LG GSA-4166B Super Multi DVD-Writer with LightScribe Review

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LGE '“ USA was gracious enough to send us their LG GSA-4166B Super multi DVD Writer. This drive supports 16x DVD+R/-R, 8x/6x DVD+RW/-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, 8x/4x DVD+R DL/-R DL writing and LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling.

Company information:

Let's take a look at some of the company information found at the LG website.

The Foundation of LG

LG was established in 1947 as Korea's first chemical company, also becoming the nation's first electronics company with its expansion into home appliances in 1958. The new Corporate Identity was launched including the change of the group name from Lucky-Goldstar to LG in 1995.

Business Fields

The wide array of activities that LG conducts is coordinated within three highly focused business sectors: Chemicals & Energy, Electronics and Telecommunications & Services. Each sector has undergone systematic changes, with improved financial compositions, restructured business portfolios and realigned equity investment structures.

The split of two holding companies LG Corp. and GS Holdings Corp.

On March 2003, LG introduced the holding company structure and recently, the demerger of two holding companies - LG Corp. and GS Holdings Corp. took place on July 1 to separate the manufacturing and technology related businesses from the service and retail operations. The separation is meant to maximize profits of LG shareholders by boosting business specialization of key LG companies.

Increasing R&D investment in 2004

With the anticipations and expectations for the new structure, LG has set an ambitious management goal for this year. In 2003, LG's ordinary profit stood at KRW 3.1 trillion on sales of KRW 85 trillion. In 2004, LG plans to raise ordinary profit and sales by 42% and 12% year-on-year respectively. This year's ordinary profit target is KRW 4.4 trillion and the sales target is KRW 95 trillion. LG plans to increase the R&D investments by 31% from last year to KRW 9.4 trillion in 2004.

If you are interested in reading more company information, please visit www.lg.co.kr/english

Drive specifications:

Now let's take a look at the specifications of the LG GSA-4166B, found at LG's website:

What's inside the box?

On this page we will take a look at what the drive came shipped with and take a look at the drive and its technology.

Front

Back

Top

Bottom

Left Side

Right Side

Below you will see the contents of the retail box:

• The internal drive itself
• Nero 6 OEM Suite
• LG DVD Writer Solution CD:
  1.      PowerDVD
  2.      PowerProducer Gold
  3.      Nero Express
  4.      InCD
  5.      Acrobat Reader
• Super Multi DVD Drive CD:
  1.      Owner's Manual
• IDE cable
• Audio cable
• 4 mounting screws   
• Quick Setup Guide
• Guarantee information

Now it's time to take a look at the drive itself:

On the front bezel we see an eject button, an emergency eject hole and a LED (green - for read and write - we prefer a different LED color though for writing). The logos located on the loading tray include the Super Multi logo, a DVD Alliance DVD+R DL logo, the LG logo, a DVD Forum DVD-Multi Recorder logo, a CD-RW Ultra Speed logo and the LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling logo.

Top

On top of the drive we found one sticker. In the bottom left corner we can see it was manufactured in China in December 2005.

Bottom

Back

On the back of the drive starting from the left, we can see a reserved connector; analogue audio connector; pins and jumper to set the drive to cable select, slave or master; IDE connector and finally the power connector.

We installed the drive without any problems and here is a screenshot from Nero InfoTool:

 

From the screenshot of Nero InfoTool we see lack of support for C2 Error reporting, Mount Rainier or CD+G. The drive provided was shipped with firmware 1.02 installed.

From the 'Choose Recorder' screen of Nero Burning ROM we also see that the drive supports Bitsetting to DVD-ROM:

 

Let's continue the review and see how the drive performs.

On the next page we will take a look at the test machine, the software, the drive features…………

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Test machine:

For this review we will be using a computer with the following configuration:

Hardware:

System set-up:

The LG GSA-4166B was connected as Secondary Master and identified itself as HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GSA-4166B. DMA (Direct Memory Access) and autorun is enabled for all devices.

Software:

Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 is installed on the computer. We will be using the following software in this review:

• Nero Burning ROM version 6.6.1.4
• Nero CD/DVD Speed V4.11
• Nero Info Tool v3.07
• Slysoft CloneCD v5.2.8.1
• Exact Audio Copy v0.95 prebeta 5
• K-Probe v2.4.2
• SureThing CD/DVD Labeler SE LightScribe Edition 4.3.0192

Features and techniques:

Features of the Super Multi:

BookType (Bitsetting):

The LG GSA-4166B supports Bitsetting for DVD+R and DVD+R DL. The drive does not support Bitsetting for DVD+RW media. This feature can be controlled/changed with the Bitsetting option in Nero CD-DVD Speed or in Nero Burning Rom 6 as well as with various other applications. See below:

Now let's take a closer look at the write technology used by the LG GSA-4166B:

CD-Recordable:

The LG GSA-4166B uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write at its maximum speed of 48X that gave this burn an average speed of 36.71x.

Two other drives are shown for comparison:

The Pioneer DVR-110D uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write at its maximum speed of 40X that gave this burn an average speed of 30.05x.

The Samsung TS-E552U uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write at its maximum speed of 40x that gave this burn an average speed of 34.39x.

The following table shows some comparative stats: 

What we see from the table is evidence that the LG GSA-4166B is very fast when it comes to writing CD-R.

CD-Rewritable:

The LG GSA-4166B uses Z-CLV (Zone Constant Linear Velocity) to write CD-RW media at its maximum speed of 32x that gave this burn an average speed of 25.89x.

Two other drives are shown for comparison:

The NU DHW-164 uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write CD-RW media at its maximum speed of 24X that gave this burn an average speed of 23.16x.

 

The LaCie d2 DVD±RW Double Layer uses CLV (Constant Linear Velocity) to write CD-RW media at its maximum speed of 16X that gave this burn an average speed of 16.00x.

The following table shows some comparative stats:

What we see from the table is evidence that the LG GSA-4166B turns in a respectable time when it comes to writing CD-RW.

16X DVD+R/-R Writing
speed:

The LG GSA-4166B uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at the maximum supported speed of 16x. This gives an average write speed of 11.88x and a writing time of 5 minutes 46 seconds.

The LG GSA-4166B uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-R at its maximum speed of 16x. This gives an average write speed of 11.90x and a writing time of 5 minutes and 44 seconds.

Below are some write graphs from some other drives for comparison:

The NEC 3540A uses CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. This gives an average writing speed of 11.81x and a writing time of 5 minutes and 58 seconds.

The Philips DVDR16LS uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 11.33x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 8 seconds. The average speed is lower and the writing time is higher than it could have been due to the Walking OPC generation 2 using some time to constantly adjust the writing quality, we could see this as constant dips in the speed curve.

The LG GSA-5160D uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 11.60x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 12 seconds. Below, we made a comparison table:

*1 - Actual writing speed was max 14x due to USB-Bridge limitations.
*2 '“ Actual writing speed was max 13x due to USB-Bridge limitations.

From the table above, we can see that the LG GSA-4166B is amongst the fastest drives when writing DVD+R and DVD-R.

8X DVD+R DL writing
speed:

The LG GSA-4166B supports 8x writing speed on DVD+R DL media.

The LG GSA-4166B uses Z-CLV, (Zone Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+R DL at 8x. The average speed is 5.16x and total writing time is 23:26 minutes.

*Reviewers note: We never achieved a full 8x burn on the tested media, the best we could achieve was 8x until the layer break then 4x throughout the second layer.

4X DVD-R DL writing
speed:

The LG GSA-4166B supports 4x writing speed on DVD-R DL media.

The LG GSA-4166B uses CLV, (Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD-R DL at 4x. The average speed is 3.97x and total writing time is 27:22 minutes.

8X DVD+RW writing speed:

The LG GSA-4166B uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+RW at 8x. The average speed is 7.46x and total writing time is 9:19 minutes.

6X DVD-RW writing speed:

The LG GSA-4166B uses Z-CLV, (Zone Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD-RW at 6x. The average speed is 5.63x and total writing time is 11:19 minutes.

Book type (Bitsetting):

The LG GSA-4166B supports Bitsetting, and can write DVD+R DL and DVD+R media with DVD-ROM book type.

Here is how you can see if your discs were really written with DVD-ROM book type:

Start Nero CD-DVD Speed and click the Disc info button and you should get something like this:

DVD+R DL with book type DVD-ROM

DVD+R with book type DVD-ROM

Another quick test is to start Nero CD-DVD Speed and look at the disc information:

This should say DVD-ROM.

Included software:

Now it's time to look at the included software and to comment if needed. Notice that we may not use the included software in our performance testing part of the review.

LG DVD Writer Solution:

Cyberlink PowerDVD:

Cyberlink PowerProducer Gold:

Nero Express 6:

In CD:

Now that we have finished examining the drive and its writing strategies, it's time to head on to next page, where we do the reading performance tests…

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Reading performance:

For these tests we will use Nero CD-DVD Speed to read various types of CD and DVD media. As already mentioned in the introduction, this drive supports:

• DVD-ROM : 16x
• CD-ROM : 48x 

Pressed discs:

For this test we used a pressed CD-ROM disc containing a Nero Ultra Edition OEM install CD that is close to 77 minutes long. Below you will see the produced result:

The LG GSA-4166B reached 47.04x on this pressed CD. Let's compare the result in the table below:

The LG GSA-4166B performed above average while reading a pressed CD-ROM.

CD-Recordable Discs:

For this test we made a copy of the original Nero Ultra Edition OEM install CD. The disc we used was an esa 52X certified CD-R disc manufactured by CMC Magnetics. 

Again the LG GSA-4166B performed above average on the CD-R read test.

* Some drives including the NU HDW-164 will simply execute the seek command without actually moving the pickup.

 CD-Rewritable
discs:

Again, we made a copy of the original Nero Ultra Edition OEM install CD. The disc we used was a Maxell 4x-12x certified CD-RW disc manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation. 

As we can see the LG GSA-4166B is locked at 32x when reading a CD-RW. Now let's compare it to some other drives below.

The LG GSA-4166B performance is to spec but falls short of
what other drives are capable of when reading a CD-RW disc.

* Some drives including the NU HDW-164 will simply execute
the seek command without actually moving the pickup.

Audio '“ Digital Audio
Extraction:

We used Nero CD-DVD Speed to measure the transfer rate. The
audio disc we used is a bit smaller than the disc used for the other tests, to
be more precise, it's about 74 minutes long (74:00:42).

The LG GSA-4166B is locked at 40x when reading CD-DA. Let's
compare the result with some other drives:

The LG GSA-4166B performance is about average on the
Audio-CD.

* Some drives including the NU HDW-164 will simply execute
the seek command without actually moving the pickup.

As a last test we used Exact Audio Copy (EAC) to extract
the audio to our hard drive. According to EAC the LG drive does not support
Caching, which is considered a plus while ripping digital audio.

Below is the result produced by EAC:

 Burst
mode

 Secure
mode

The drive performed OK when in burst mode but was very slow
when in secure mode.

Advanced audio '“ DAE quality
test:

Before we move on to testing DVD read speeds, we will make
a last digital audio test. This time we used the 'Advanced DAE Quality Test'
feature in CD-DVD Speed. For this test we used a CD-R DA media from
Memorex.

The digital audio extracting quality is excellent and it is
reported to support everything except reading from the Leadout.

DVD reading performance:

Again, we will use Nero CD-DVD Speed to measure the reading
performance, this time for various types of DVD discs. The drive should read
pressed single layer DVD-discs at 16X.

DVD '“ DVD-Video:

For our DVD reading performance tests we are going to start
with a single layer and Double Layered DVD video discs. While only 1X speed is
required to watch DVD movies it is useful to be able to read the discs at higher
speeds if you're going to extract (rip) the content of the disc to your hard
drive.

DVD-Video
Single Layer

 

DVD-Video
Double Layer

The LG GSA-4166B is locked at 8x when reading DVD-Video
Single Layer and Double/Dual Layer pressed discs.

Now let's test a pressed DVD-ROM disc. For this test we
used SONY's ATV Off Road Fury 2 Playstation 2 game disc.

The LG GSA-4166B will reach 16x when reading a pressed
DVD-ROM.

The LG GSA-4166B performance was to spec on the DVD-Video
Single Layer Double/Dual Layer tests.

DVD '“ DVD+R(W):

For this test we used a Memorex 16X DVD+R and a RiDATA 4X
DVD+RW with 4.38Gb of data. Below are the results:

DVD+R

 
DVD+RW

The LG GSA-4166B is not read locked on DVD+R but is read
locked to 8x on DVD+RW.

Now let's see how it will perform on DVD-R/RW.

DVD '“ DVD-R/RW:

For this test we used a Memorex 16X DVD-R disc and a RiDATA
4X DVD-RW disc filled with 4.38Gb of data. Our test results are found
below:

DVD-R

 
DVD-RW

There are only minor differences on DVD-R/RW when compared
to reading the DVD+R/RW discs.

Once again the LG GSA-4166B is not read locked on DVD-R but
is read locked to 8x on DVD-RW.

DVD-RAM

For this test we used a Maxell 5x DVD-RAM disc and below we
see the result:

The LG GSA-4166B reads DVD-RAM media at 5x and it reads the
test disc without problems.

Overall thoughts:

The LG GSA-4166B is a very good reader. It is read locked
to slower speeds on some of the media types, but during our read tests it proved
itself as a very reliable reader.

But now it's
time to head on to a more interesting part: Writing CD-R and CD-RW
discs…

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The specifications of the LG GSA-4166B state that the drive is able to write CD-R discs at 48x and CD-RW at 32x. Let's find out how the drive really performs in speed and quality.

Writing Data CD-R discs:

For our data writing tests, we simply set up a new compilation of 776Mb using Nero Burning ROM software. The writing method used is DAO (Disc At Once) and the disc is set up as a non-multisession disc with 'finalize disc' enabled. The screenshot below shows how long it takes to write a disc at the highest speed. (48x):

The drive took 2 minutes and 34 seconds to write the disc at 48x. Let's see how this compares to some other drives:

• Pioneer DVR-110D used 3 minutes and 34 seconds at 40x
• NU DHW-164 used 3 minutes and 12 seconds at 40x
• Philips DVDR16LS used 3 minutes and 26 seconds at 40x
• Samsung TS-E552U used 2 minutes and 52 seconds at 40x
• LG GSA-4163B used 3 minutes and 15 seconds at 40x
• Philips DVDR1640P used 3 minutes and 17 seconds at 40x
• NU DDW-082 used 3 minutes and 2 seconds at 40x
• Samsung TS-H552B used exactly 3 minutes at 40x         
• Plextor PX-708A used 2 minutes and 58 seconds at 40x

Write Quality:

We will test CD-R discs from seven different CD-R manufacturers. To measure the write speed, we used the 'Create Data Disc' function in Nero CD-DVD Speed. The discs were written at the maximum speed that the drive supports. For the quality test, we used KProbe 2 which is a tool developed by a Lite-On employee. It runs under Windows and works with drives made by Lite-On. Also note that different drives and different reading speeds may affect the results obtained when scanning the discs. We used a Lite-On LTR-52246S drive with firmware 6S0F and scanned the discs at MAX speed.

A written CD-R disc will always have some C1 errors. C1 errors are easily corrected by the drive's error correction capabilities. The next level of errors is C2, while C2 errors could also be corrected by most drive's error correction capabilities, they are not wanted on a good quality disc. A good disc should not contain any C2 errors and preferably have an average C1 error amount of below 2.0 for the best discs, or at least below 10.0 averages for good quality discs. After C2 errors, there are only un-correctable errors that will make a disc unusable.

Below are the obtained results:

 

Brand:	RiDATA
Manufacturer:	RiTEK Corporation
Code:	97m15s17f
Disc Type:	CD-R (A-)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 7: Short Strategy (Phthlocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.70 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	48x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	2m:36s
C1 Average/Sec:	0.33
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

The GSA-4166B handles this RiTEK CD-R with an excellent result.

Brand:	FujiFilm
Manufacturer:	Taiyo Yuden Company Limited
Code:	97m24s01f
Disc Type:	CD-R (A+)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 1: Long Strategy (Cyanine, AZO)
Capacity:	79:59.72 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	48x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	2m:36s
C1 Average/Sec:	0.63
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

Taiyo Yuden media, this has been written better by other drives but is still a very good burn.

Brand:	SONY
Manufacturer:	SONY Corporation
Code:	97m24s16f
Disc Type:	CD-R (B-)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.74 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	1x-48x
Write Speed:	40x
Write Time:	3m:07s
C1 Average/Sec:	1.31
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

This is a nice result even if the drive indicates support for this media at 48x but decides to write at only 40x.

 

Brand:	FujiFilm
Manufacturer:	Prodisc Technology Inc.
Code:	97m32s19f
Disc Type:	CD-R (C-)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 9: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.72 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	48x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	2m:34s
C1 Average/Sec:	1.18
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

A very nice result with this Prodisc media. A good choice of media for this drive.

 

Brand:	esa
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics
Code:	97m26s66f
Disc Type:	CD-R (A+)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.71 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	52x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	2m:35s
C1 Average/Sec:	0.81
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

An excellent result with this inexpensive store brand CMC media. You can't go wrong with these!

Brand:	Office Max
Manufacturer:	Moser Baer India Limited
Code:	97m17s06f
Disc Type:	CD-R (B-)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 6: Short Strategy (Phthalocyanine)
Capacity:	79:59.74 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	52x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	2m:36s
C1 Average/Sec:	1.14
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

Again, another excellent result. This would be a good media choice for this drive.

Brand:	HP LightScribe
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation
Code:	97m34s23f
Disc Type:	CD-R (A+)
Recording Layer:	Dye Type 3: Long Strategy (Cyanine, AZO)
Capacity:	79:59.73 (702.80 MB)
Certified Speed:	52x
Write Speed:	48x
Write Time:	3m:9s
C1 Average/Sec:	0.13
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

Wow! This drive loves these Verbatim/Mitsubishi media. We can certainly give these the highest recommendation.

Writing Quality with Re-Writable discs:

Due to requests from our readers, we will add a few write quality tests with re-writable media. Settings and testing procedures are the same as we used earlier in this review, so you may want to go back and read them if you are unsure. All discs used for these tests have been written to before, but none have been written to more than 5 times and were 'full formatted' before writing.

CD-ReWritable media:

Brand:	Maxell
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation
Code:	97m34s23f
Disc Type:	High Speed CD-RW 4-12x
Recording Layer:	Phase Change
Capacity:	79:59:74
Certified Speed:	4x-12x
Write Speed:	10x
Write Time:	8m:33s
C1 Average/Sec:	2.11
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

This 4x-12x rated media was supported by the drive at only 10x. A very nice burn nonetheless.

 

Brand:	Verbatim '“ Thanks to Verbatim US for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation
Code:	97m34s25f
Disc Type:	Ultra Speed CD-RW 32x
Recording Layer:	Phase Change
Capacity:	74:43:04 (650MB)
Certified Speed:	32x
Write Speed:	32x (Z-CLV)
Write Time:	3m:32s
C1 Average/Sec:	61.96
C2 Average/Sec:	0.0

The C1 errors are very high in the first zone and plentiful throughout. I have included a transfer test to show the read back is perfect nonetheless. The next firmware could use a bit of tweaking for this 32x CD-RW media.

Summary:
The CD-R writing quality ranges from very good to excellent. The CD-RW writing quality is not great on the selected media but the read back produced a smooth curve.

So let's head on to the next page and read about DVD-Writing performance…

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The specifications of the drive tell us that it should write DVD±R at 16x and DVD+RW/-RW at 8x/6x. In this part, we will measure the write time for various types of DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW discs. We will also focus on write quality and media compatibility.

DVD-Writing performance:

In this test we will measure the time for writing to DVD±R discs. We used the 'Create Data Disc' function in Nero CD-DVD Speed.

DVD+R

DVD-R

Look below for the results.

The results are impressive, only the LG GSA-4167B out speeds this drive due to its P-CAV writing technique. Let's see how the writing quality is.

Write quality:

You should first notice that this is not a scientific and professional way to test the discs. But according to our testing done in recent months, we would conclude that there is a clear link between the quality reported when scanning the disc and the playability of the disc in different devices. Also notice that different drives report different amounts of errors. K-Probe was designed to work with Lite-On DVD-Writers, so we recommend using a DVD-Writer from Lite-On. In this test we use a Lite-On SOHW-1653S DVD-Writer, as already said; remember that scans done with a Lite-On DVD-ROM or Lite-On combo drive can't be compared with the results obtained with a Lite-On DVD-Writer. Also remember that different PI/PO ECC sum settings along with different reading speeds in K-Probe will affect the result, we use these settings;  PI (Parity Inner) set to summarize 8 ECC blocks, PIF (Parity Inner Failures) set to summarize 1 ECC block, reading speed: 4X CLV (Constant Linear Velocity). Setting the PI sum to 8 and the PIF sum to 1 will give a result that we may compare to the standards for DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW.

But what is a good scan? That is a discussion that we don't think will end soon, as different drives report different amount of errors, some players are more picky about media than others, and so on. But as a comparison we present you with a scan from two pressed DVD discs:

This scan shows the results from a pressed DVD-Video disc (GoldenEye).

 

This scan shows the result from a pressed DVD-Video disk (The Green Mile). Notice the error jump when shifting to the second layer (the error level actually drops from the end of the first layer to the beginning of the second layer).

If you read below, you will see that both the pressed DVD-discs are well within the standards.

Download the ECMA 267 Standard for DVD-ROM, the ECMA 337 Standard for DVD+R/RW and the ECMA 338 Standard for DVD-R/RW at http://www.ecma-international.org if you want to look at the standards for yourself. Here is some data from the ECMA standards (same for DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW):

Random errors:

A row of an ECC Block that has at least 1 byte in error constitutes a PI error. In any 8
consecutive ECC Blocks the total number of PI errors before correction shall not exceed 280.

Here we see that a PI error is defined as a row in an ECC block having 1 byte or more containing errors and that the sum of PI errors in 8 ECC blocks after each other should not exceed 280 PI errors.

But what is a row and what is an ECC block? Again we refer to the ECMA standards. We do not copy and paste everything, but if you're interested, look in the ECMA standards. A row is 182 bytes long where the last 10 bytes contain PI (Parity Inner) information. An ECC block is 208 rows long where the last 16 rows contain the PO (Parity Outer) information. This gives us a maximum possible PI error amount of 208 errors per block and for 8 blocks after each other this sum is of course 8 times higher, giving a maximum possible amount of 1664 PI-8 errors. In practical use, a disc with 1664 PI-8 errors is unreadable.

According to our tests the specified max PI-8 sum of 280 for good discs seems to be a good guideline, as some readers have problems reading discs when the PI-8 errors is over 300 and most players starts to have problems when the PI-8 error level reaches 600 or more.

But what are the PIF errors that K-Probe reports? They are Parity Inner Failures, meaning errors left after PI correction. Only the ECMA 337 standard describes the Parity Inner Failures. So how is a Parity Inner Failure defined? Here is what the ECMA 337 states:

'If a row of an ECC Block as defined in 13.3 contains more than 5 erroneous bytes, the row is said to be 'PI-uncorrectable"."

In theory, an ECC block may in the worst case have 208 PIF since every ECC block is 208 rows long. But the ECMA 337 standard goes further and specifies the max amount of accepted PI Failures (uncorrectable errors) allowed on a good disc:

'In any ECC Block the number of PI-uncorrectable rows should not exceed 4."  

This means that when the PIF sum is set to 1, the maximum error value should not exceed 4. The theoretical maximum value for PIF is 208 errors.

But what makes a disc unreadable? A POF (Parity Outer Failure) error will make the disc unreadable, but K-Probe does not display the POF's.

Notice that there are other aspects such as disc reflectivity, jitter, tracking errors and so on that also will affect the readability of a DVD disc '“ but for this we do not have measuring equipment available.

Also, another note is that we have scanned the discs at 4X CLV speed, by lowering the speed to 2X(DVD-R/RW)/2.4X(DVD+R/RW) or 1X the amount of reported errors may drop on some discs. We scanned at 4X CLV due to lower speeds taking too much time.

To see if there is a connection between the reported amount of errors and readability of the discs we also include the reading curve from the LG GSA-4166B DVD-Writer. The reason why we have changed the reader is that some companies disliked that we used a modified firmware to obtain 16x reading speed. So to please them, we are now using a drive that reads DVD+R/-R media at 16x as default. A small speed reduction near the end is still accepted on good discs, but serious reading problems or reading failures is a bad sign.

Easier explanation on how to read the test
results.

Maybe this became too technical, and you are wondering what to look for in KProbe reports?

Use this as a guideline for good discs:

• PI (Parity Inner): No larger areas on the disc should exceed 280 PI-8 errors, do not worry too much about high single spikes that exceed 280.
• PIF (Parity Inner Failures): No larger areas on the disc should exceed 4 PIF-1 errors, do not worry too much about high single spikes that exceed 4.

And as always, lower is better

And look at the reading curve, if it looks clean with no dips it should be good, a small slowdown near the end is accepted.

DVD+R media compatibility and write quality:

In these tests we will be using a Lite-On SOHW-1693S drive with firmware KS0B along with KProbe to measure the disc quality. We will also be using the LG GSA-4166B with firmware 1.02 along with CD-DVD Speed for the DVD+R read-back tests and the BenQ DW1655 with firmware BCDB for the DVD+RW read-back tests.

Brand:	Verbatim '“ Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
Code:	MCC 004
Disc Type:	DVD+R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	5m:46s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	0.69
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

What a great result! This is some super fine media for this drive.

Brand:	Maxell '“ Thanks to Maxell America for sending this to us.
Manufacturer:	Philips Electronics
Code:	PHILIPS C16
Disc Type:	DVD+R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x (fell back to 12x for the last .25 GB)
Write Time:	5m:58s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	6.69
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	2.97

This burn was going good until the 4.25 GB mark then it went 'downhill'. The transfer curve shows the problem on read back. Repeated burns of this MID did not improve.

Brand:	Maxell '“ Thanks to Maxell America for sending this to us.
Manufacturer:	Maxell
Code:	MAXELL 003
Disc Type:	DVD+R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	5m:57s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	0.51
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.01

This is a fantastic burn as the transfer curve shows.

Brand:	Memorex '“ Thanks to Memorex for sending this to us.
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics Corporation
Code:	CMC MAG M01
Disc Type:	DVD+R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	5m:55s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.05
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.07

This is an excellent burn. CMC MAG M01 is highly recommended for this drive. The transfer curve is perfect.

Brand:	Memorex '“ Thanks to Memorex for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Ricoh Company Limited
Code:	RICOHJPN R03
Disc Type:	DVD+R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	5m:52s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.71
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

This RICOHJPN R03 shows a good result. The transfer curve is again perfect.

Brand:	Memorex '“ Thanks to Memorex for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics Corporation
Code:	CMC MAG E01
Disc Type:	DVD+R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:58s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.08
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

WOW! This is again a very good result with CMC media. Transfer curve again is perfect.

Brand:	FujiFilm
Manufacturer:	Taiyo Yuden Company Limited
Code:	YUDEN 000 T02
Disc Type:	DVD+R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	8m:58s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	0.90
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.01

Once again Taiyo Yuden shows why it is in a class by itself. An excellent burn that produces a perfect transfer curve.

DVD+ReWritable media:

Brand:	Verbatim '“ Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
Code:	MKM A03
Disc Type:	DVD+RW
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	9m:19s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	121.20
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.30

This 8x DVD+RW produces very high PIE and PIF counts but result is read back with a perfect transfer curve. This could use improvements in the next firmware.

This is simply outstanding! A great burn resulting in a perfect transfer curve.

Again the LG GSA-4166b is showing its proficiency with DVD+RW media. This one on some legacy 2.4x +RW media. Perfect transfer curve again.

To sum it up: Overall, on the selected review media the write quality is very good to excellent on DVD+R/RW media with few exceptions.

Let's find out what this drive can do with DVD-R/RW media.

On the next page you will find the DVD-R/RW writing results...

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DVD-R media compatibility and write quality:

In these tests, again we will be using the Lite-On SOHW-1693S drive with firmware KS0B along with KProbe to measure the disc quality. We will also again be using the LG GSA-4166B with firmware 1.02 along with CD-DVD Speed for the DVD-R read-back tests and the BenQ DW1655 with firmware BCDB for the DVD-RW read-back tests.

Brand:	Verbatim '“ Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
Code:	MCC 03RG20
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	5m:44s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	4.75
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.03

A very nice result. The KProbe scan looks good, the transfer curve is excellent!

Brand:	Memorex '“ Thanks to Memorex for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics
Code:	CMC MAG AM3
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	5m:46s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	5.51
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.05

Very nice! A lot of drives have trouble with this MID but not the 4166b! A good, clean burn all the way to the outer edge.

Brand:	Maxell - Thanks to Maxell of America for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Maxell
Code:	MXL RG04
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x
Write Time:	5m:43s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.25
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.01

This is an example of an excellent 16x burn, all the way to the edge. Transfer curve is perfect.

Brand:	Optodisc - Thanks to Optodisc for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Optodisc
Code:	OPTODISC R016
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	16x
Write Speed:	16x (fallback to 12x last .25 GB)
Write Time:	6m:07s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	13.61
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.45

The transfer curve starts to get jittery when it encounters the large PIF block on the outer edge. This is probably due to media quality more than burn strategy.

Brand:	FujiFilm
Manufacturer:	Taiyo Yuden
Code:	TYG02
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	9m:03s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.20
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.00

This is an excellent burn on truly excellent media! Nothing more needs to be said.

Brand:	FujiFilm
Manufacturer:	Prodisc Technology Inc.
Code:	PRODISC F01
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	9m:02s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.88
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.08

This is a nice result even though it shows a bit of a PIE rise at the outer edge. The PIF is very acceptable though. Again, the transfer curve is perfect.

Brand:	Memorex '“ Thanks to Memorex for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	CMC Magnetics Corporation
Code:	CMC MAG AE1
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	9m:03s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	68.13
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.03

You could bobsled the PIE mountain but the PIF count is quite low. The transfer curve shows no read back problems.

Brand:	RiDATA
Manufacturer:	RiTEK Corporation
Code:	RITEK G05
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	9m:01s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	6.88
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.04

An outstanding result on this much maligned MID. Transfer curve is again perfect.

Brand:	Verbatim '“ Thanks to Verbatim for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
Code:	MCC 02RG20
Disc Type:	DVD-R
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x
Write Time:	9m:01s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	2.33
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.00

This is a high quality media resulting in a high quality burn.

DVD-ReWritable media:

Brand:	Verbatim - Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Chemicals Corporation
Code:	MKM 01RW6X01
Disc Type:	DVD-RW
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	6x
Write Speed:	6x
Write Time:	11m:19s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	2.87
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

All I can say is WOW! Great burn.

Brand:	Maxell - Thanks to Maxell America for sending us this media.
Manufacturer:	TDK Corporation
Code:	TDK502sakuM3
Disc Type:	DVD-RW
Capacity:	4483MB
Certified Speed:	2x
Write Speed:	2x
Write Time:	28m:50s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.25
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.12

WOW again! This drive really knows how to burn DVD-RW media.

To sum it up: Overall, on the selected review media the write quality is very good to excellent on DVD-R and just plain excellent on DVD-RW media.

Head on to the next page and read about DVD+R DL compatibility and write quality...

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DVD+R/-R Double Layer writing speed and
compatibility:

The LG GSA-4166B supports DVD+R Double Layer at 8x and DVD-R Dual Layer at 4x for writing discs with a size of around 8.5 GB.

First up is Maxell DVD+R Double Layer 2.4x

This Maxell media is manufactured by Mitsubishi Kagaku Media and is supported at 6x write speed. Thanks to Maxell America for sending us this media.

Brand:	Maxell '“ Thanks to Maxell America for providing the samples.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Kagaku Media
Code:	MKM 001
Disc Type:	DVD+R DL
Capacity:	8145MB
Certified Speed:	2.4x
Write Speed:	6x
Write Time:	22m:55s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	4.44
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.05

This is a very good result. The transfer curve shows no problems reading this disc.

This media is made by RiTEK Corporation and is supported at 4x write speed. Thanks to Memorex for sending us this media.

Brand:	Memorex '“ Thanks to Memorex for providing the samples.
Manufacturer:	RiTEK Corporation
Code:	RITEK D01
Disc Type:	DVD+R DL
Capacity:	8145MB
Certified Speed:	4x
Write Speed:	4x
Write Time:	27m:25s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	15.07
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	1.02

This is not such a good result producing a very large PIF count on the first layer. The transfer curve shows the read back problems.

This Verbatim media is made by Mitsubishi Kagaku Media and is supported at 8x write speed. Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.

Brand:	Verbatim '“ Thanks to Verbatim USA for providing the samples.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Kagaku Media
Code:	MKM 003
Disc Type:	DVD+R DL
Capacity:	8145MB
Certified Speed:	8x
Write Speed:	8x (only achieved in first layer, second layer burned at 4x)
Write Time:	23m:26s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	1.89
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.02

Many drives show this quirk of reaching 8x on the first layer and then falling back to 4x when writing the second layer. However the result is very good and the transfer curve shows no problems reading this one back.

Let's compare the LG GSA-4166B results with some other DL capable drives.

*1 Verbatim DVD+R DL
*2 Traxdata DVD+R DL
*3 Ricoh DVD+R DL
*4 DataWrite DVD+R DL
*5 Memorex DVD+R DL
*6 Maxell DVD+R DL

DVD-R DL

As mentioned earlier, the LG GSA-4166B supports the DVD-R DL standard at 4x.

Let's find the manufacturer and media information too, for this we will use CD-DVD Speed:

This Verbatim media is manufactured by Mitsubishi Kagaku Media and is supported at 4x write speed. Thanks to Verbatim USA for sending us this media.

Brand:	Verbatim '“ Thanks to Verbatim USA for providing the samples.
Manufacturer:	Mitsubishi Kagaku Media
Code:	MKM 01RD30
Disc Type:	DVD-R DL
Capacity:	8145MB
Certified Speed:	4x
Write Speed:	4x
Write Time:	27m:22s
PI-8 errors Average/Sec:	2.34
PI-1 failures (PIF) Avg/Sec:	0.06

Another great result with Verbatim media. The transfer curve shows no problems on read back.

Summary: The LG GSA-4166B produces good quality burns on the Mitsubishi based DVD±R DL media.

Before we round off this review, let us run the drive through some advanced tests at next page…

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To round off this review, we will run some advanced tests on the LG GSA-4166B. These tests are: 'Sheep Test" and some special disc tests.

The 'Sheep Test":

 For this test, we will use the Sheep tests made by Alexander Noé. Why is it called sheep test? That's because the logo of the first 1 to 1 copy program called CloneCD is a sheep. When looking at supported writers, you will notice that the feature list has sheep to indicate if a feature is supported or not. In this case we are interested in the writer's ability to backup/write weak sectors. Also called: 'Correct EFM encoding of regular bit-patterns".

• No sheep: Can't backup any Safedisc 2 versions without the help of software tricks
• 1 Sheep: Can backup Safedisc 2 up to version 2.4x without software tricks
• 2 Sheep: Can backup Safedisc 2, including version 2.5x
• 3 Sheep: Can write all possible weak sectors, few if any writers could do this.

One of our forum moderators Womble, has written a guide concerning the 'Sheep Test" that can be found here.

In the screenshot below taken from CloneCD, we see the LG GSA-4166B supports everything.

The LG GSA-4166B supports DAO-RAW recording mode, which basically means, it can write uncorrected data and sub-channel data.

As we can see from the table the LG GSA-4166B is a 'Two Sheep Burner'. It also succeeded in writing the Safedisc V2.90 test but failed the Sheep3 test.

DVD-RAM:

The LG GSA-4166B is a Super Multi drive, meaning is also supports the DVD-RAM format.

Let's look at the recording side of the disc, and as you can see it has differences from the other DVD+R/W/R9 DL and DVD-R/W discs.

 

You can see a very fascinating pattern of darker spots, supposedly these spots are used for calibration while writing and reading.

A DVD-RAM's disc can be formatted in the following formats:

• FAT32
• UDF 1.02
• UDF 1.50
• UDF 2.00
• UDF 2.01
• UDF 2.50

By formatting a DVD-RAM disc with FAT32 it will act like a removable hard drive and all writing will be done in the 'background processes". Meaning you do not have to wait for it to finish '“ you can start or work with other applications while the DVD-RAM is working without noticing any 'hangs" or CPU slowdowns.

Let's take a look at the media we are going to use in these tests:

Maxell branded DVD-RAM media certified at 2-5x

On to the interesting part, writing and reading DVD-RAM media.

Maxell DVD-RAM 5x without verification

Maxell DVD-RAM 5x with verification

For those who are not familiar with DVD-RAM would probably think that something went wrong during the write process with the verifications turned on -  since the 5x media was written at 1.96x. But not to worry - that is pretty normal for DVD-RAM discs, the reason for the 'low" speed is '“ the drive constantly reads back the data after writing it to verify that it's written correctly. We can also call it a 'bullet proof" writing/verify technique '“ with no data loss/errors.

Another advantage with DVD-RAM is that the discs can be formatted/erased/written over 100,000 times before it will/can cause/report any errors. Let's try to read back the disc that we wrote.

Maxell DVD-RAM 5x

As we see from the picture above, the 5x media was read back at 5x using the P-CAV technique.

Since we have no equipment at the present time to perform any quality measuring tests with the DVD-RAM format it will be skipped, but let it be noted, it should not be necessary since the RAM writer verifies the written data by default itself.

Overburning:

To test the overburning capabilities of the LG GSA-4166B, we used the over-burning test in Nero CD-DVD Speed.

The LG GSA-4166B reports an over-burning capacity of 83:10:38 a plus factor of 3:10:43.

To test if the LG GSA-4166B is actually capable of overburning, we attempted to write a CD-R to the reported overburn capacity.

We can see the LG GSA-4166B failed to achieve the overburn. We tried with several different media but the drive failed each time.

Now that we have examined some of the advanced features, let's take a look at another one. The LightScribe feature/Technique…..

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LightScribe:

On January 4, 2004, HP announced an innovative new technology to address the problem of labelling CD's and DVD's. LightScribe technology allows consumers to create silk-screen quality labels on their CDs or DVDs by burning text and graphics directly onto a disc, eliminating the need for adhesive labels.

But, before we continue - Let us first take a look at some information found at the LightScribe site:

CREATE SILKSCREEN-QUALITY LABELS FOR ALL YOUR CDS AND DVDS, RIGHT FROM YOUR COMPUTER.

Until now there hasn't been much choice when it comes to creating labels for your CDs and DVDs. Messy markers or sticky adhesive labels were pretty much the only affordable option. But imagine creating professional-looking labels using the same laser that burns your data-right inside your CD/DVD drive! Well, now it's easy with LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling technology.

LABEL-MAKING REDEFINED.

LightScribe technology is an integrated system that combines the CD or DVD drive of your LightScribe-enabled computer with specially coated discs and enhanced disc-burning software to produce precise, laser-etched labels. You can design and produce labels to express your creativity and personality-the sky's the limit!

With LightScribe, the disc is the label. This amazing technology is the no-hassle way to create elegant labels for all your CDs and DVDs. Simply burn your music mix, digital-video/photo archives, or business application. Then flip the disc and burn your own unique label.

LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling technology is now available in PCs, external USB optical DVD writers, labeling software, and a variety of brand name discs. Remember, the LightScribe logo indicates a LightScribe-enabled product, so be sure to look for it at your favorite retail locations. Also check out the Looking for LightScribe page for a list of companies that make LightScribe-enabled products

A RADICAL REVOLUTION IN DISC LABELING.

Once you've burned your first LightScribe label and experienced the amazing result, you'll never want to use a permanent marker or sticky label again. LightScribe makes it easy. It truly is a revolution in disc labeling.

JUST HOW DOES IT WORK?

How can you burn a label onto your disc right from your computer? Suppose you have just created a music CD of your favorite songs. Now you want to make a label that contains the song titles, artists' names, and some personal information and design elements to make it special.

Burn your tracks onto the data side of the disc. Flip the disc over to the label side and put it back in the drive. Burn your label by opening your favorite LightScribe-enabled label-making software and going to the CD template work area. Now you do all of your creative design work-imported pictures, copy, and artwork. When you are satisfied with what you have done, click "print." It really is that simple! No ink, no messy markers, no clumpy adhesive labels, just an amazingly beautiful label right before your eyes.

LIKE TO KNOW MORE?

Your LightScribe-enabled CD/DVD disc drive contains a special laser that pumps light energy into a thin dye coating on the label side of the disc. The light from the laser causes a chemical change in the dye coating that shows up as a visible point on the disc. With laser precision, LightScribe delivers closely controlled light energy to multiple points on the disc as it spins in the drive. The result is a high-resolution reproduction of the artwork, text, or photos you composed in the software application. Seeing is believing!

The LightScribe Media:

The surface of the LightScribe media is Gold-brown also referred to as sepia colored.

If we take a closer look at the inner ring of the LightScribe media we can see a bar code indexing system, which the drive's laser uses to recognize the LightScribe surface but also for the indexing (for later re-burns).

In this review we will use one LightScribe CD-R and one LightScribe DVD+R.

 

Now let's see LightScribe in action using SureThing CD/DVD Labeler....

---

 

Designing and burning with SureThing Labeler:

For our LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling we used SureThing CD/DVD Labeler LightScribe SE PLUS Edition.

We used an included Sure Thing background and some custom text along with a couple images. After we were satisfied with the setup we pressed 'Print Label' (LightScribe).

In the print option dialog we also find a Diagnostics button and we clicked it to see what info it provided.

We closed the LightScribe Diagnostics windows and selected 'Best quality' and 'OK' to print the label in the Print Dialog window.

The program gave us a notice 'Please ensure that you have a LightScribe disc inserted in the drive with the label side down". (As you can see you can choose '“ Don't show me this message in the future." We went on with 'OK' to print the label.

SureThing showed us an estimated remaining time of 28 minutes and 49 seconds for best quality.

For brevity I will show you the LightScribe CD-R disc in Best quality.

LightScribe CD-R

The procedure for LightScribe with DVD+R is the same as for CD-R so I will just show the result here.

LightScribe DVD+R

Done with 'Best Quality'. The coatings appear to have improved on the DVD+R discs as the clarity is much closer to the CD-R media. In the past the DVD media produced a fuzziness or bluriness that wasn't present in the CD media. You can still see the CD media is clearer though. The LG GSA-4166b performed the LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling with no problem.

This concludes our LG GSA-4166B review, lets head on to the last page to read our conclusion…

Positive:

• Very good to excellent writing quality on most tested media
• Supports DVD±R 16x writing with sub 6:00 write times on most tested media
• Supports CD-R/RW writing at 48x/32x
• Supports DVD+RW/DVD-RW writing at 8x/6x
• Support LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling
• Can write some DVD+R DL media at higher than certified speed
• Supports Bitsetting for DVD+R/+R DL (sets auto. BookType to DVD-ROM)
• 'Two sheep" writer
• Supports DAO-RAW writing
• Supports DVD-RAM at 5x
• Excellent documentation/Owner's Manual on CD
• Full featured software bundle

Negative:

• Reads CD-DA/RW only at 40x
• Firmware locked read speeds on all but DVD±R and CD-R media
• No support for Bitsetting on DVD+RW media
• Green LED for both reading and writing
• Overburn for CD-R not well supported
• No DVD±R overspeed support
• No support for disc PI/PIF error scanning

Conclusion:

Let's summarize the most important positive and negative points below:

The main positive points:

LG's offering with the GSA-4166B performs with good to excellent write quality on just about every media type tested with a few exceptions. The drives support for DVD-RAM and LightScribe Direct to Disc Labeling technology truly makes this drive a 'Super Multi Drive'.

Bitsetting on DVD+R/+R DL is supported by default and ensures good compatibility with set top DVD players.

LG has included a software bundle with this drive that will have nearly every 'DVD' need covered for a beginning user as well as some of the more sophisticated needs of the more advanced user.

The main negative points:

There are few negatives to mention. The LG GSA-4166B does not offer over speed support with the exception of some DVD+R DL MIDs. Overburning support on CD-R is lacking, it also lacks bitsetting support on DVD+RW media and does not provide disc PI/PIF error scanning.

To sum it all up, this is what we would say: 'The LG GSA-4166B makes an excellent choice if you are looking for a drive that supports all available DVD/RAM/CD media available at this time. The drive is a very good reader and an excellent writer and with removal of read speed locks on some media types, support for bitsetting on +RW media and disc error scanning this would truly be a well rounded drive.  With all things considered, we can highly recommend the LG GSA-4166B for your next Super Multi drive."

Based on the testing, experiences and general feeling while using the drive during this review, we give the LG GSA-4166B our 'Safe Buy award".

By using our price grabber feature cdfreaks.pricegrabber we find the drive listed from $89.99 (March, 2006).

You may comment on this review below or in this forum
thread .

Thanks to:

For providing the Verbatim media used in this review. Verbatim provides high quality media all over the world and strives to be the standard for DVD hardware reviewing.

 For providing the Memorex media used in this review. Memorex is one of the largest providers of all types of media for larger parts of the world.

 For providing the Maxell media used in this review. Maxell is one of the world's leading producers of optical and magnetic memory media.

Advanced Media/Ritek-USA for providing some of the RiDATA media used in this review. RiDATA is an official Ritek brand and thus you are guaranteed to get quality Ritek manufactured discs when buying RiData media.

 For providing the Optodisc media used in this review. Optodisc Technology Corporation excels at the manufacturing and selling of High-Density Optical Storage Media DVDs.