Inexpensive all-format DVD writer
Written: Jan 13 '04 (Updated Mar 05 '04)
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Pros: Handles all formats, fast, problem-free
Cons: OEM drive version has no software, support web site needs work
The Bottom Line: Why pay more?
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| Ames100's Full Review: LG GSA 4040B (GSA-4040B) Drive |
This LG model is one of the least expensive all-format DVD writers on the market. It handles both -R/RW and +R/RW formats, as well as the less common format DVD-RAM.
Quoted speeds are:
CDROM read speed - 32x
CDR write speed - 24x
CDRW re-write speed - 16x
DVD-R/+R write speed - 4x
DVD+RW write speed - 2.4x
DVD-RW write speed - 2x
DVD-RAM write speed - 3x
The drive has a 2 Mbyte buffer and buffer underrun protection (i.e., it can seamlessly re-sync an interrupted write operation and continue).
There's not much to say about the drive. It fits. It works. It reads and burns at the quoted speeds. I haven't had any problems with it. All the media I've tried it with so far have worked fine (Maxell DVD+RW, +R and -R, Pine DVD-R, Memorex CDR), although a few x4 types will only let me burn at x2 speed. My drive has the Dec 2003 firmware version 3.01, which may make a difference since other users have reported that firmware upgrades improved media compatibility.
As for compatibility with DVD players, all the DVDs I've burned have worked fine in my Norcent DVD player, although one Maxell DVD+RW intermittently failed to play after sitting in the DVD player long enough to get warm (it was fine again after it cooled down). They also worked fine in a friend's Toshiba DVD player and an older LG DVD-R drive, but the +RW discs weren't accepted by an older DVD drive in a Toshiba Satellite notebook. I have seen a few scratched CDs and DVDs which this drive had trouble reading, but they also caused problems in most of the other drives I tried (my old HP/Philips CD burner will still read some CDs which nothing else will read).
Tom's Hardware reviewed this drive recently along with a bunch of others and reported on compatibility and relative performance (see http://www20.tomshardware.com/storage/20031027/dvd_burner-13.html).
Software:
No special driver software is needed, for WinXP at least. The OEM version of the drive comes without software, but my OEM drive came with PowerDVD software (which I haven't used), and a wrong version of Nero Express 5 instead of the B Recorder Gold software which comes with the retail version of the drive. No loss, since I have a full version of Nero 6 installed already anyway, which is what I've used. I have used B Recorder Gold with an older LG DVD-R drive at work, and it was fine for the basics, similar to Roxio's "light" version and Nero "Express" which come with other drives. Of these three "light" packages, I still prefer Roxio's.
Support:
LG's site has some software support, including new firmware versions. However LG's site structure is somewhat confusing. Firmware updates for this drive are filed under Service - Drivers - CDRW. The firmware update Readme.txt is a scary warning in broken English that if you aren't running the finicky program exactly right then your drive will be fried and it will be your fault! (why can't Asian companies bring themselves to hire native English speakers to write their documentation?) The driver required for DVD-RAM is nowhere to be found on the LG site, but you can find it on www.dvdrhelp.com.
Other stuff:
There's an analog audio out connector on the back of the drive, but it's not needed in my system since the drive can send digital CD audio through the IDE connector. There's no headphone jack on the front.
The drive conforms to the usual industry-required CSS and region content protection schemes, i.e. you can't copy CSS-protected movie tracks directly, and you are only allowed to change drive region a maximum of 4 times. Naturally these protections are easily bypassed by software widely available on the internet, and needn't concern anyone.
The retail package comes with sample DVDs and an audio cable, but my OEM package didn't.
Note: This drive is listed under 3 separate entries on epinions, so check them all for reviews.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 120
Operating System: Windows
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Epinions.com ID:
Ames100
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Member: Doug Ames
Location: Texas
Reviews written: 90
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
An engineer who likes thorough product research and testing
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