LH-20A1P or DH-20A3P to replace my 1633/1653?

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers LiteOn / PLDS / Sony Writer
#1

My 1633/1653 (CS0T) lost it’s capacity to read and write cd’s, sometimes an audio-cd is recognized, but does not play the songs without interruptions. Well, it served me well the past three years, but I guess it’s time to look for a replacement.
Reading the threads about the recent LiteOn drives I think I will make a choise between two drives (for sale in Holland), the LH-20A1P and the DH-20A3P.
I don’t need the speed, just quality, and I prefer the drive to be silent.
Who can give me some advise?

:smiley: Leo

#2

I don’t own one myself, but would go for the newer drive, Leo. I’m distinctly unimpressed with A1-series drives, after having tried four of them and thrown in the towel. Pity they changed the front bezel though, so it’s no longer interchangeable with previous Lite-On/Sony’s.

#3

@ Cressida

The DH was the first one I was thinking of, but after reading the threads and the review of Jan70 I was not so sure I was making the right choice.
I don’t mind if the bezel is interchangeable. The only drive I have is the 1633. I don’t throw it away yet, I will try to open it, clean the lenses and (if successful) built it in our second computer (Windows 98 SE :rolleyes: ).
I hope my new drive will perform as well as my 1633.
Thanks for responding.

:bigsmile: Leo

#4

IMHO, I own the LH-20A1P and DH-20A3P and would take the LH-20A1P over the DH-20A3P hands down. I have called LiteOn about the DH-20A3P burner and btw i think you know the DH-20A3P is a newer drive then the 20A1P but again IMHO 20A1* models are very good. The new 20A3* has a minor issue with DL that they will figure out. Also note im 99% in DL burning so it would be honest for me to tell you that the 20A1* makes the 20A3* look sick when it comes to double layer. Even though both models Booktype DVD-ROM and they both hold settings in Eprom if you want it too the 20A3* has a DL compatbility issue on playback that the 20A1* does’nt have. To me it’s important that a burners compatbility is up to par. Strange thing is i have found this issue not only on the 20A3* but also on a new samsung burner.

Note: This message was intended for Idw
Reguards, gashliquor

#5

You’re welcome :flower: . Guess I should add my reasons for not recommending the 20A1P:

  1. Noise/vibration/resonance problems
  2. Inability for reliable 8X disc quality scanning

Both existed on all 4 samples I tried (2 of which I still have). My SATA model (with a different -non-BenQ-style- chassis cover) is smoother than the PATA ones, but just as bad or worse when it comes to 8X scanning.

I’m sure others will add their (different) experiences and I won’t comment on the previous poster, no thanks.

#6

@ gashliquor

Maybe it’s wise to wait a while to see if there are more answers. Thank you for sharing your opinion, especially as you own both models.
I discovered another reason to buy the LH too. The LH-20A1* is supported by the EEPROM-utility, and I like the idea having a backup of my EEPROM.
The shop where I want to order the drive, has the LH in stock as retail (with three bezels) and the DH as bulk (in black or beige). The DH is € 4,-- cheaper.
All my burns with the 1633 I did with 4x, going faster my burns were skipping in my standalone. The LH and DH will probably have a minimum burn speed of 6x. That should be alright, presumably the problem was higher jitter.

Thank you for your answer.

:slight_smile: Leo

#7

Ok great, On another note i will tell you that i am not into scanning DVD’s for quality etc and doing PIF tests and yadda yadda yadda. Im more interested in does the DVD that this burner just made look as good as the original and does the movie i just copied play back in almost any player i put it in. Thats my only concerns. So all in all what i mean is does the burner make the copy as almost as equal to the commerical original. As no burner will copy the original pressed DVD 100%. As always when it comes to D5 SL movies i use TY +R booktyped to DVD-ROM. When it comes to D9 movies i use Verbatim DL +R MKM-001 or MKM-003 booktyped to DVD-ROM. IMO only when it comes to DL compatibility play back the 20A1* discs playback in more stand alone players then the 20A3*. And my friend no matter what you choose good luck because the truth to the matter is it’s your $. Have Fun!

#8

@ gashliquor

In the past I used to scan every dvd I burned, but, trying to burn faster than 4x, even if the scan was better, the dvd tended to skip in my picky standalone. I burned Riteks 4x +R, with PIF’s max 4, playing perfect, and Ricohs 6x and 8x +R, with PIF’s max 2, skipping . In a way my standalone currently functions as a quality tool, if a dvd plays in my eBench KH 6777, it plays in every standalone. I still scan my burns occasionally though, to see if there is no decline in quality and to compare mediatypes.
I never used DL, I don’t believe in burning them in a 1633. Maybe in my new burner I will try to do that. I’m more into blanking and menu shrinking to keep as much space for the “main course”. Also I booktype every +R burn to DVD-ROM. The best results I had with Verbatim MCC004 and RicohJPN02 and 03.

@ cressida

The scanning is obviously not the most important issue for me, but the noise/vibration is. But reading the threads members who own both models are complaining about noise. I guess one have to be lucky to get a silent drive. In burning I don’t mind, I never burn that fast, but in reading it can be quite annoying. My 1633 I even lowered the read speed in OmniPatcher to slow the drive down ripping a dvd or cd. Too bad OmniPatcher don’t supports these drives anymore…

Thank you both for your input. Next week I will make my decision and order the drive of my choise.

:bow: Leo

BTW, both drives come with two year warranty :iagree:

#9

Just a couple more opinions here: http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=228673 . I guess this is one where you’ll keep getting pro and contra advice and just have to go with your own preference. :slight_smile:

#10

I feel your pain. My favorite drive is my 1693 but it won’t last forever. I wish someone would upgrade OmniPatcher or make an equivalent program for the newer drives. A simple program that only adjusted the read speed would be good.

My newer drives aren’t too bad, I guess. I don’t use DVDs much so I’m not an expert. A few years ago I had a Samsung combo drive that screamed horribly. Fortunately I haven’t heard another drive that was as bad as that one.

#11

Today my DH-20A3P arrived. I burned a dvd with it and all looks okay. Fortunately the firmware allows to burn at 4x again, as my 1633/53 did too. In that drive the speed was necessary to obtain a playable dvd in my picky standalone, but in the new drive I tried to burn at 6x, and it plays o.k. I’m happy. I will try higher speeds in the near future.
I expect to have as much fun with it as with my 1633/53.
The Flash-utility supports this drive in the meantime, and I hope the EEPROM-utility will support this drive in the future too.

:clap::bow:Leo

#12

Good luck with your new drive Leo :cool:

#13

[QUOTE=Cressida;1916791]Good luck with your new drive Leo :cool:[/QUOTE]One has to be lucky buying a new drive. But the start was successful. Installation was a piece of cake, the drive runs smoothly and the first burn (XP5R) looks good. With the new firmware, it can only become better!
Thank you for your advise.

:flower: Leo