We at CDFreaks would like to present a review of Lite-On’s first drive that supports the Blu-ray technology – the Lite-On LH-2B1S Blu-Ray Disc Triple Writer.

The Lite-On LH-2B1S supports 4x*/2x BD-R/BD-RE (single layer), 1x BD-R/BD-RE (dual layer), 12x DVD±R, 8x/6x DVD+RW/-RW, and 4x DVD+R DL/-R DL writing technology, allowing Double/Dual Layer discs of 8.5Gb to be written. * 4x BD-R (single layer) writing will be available in future firmware upgrade.

Company Information:

Let us take a look at some of the company information found at the Lite-On (Europe) Website:

Lite-On IT Corporation is part of the Taiwanese Lite-On Group, which consists of nine consolidated companies. Lite-On Group is a world leading company in digital convergence (3C: Computer, Communications, and Consumer electronics) employing 35,000 people worldwide. Lite-On Group has 45 factories, 29 branch offices, and 4 R&D centers worldwide and generated total revenue of 6 Billion USD in 2004.

The roots of Lite-On IT lie in Taipei, Taiwan, where Lite-On Electronics Inc. was founded in 1975. Back then the core business consisted of production of clock-display LEDs. Because LED (Light Emitting Diode) formed the mainstay of Lite-On in the early years, the English word "Light" inspired the corporate name.

In the twenty years that followed, Lite-On gradually expanded its business throughout the Asian Pacific region to become a respected Taiwanese manufacturer with various established subsidiaries that form Lite-On Group today.

 Company Profile
Lite-On IT started of as a business unit within Lite-On Technology Corporation in 1995. By that time the market for Optical Disc Drives (ODD) was growing very fast, and to be able to play a significant role in this, Lite-On Technology decided to establish a dedicated business unit to produce high quality CD-ROM drives. A large manufacturing facility was established in China to meet all demands and Lite-On soon became Taiwan’s biggest CD-ROM drive manufacturer, and number three worldwide.

Due to the growing success in the ODD market, Lite-On IT transformed from a relatively small business unit to an independent subsidiary of Lite-On Group, producing over 1 million drives per month. In 1999, the foundation of Lite-On IT Corporation as the youngest member of the Lite-On Group was a fact. Besides headquarters in Taipei, branch offices were established in the United States (California) and Europe (The Netherlands).

In the years to follow, Lite-On IT continued its growth in the ODD business, by setting extensive distribution networks in Europe and the United States. With the introduction of more ODD products, like CD-RW, DVD-ROM, COMBO and DVD-RW drives, Lite-On IT increased it’s production from 1 million drives per month in 1999, to no less then 5 million drives per month in 2005. With this unique achievement Lite-On IT became the world’s second biggest ODD manufacturer.

Recognizing the convergence between computers and digital consumer electronics, Lite-On IT is now expanding its business making full use of its knowledge and core-technology in the ODD industry. In 2003 Lite-On introduced its first DVD recorder. With this product, the company made a successful entry in the consumer electronics market. Nowadays, Lite-On IT is not only aiming to provide high quality and high performance IT products, but also high-tech digital audio-video appliances. With more digital consumer products to follow in the future, Lite-On IT is resolute to become a worldwide supplier of digital solutions that promise to illuminate everyone’s life.

Historic Timeline Lite-On IT Corporation

1995                 Founded as a business unit in Lite-On Technology Corporation
1997                 Opening of production facility in China
1998                 No. 1 CD-ROM Manufacturer in Taiwan & No.4 Worldwide
                        Opening of branch offices in USA and Europe
1999                 Production capacity over 1 Million per Month
                        Spin-off from Lite-On Technology Corporation as
                        Lite-On IT Corporation
                        No. 3 CD-ROM Manufacturer Worldwide
2001                 Lite-On IT becomes a public listed company
                        Production capacity over 2 Million per Month
2002                 Production Capacity over 3 Million per Month
                        Slim type Combo starts production
                        Foundation of business unit “Digital Consumer"
2003                 Production Base moves from SJP to GZP (Science Park)
                        Production capacity over 4 Million per Month
                        DVD-Rewriter starts production
                        Launch of first Lite-On DVD Recorder
2005                 Production capacity over 5 Million pieces per Month
2006                 Opening of regional office in Germany
                        Lite-On IT becomes No. 2 ODD Manufacturer Worldwide

Management Philosophy

Vision
Lite-On leads the way in 3C convergence, bringing computers, communications, and consumer electronics together to expand the reach and value of technology, to foster new opportunities, and to ensure continued business success.

Our vision is maintained by the core values of our management philosophy:

Quality
High quality standards are the core of every activity and lead to customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Integrity
Integrity fosters trust. We place great value on creating technologies that incorporate the human touch.

Innovation
We honor the spirit of innovation while striving to be creative and responsive to customer needs. This in turn helps strengthen our competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

For more information about the core values of Lite-On Group, please refer to the corporate website: http://www.liteon.com/

Drive Specifications:

What’s inside the box?

On this page, we will take a look at what the drive came shipped with, a look at the drive and its technology.

Front

Back

Left Side

Right Side

Top

Top Lid inside

Bottom

Below you will see the contents:

• The internal drive
• TDK BD-RE media
• CyberLink BD Solution Software disc
  • PowerDVD
  • PowerProducer
  • Power2Go
  • PowerBackup
  • InstantBurn
  • Cyberlink BD/HD Advisor
  • User’s Manual for BD Drive
• Quick Installation Guide For Serial ATA Drives
• Mounting screws
• Serial ATA Cable

Now it\’s time to take a look at the drive itself:

The bezel is cleanly styled that includes a few logos, a triple LED feature (BD, DVD and CD), an emergency eject hole and an eject button.  On the tray we can see a DVD Alliance DVD+R DL logo, a DVD Forum DVD-R/RW/R DL logo, the Blu-Ray logo and a CD-RW Ultra Speed logo.

Green LED for CD disc operation

Green LED for DVD disc operation

Blue LED for Blu-ray disc operation

Top

Label

On the top of the drive we found two stickers, and we can see that the drive was made in China, dated October 2006.

Bottom

Side

Rear

On the rear of the drive starting from the left we can see: some undocumented pins, a 15 pin Serial ATA DC power input and a 7 pin Serial ATA connector.

 Also supplied with the drive, was the CyberLink BD Solution Software Disc. (We did not however use this software in this review.)

Now let’s take a look at the drive installation and features on the next page…