Samsung SH-S203N 20x DVD±RW/RAM

Last fall, I reviewed Samsung's first 20x DVD writer, the SH-S203B. Aimed squarely at enthusiasts, the drive offered an impressive mix of features and performance. With Samsung's new LightScribe enabled drive offering similar specs, I went into this review expecting much of the same from the SH-S203N. While the two drives are alike in many ways, there were a few performance aspects that kept the SH-S203N from getting top marks in our review.

TheSH-S203N performed very well when writing to DVD+R and DVD-R media at 20x. At this speed, it took the drive less than 5 minutes to write an entire 4.7GB DVD, beating both the Lite-On DH-20A3H and LG GSA-H55L by a small margin. The SH-S203N also turned in some respectabletimes with DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM media. However, without compatible media, we weren't able to test its full potential when writing to DVD±R DL discs. Nevertheless, the SH-S203N performed very well in our tests, burning 8GB of data in a little more than 13 minutes.

When it came to media compatibility, the SH-S203N gave us some mixed results. While the drive wrote toall of our test media at its rated speed or better, only three types worked at 20x. On the other hand, the SH-S203N's writing quality was fairly good, at least with single layer DVD±R media. With DVD±R DL media though, there were a number of cases where the PI/PIF rates were higher than we'd like to see. Hopefully, Samsung can address this in a future firmware update.

Samsung's new drive also performed relatively well in our DVD read tests. The drive was able to read single layer DVD-ROM's and DVD-Videos at 16x and had some very good seek times. Reading recordable media wasn't a problem for the SH-S203N either. In our tests, it read DVD±R discs at 16x, and DVD±RW, DVD±R DL and DVD-RAM media at an impressive 12x.

When it came to reading CD's, the SH-S203N's performance was a mixed bag. While the drive read pressed media at speeds near 48x, its CD-R and CD-RW read speeds were limited to only 40x. This was a little disappointing considering most drives can read pressed and CD-R media at the same speed. The SH-S203N also lagged behind some of the other drives when writing CD's. It took longer than expected when writing to CD-R discs and it would not packet write to CD-RW media at anything faster than 16x.

Like Samsung's previous DVD writers, the SH-S203N isn't short on features. Along with support for all major CD and DVD formats, it has a 2MB buffer that is backed up by Super Link buffer underrun protection. The SH-S203N also includes support for the Mt. Rainier format and has the ability to set the book type of DVD+R/RW and DVD+R DL media. Last but not least, the drive features HP's LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling system. An alternative to markers and stick-on labels, LightScribe lets you burn graphics and text onto the tops of specially coated discs.

In the end, it usually comes down to price. For what it offers, Samsung's new "Super WriteMaster" drive is surprisingly affordable. Current prices vary depending on the seller, but the retail version of the SH-S203N can be picked up for less than $30 on Pricegrabber.

Highs:

• Writes to DVD-R and DVD+R media at 20x
• Writes to DVD+RW media at 8x
• Writes to DVD-RW media at 6x
• Writes to DVD+R DL media at 16x
• Writes to DVD-R DL media at 12x
• Reads and writes DVD-RAM media at 12x
• Reads single layer DVD-ROM's at 16x
• Reads DVD±R media at 16x
• Reads DVD±RW and DVD±R DL media at 12x
• Features 48x CD-R and 32x CD-RW writing speeds
• Good selection of writing and rewriting speeds
• Low seek times
• Features Super Link buffer underrun protection
• Supports bitsetting for DVD+R/RW and DVD+R DL media
• Includes software from Nero
• Supports 99 minute media
• Supports the Mt. Rainier format
• Serial ATA interface
• Supports LightScribe technology
• Affordably priced

Lows:

• Questionable writing quality with Taiyo Yuden CD-R and some DVD±R DL media
• Had a hard time reaching its rated speeds when reading pressed CD's
• Reads CD-R media at only 40x
• Slower than other drives when writing to CD-R media
• Packet writes to CD-RW media at only 16x