Tor Magne, better known as OC-Freak and one of CD Freaks most experienced drive reviewers has just finished a review of Lite-ONs SOHW-1673S DVD writer. As you may know, this drive offers 16x DVD+/-R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW and 4x DVD+R9 writing.
It is said that this drive performed well in his tests, but as always are there are some negative points that need to be fixed.
Drive specifications:
These are the specifications of this drive, found at the Lite-On webpage: SOHW - 1673S 16x 8x / 16x 6x / 16x / 4x + 48x 24x 48x Half-Height DVD-Dual - ATAPI / E-IDE Half-Height internal DVD+R / DVD+RW / DVD-R / DVD-RW / DVD+R9 / DVD-ROM / CD-R/ CD-RW / CD-ROM combination drive
- Support Double Layer DVD+R9 Recording Function
- SMART-BURN avoiding Buffer UnderRun Error, Automatically adjusting writing strategy & running OPC to provide the best burning quality
- SMART-X function adjusts CD-DA / VCD / DVD data extraction to a fastest allowable speed according to both data request rate from host and disk quality
- VAS® system reduce vibration and noise during recording and reading
- Support Fixed Packet, Variable Packet, TAO, SAO, DAO, Raw Mode Burning & Over-Burn
- DVD read compliant : DVD single / dual layer ( PTP / OTP ), DVD-R ( 3.9 GB / 4.7 GB ), DVD-R multi-borders, DVD+R, DVD+R multi-sessions, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW
- CD read compliant : CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM / XA, Photo-CD, Multi-session, Karaoke-CD, Video-CD, CD-I FMV, CD Extra, CD Plus, CD-R, and CD-RW
- Supprot both 8 cm and 12 cm disc of CD and DVD family
- Conform to Orange Book : Part 2 CD-R Volume 1, Part 2 CD-R Volume 2 Multi Speed, Part 3 CD-RW Volume 1 ( 1x, 2x, and 4x ), Part 3 CD-RW Volume 2 : High Speed, Part 3 CD-RW Volume 3 : Ultra Speed
Supported transfer mode : PIO mode 4, DMA mode 2 and Ultra DMA mode 2 | DVD Family : | Write | DVD+R | 16x ( 21600 KB/sec ) maximum by CAV | | | | DVD-R | 16x ( 21600 KB/sec ) maximum by CAV | | | | DVD+R9 | 4x ( 5400 KB/sec ) maximum by CLV | | | ReWrite | DVD+RW | 8x ( 10800 KB/sec ) by Z-CLV | | | | DVD-RW | 6x ( 8100 KB/sec ) by CLV | | | Read | 16x ( 21600 KB/sec ) maximum by CAV | | | Access time | 160 ms | | | | CD Family : | Write | CD-R | 48x ( 7200 KB/sec ) maximum by P-CAV | | | ReWrite | CD-RW | 24x ( 3600 KB/sec ) maximum by Z-CLV in UltraSpeed disc | | | Read | 48x ( 7200 KB/sec ) maximum by CAV | | | Access time | 160 ms | | | | Buffer Size : | 2 MB | | | | PC Required : | Pentium III 450 MHz or faster CPU and 128 MB or higher RAM are required | | | 650 MB HDD available capacity; and 5 GB free space for creating a DVD image file | | | | Compatibility : | Windows 98 / NT 4.0 / ME / 2000 / XP | | | | MTBF ( Life ) : | 70,000 Hours | | | | S/N Ration : | > 75 dB | | | | Environment : | Operating | 5C to 45C; Relative Humidity : 15% to 80% | | | Non-Operating | -40C to 60C; Relative Humidity : 15% to 95% | | | | Dimension : | 145.0 ( W ) x 41.3 ( H ) x 170.0 ( D ) mm | | | | Weight : | < 0.9 Kg | | | | Voltage Requirements : | +5V +/-5% and less than 100 mVp-p ripple voltage | | | +12V +/-5% and less than 200 mVp-p ripple voltage | The specifications are very good, and we can't find any noticeable drawbacks. It should also write with CAV technology, which is promising for low recording times and high average recording speeds. |
Since Lite-ON drives are very popular around here and there are many tools available, I'm sure that many of you were waiting for this review. So, don't wait any longer and check out the whole article here. If you still have any ununswered questions on this review, feel free to ask your questions here.
Source: CD Freaks.com
