Model: Lite-On DH-4O1S 4x BD-ROM
Manufacturer: Lite-On IT
Provided By: Lite-On IT America

In 1995, Lite-On Technology gathered a group of scientists and engineers to help jumpstart their optical storage research and manufacturing business. Lite-On Technology quickly established themselves as Taiwan’s leading CD-ROM drive manufacturer and by 1999 the business had been spun off into a separate company, Lite-On IT. Since then, Lite-On IT has continued to grow. By working closely with companies like BenQ and Philips, they've expanded into the consumer and automotive electronics' markets, becoming the world's second largest ODD manufacturer.

With the format war coming to an end, Lite-On has begun to focus on the emerging Blu-ray Disc market. Through their partnership with Philips, the company has been given access to numerous patents, allowing them to produce their own line of Blu-ray drives. Lite-On recently introduced one of the industry's first BD-ROM drives, the DH-4O1S. While lacking the writing capabilities found on more expensive units, this read-only drive offers cost-conscious consumers the ability to watch Blu-ray movies on their computers. Along with 4x BD read speeds, the DH-4O1S is capable of reading DVD's at 12x and CD's at 32x. The drive also features an 8MB buffer and CyberLink's popular PowerDVD software.

We've had Lite-On's new BD-ROM in the 'Labs for a few weeks now and have had the time to put it through its paces. To give you an idea of what to expect from the DH-4O1S, we'll take a look at its features and then see how it compares to some of the Blu-ray drives from LG and ASUS. Does the DH-4O1S have what it takes? More importantly, is it the best bang for your buck? Keep reading to find out.




What's in the box?:

  • Lite-On DH-4O1S BD-ROM Drive
  • CyberLink Software CD
  • Installation Guide
  • Silver Replacement Bezel
  • SATA Cable
  • Mounting Screws
  • Warranty Information

Physical Features:

The drive Lite-On sent us for this review was manufactured in December of 2007 and had firmware version CP54. This is the newest firmware currently available for the DH-4O1S.

The DH-4O1S is a radical departure from Lite-On's previous drives. It sports a more contemporary look, thanks in part to its unique bezel design and chrome eject button. The DH-4O1S also has its share of logos. Along with the large "Lite-On" and "Blu-ray Disc" logos, you can see a few showing support for the Compact Disc and DVD-ROM formats.

While it's hard to see on the black bezel, there is a single LED below the DH-4O1S's tray. Off by default, this LED lights up green when a disc is loaded and ready. It will also blink when the drive is loading or reading a disc.

If black isn't your color, you're in luck. The retail version of the DH-4O1S also comes with a silver replacement bezel.

The rear of the DH-4O1S is pretty straightforward. By looking at the picture below you can see the drive's SATA interface and power connector.

Technical Specs:

The specs above have been taken from Lite-On's website and the documentation that came along with the drive.

   Lite-On DH-4O1S 4x BD-ROM
BD Read Speeds 4x Max (BD-ROM)
4x Max (BD-R)
4x Max (BD-R DL)
4x Max (BD-RE)
DVD Read Speeds 12x Max (DVD-ROM Single Layer)
8x Max (DVD-ROM Dual Layer)
12x Max (DVD±R)
8x Max (DVD±RW)
8x Max (DVD±R DL)
12x Max (DVD-Video)
CD Read Speeds 32x Max
DAE Speeds 32x Max
Buffer Size 8 MB
Access Times
350 ms (BD)
160 ms (DVD)
150 ms (CD)
CD Formats CD-DA
CD-ROM
CD-ROM/XA
Photo CD
Video CD
Karaoke-CD
Multi-Session
CD-I FMV
CD-Extra
CD-Plus
CD-R
CD-RW
DVD Formats DVD-ROM
DVD-Video
DVD+R/RW
DVD-R/RW
DVD+R DL
DVD-R DL
BD Formats BD-ROM
BD-R/RE
BD-R/RE DL

More Features:

Nero InfoTool can be used to query the drive to see what its reading and writing capabilities are. According to InfoTool, the DH-4O1S has a maximum CD read speed of 32x and an 8MB buffer.

InfoTool also shows that the DH-4O1S is an RPC-2 DVD drive. This means that the drive's region is stored in the firmware. The drive's region can be changed five times and after that it cannot be changed anymore. While there isn't an RPC-1 firmware available for the drive, the number of factory and user changes can be reset using LtnRPC .

While InfoTool gives us a quick glance at the DH-4O1S's features, DVDINFOpro provides a little more information on some of its capabilities. By looking at the screenshot above you can see that Lite-On's new drive can read most DVD and BD formats.

Write Quality Testing:

The DH-4O1S is one of the first drives capable of performing write quality testing with Blu-ray Disc media. When combined with CD Speed, the drive is able to report the Long Distance Code (LDC) and Burst Indicator Subcode (BIS). While it's still too early to know what "good" results should look like, c't magazine has stated that the average LDC should stay below 13 and the maximum BIS should not exceed 8. In my own testing, I've found that the LDC reported by CD Speed is considerably higher than 13.

I should also point out that the latest version of CD Speed still has some nagging issues when performing write quality tests on the DH-4O1S. In particular, the software would hang at the 99% mark when testing Blu-ray Discs.

Software:

The DH-4O1S comes with a CD containing CyberLink PowerDVD BD 7.3. Along with Blu-ray Discs, it can be used to play back CD's and DVD's as well as other multimedia formats including DivX.

Unfortunately, the version of PowerDVD bundled with the DH-4O1S only supports 2 speaker output. If you want to take advantage of movies encoded with Dolby Digital or DTS, you'll need to buy the retail version of PowerDVD.

When it comes to features, the Lite-On DH-4O1S has all of its bases covered. This Serial ATA equipped drive is capable of reading both single and dual layer Blu-ray Disc media at 4x and is backwards compatible with most CD and DVD formats. The DH-4O1S also sports an 8MB buffer and comes with an extra bezel as well as CyberLink's popular PowerDVD software. With all this, it's easy to see why the Lite-On DH-4O1S gets a solid 8 out of 10 for its features.


Along with smaller cable size, one of the biggest benefits of Serial ATA is its ease of installation. Because it uses a point to point connection, setting jumpers has become a thing of the past. In most cases, installation is as simple as plugging in the SATA and power cables and turning the computer on. Needless to say, it took only a couple of minutes to install Lite-On's new BD-ROM drive in our test computer. After making sure that the DH-4O1S was recognized by Windows, I was ready to start installing the software.

Software Installation:

As I mentioned earlier, the DH-4O1S comes with a CD containing CyberLink PowerDVD BD 7.3. If you have autorun enabled on your computer, the menu pictured below will automatically come up when you insert the disc.

As you can see, this menu is pretty straight forward. To start the setup process, simply select "Install PowerDVD" from the menu. From there, it's as easy as choosing the location where you want to install the program and then waiting for the files to be copied over. Keep your serial number handy as you will need to activate PowerDVD the first time it is run.

The Documentation:

Most of the DH-4O1S's documentation is located in the "User's Manual." Similar to the ones included with Lite-On's other drives, this manual covers a number of topics. It starts out by getting the user familiarized with their new BD-ROM drive. The first section goes over the DH-4O1S's supported formats and system requirements. The manual also spends a few pages going over the locations and the functions of the buttons and connectors located on the front and back of the drive.

From here, the manual goes right into the physical installation of the DH-4O1S. With no jumpers to configure, this section is relatively brief. Nevertheless, it covers all of the basics including how to install it into an empty drive bay and hook up the cables. The manual finishes up with a few short sections on how to use and maintain the DH-4O1S and troubleshoot any problems that might come up.

Lite-On's new BD-ROM drive also comes with a "Quick Installation Guide." While this small, fold out guide contains a set of instructions that take the user step by step through the installation process, it does not include any pictures or diagrams. With this in mind, you're probably going to be better off with the instructions in the manual than the ones in this guide.

Like the other Lite-On drives we've reviewed, the DH-4O1S was very easy to install. Even though Blu-ray is a relatively new technology, there were no problems getting the drive or the software installed and working correctly. If you do run into trouble, the documentation Lite-On has provided is more than sufficient. With this in mind, the DH-4O1S scores a 9 out of 10 for the installation portion of this review.


While CPU, memory, OS and other variables don't often make a huge difference, there are some nonetheless. We have a computer that is used only for testing hardware. We do this so all tests can be compared reliably.

Test System:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 2.4GHz
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe with BIOS 0304
Memory: Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400
Video Card: MSI NX7900GT-T2D256E - ForceWare v93.71
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 3.0Gb/s 320GB
Operating System: Windows XP SP2 - NVIDIA nForce v9.16

For Blu-ray Disc Combo drives, the performance tests are normally broken down into five sections: CD read, CD write, DVD read, DVD write and BD read. Each benchmark test has been run three times. The score given is an average of the three. DMA has been enabled in device manager for all IDE devices supporting it.

CD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the CD-ROM benchmarks, CD WinBench 99 and CD Speed are used to test transfer speeds, seek times and CPU usage. For DAE testing, CD Speed is used to give an overall speed rating.

DVD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the DVD benchmarks CD Speed is used to test transfer speeds, seek times, and CPU usage.

BD Read Tests: For the read performance section of the BD benchmarks, CD Speed is used to test transfer speeds, seek times, and CPU usage.

CD Winbench 99 Scores:

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
CD Winbench 99 1870 KB/sec 1150 KB/sec 1180 KB/sec
Transfer Rate: Inside 2180 KB/sec 2910 KB/sec 2440 KB/sec
Transfer Rate: Outside 4320 KB/sec 5910 KB/sec 4820 KB/sec
Random Access Time 115ms 101ms 134ms
CPU Utilization 2.87% 2.86% 2.26%

The CD Winbench test is as close as we can get to testing every day usage. It fires off eight different applications using scripts. This tries to mimic the activities of a person loading these programs onto their own computer.

Lite-On's new BD-ROM did surprisingly well in our CD Winbench tests. In the transfer speed tests, the drive started reading at about 14.5x on the inside of the CD and was able to reach 28.8x on the outside of the disc. As you can see, this resulted in a very good overall CD Winbench score.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - Pressed CD:

For this test I used a pressed CD containing one Mode 1 data track. The disc is 74:38 in size and is full of data and directories.


   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

24.11x
14.05x
31.89x

30.98x
17.83x
40.61x

25.14x
14.62x
33.26x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

122ms
151ms
248ms

112ms
132ms
194ms

144ms
165ms
305ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

0%
1%
2%
3%

1%
1%
7%
9%

0%
1%
3%
6%

The DH-4O1S didn't perform as well as I had expected when reading pressed CD's. While rated at 32x, Lite-On's new drive came up a little short of this number in our tests. On a more positive note, the DH-4O1S's seek times were pretty good.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - CD-R Media:

For this test I made a copy of our pressed test CD. I used 12x rated Memorex Gold 74 minute media for the tests.


   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

24.64x
14.20x
32.66x

31.14x
17.77x
40.91x

25.42x
14.68x
33.66x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

122ms
150ms
254ms

111ms
141ms
212ms

147ms
169ms
317ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

0%
1%
2%
3%

1%
1%
7%
9%

0%
1%
2%
4%

Like the other drives, the DH-4O1S was a little faster when reading CD-R media. Thanks to this small speed boost, the drive was able to reach a maximum transfer speed of 32.66x.

While Lite-On's new BD-ROM drive had no problems recognizing our 99 minute CompUSA media, it slowed down considerably when reading it back. As you can see, the drive reached a maximum transfer speed of only 13x.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - CD-RW Media:

For this test I made a copy of a pressed test CD. I used some PNY 80 minute CD-RW media for the tests.


   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

24.20x
14.14x
31.96x

30.59x
17.64x
40.04x

18.79x
10.96x
24.57x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

120ms
149ms
230ms

113ms
132ms
199ms

130ms
141ms
221ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

0%
1%
2%
3%

1%
1%
8%
9%

1%
2%
3%
4%

The DH-4O1S is also rated at 32x when reading CD-RW media. While it came close, it wasn't able to reach this number in our tests.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 (DAE) - Pressed CD:

For this test I used Pure Funk. The CD is almost exactly 74 minutes. This helps to squeeze the maximum performance out of the CD.

Exact Audio Copy can tell us a lot about a drive's capabilities. You can see from the screen shot that the Lite-On DH-4O1S supports accurate stream, caches audio data and has the ability to retrieve C2 error information from audio CD's.


CD Speed Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Average:
Start:
End:
DAE Quality:
Accurate Stream:
24.36x
15.92x
32.17x
10
Yes
30.77x
18.14x
40.36x
10
Yes
25.06x
15.11x
33.14x
10
Yes

The DH-4O1S did fairly well in our DAE tests. While not nearly as fast as the drive from LG, it had no problems ripping pressed audio CD's at 32x.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 (DAE) - CD-R Media:

For this test I used a copy of the Pure Funk CD. It's burned onto the same Memorex Gold 74 minute media used in the data CD tests.


CD Speed Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Average:
Start:
End:
DAE Quality:
Accurate Stream:
24.13x
16.04x
31.81x
10
Yes
30.48x
18.16x
39.91x
10
Yes
24.87x
15.04x
32.81x
10
Yes

Lite-On's BD-ROM drive was a little slower when ripping audio CD-R discs. While the drive came very close, it wasn't able to reach 32x this time around. So how did it do in CD Speed's advanced DAE tests? Take a look below.

The DH-4O1S completed CD Speed's advanced DAE tests with an average score of 22.94x. While the drive went through all of the tests without creating any errors, it was unable to pass all of the on the fly copying tests. If you look at the advanced features, you can see that the DH-4O1S was able to read the CD-Text, subchannel data and lead in but failed to read the lead out section of the CD.


CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD-ROM:

For this test I used a single layer, single sided data DVD-ROM disc that is 4.37GB in size.


   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

9.19x
5.10x
12.28x

12.29x
6.79x
16.43x

9.44x
5.24x
12.62x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

112ms
128ms
205ms

122ms
142ms
220ms

152ms
184ms
337ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

3%
7%
12%
23%

5%
8%
15%
23%

7%
12%
22%
42%

The DH-4O1S performed fairly well when reading single layer DVD-ROM's. In our tests it started reading at 5.10x and reached a maximum transfer speed of 12.28x. Looking at the other scores, you can see that the drive's seek times were also quite good.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD-R and DVD-RW:

First, we'll look at the drive's DVD-R and DVD-RW reading performance. For this I made copies of our DVD-ROM test disk using some general use 8x DVD-R and 2x DVD-RW media from Verbatim and then ran our usual DVD read tests with CD Speed. The results are below.

Verbatim DVD-R

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

9.03x
5.02x
12.08x

9.24x
5.11x
12.35x

9.46x
5.26x
12.65x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

118ms
151ms
207ms

99ms
124ms
185ms

168ms
199ms
351ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

3%
8%
13%
23%

3%
7%
13%
24%

7%
13%
23%
45%


Verbatim DVD-RW

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

6.23x
3.46x
8.33x

7.69x
4.24x
10.29x

6.31x
3.49x
8.44x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

127ms
174ms
343ms

114ms
141ms
209ms

176ms
418ms
378ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

4%
8%
13%
23%

5%
8%
15%
24%

7%
13%
23%
42%

Verbatim DVD-R DL

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

6.20x
3.46x
8.27x

6.17x
3.43x
8.22x

6.32x
3.52x
8.43x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

130ms
162ms
230ms

160ms
199ms
294ms

183ms
211ms
366ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:

4%
9%

5%
9%

7%
12%

The DH-4O1S had no problems reading DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media. In our tests, the drive read DVD-R discs at 12x, and both DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media at 8x.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD+R and DVD+RW:

Next we'll look at the drive's DVD+R and DVD+RW reading performance. For this I made a copy of our DVD-ROM test disk using some 8x DVD+R and 2.4x DVD+RW media from Verbatim. I then ran our usual DVD read tests with CD Speed. The results are below.

Verbatim DVD+R

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

9.03x
5.02x
12.07x

9.22x
5.10x
12.33x

9.45x
5.25x
12.64x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

118ms
132ms
205ms

99ms
129ms
194ms

168ms
202ms
353ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

3%
8%
13%
23%

3%
7%
15%
25%

7%
12%
23%
43%

Verbatim DVD+RW

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

6.22x
3.44x
8.32x

7.70x
4.25x
10.29x

6.31x
3.49x
8.44x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

126ms
167ms
235ms

114ms
136ms
196ms

175ms
213ms
367ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

3%
7%
12%
23%

5%
8%
15%
25%

7%
12%
22%
41%


Verbatim DVD+R DL

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

6.21x
3.46x
8.27x

6.17x
3.41x
8.22x

6.33x
3.52x
8.43x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

129ms
164ms
215ms

158ms
194ms
288ms

181ms
207ms
363ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:

4%
8%

5%
9%

7%
12%

The DH-4O1S performance was very similar to what we saw with DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-R DL media. The drive read DVD+R discs at 12x and both DVD+RW and DVD+R DL media at 8x.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - DVD-Video:

For these tests I am using the US version of Transformers: The Movie on DVD. The disc is over 4GB and single sided.


   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

9.09x
5.05x
12.16x

6.06x
3.36x
8.11x

3.89x
2.15x
5.20x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

111ms
128ms
212ms

194ms
237ms
330ms

176ms
208ms
353ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

3%
7%
13%
22%

5%
7%
18%
25%

7%
13%
26%
n/a

The DH-4O1S didn't slow down very much when reading single layer DVD videos. It started out at about 5.05x and reached a maximum read speed of 12.16x. Lite-On's new drive was also fairly quick when reading dual layer discs. By looking at the screenshot below, you can see that the drive's transfer speeds peaked at about 8x.

To see how well Lite-On's new drive worked as a DVD player, I watched a few scenes from Transformers: The Movie and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace using the bundled version of PowerDVD. The DH-4O1S had no problems playing back either movie and was fairly quiet.


CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - BD-ROM:

To test the DH-4O1S's BD-ROM reading performance, I used the Blu-ray Disc version of The Fifth Element. This single layer disc is about 23GB in size.


   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

3.18x
1.77x
4.24x

3.61x
2.01x
4.82x

3.91x
2.19x
5.22x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

102ms
158ms
236ms

118ms
175ms
228ms

79ms
207ms
360ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

0%
1%
2%
3%

0%
1%
1%
2%

0%
1%
3%
6%

The DH-4O1S performed relatively well when reading BD-ROM discs. While not as fast as the drives from LG and ASUS, it reached a maximum transfer speed of 4.24x.

Lite-On's BD-ROM drive had no problems playing back The Fifth Element and The Simpsons Movie using the bundled version of PowerDVD. Just keep in mind that if your monitor is connected to your video card using DVI or HDMI, both need to be HDCP compliant to play AACS protected titles. If not, you can still play them by switching the connection to VGA or using software like SlySoft's AnyDVD HD.

CD Speed v4.7.7.7 - BD-R and BD-RE:

Next we'll look at the drive's BD-R and BD-RE reading performance. For this I created a few data discs using BD-R and BD-RE media from Memorex and Sony and then ran our BD read tests with CD Speed.

Memorex BD-R

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

3.19x
1.82x
4.24x

4.55x
2.57x
6.04x

3.93x
2.24x
5.22x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

100ms
164ms
270ms

135ms
182ms
230ms

91ms
226ms
381ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

0%
1%
1%
3%

0%
1%
2%
3%

0%
1%
2%
5%


Memorex BD-RE

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

3.19x
1.82x
4.24x

2.30x
2.29x
2.30x

3.93x
2.24x
5.22x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

104ms
170ms
268ms

157ms
255ms
404ms

93ms
230ms
377ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

0%
1%
2%
3%

0%
1%
2%
2%

0%
1%
2%
5%


Sony BD-R DL

   Lite-On
DH-4O1S
LG
GGC-H20L
ASUS
BC-1205PT
Transfer Speed
Average:
Start:
End:

3.20x
1.83x
4.24x

3.67x
2.10x
2.12x

2.00x
2.00x
2.00x
Seek Times
Random:
1/3:
Full:

99ms
168ms
573ms

150ms
206ms
505ms

97ms
250ms
566ms
CPU Usage
1x:
2x:
4x:
8x:

0%
1%
1%
3%

0%
1%
3%
5%

1%
2%
4%
6%

Lite-On's new drive had no problems reading BD-R, BD-RE and BD-R DL media. In all three cases, the DH-4O1S reached a maximum transfer speed of 4.24x.

Performance Revisited:

While not the fastest at everything, Lite-On's new BD-ROM drive performed as expected throughout most of our tests. The DH-4O1S had no problems playing back Blu-ray movies and read both single and dual layer BD media at 4x. The drive also had some fairly good seek times and was able to read read single layer DVD's and DVD±R media at 12x and both data and audio CD's at speeds as high as 32x. With all things considered, the Lite-On DH-4O1S gets a solid 8 out of 10 for the performance section of this review.


While not the fastest or most feature packed drive to come through the 'Labs, the DH-4O1S delivers Blu-ray Disc playback at an affordable price. Using the bundled software, this read-only drive played all of the Blu-ray movies I had on hand, including those protected by BD+. The DH-4O1S also did fairly well in our transfer rate tests, reading BD-ROM's as well as BD-R and BD-RE media at 4x.

Lite-On's new drive was also relatively quick when reading DVD's. In our tests, the DH-4O1S was able to read single layer DVD-ROM's and DVD-Videos at 12x and had some very good seek times. It also read DVD±R discs at 12x but slowed to 8x when reading DVD±RW and DVD±R DL media. Reading CD's wasn't a problem for the DH-4O1S either. However, with a maximum read speed of only 32x, it definitely won't win any speed contests.

In the end, it usually comes down to price. The DH-4O1S is currently the most affordable Blu-ray drive on the market. Prices vary depending on the seller, but the retail version of the DH-4O1S can be picked up for less than $150 on Pricegrabber.

Lite-On DH-4O1S
4x BD-ROM
Features:
Installation:
Performance:
8
9
8
Overall: 8

Highs:

  • Reads BD-ROM's and BD-R/RE media at 4x
  • Reads single layer DVD-ROM's at 12x
  • Reads DVD±R media at 12x
  • Reads DVD±RW and DVD±R DL media at 8x
  • 8MB buffer
  • Low seek times
  • Serial ATA interface
  • Can do write quality testing with BD media
  • Includes software from CyberLink
  • Includes extra bezel
  • Nice looking design
Lows:
  • Reads CD's at only 32x
  • Does not support DVD-RAM