LG GSA-4163B Super Multi DVD Burner

Test machine:

For this review we will be using a computer with the following configuration:

Hardware:

• Motherboard: ECS Elitegroup N2U400-A with Nvidia nForce 2 Ultra-400 and nForce MCP chipset.
•  Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2800+ (Barton) 333 MHz FSB.
• RAM: 1 GB Infineon PC2700 DDR
•  GFX: ATI Radeon 9600 XT
•  Sound: SoundBlaster Audigy
• Hard disk: Samsung SP1614N 160 GB.

System set-up:

The drive was connected as Secondary Master, identified itself as HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4163B. DMA (Direct Memory Access) and autorun was enabled for all devices.

Software:

Windows XP professional is installed on the computer along with Service Pack 2 for windows XP. We will be using the following software in this review:

• Ahead Nero Burning ROM version 6.6.0.3
• Ahead Nero CD/DVD Speed v3.55
• Ahead Nero Info Tool v2.27
• Slysoft CloneCD v5.0.4.2
• DVD-Identifier 3.5.1
• Exact Audio Copy v0.95 pre-beta 5
• K-Probe v2.4.2

Now it’s time to take a closer look at the write technology used by the LG GSA-4163B:

CD-Recordable:

The LG GSA-4163B uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 40X. The drive wrote the last zone at 40.48X and this gives an average speed of 31.76x. Two drives for comparison are found below.

The Philips DVDR1640 uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity), to write at its maximum speed of 40X. This gives an average speed of 29.86x.

The Samsung TS-H552B uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write at its rated speed of 40x. This gives an average speed of 34.27x.

 For comparison we have made the following table: 

As we can read from the table, the LG GSA-4163B got an average writing time on CD-R’s.

CD-Rewritable:

The LG GSA-4163B uses Z-CLV, (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity), to write at its rated speed of 24x, this gives an average speed of 23.35x. Below are some other drives for comparison:

The Samsung TS-H552B uses P-CAV (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) writing technology to write at 32X for CD-RW discs, the average speed is 30.21x.

The LaCie d2 DVD±RW Double Layer uses CLV (Constant Linear Velocity) writing technology to write at 16X for CD-RW discs, the average speed is 16x. For a better overview we present the following comparison table:

As we can see from the table, the LG GSA-4163B takes second place – compared with the others that also write CD-RW at 24x.

16X DVD+R / 16X DVD-R Writing speed:

The LG GSA-4163B uses P-CAV, (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 12.87x and total writing time is 5 minutes and 34 seconds.

The LG GSA-4163B uses P-CAV, (Partial-Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD-R at 16x. The average speed is 12.90x and total writing time is 5 minutes and 20 seconds.

The Samsung TS-H552B uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity) to write DVD+R at 16x. The average speed is 12.03x and total writing time is 5 minutes and 58 seconds.

The Philips DVDR1640P uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity) to write at 16x. The average speed is 11.56x and total writing time is 5 minutes and 48 seconds. The average speed is lower and the writing time is higher than it could have been due to the Walking OPC generation 2 using some time to constantly adjust the writing quality, we could see this as constant dips in the speed curve.

The BenQ DW1600A also uses CAV, (Constant Angular Velocity) to write at 16x. The average speed is 11.32x and total writing time is 6 minutes and 7 seconds. Below, we made a comparison table:

*Actual writing speed was 12X in these areas for the Pioneer A08.

From the table above, we can see that the LG GSA-4163s is the fastest drive writing DVD+R and DVD-R at 16x, since it is using the P-CAV Technique.

Features and techniques:

What is double layer recording technology?

Introduced by Philips and Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM) in 2003, double layer recording technology offers two recordable layers on a single DVD disc, providing nearly double the capacity of 4.7GB single layer DVDs. The two individual layers are separated by a transparent buffer layer and are accessible from the same side of the disc, so recording can occur completely uninterrupted.

When a double layer disc is inserted into a compatible drive, the laser will focus on one of the layers and attempt to read an ADIP (Address in Pregroove) signal. From this signal, the drive is able to detect if the disc is a double layer DVD+R disc and which layer it’s focusing on. Once the media type and layer are determined, the laser can adjust its range of focus to read one of the two recordable layers.

Book type (bitsetting).

The LG GSA-4163B supports bit-setting and can write DVD+R and DVD+R9 DL media with DVD-ROM book type.

In our tests we used the Bitsetting option in Nero CD-DVD Speed to change the book-type:

Or you can use Nero Burning ROM (V.6.6.0.3) under the option ‘Choose Recorder” to change the booktype:

Here is how you could check if your discs are really written with DVD-ROM book type:

Start Nero CD-DVD Speed and click the Disc info button and you should get something like this:

DVD+R with book type DVD-ROM

DVD+R9 DL with Book type DVD-ROM

DVD+RW 8x and DVD-RW 6x

The LG GSA-4163B is one of the first DVD-writer to support DVD+RW re-writing at 8x and DVD-RW re-writing at 6x. Both media (DVD+RW 8x and DVD-RW 6x) that LG Korea sent us for our test purpose are just 2 unbranded disc, so there is no use to show them, but let us take a look at the media code and who the manufacturer is before we continue.

—————————————————————————
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD+RW:MKM-A03-000]
—————————————————————————
Disc & Book Type :       [DVD+RW] – [DVD+RW]
Manufacturer Name :      [Mitsubishi Kagaku Media]
Manufacturer ID :        [MKM]
Media Type ID :          [A03]
Product Revision :       [Not Specified]
Blank Disc Capacity :    [Not Supported By Method 2]
Recording Speeds :       [1x , 2.4x , 4x]
                         [Method 2 Might Not Always Detect All Speeds]
—————————————————————————
** INFO : An Empty Writable Disc Is Recommended For Accurate Results
** INFO : Drive = HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4163B [FW A101]
** INFO : Write Capabilities = DVD+R DVD+R-DL DVD+RW DVD-R DVD-RW DVD-RAM
** INFO : Disc = [DVD+RW:MKM-A03-000]
** INFO : Write Speeds (Supported By This Drive On This Disc) Listed Below
** INFO : GET PERFORMANCE Write Speed Descriptor(s)
Descriptor #1 = 11080 KBPS ( 8.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
Descriptor #2 =  8310 KBPS ( 6.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
** INFO : MODE SENSE Write Speed Descriptor(s) [Legacy Command]
Descriptor #1 = 11080 KBPS ( 8.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
Descriptor #2 =  8310 KBPS ( 6.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
—————————————————————————
** WARNING : Format 11h (Method 1) Is Recommended ADIP Retrieval Method
** WARNING : Format 00h (Method 2) Data Might Contain Drive Modified Values
** WARNING : Format 00h Might Not Return The Entire ‘Media Code’-Block
** INFO : Hex Dump Of ‘Media Code’-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding ‘Media Code’-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 00h (Method 2) – Physical Information (Copy Of ADIP)
0000 : 92 0f 04 00 00 03 00 00  00 26 05 3f 00 00 00 00   ………&.?….
0010 : 00 00 01 4d 4b 4d 00 00  00 00 00 41 30 33 00 39   …MKM…..A03.9
0020 : 23 00 94 79 64 02 20 00  9c 7a 6c 02 20 00 9a 7b   #..yd. ..zl. ..{
0030 : 68 02 20 12 12 10 e0 00  f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   h. ………….
0040 : 01 00 17 38 00 29 8b 3e  02 24 00 2d 8e 38 02 24   …8.).>.$.-.8.$
0050 : 00 2c 90 3e 02 24 44 35  30 e0 f0 30 40 00 00 00   .,.>.$D50..0@…
—————————————————————————
[ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
—————————————————————————

—————————————————————————
Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-RW:MKM 01RW6X01]
—————————————————————————
Disc & Book Type :       [DVD-RW] – [DVD-RW]
Manufacturer Name :      [Manufacturer Not Found In Database]
Manufacturer ID :        [MKM 01RW6X01]
Blank Disc Capacity :    [2,298,496 Sectors = 4,489.3MB = 4.38GB (4.71GB)]
Recording Speeds :       [1x , 2x]
                         [6x And Higher Might Not Always Be Detectable]
—————————————————————————
** INFO : An Empty Writable Disc Is Recommended For Accurate Results
** INFO : Drive = HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4163B [FW A101]
** INFO : Write Capabilities = DVD+R DVD+R-DL DVD+RW DVD-R DVD-RW DVD-RAM
** INFO : Disc = [DVD-RW:MKM 01RW6X01]
** INFO : Write Speeds (Supported By This Drive On This Disc) Listed Below
** INFO : GET PERFORMANCE Write Speed Descriptor(s)
Descriptor #1 =  8310 KBPS ( 6.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
Descriptor #2 =  5540 KBPS ( 4.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
Descriptor #3 =  2770 KBPS ( 2.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
** INFO : MODE SENSE Write Speed Descriptor(s) [Legacy Command]
Descriptor #1 =  8310 KBPS ( 6.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
Descriptor #2 =  5540 KBPS ( 4.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
Descriptor #3 =  2770 KBPS ( 2.00x) – [CLV/Non-Pure CAV]
—————————————————————————
** WARNING : Some Drives Do Not Return The Entire ‘Media Code’-Block
             When Dealing with Discs That Are Rated 6x And Higher.
** INFO : Hex Dump Of ‘Media Code’-Block Listed Below
** INFO : 4-Byte Header Preceding ‘Media Code’-Block Discarded
** INFO : Format 0Eh – Pre-Recorded Information In Lead-In
0000 : 01 02 d6 fd 9e d8 31 00  02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ……1………
0010 : 03 4d 4b 4d 20 30 31 00  04 52 57 36 58 30 31 00   .MKM 01..RW6X01.
0020 : 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  06 15 08 06 30 14 10 00   …………0…
0030 : 07 1e 05 02 88 20 16 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ….. ……….
—————————————————————————
[ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ]
—————————————————————————

As we can read from DVD Identifier, Mitsubishi Kagaku Media is the manufacturer of both media. Let us see what kind of write technology the LG GSA-4163B use to write these Medias.

DVD+RW 8x

DVD-RW 6x

According to the write graphs we can see that the LG GSA-4163B uses Z-CLV (Zone-Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD+RW at 8x and CLV (Constant Linear Velocity) to write DVD-RW at 6x. Just how good the write quality is on these two DVD’s can be read later in this review.

 Included software:

Now it’s time to look at the included software and to comment if needed. Notice that we may not use the included software in our performance testing part of the review.

LG DVD Writer Solution:

Cyberlink PowerDVD:

Cyberlink PowerProducer Gold:

Nero Express 6:

In CD:

Now that we have finished examining the drive and its writing strategies, it’s time to head on to next page, which is reading performance test…