Lite-On SOHW-1673SU EZ-DUB 16x DVD±RW

CD Write and ReWrite Tests - Nero Burning Rom 6.6.0.16 and DLA 4.95:

For this test I randomly generated 650MB and 700MB of files and directories to test the time it takes the drive to write and close a CD. All of the files are between 1MB and 25MB in size and no more than 10 directories deep. All of the times below include not only the actual writing time, but the lead in and out times too. This gives a more realistic idea of how long it takes to write a CD.

 

Like the other drives, the SOHW-1673SU has a maximum CD writing speed of 48x. To reach this speed, it uses CAV, or Constant Angular Velocity. With Fuji's 48x media, the drive started writing at about 21.70x and reached a maximum speed of 48.90x at the end of the session. This gave Lite-On's new DVD±RW an average writing speed of about 37.02x.

To test the SOHW-1673SU's writing times, I wrote our test data to some Taiyo Yuden manufactured Fujimedia rated at 48x. The results are below.

Lite-On's new drive did very well in our CD writing tests. With an average writing time of 2:34, the SOHW-1673SU was about 4 seconds faster than the Plextor PX-716A and a good 17 seconds faster than the drive from NEC.

To test the drive's writing quality I used Lite-On IT's KProbe2. Written by Karr Wang, this utility can be used to test the number of C1 and C2 errors on a disc. For these tests I used a Lite-On LTR-52246S (firmware 6S0F) and read the discs at 32x.

Fuji 48x (Taiyo Yuden)

Memorex 52x (CMC)

Verbatim 52x

The SOHW-1673SU's writing quality was very good. By looking at the KProbe screenshots, you can see that the discs burned by the drive had a low number of C1 errors and there were no C2 errors at all.

For the rewriting tests I created 400MB of files on the hard drive and wrote them in DAO mode using Nero. To test the packet writing speeds I copied and pasted the same files off the hard drive onto a CD-RW disc using DLA from Sonic. Verbatim's 32x Ultra Speed CD-RW media was used for these tests.

While the SOHW-1673SU uses CAV when writing to CD-R discs, it uses Z-CLV, or Zone CLV, when rewriting at 24x. The drive starts rewriting at about 16x and then jumps to its maximum speed at the 13 minute mark.

Lite-On's new DVD writer didn't do as well as some of the other drives in our rewriting tests. Due in part to its Z-CLV writing method, the SOHW-1673SU took 2:39 to write 400MB with Nero and 2:40 to do the same with DLA.

The SOHW-1673SU also erases at 24x. While it didn't have the fastest quick erase time out of the four drives here, it was able to do a full erase in 4:02.