OK, I'll throw my 2¢ in. I've got 2 of the LH-20A1Hs, 1 internal & 1 external. The only negatives I've heard is some people consider it noisy and I've also heard that the Lite-On 18X drives burn better. There is some noise when it winds up but my internal is in a case with 6 fans so to me it's not too noticable. And when I'm burning, I'm just burning and that computer is in a separate room. The external seems quieter and is in it's own case which deadens most noise. Quality burn-wise I'm satisfied. I haven't achieved a 98 burn score like some folks I know, but I routinely achieve 93-95s. I've gone away from Lightscribe but on CDs the images are/were crisp but DVDs are/were kind of fuzzy (the Lightscribe layer is deeper in the DVDs, harder to burn?). They do fade. That price seems good, I counldn't find it cheaper. If you need the lightscribe software & Nero Essentials, get the retail version, if you don't need it, get the OEM version and save about $7.00.
98 scores are exciting, but in time they fade to lower scores as the pit marks degrade. (Bo Derek was a "10" once, but lately she's slipped to an 8. The ravages of time.) As for Lightscribe, the CD-Rs look better because the reflective layer is just below the photoreactive dye. DVDs have the reflective layer 0.6 mm (the thickness of the disc half) below the dye, giving a slightly fuzzy 3D effect. HP says some customers prefer the look of the DVD. I haven't met one yet.
hey guys, thanks for the response. the only reason I want to ask you guys is becasue some people left some bad feedback about it saying its the coster machines and stuff like that. I knew you guys going to have more reasonable comment then those.
greensman @28.99 you got to be kidding me man. thats an awesome deal. does it have free shipping too. i guess i'll get one if its close to $30.
I forgot to mention that my LH-20A1S doesn't like the RITEK R05's very well. I've burned a few and it refuses to burn at 16X with the RITEK's, well it burns but it ain't pretty. LOL. 12X is slightly better and I can live with the 8X burns but they suck too. I ordered the OEM version and received Nero 7 Essentials which I thought was cool. Anyway the Ritek R05's are the only discs that seem to be "difficult" with the LH-20A1S as the RITEK R03's perform NICELY!! Yep a 98 score with one of those so far. I should be talking about TY's since this is the TY thread but HEY we all know they perform, WELL!!!! If your reading docTY I plugged your favorite media. hehehe. I'll do some burns later and see how those TY perform, like I don't already know. .....gm
Mine didn't really like the 8x media, but that stuff is being fazed out. My drives love the 16x stuff though.
hello guys, i guess i sort of got into little trouble deciding now. i saw the pioneer 112 at the same price so should i get the 112 or the lite on 20x??
Yujenh, I would get which ever drive you trust. LOL. Forget the reviews at Newegg for a moment and look around at the other forums. VideoHelp, CDFreaks, CDRinfo, and some of the others to determine which is better suited for you. I think both drives are great BUT I have both. LOL. Of course I have the LH-20A1S and NOT the LH-20A1H, so take that with a grain of salt. JUST remember that there is the chance of getting something that your system might not be compatible with or like for that matter. hehehe. Ask cincyrob about the LH-18A1P and his experiences with it. He had some trouble until the GLOH f/w update on a few media MID's but now loves the performance and burning abilities. As always it's the compatibility of a system not the actual drive in my opinion. I've been VERY lucky in the drives that I've purchased and NEVER had any serious issues with any optical drives. I've had 2 Pioneers, 5 Lite-ons, 1 Samsung, and an Iomagic or something like that. It's in the work computer but I can't stand it. It burns but not so good. LOL. Am I helping here or not?? LOL To tell you the truth I'm thinking about the new Pioneer 212D but I want to make sure the f/w is keeping up with the media technology. ...gm
thanks greenman,you have help tremendously. i guess i might just end up with one of each to test them out since they are relatively cheap. the reason i want to get new burners is because i dont want to put to much wear and tear on my beloved benq dw1640 and 1650s.
Yep got the newest Firmware updates and that bad boy will and has burnd everything i have put in it.(oh thats only been TY's& verbs)lmao jokeing 9 burners???? what kinda setup you running??? lmao dont you allways help???~
Hey smartie pants!! Forgot to add the 2 BENQ's to the list. LOL. Of course that includes the Optical drives from the work computers. I use them all the time so they seem like they're mine. btw I do have 4 burners in my present system. So there!!! I try but only the helpee really knows the answer to that. hehehe. ....gm
well, i guess 9 burners is not that much of shocker. i probably have more then that. i guess i just have a thing for burners. @greensman its too bad you didnt have any pioneers stocking up man. i think i might like the 112 more then the liteons. ever since the market ran out of the benqs and plextors, its really hard to chose new favorite burner
was just looking at some media.found some 8x-r hubprintable TY's 200plus the paper sleves with free shipping $69.99. that is a sweet deal.. http://supermediastore.com/taiyo-yuden-white-inkjet-printable-8x-dvd-r-media-200-paper-sleeves.html
Yujenh, Here's the list from Newegg.com if you need it. LINK As I said before the reviews from Newegg are sometimes a little misleading. But at least you get the idea of what burners are available. Here is a thread dedicated to the Pioneer 112. link Yujenh give this a look see and maybe it will influence in a particular direction. ...gm
Everybody seems to have a favorite brand of burner. Mine is Plextor but I did use an external LG for awhile after whatever OEM DVD burner in a Sony computer I had went out. Nice but after awhile I couldn't get new firmware updates for it. So I built a new computer & bought a Pioneer A08 for it but never installed it. Nothing wrong with that drive (it's still unused) but I found out about the Plextor 716. Bought one, installed it & have loved it ever since. In fact that Plexter went into the computer I built 2 weeks ago & it's still going strong. Pioneer? I suppose it's a good drive. Downloaded the newest firmware for it 2 months ago with the thought of putting the drive on Ebay but I still haven't done it yet. DVRA08XL. No software however the drive & manuals are there in the box. Needs drive cable & power cable....
herrick , Yujenh is buying it but if it doesn't work out i will let you know, looks like it is going to though. i may have a couple PX-716As for sale if the PX-810SA works out oh BTW guys the new PX-810SA etc. will not booktype so i was wrong about that so it makes me wonder if its really a Pioneer drive but Plextor told me there true Plextor drives
