Samsung TS-E552U external DVD Burner

March 6, 2005

Review: Samsung TS-E552U
Reviewer: Jan70
Provided by: Samsung Europe (NL)
Firmware: US03
Manufactured: January 2005

Samsung Europe (NL) was kind enough to send us their latest External DVD writer '“ the Samsung TS-E552U. This drive supports 16x DVD±R, 4x DVD±RW and 6x DVD+R9 DL writing technology - allowing dual layer discs of 8.5Gb to be written.

Company information:

We are sure that most of you know Samsung already, but let us take a look at some of the company information found at: www.samsungoms-europe.com

		As a world leader in the field of digital media, Samsung Electronics produces Optical Disc Drives (ODD) since 1994. In the past few years Samsung was able to take a central market position in this field.
With subsidiaries all over Europe and a large part of the former USSR, Samsung Europe can offer the consumer a complete selection of disc drives, for all types of computers. With large and continuous investments in research and development Samsung is able to be more and more at the forefront of disc drive technology. As one of the first companies developing COMBO drives (DVD-ROM and CD-RW combined in one disc drive), Samsung is a frontrunner in this technology. In the field of slim-line technologies, Samsung is expanding the line-up, in order to meet the demands of the market for desktop and notebook PCs. Samsung offers a wide range of Optical Disc Drives, allowing customers to choose the exact combination of capabilities and features. Our products feature the latest noise suppression technologies. If you are looking for a high performance Optical Drive, you need look no further than Samsung.

If you are interested in reading more company information, please visit: www.samsungoms-europe.com

Drive specifications:

The listed specification of this drive was found on the retail box:

Reading Speed

DVD±R/±RW-/ROM : 8x/8x/16x
CD-R/-RW/-ROM : 48x/32x/48x

Writing Speed

DVD±R : 16x
DVD±RW : 4x
DVD+R Double Layer : 4x
CD-R : 40x
CD-RW : 32x

Supported Discs

DVD+R
DVD+RW
DVD-R
DVD-RW
DVD-Video
DVD-ROM
CD-R
CD-RW
CD-ROM
CD-ROM/XA
CD-Audio
Video CD
Photo CD
CD-I (FMV)
CD-Extra
CD-TEXT

Buffer

2 MB

Interface

USB 2.0

Supported OS

Windows 98 SE / ME / 2000 / XP

Dimensions (W x H x D)

175 mm x 54 mm x 245 mm

Weight

1450g

What's inside the box?

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

Front

Back

Top/Bottom

Left side

Right Side

Below you will see the contents of the retail box:

The external drive itself
AC/DC Power adapter
Power supply cable (Euro connector)
Power supply cable (UK connector)
USB 2.0 Cable
Quick install guide
Samsung external DVD±R/RW Writemaster CD:
1. User's Manual
2. Pinnacle Instant CD/DVD 8 OEM

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

A standard bezel with logos of supported writing formats '“ except for the DVD+R9 DL logo - which is missing. Head phone connector and volume knob is missing too. The drive uses one small coloured led (green) for read and write (we prefer a different led colour though for writing). The eject knob is transparent and in 'the dark" it 'flashes" together with the read/write led.

Top

On top of the drive we also find an imprint of the Samsung Logo.

Underside

On the underside of the external case we found one stickers and we can read it was made in Germany, dated January 2005. (The external case).

On the back of the drive from left to right: Audio out connector, USB2.0 connector, on and off switch and power connector.

We installed the drive without any problems and here is a screenshot from Nero info tool:

From the screenshot of Nero Info Tool above, we miss Mt.Rainier support and a larger buffer size. Our drive came shipped with firmware US01, and was automatic updated to US03 with Samsung LiveUpdate.