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Hi there, I am in the market for a new DVD-ROM drive, and chief among the features I am looking for is the ability to read copy protected audio-cd's and the audio-protection.

I also use my drive for:
1) backing up protected DVD's
2) backing up protected pc games (although rarely do this)
3) backing up ps2 games

My local PC store sells the following drives:

Aopen DVD1648
LG DRD-8160B
LG DRD-8161B
Lite-On LTD-163
Lite-On ltd-166s
Pioneer DVD-115
Pioneer DVD-105S-OEM
Sony DDU1621
Toshiba SD-M1712

any suggestions in which of the above drives, or some other model, is best for the uses I specified above, with an emphasis on audio-cd ripping (And bypassing the various audio protections out there?

The speed of the ripping is not a huge issue, it is just the reliability of the ripping that is.

Thanks

Get a Lite-On 166,it reads more media than the 163.
I have a 165 and it rips DVD's fast(12x single layer,7.5x dual layer).I don't own any copy-protected CD's so I can't say but I've read reviews qouting it can bypass most.

well, from reading the hardware reviews on www.cdrlabs.com I wasn't given enough info to make a decision.

These reviews you have read, do any of them indicate if the "Toshiba SD-M1712" is better than the l"Lite-On ltd-166s"?

Thanks

Toshiba review:http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/dvd/dvd-toshiba1712-test.html
What do you mean better?
The Lite-On 165/166 can read all media(except HD-BURN) including DVD-RAM,the Toshiba can't read DVD+R but maybe recently they have released a firmware that can.

OK I geuss it isn't better than (I was just asking if it might be).
I didn't see a review of the liteon 166, and the toshiba 1712 review therefore didn't leave me much basis for comparison, but your comments have helped me make my decision and get the 166s.

thanks a lot for the help

I once got rid of a 166s because it had a problem with copies of copy-protected (AND non-copy-protected!) games.

See http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic. ... highlight=

I'm not sure about audio copy protections, though....

burninfool wrote:The Lite-On 165/166 can read all media(except HD-BURN) including DVD-RAM,the Toshiba can't read DVD+R but maybe recently they have released a firmware that can.

Toshiba SD-M1712 reads any DVD format right from the box with original or hacked firmware. In fact, some say that this drive is better and faster than LiteOn... With no speed limit RPC-1 firmware, of course.

I wouldn't run the hacked firmware, because, aside from the fact it makes the drive very noisy (a minor issue) it seems to cause some anamolies in drive reliability (breaking some discs) judging from what I read in the forums.

The Lite-On 166S seems to be better, but I haven't seen any HEAD to HEAD comparison between the two on, using non-hacked firmwares, which read audio protected cd's the best, and secondly, which reads protected DVD's the best... (or PS2 games)

Patched firmware sure makes the drive more noisy, but not as much as LiteOn. Could you post some links claiming that faster operation causes anomalies in drive reliability etc.? Thanks.

someone on another site mentioned that the "Asus DVD-E616 (DVD-ROM)" is the best drive for ripping past audio protection, is that true guys?

As for the claims about the firmware hacked toshiba's han, I read it in a couple other forum posts here so I can't link it would take to long to find again.

thanks guys

I'm sure the Lite-On LTD-166S could rip past audio protection as well. Many people rave that it can read just about any kind of protection: both data and audio.

Regarding the Asus DVD-E616, take a look at these two threads. They give two different views.

http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=6273
http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11921

contradictory indeed. Based on the 40 or so messages I have read, without any conclusive decision on any drive, the Liteon by far seems to have the most positive feedback.

thanks for the info guys, much appreciated.

Fror what it's worth:
I replaced my 166S with a Teac DV-516E...very happy with it!

Fror what it's worth:
I replaced my 166S with a Teac DV-516E...very happy with it!

Like I said, all the forum posts have been consistently inconsistent hehe

Come to expect that here, prime. Everyone has their own opinion and they voice is accordingly.