This issue, I can tell you I am still so delighted by the performance of the drive , that I have added to it by buying the DVD drive by Liteon as well. The drive came by way of SVP Communications again. Well, if you find a supplier that you are happy with, you are going to return to them time and again.
| So, to the drive |
The drive comes with software to actually play DVDs (not surprisingly) and the software is Cyberlink DVD version 3. The software is easily installed via a CD and works well. I believe that Cyberlink is one of the better players around and it is a better ( and newer) version than the one that originally came with my machine.
The interface on the Cyberlink player is easy to use and I prefer it over other players I have seen in action. So, I was quite pleased that I didnt have to find out how to use the player.
The drive itself is nondescript, it more or less looks like any other CD drive you have seen. It comes with the aforementioned CD and an audio cable to connect to the sound card, as well as a small sheet of paper that details how to alter the master /slave setting. I cant see this being a problem as the setting is marked above the jumpers at the back of the unit anyway.
The drive is easily installed, a simple matter of gaining access to the case and plugging into the IDE channel for it. Youll probably discover a spare plug inside your unit if you previously only had one drive, as I had. Same goes for the power connection, P.C. manufacturers tend to have a spare connection inside if there is only one drive..
You set the jumper for your configuration at the back of the drive as per normal and it takes a few minutes to reassemble and plug everything back in.
In my case, Windows detected the drive and any drivers needed install off the CD..a dos driver for it.
The drive itself reads DVDs at 16 speed and ordinary CDs at 48 speed, so its not exactly a slouch.
I read the review by CDRinfo before I decided to buy the drive and they give it a glowing write up , saying it is one of the fastest and cheapest drives going just now. To read the actual review, follow the link.
http://www.cdrinfo.com/hardware/dvdroundup/page6.shtml The drive has performed flawlessly, and if you followed the link to the review , youll notice they mention the noise while it is reading. I havent found the noise a deterrent , and personally, I find it a sign that the drive is reading fast.
As for the front of the drive, there are the usual buttons etc. It has a headphone socket, a volume control open/close button and another button to start the drive reading if it isnt playing. Using this button with an audio CD inserted will cause it to play from the first track. If it is already playing a track, it will make it move to the next track. Somehow, I cant see me ever using this button J
The unit also has an led to show the drive is reading ( it flashes).
It also has a small hole to override the mechanism in the event of a disk jam, same as most other drives. As I say, most drives look very similar
The actual manual for the drive is present on the CD that comes with it. Again, it details how to set the jumpers and adds a few points about installing the drive .
It does state that the drive requires a minimum spec of a Pentium 166 or higher and 32mb of ram. Since it lists Windows 2000 as one of the operating systems , I presume it wouldnt be a problem running under XP either.
The only thing I havent touched on so far is the Region code part. The Liteon has it locked in the drive and you can reset the drive 5 times before it will lock the code. This can be reset a further 4 times after purchase by an authorized service center.
The 4 times means that , in effect, you get 25 times in total.
All the technical data for the drive can be found at the Liteon site , data transfer rate etc. The link for it is http://www.liteonit.com/index-english.htm
If youre looking for a reasonably priced drive that is fast and reliable, I recommend Liteon !!