Fall 2004 DVDR Roundup: Dual Layer and 16X DVD+R
by Anand Shimpi & Virginia Lee on November 1, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Storage
LiteOn SOHW-1633S
Our roundup would not be complete without an offering from LiteOn. LiteOn has continuously proven itself as a solid (but generally not outstanding) OEM and retail manufacturer.| LiteOn SHOW-1633S 16X DVD-/+RW Drive | |
| Interface | PATA |
| CD Write Speed | 48X, 40X CAV 32X, 24X P-CAV 16X, 8X CLV |
| CD Rewrite Speed | 24X Z-CLV 16X, 10X, 4X CLV |
| CD Read Speed | 40X MAX CAV |
| DVD-R Write Speed | 8X, 6X Z-CLV 4X, 2X, 1X |
| DVD-RW Rewrite Speed | 4X, 2X, 1X CLV |
| DVD+R Write Speed | 16X CAV 12X, 8X P-CAV 6X, 4X, 2.4X |
| DVD+RW Rewrite Speed | 4X, 2.4X |
| DVD+DL Write Speed | 2.4X CLV |
| DVD Read Speed | 16X MAX CAV |
| Supported Modes | DAO / DAO-RAW 16 & 96 TAO SAO / RAW SAO, RAW SAO 16 & 96 Packet Write Multi-Session |
| Supported Formats | DVD±R/W (DAO, Incremental, muti-border, restricted overwriting) CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM, CD-DA, (variable packet, TAO, SAO, DAO, raw burning/overburn) |
| Access Time | CD: 160ms DVD: 160ms |
| Buffer | 2MB |
Once again, LiteOn went with a MediaTek based DSP, the MT1828E. Below, you can see a scan of the double-sided PCB. Using a PCB with components on both sides slightly increases the cost and complexity of the unit, but also decreases the size of the drive. This is why most MediaTek burners have a smaller form factor.
Click to enlarge.
On the front side of the mainboard, there is not a whole lot to see other than the Samsung 3.3V DRAM module. The reverse side of the main PCB can be seen below.
Click to enlarge.
Coupled with the analog controller, the MT1616E, the SHOW-1633S provides all the features of NEC and Pioneer, as well as additional features like error feedback. All MediaTek controllers provide feedback to the PC on the number of C1/C2/C3 (or PI/PO) errors produced during a burn. Software like K-Probe allows the PC to record and graph these errors in the same manner that Q-Tools reports errors. This is a great feature if you are a hardware reviewer, but not something that we would recommend as a factor in a purchase decision.
Although we are accustomed to high pitch whines while writing discs, the LiteOn 1633S was extremely noisy.
Feel free to download the performance graphs for the SOHW-1633S here.
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Operandi - Monday, November 1, 2004 - link
For future reference if you are going to bother taking pictures of the drives take a picture of somthing useful, the drive bezel. nobody cares what the circut board PCB looks like.xsilver - Monday, November 1, 2004 - link
Also is there somewhere where I can find tests on reading regular dvd-9 movies? my liton 16x reader goes completely ape when there is any scratches on the disc, the 106d is much slower but plugs through.This is when using dvd decrypter
and who the hell uses cd's anymore? dvd's are so much cheaper per m/b to store data.... if someone doesn't have at least a dvd reader, I say quit trying to buy that l33t AMD64 / 6800 and get something useful!
PuravSanghani - Monday, November 1, 2004 - link
The bitsetting feature on this model is very limited with the current firmware in that only DVD+R DL media will be autoset to the DVD-ROM booktype.KristopherKubicki - Monday, November 1, 2004 - link
>Also the 108d is the same price as the 3500a where I am.... would it be recommended then?I would still recommend the NEC-3500A. The faster CD writing is worth it.
Kristopher
xsilver - Monday, November 1, 2004 - link
Can the bitsetting option on the pioneer 108d be explained more? what will it auto set to?I have a 106d I want to upgrade and have found the pioneer to be much better than something like a liteon....
Also the 108d is the same price as the 3500a where I am.... would it be recommended then?