Buffalo Announces Drive With 12x DVD-RAM Writing Speeds

[Ian]

Buffalo has announced a new drive with 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds:

http://buffalo.melcoinc.co.jp/products/ ... 00153.html

It looks like its based on an LG design.. probably the same one they unveiled at CES.

[Ian]

According to AV Watch its based on the HLDS GSA-H10N.

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/ ... uffalo.htm

They'll also be shipping in late January/early February. Too bad we still don't have 12x DVD-RAM media.

[Scour]

Hello!

Looks nice in black

Did LG announce a drive with this specs, too?

[Ian]

Did LG announce a drive with this specs, too?

I guess they have one at CES but I have not seen a press release or any specs online.

[dolphinius_rex]

12x DVD-RAM should finally give us some half decent writing times with the media... Even though I highly appreciate the format, 5x writing times (working out to 2.5x with error checking) just didn't cut it for me. I think 12x, with an effective speed of 6x (again, with error checking) will be much easier to handle!

I'm not sure I have much faith in LiteON's digitimes comment about working on a 16x DVD-RAM drive though. It's not that I don't think they can do it, I just don't think they'll be able to get it right sooner then LG or Panasonic!

[Ian]

IOData has a version of the drive too:

http://www.iodata.jp/news/2006/01/dvr-abh16g.htm

Full list of specs:

http://www.iodata.jp/prod/storage/dvd/2 ... index5.htm

[Ian]

Official LG announcement:

http://us.lge.com/AboutUs.do?myAction=d ... 02&seq=255

[Scour]

Official LG announcement:

http://us.lge.com/AboutUs.do?myAction=d ... 02&seq=255

Nice

But I don´t know when this drive is avaible. On the german-page from LG i see only a announcement for the 5169

[dodecahedron]

ooohhh i can't wait!

[Ian]

Buffalo's new drive is finally out:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/akiba/ho ... 216fb.html

[Scour]

Hello!

Looks like a LG-OEM, true.

But when it have 12x DVD-RAM and when it´s a rebadged H10, then the H10 must be a new drive and not only a 4167 with an other name.

Buffalo don´t sell drives in Germany, so I hope that LG will ship this drive soon

[frank1]

Official LG announcement:

http://us.lge.com/AboutUs.do?myAction=d ... 02&seq=255

This link does not work anymore ...




There is a link on LG Germany showing the LG GSA-H10A (and not N)
http://de.lge.com/prodmodeldetail.do?ac ... el=NOTHING

The specs on this official LG website say:
Brenngeschwindigkeit
DVD-RAM 2x, 3x ZCLV, 3x – 5x PCAV (Ver. 2.2)




There is already review of this burner at cdfreaks:
« LG GSA-H10A Super Multi DVD Burner Review »
http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/272

In the specs announced at the beginning of this review there is only:
« Write : DVD-RAM : 2x, 3x, 5x »
and tests made with firmware JL02 are only made on Maxell DVD-RAM
at the speed of 5x in P-CAV mode:
http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/272/8

How long are we going to wait for the DVD-RAM2 médias?

[Ian]

DVD-RAM2 media is out in Japan. Here are some tests I did with a GSA-H10N:

http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=21565

[frank1]

Thanks a lot Ian !
So I understand now: the LG GSA-H10N is a completely different drive to the ....A

[dodecahedron]

not completely different.
apparently it's based on the same chipset (search the forum, this has been discussed).
i think @ cdfreaks there's a report of a H10A crossflashed to H10N.

[Ian]

i think @ cdfreaks there's a report of a H10A crossflashed to H10N.

Yeah, the only thing not tested so far is its 12x DVD-RAM support. I can't imagine it not working though.

[dodecahedron]

i haven't read that stuff at cdfreaks yet.

correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't 12x DVD-RAM the only difference between the H10A and H10N ?
if not do 12x DVD-RAM, what's the point of crossflashing ?

[Ian]

You also get 10x DVD+R DL.

[dodecahedron]

OK i stand corrected but still it's no biggie.
<says me who hasn't burned a single DL disc in my life...>

is a review in the works, Ian ?

[karangguni]

i haven't read that stuff at cdfreaks yet.

correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't 12x DVD-RAM the only difference between the H10A and H10N ?
if not do 12x DVD-RAM, what's the point of crossflashing ?

Strictly speaking, 12x DVD-RAM and as Ian mentioned, 10x DVD+R DL. However, the firmware TDB used for creating their special H10N firmware which allows an H10A to be crossflashed, was from a Hitachi GSA-H10N,not an LG. As with the Hitachi firmware for the 4167B, there are inherent benefits -

- UDMA4 drive interface
- auto bitsetting support for +R and +R DL discs
- removal of 10x riplock for DVD+R/-R media (they now read at max 16x)
- reduction of 5x riplock for DL DVD-VIDEO discs (they now read at max 8x - still pathetic, but less pathetic anyway)

Not sure how ripping SL DVD-VIDEO discs is affected though, as nobody has done any tests on that area yet.

Either way, that's quite a lot of improvements.

[Ian]

It was probably a Buffalo or IO DATA drive, not a Hitachi.. as the drives are made by LG and Hitachi (HLDS).

[karangguni]

It was probably a Buffalo or IO DATA drive, not a Hitachi.. as the drives are made by LG and Hitachi (HLDS).

Correct. However, note that IO Data/Buffalo writers tend to be Hitachi drives, not LG. HLDS' joint venture doesn't appear to be that clear cut an entity as it might apper. I'm not 100% clear on this (I don't anybody is) but there is too much evidence to suggest otherwise. Hitachi does release its own drives in Japan (typically rebranded by other resellers like IO Data/Buffalo). You can clearly see the Hitachi (as apposed to LG or HLDS) tag on the sticker of YSS's IO Data H10N :

http://homepage2.nifty.com/yss/gsah10n/gsah10n_djou.htm

They are not quite the same as LG's models and don't even seem to come from the same factory. Cosmetically, LG's writers use unfinished metal casings; Hitachi's are sprayed matt black. Different faceplates are used as well. Most importantly though, LG's writers tend to come from their factory in China (or Korea if you are lucky). Hitachi branded writers come from a factory in Malaysia. This was true with Hitachi's version of the 4167B (Buffalo) although I can't be sure which factory made Hitachi's H10N. Internally the components might be the same, but Hitachi's versions seem to be slightly souped up (usually only by firmware).

[Ian]

Interesting.. I wonder why Hitachi bothers making their own.