Lite-On DX-4O1S USB 2.0 4x BD-ROM

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - BD-ROM:

To test the DX-4O1S's BD-ROM reading performance, I used the Blu-ray Disc version of The Fifth Element. This single layer disc is about 23GB in size.

 

	Lite-On DX-4O1S	Lite-On DH-4O1S	LG GGC-H20L	ASUS BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	3.18x 1.77x 4.24x	3.18x 1.77x 4.24x	3.61x 2.01x 4.82x	3.91x 2.19x 5.22x
Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full:	102ms 153ms 240ms	102ms 158ms 236ms	118ms 175ms 228ms	79ms 207ms 360ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	0% 1% 3% 5%	0% 1% 2% 3%	0% 1% 1% 2%	0% 1% 3% 6%

The DX-4O1S performed relatively well when reading BD-ROM discs. While not as fast as the drives from LG and ASUS, it reached a maximum transfer speed of 4.24x.

Lite-On's external BD-ROM drive had no problems playing back The Fifth Element and The Simpsons Movie using the bundled version of PowerDVD. Just keep in mind that if your monitor is connected to your video card using DVI or HDMI, both need to be HDCP compliant to play AACS protected titles. If not, you can still play them by switching the connection to VGA or using software like SlySoft's AnyDVD HD.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - BD-R and BD-RE:

Next we'll look at the drive's BD-R and BD-RE reading performance. For this I created a few data discs using BD-R and BD-RE media from Memorex and Sony and then ran our BD read tests with CD Speed.

Memorex BD-R
 

	Lite-On DX-4O1S	Lite-On DH-4O1S	LG GGC-H20L	ASUS BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	3.19x 1.82x 4.24x	3.19x 1.82x 4.24x	4.55x 2.57x 6.04x	3.93x 2.24x 5.22x
Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full:	101ms 169ms 270ms	100ms 164ms 270ms	135ms 182ms 230ms	91ms 226ms 381ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	0% 1% 2% 5%	0% 1% 1% 3%	0% 1% 2% 3%	0% 1% 2% 5%

Memorex BD-RE

	Lite-On DX-4O1S	Lite-On DH-4O1S	LG GGC-H20L	ASUS BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed Average: Start: End:	3.19x 1.82x 4.24x	3.19x 1.82x 4.24x	2.30x 2.29x 2.30x	3.93x 2.24x 5.22x
Seek Times Random: 1/3: Full:	100ms 164ms 276ms	104ms 170ms 268ms	157ms 255ms 404ms	93ms 230ms 377ms
CPU Usage 1x: 2x: 4x: 8x:	0% 1% 2% 6%	0% 1% 2% 3%	0% 1% 2% 2%	0% 1% 2% 5%

Sony BD-R DL

Lite-On's new drive had no problems reading BD-R, BD-RE and BD-R DL media. In all three cases, the DX-4O1S reached a maximum transfer speed of 4.24x.

Performance Revisited:

Like its internal counterpart, the DX-4O1S performed as expected throughout most of our tests. Lite-On's external BD-ROM drive had no problems playing back Blu-ray movies and read both single and dual layer BD media at 4x. The DX-4O1S also had some fairly good seek times and was able to read read single layer DVD's and DVD±R media at 12x and both data and audio CD's at speeds as high as 32x. With all things considered, the Lite-On DX-4O1S gets a solid 8 out of 10 for the performance section of this review.