Lite-On EZ DUB ( DX-20A4PU)

Jun 23rd, 2008 | By

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Lite-On EZ DUB ( DX-20A4PU)


Date
: 06/23/08 – 04:38:36 AM

Author
:

Category
: Optical Devices


Page 1 : Introduction

Manufacturer:
Lite-On

Lite-On is a company that is well known throughout the computing community as a provider of quality optical drives as well as consumer appliances. We have already taken a look at a number of drives from Lite-On in the past, and they were impressive to say the least.

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Today, we will be taking a look at Lite-On's latest DVD recorder, the EZ-Dub. This drive is an external drive, and is connected by USB. Given the history of Lite-On products, we have great expectations for this drive.


Page 2 : Features

The following specifications and features were taken from the Lite-On website.

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Lite-On introduces EZ-DUB, a patented new feature, making copying easier and more hassle-free for users than ever before.

The EZ-DUB function works with the addition of two buttons to the DVD writer : ‘DUB’ and ‘FILE’, and the user-friendly EZ-DUB software developed by Lite-On.

EZ-DUB allows you to copy discs in three simple steps :

1. Insert the original CD/DVD
2. Press the ‘DUB’ button
3. Replace the disc with a blank disc to record when prompted

EZ-DUB allows you to backup data in three simple steps :

1. Drag files to the EZ-DUB folder on the desktop
2. Insert a blank disc
3. Press the ‘FILE’ button

EZ-DUB is as easy as 1-2-3. All you need to know is how to press a button !

This drive appears to be the USB version of their DH-20A4H drive, with many identical specifications. It supports both DVD-R and +R, and states it can write to speeds up to 20X. Although writing at a speed as fast as 20X would mean more errors, a 4GB DVD can be burnt in 5 minutes!

Now let's move onto the product.


Page 3 : Package & Contents

The review sample sent was a retail version with everything included.

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The front of the box advertises the simplicity of the product: Press – Burn – Go. Pretty simple, no?

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The back of the box explains the steps in order to burn or copy a disc.

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The side of the package lists all the specifications of the drive.

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The contents include the drive itself (which is very nicely protected), manual, CD, power cable, and USB cable.

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The drive is covered by a plastic sheet to avoid dust and fingerprints during the shipping process.

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After peeling off the plastic sheet, the drive shines in all its light. A reflective glossy finish is seen through the whole unit, making this a very attractive external drive.

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The back of the drive has a simple switch, power connection, and USB connection.

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Lite-On has also attached rubber feet on the bottom to prevent slippage.

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When turned on, the two buttons on the front light up in blue.

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The disc tray inside is also black.

Now that we have fully explored the outside (and inside) of the drive, let's hook it up for testing.


Page 4 : Installation and testing

Upon connecting, Windows immediately recognized it as a DVD-ROM drive, and I could read discs without any installation.

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I popped in the installation CD included (into the external drive) and the autoplay popped up.

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A copy of Nero 7 is included, and the installation is fairly straightforward.

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Next up was the installation of the EZ-DUB software which enable the use of the two buttons on the drive (labelled DUB and FILE).

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Upon pressing the ‘DUB’ button, the software will prompt you to confirm the copying of the disc inside the drive. It will then create an image of the disc, and prompt you for the blank disc, to which it will burn. If you hit the ‘FILE’ button, the software will tell you to drag all files you want to burn into the window, and then burn. The software is very easy to use.

Now that the drive is ready to go, let's put it through some writing tests.


Page 5 : Testing

The specifications of the system used for testing:

  • Dell Inspiron 1525 Laptop

  • Pentium Dual CPU T2330 @ 1.60 GHz
  • 1GB DDR RAM
  • Intel Graphics Accelerator 965

For the duration of the test, the system will be running only on critical processes. We will be using Nero CD/DVD Speed for testing, version 4.7.7.15.

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We will first test write a CMC DVD+R which writes at a max speed of 16X.

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Although the drive did burn quite nicely for most of the disc, there seemed to be some jitter on the buffer, and thus the write speed did not quite reach 16X but was varying close to the end of the disc. The 4GB disc was written in 6 minutes.

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The EZ-DUB is advertised to read at 16X, but from the benchmark, the read speed topped out at 14X. Although it is not that much slower than the posted 16X, it becomes erratic at the end of the disc.

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When writing at high speeds, errors do tend to occur. With this quality check, the disc received a rating of 93 and a perfect surface scan, which is very good and flawless to the eye.

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We will now run the same test to a Taiyo Yuden DVD-R disc.

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The write test graph looks identical to the CMC disc, with some fluctuations close to the end of the disc.

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The reading test was a lot smoother than the CMC disc, ending at the advertised 16X mark.

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The quality checks revealed a lower quality score of 77. Although this may seem like a low number, the disc still reads perfectly fine and is considered a well-burned disc.


Page 6 : Conclusion

Lite-On has produced quality CD/DVD burners and has decided to make a burner that is portable and easy to use. With P2P technologies that are constantly advancing, hard drives are starting to fill up. That's where DVDs are put to great use, as an archive for those many gigabytes of data downloaded off the web.

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The EZ-Dub does a great job of burning quality discs, but has a problem with spiking close to the end of the disc. The write speed did fall short of its 20X advertised speed as it was media selective. A mass availability of 20X media would certainly boost marketability, but we can't blame Lite-On for that issue. Being an external device with a USB interface, the convenience makes up for the 16X performance. Pack it all together in a stylish two-tone glossy finish, and you have a great product.

Advantages

  • Easy to install

  • Good quality discs
  • Read speeds up to par
  • Stylish exterior

Disadvantages

  • Spiking during writing

  • Few 20X media available to achieve 20X writing

Overclockers Online would like to thank Lite-On for making this review possible.

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