Blu-ray is fast becoming a popular choice to replace the DVD. We take a look at a very affordable BD-ROM from LiteOn.
Product on Review: Lite-On iHOS104 (OEM)Manufacturer: Lite-On
MSRP: Unknown
Street Price: £54.99 (at time of review)
The format war between Blu-Ray and HD DVD has been over for two years and we see Blu-Ray aiming to supersede the DVD format that has become such a large part of our lives. With a Blu-Ray Disc currently offering almost ten times the storage of a DVD the transition feels natural due to HD content, movies in 3D and other special features.
This has been helped by the large companies backing the format, whom come under the umbrella name of the Blu-Ray Disc Association (BDA). The BDA has 20 members on its Board of Directors with companies such as Sony, 20th Century Fox and Intel all included as well as 58 contributors; including (but not limited to) AMD, nVidia and Lite-On, who we will continue to talk about.
A little about Lite-On
Lite-On IT (also known as “Philips and Lite-On Digital Solutions”) is one of nine divisions of the Lite-On group. In 2006, Lite-On acquired the Optical Disc Drive (ODD) section of BenQ becoming the second largest ODD manufacturer world-wide. February 2007 saw Lite-On buying out the BenQ shares from the Philips-BenQ partnership causing the re-naming to “Philips and Lite-On Digital Solutions.”
Six of the remaining eight divisions produce electronic components such as LEDs, semiconductors, monitors and motherboards, while the final two are non-electronic based.
More information such as a full company timeline and history can be found in the Company Profile section of their site.
Now we know more about the company let’s have a look at the product.
Specifications
BD Family
Read: BD-ROM – 4X, BD-RE – 4X, BD-R DL – 4X, BD-RE DL – 4X
Access time 160ms
DVD Family
Read: DVD±R – 12x, DVD±R DL – 8x, DVD±RW – 8x
Access time: 160ms
CD Family
Read: 40X
Access time: 160ms
Compatibility
Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 / XP SP2 / Vista
General
Environment Operating 5°C to 50°C; Relative Humidity: 8% to 80% Non-Operating -20°C to 60°C; Relative Humidity: 5% to 95%
Dimensions
145.8(W) x 41.4(H) x 180(D) mm
Weight
< 0.8Kg
Voltage Requirements
+5V ±5% ripple: 100mVpp
+12V +±10% ripple: 200mVPP
Please note that a HDCP capable graphics card and monitor/TV are required for HD BD playback.
Bundled software
The Lite-On iHOS104 OEM package is not like the majority of OEM products. Accompanying the BD drive is an OEM version of Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 (BD version), which we will discuss further later, and a SATA data cable.Overall, this saves the end user time and money required to purchase suitable software to play BD films and a SATA cable, which is nice to see in an OEM package – though the SATA cable may be surplus to requirements for some.
Bundled Installation Disc for PowerDVD 8
With our product being OEM, the product a box isn’t included. Instead the BD drive, SATA cable and software are carefully enclosed in bubble wrap to make sure it all arrived safely.
Test Setup
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 805 @ 3GHz
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
RAM: 6GB DDR2 PC2-6400
GPU: PowerColour HD4850 512MB
System HDD: Seagate 500GB 7200RPM w/ 32MB Cache
PSU: Enermax Modu82+ 625W
Case: Cooler Master RC690
OS: Windows 7 Pro x64
Component on Test: Lite-On iHOS104
Comparison Component: LG GH20NS10
Information Software
Nero InfoTool v5
Benchmarking Software
Nero DiscSpeed v5.0.1.250
iHOS104 – Installation
Installation is fairly simple, secure the iHOS104 into your case and connect the SATA power and data cables. After booting my system the drive was automatically detected and assigned a drive letter – making it ready for use. Installing the included version of Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 was also straight forward, so within a short amount of time both hardware and software are up and running.
The iHOS104 BD-ROM
The LiteOn iHOS104 installed with LG GN20NS10
Using Nero InfoTool we can see what types of discs the iHOS104 is able to read (with the LG GN20NS10 for comparison).
iHOS104 Info
GN20NS10 Info
Benchmarks
Using the installation DVD for Epic Games’ Unreal Tournament 3 we can compare the Lite-On and LG drives by running the same benchmark.
iHOS104
LG GH20NS10
When it comes to benchmarks the LG wins in all of the main tests, some being marginal and others being fairly big differences. While the Lite-On did have a higher top-end speed than the LG, the LG had a higher average. This can also be seen in the access times test where the LG’s highest time is near to the Lite-On’s lowest.
However, it is not all bad for the Lite-On, during testing the Lite-On was a lot quieter making it much more suitable for watching films from DVD or Blu-Ray. Another part of the DiscSpeed benchmark is to time how long it takes for the disc to be ejected, loaded and then recognised. These are the times required to eject the disc (with the disc stopped before-hand), close the tray and finally to recognise the contents after the disc is loaded. In these tests the iHOS104 was bounds ahead with the eject time being nearly a quarter of the LG’s. For the Lite-On being an entry level optical drive it performs very well, especially when compared with a well-established format.
Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 (BD Version)
As mentioned earlier the OEM package of the iHOS104 is not like the majority of OEM packages on the market. Software is included, the Blu-ray version of Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 8 to be exact. As can be seen by the logos in the screenshot below PowerDVD is a very capable movie player, supporting many codes including BD Live.
Main Screen of PowerDVD 8
This software can be used for DVDs as well as Blu-rays, though when inserting a DVD you are warned about a limitation of this version, this warning can be seen in the screenshot below.
PowerDVD 8’s Upgrade “nag”
From personal experience and despite the upgrade message stating that Dolby Digital audio was not supported, both DVDs and Blu-Rays have been played in full 5.1 or even DTS when supported. Using a DVD of Universal Studios’ The Bourne Identity and bringing up the information pane, it can be seen that 5.1 Dolby Digital is being outputted.
However, these are only minor niggles as the included version of PowerDVD 8 is fully functional, unlike some bundled software which has many limitations. This makes the included version of PowerDVD8 a fairly capable player and from the DVDs and Blu-Rays I have watched on it there have been no stability or performance issues at all.
Conclusion
The Lite-On iHOS104 is an extremely good BD drive and the OEM package having software and a SATA cable included makes it excellent value for money. Though the software may not be comparable to some other BD playing software on the market, it is bundled with the drive meaning you do not have to spend any additional money. The OEM BD version of PowerDVD 8 is by no means perfect but gets the job done and allows you to experience your Blu-Ray movies in full HD and Dolby Digital/DTS (if supported).This product alone shows that cheap does not always mean lacking, and for this reason I would thoroughly recommend it. The price is very competitive and should you wish to buy or use other software there is nothing holding you back. Based on my findings, I award the Lite-On iHOS104 the Gold award.
Pros
+ Price
+ Bundled items
+ Quiet in operation
Cons
– Bundled software has limitations
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