/sec) DVD-RW: CAV 4.8X (6.3MB/sec) DVD-RAM: ZCLV 2X (2.7MB/sec) DVD-ROM(Single): CAV 12X (16.2MB/sec) DVD-ROM(Dual): CAV 8X (10.8MB/sec) CD-ROM: CAV 40X (6.0MB/sec) CD-R: CAV 40X (6.0MB/sec) US-RW: CAV 24X (3.6MB/sec) HS-RW: CAV 24X (3.6MB/sec) CD-RW: PCAV 6X (0.9MB/sec
Access time	DVD-ROM: 130ms CD-ROM: 110ms
Buffer memory	2 MB with Buffer Underrun Protection
Mounting Method	Horizontal/Vertical (cannot use 80 mm discs)
Audio output	Digital and Analogue output
Weight	1.0kg
Dimensions (WxHxL)	146mm x 41.5mm x 189.5mm

The drive uses a 2MB buffer memory store and supports RAW DAO 96 writing (CD). The drive does not support DVD-RAM, DVD+R DL and Mount Rainier writing features as well as DVD+R DL reading feature.

The drive uses the RPC II region control, allowing a user to change the drive's region at most 5 times. For our tests, we set the region code to 2 (Europe) and that's the reason for the 4 times left in the screenshot above.

- The drive

The retail package includes a 40-pin interface cable, audio cable , four screws to install the drive, installation instruction sheets and software program (Pinnacle's Instant CD/DVD 8.0).

The drive's front panel color is white. On the tray loader, at left we can see the Samsung logo and on the right side the DVD R/RW logo, RW DVD+ReWritable logo, ultra Speed Compact disc Rewritable logo. Below the tray from left to right we can also see the power led, the eject button and the emergency eject hole

On the rear panel you can find the analogue and digital audio outputs (SPDIF), the IDE connector and the power input.

Removing the screws and opening the drive's cover voids the drive's warranty. For reference reasons, we post the following pictures. Click on the photos for an enlarged view.

The drives PCB and chipset are manufactured by Toshiba.

The main chipset is also manufactured by Toshiba.

- Installation

The device was connected to our test PC and was identified as "SAMSUNG DVD R/RW SH-W08A" under WinXP. All tests were done with firmware revision 1S30.

The following pages include test results for the Samsung drive, in comparison with the Toshiba SD-R5272 and the TDK 880N, since all have about the same features.