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Asus DRW-1814BLT

Katherine Stevenson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:05:39 -0500

Despite its relatively slower DVD+/-R write speed of 18x, Asus’s burner turned in a better time than Lite-On’s entry when writing 4.38GB of data to a single-layer DVD+R disc, at least when using Verbatim media: The DRW-1814BLT enjoyed a 13-second lead with a write time of 5:36 (min:sec). Interestingly, with Taiyo Yuden media, Asus’s drive was slower than its competitor, taking 6:01 to fill that disc. Because Verbatim media is easier to come by, we’re giving that score more weight, but consider this point a caveat. The CPU utilization during reads of both discs was below 30 percent.

In our double-layer burn test, the DRW-1814BLT, which is rated for 8x with DVD-DL media, took an acceptable 18:08 to write 7.96GB of data to Verbatim media, with a 6.66x (should we be scared?) average speed. Asus, like Lite-On, tosses in Nero, LightScribe, and DVD-RAM support, but no extra bezel.

All in all, the two drives are pretty close, but we’re more comfortable with the Asus’s CPU usage during disc reads.

Lite-On LH-20A1S

Katherine Stevenson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:03:58 -0500

When we last looked at DVD drives, the top write speed for DVD+/-R media was 16x. Lite-On’s LH-20A1S bests that (as well as today’s prevailing 18x speeds) with a 20x burner. What does that 20x net you when only 16x media currently exists? Well, if you’re using fancy—and hard to find—Taiyo Yuden media, which is what shipped with our drive, the LH-20A1S indeed excels. It wrote 4.38GB of data to a single-layer DVD+R disc in a speedy 5:06 (min:sec), with an average speed of 14.66x (the drive peaked at 19.06x). Using Verbatim media, however, Lite-On’s drive was on par with our old fave, Plexy’s PX-755SA, with an average write speed of 12.07x and a 5:49 write time. What struck us as unusual in tests with both types of media was the drive’s 88-percent-plus CPU utilization during 8x disc reads (the highest our Nero CD-DVD Speed utility reports on). This is more than double what most drives report.

The LH-20A1S is rated at 8x for double-layer media, and it took 17:56 to write 7.96GB of data to DVD+R DL—not the best time we’ve seen, but respectable. The drive comes bundled with Nero 7 Essentials and offers LightScribe for direct disc labeling, DVD-RAM support, and an extra bezel (white), so your drive can change outfits.

Samsung 226BW

Katherine Stevenson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:34:42 -0500

Initially we thought Samsung’s 226BW might rise above the pack in the 22-inch category. This LCD boasts 16.7 million colors, suggesting superior 8-bit technology. But when we did side-by-side testing next to the Hanns.G model, we were mightily surprised by the similarities. Sure enough, further inquiry revealed the 226BW to be a 6-bit panel just like all the others. But Samsung says its special Hi-FRC tech surpasses conventional FRC in color reproduction.

Be that as it may, we observed the same poor vertical off-axis visibility evident in other 6-bit panels (although horizontal off-axis was somewhat better), and the 226BW’s grayscale performance was actually weaker on the light end of the scale than the Hanns.G’s.

The $100 premium Samsung charges over Hanns.G’s model gets you fancier trim and HDCP support. Like the Hanns.G, the picture is serviceable—but nothing special—and the screen is free of any image artifacts in games.

Hanns.G HW223DPB

Katherine Stevenson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:14:33 -0500

An LCD’s spec sheet isn’t likely to mention the use of 6-bit color with frame-rate control; it’s up to you to deduce it. In some cases, you’ll find that the color spec isn’t even mentioned. This in itself can be a clue, but it’s not proof––dig further. If a spec is mentioned, bear in mind this distinction: An 8-bit panel is capable of producing 16.7 million colors; a 6-bit panel produces just 262,144 colors but uses FRC to create approximations of more, up to 16.2 million shades.

Hanns.G’s HW223DPB bears the telltale 16.2 million color spec. Granted, that’s a whole lot of colors, and we really can’t say this LCD is incapable of producing many, many distinct shades. In our high-res digital test photos, fine detail was accounted for, as were various subtle transitions in shades, and there were no signs of dithering—the obvious that often results from a limited color palette. But as we observed in our last batch of 22-inch screens, the overall picture was less rich and vibrant than what we’ve seen on high-end LCDs. Even more troublesome was the poor off-axis visibility. The picture is optimal at direct eye level, with some detail loss occurring at even the lower half of the screen. When we looked down on the screen from a standing position, the diminished picture quality was especially startling. When viewed from the side, there was a loss of contrast and lighter colors took on a yellowish cast.

The HW223DPB is labeled as “HD ready,” but the display was incapable of displaying a commercial high-definition disc from our Blu-ray drive. It turns out the tag refers to the screen’s ability to play 1080p content via an included component-to-DVI cable—in other words an analog stream from, say, a console or set-top disc player. HDCP is not supported. Frankly, we wouldn’t buy any device that requires us to trust that analog streams will remain unregulated by content providers.
The HW223DPB’s cabinet is unremarkable in looks and adjustment options (it has only forward and back tilt), but it does come with

LaCie d2 Blu-ray Drive

Katherine Stevenson — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:05:03 -0500

Like the Plextor PX-B900A and the IO Data BRD-UM2/U that we reviewed in December 2006, the d2 is actually a Panasonic-manufactured Blu-ray burner. The drive is encased in a LaCie-branded brushed-metal shell that offers both USB 2.0 and FireWire connectors. Roxio’s Easy Media Creator 8.2 comes bundled with the package.

As with all the Blu-ray drives we’ve tested, other than the Lite-On above, the d2 is spec’d to write CD, DVD, and BD at maximum speeds of 24x, 8x, and 2x, respectively. And not surprisingly, the d2 turned in benchmark scores that were right in line with its similarly spec’d brethren: 9:08 (min:sec) to write to DVD+R, 45:31 to fill a 25GB single-layer BD disc, and 99:38 to fill a rewriteable (BD-RE) disc of the same capacity. Indeed, there is nothing especially noteworthy about the d2, besides the fact that it costs $400 more than Lite-On’s Triple Writer.

Lite-On BD Triple Writer LH-2B1S

Katherine Stevenson — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:31:14 -0500

As far as Blu-ray burners go, Lite-On’s Triple Writer comes across as the most forward-looking, with the simple inclusion of a serial ATA interface—a feature that’s been sorely lacking in all the other Blu-ray drives we’ve tested. Really, it should be standard issue with any so-called next-gen device, as parallel support will only get more scarce over time.

The Triple Writer also stands out with an illuminated indicator strip across its front bezel that informs you of drive activity and whether it involves BD, DVD, or CD media. Maximum theoretical write speeds for the three formats are 2x, 12x, and 32x, respectively. A 2x BD burn speed is standard in today’s Blu-ray drives; DVD and CD speeds are typically capped at 8x and 24x, respectively.

In our DVD burn test, the Triple Writer wrote 4.38GB of data to a single-layer DVD+R in 7:09 (min:sec), besting all previously tested Blu-ray drives by a good two minutes. As expected, the TW was with the pack in BD-R burns, taking a leisurely 46:41 to fill a 25GB write-once disc, but its performance with rewriteable media surprised us. All the other drives we tested took approximately twice as long to write to BD-RE as to BD-R—the result of a data verification process. But Lite-On feels confident enough with its Triple Writer to have disabled verification in the drive in order to increase BD-RE write speeds. In our admittedly limited tests, we had no problems reading the TW’s BD-RE discs.

In fact, taking into account the TW’s relatively low price, its SATA interface, and its superior CD and DVD write speeds, the Triple Writer is the closest thing to something we might buy—not that we’re even considering it.

ViewSonic VG2230wm

Katherine Stevenson — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:05:02 -0500

You might think that being the priciest LCD here, ViewSonic’s VG2230wm would also be the most packed with goodness. In fact, when it comes to features, it falls somewhere between the Dell and HP models. Its traditional antiglare, antireflective screen is framed by a stylish but subdued bezel complete with a built-in speaker (pshaw!); DVI and VGA ports; and a smooth-as-silk telescoping neck, lazy-Susan stand, and tilt function for ample adjustability. The OSD provides sufficient user-control of the picture, but trying to work the buttons along the outer right side of the bezel is a lesson in frustration.

The VG2230wm does rise to the top of the heap in DisplayMate, however, showing no difficulties with the utility’s various test screens. Prominent backlight seepage along the top and bottom edges of the screen, though, isn’t anything to brag about. And we’re especially perturbed that the VG2230wm doesn’t feature HDCP—we could watch copy-protected HD DVDs only through the analog port. ViewSonic says HDCP will be “cut in” over the next few months as new units are produced.

HP W2207

Katherine Stevenson — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:31:25 -0500

HP’s oh-so-affordable 22-inch display isn’t the least bit spartan. It’s attractively styled with reflective-black and anodized-silver trimmings, and it has a dual-hinged neck for height adjustment; tilt, swivel, and rotate functionality; and numerous welcome acronyms: DVI, VGA, two USB ports, HDCP support, and OSD controls. A built-in speaker is hardly worth mentioning.

The w2207 also boasts a glossy screen, which might be prone to glare in environments with bright overhead or direct lighting but otherwise makes for a dazzling picture. In all our real-world tests, the display’s shiny surface made content look more striking and contrast seem greater than on the other two screens reviewed here.

But the w2207 does have its issues. In DisplayMate, it was the least impressive of the group, thanks to some backlight blotchiness on a totally dark screen, minor color-tracking irregularities, and banding in grayscales of 128 or more steps. While these factors tempered our enthusiasm for the monitor, they didn’t mar our experience in games, movies, and other applications.