LH-201AH vs. LH-20A1P

[xdjoynerx]

i currently have a LH-20A1H crossflashed to 20A4H.QP57S.patched-fbl-eos-eoht5, i've had it for maybe a year or less but have the opportunity to trade it for a brand new LH-20A1P.

from what i can tell by comparing specs, they are the same drive, with the exception being that the 20A1P doesn't have lightscribe (not a problem as i have never used it...)

are there any differences other than this (possibly internal?) that i am missing?

most importantly, how does the burn quality compare? and does the 20A1P suffer from the same problem of deteriorating burns that the 20A1H does?

[KTL]

[quote=xdjoynerx;2023601]i currently have a LH-20A1H crossflashed to 20A4H.QP57S.patched-fbl-eos-eoht5, i’ve had it for maybe a year or less but have the opportunity to trade it for a brand new LH-20A1P.

most importantly, how does the burn quality compare? and does the 20A1P suffer from the same problem of deteriorating burns that the 20A1H does?[/quote]

Why are you using the ‘S’ firmware? Was it better than the ‘A’ firmware? What media are you using to cause deteriorating burns? Crossflashing or getting a 20A1P won’t guarantee good burns if you’re using substandard media.

You can also try the 20A1P firmware on the 20A1H, just need to use the EEPROM utility first before flashing to a 20A1P firmware.

[Cressida]

They are exactly the same, apart from the LightSribe feature (which is the additional hardware and adapted firmware). That said, individual drive variance means noone can predict for you which of those two units is better. So if you feel you have a poor or mediocre 20A1H sample, you can risk the exchange - but there’s no guarantee the 20A1P will be better. Note that I don’t recommend crossflashing A1 to A4 firmware, as this will potentially damage the Laser Diode.

[coolcolors]

[QUOTE=Cressida;2023666]They are exactly the same, apart from the LightSribe feature (which is the additional hardware and adapted firmware). That said, individual drive variance means noone can predict for you which of those two units is better. So if you feel you have a poor or mediocre 20A1H sample, you can risk the exchange - but there’s no guarantee the 20A1P will be better. Note that I don’t recommend crossflashing A1 to A4 firmware, as this will potentially damage the Laser Diode.[/QUOTE]

I would agree crossflashing in warranty will void the warranty if you have to do RMA. Also crossflashing is also should be left for those who wants to tweak their drive but after warranty expires. Crossflashing might or might not damage the laser diode but you take your chance when you crossflash. I always use firmware from the company, with liteon the latest firmware for their 20A1H was LL0C of which I use on my drive right now and have worked well.

[larc919]

[quote=coolcolors;2023695]I would agree crossflashing in warranty will void the warranty if you have to do RMA. Also crossflashing is also should be left for those who wants to tweak their drive but after warranty expires.[/quote]That’s probably the smart way to do it. But if a new drive I want to crossflash or flash with unofficial firmware is still working OK after two or three days, I go ahead and flash. It’s not a huge risk as cheap as burners are now.