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Review: Lite-On LH-20A1S |
We at CDFreaks would like to present a review of one of the latest DVD-ReWriters from Lite-On – the Lite-On LH-20A1S. The Lite-On LH-20A1S uses a SATA interface rather than the more familiar PATA interface used on previous drives. The Lite-On LH-20A1S supports 20x DVD±R, 8x/6x DVD+RW/DVD-RW, 12x DVD-RAM and 8x DVD+R DL/DVD-R DL writing technology, allowing Double/Dual Layer discs of 8.5Gb to be written.
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
We found the specifications of the Lite-On LH-20A1S at the Lite-On website
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DVD Family |
Write |
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DVD+R |
20X maximum by CAV |
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DVD-R |
20X maximum by CAV |
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DVD+R9 |
8X maximum by Zone CLV |
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DVD-R9 |
8X maximum by Zone CLV |
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DVD-RAM |
12X maximum by PCAV |
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ReWrite |
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DVD+RW |
8X by Z-CLV |
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DVD-RW |
6X CLV |
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Read |
16X maximum by CAV |
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Access time |
160ms |
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CD Family |
Write |
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CD-R |
48X by CAV |
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ReWrite |
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CD-RW |
32X maximum by Z-CLV in UltraSpeed disc |
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Read |
48X(7200KB/sec) maximum by CAV |
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Access time |
160ms |
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PC Required |
Pentium 4 1.3GHz or higher CPU and 128MB or higher RAM are required. |
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HDD must have access time < 20ms; with a minimum of 650MB free |
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9GB free space for creating a DVD image file (9GB for double layer; 5GB for single layer). |
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Compatibility |
Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP |
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MTBF (Life) |
70000 POH |
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S/N Ration |
> 75dB |
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General |
Environment |
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Operating |
5C° to 50C°; Relative Humidity: 15% to 80% |
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Non-Operating |
-40C° to 65C°; Relative Humidity: 15% to 95% |
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Dimension |
145(W) x 41.3(H) x 170(D) mm |
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Weight |
< 0.9Kg |
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Voltage Requirements |
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+5V +/-5% and less than 100 mVp-p ripple voltage |
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+12V +/-10% and less than 200 mVp-p ripple voltage |
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Retail packaging:
Our review drive was a retail version. Let’s take a look at the packaging.
Box Front
Box Rear
Box left
Box Right
Box Top
What’s inside the box
Now it’s time to take a look at the drive itself and what the drive came shipped with.
Our retail package contained the Lite-On LH-20A1S drive, white, black and silver bezels. SATA cable, fixing screws, emergency eject tool and software CD-ROM.
Now let’s take a look at the drive.
White bezel
Black bezel
Silver bezel
The bezel of the Lite-On LH-20A1S is plain but nicely styled and we can see various logo’s, emergency eject hole, single coloured green LED and an eject button.
Drive top
Drive bottom
On the top of the drive we found two labels and we can see the drive was manufactured in China during January 2007
On the rear of the drive we can see from left to right, an unspecified connector, SATA power and data connectors.
Now let’s head on to the next page were we can take a look at the features of the drive….
