Samsung Writemaster SE-W164 DVDRW

Looking at the above specifications reveals that in a few cases, the write speed is faster than the read speed. For CDR’s the discs are read at 40x, but written at 48x. Also, for DVDR’s (both “plus” and “minus”) the discs can be written at 16x, but only read at 12x. DVD+R dual layer discs can be written at 5x, which is an unusual speed. I’m not sure why this drive writes some discs faster than it can read them.

From the DVDInfo Pro screenshot, we can see that the full variety of disc formats are supported, with the exception of DVD-RAM. The drive is identified as “TSSTCORPCD/DVDW SH-W162C.” This translates to Toshiba & Samsung Storage Technology CD/DVDRW drive, model SH-W162C. Samsung and Toshiba have a partnership for a few years now sharing technology to jointly develop drives. The screenshot also confirms that the TS08 firmware was used in all testing.

Features

The Samsung WriteMaster is a standard size optical drive, placed in a matte black plastic case. The case is accented with a grooved silver stripe, a single black button, and a green LED; it has that Darth Vader kind of look to it. On top, the drive wears the Samsung and WriteMaster logos. The front of the drive displays the DVDR/RW logo of the DVD Forum, the DVD+RW logo of the DVD Alliance, and the Compact Disc Rewritable Ultra Speed logo.

The included plastic holder allows the drive to be used in a vertical configuration. This frees up some desktop real estate and is a nice feature that stands out for this drive. As far as external drives go, the Samsung is trim. However, it still has the mass and size of a full size drive, so it is more luggable, than truly portable in my mind. It is the perfect addition to a notebook computer that will be used mostly on a desk, especially if the notebook lacks DVD recording capabilities.

The installation routine, normally a significant subject in an optical drive review, is very easy. All that is required is to plug one cable into a USB 2.0 port, and the power cable into a wall outlet. This took about one minute, compared to the usual 20 to 30 minutes to crack my computer case and fiddle with the jumper settings, IDE cables, and power cables. Setting up the Samsung WriteMaster is about as simple as it gets in computers. Even if you’re not sure which end of a screwdriver to use, than you can still add this drive to your system!

The drive shipped with firmware TS02; it was updated to TS08 for the testing. This is the latest firmware, and was released at the end of August. (Firmware version TS09 was released after media testing was already completed). The Samsung WriteMaster can be setup with a Firmware Live Update feature to always make sure the latest firmware is used. This feature makes the firmware updates an automatic process for “lazy updaters.” The Nero recorder information displays the 2 MB buffer, and that the drive uses Super Link buffer underrun protection. They worked well as there were no buffer issues throughout the testing process.

The rear of the drive is notable for a USB connector on the left, the power supply input towards the right, and the power switch all the way to the right. The holes between the USB port, and the power supply input are venting holes for the fan in the case. This keeps the drive cool.

The WriteMaster is also promoted as an Eco-Friendly product. Samsung endeavors to use no lead in the production of this drive. Samsung should be applauded in these efforts, and I hope that other manufacturers follow as well.

What makes this drive worthy to wear the WriteMaster logo? Well, it has some features worth noting. Writing to a disc that is slightly warped is a challenge for any optical drive. Their laser has to constantly refocus for distance as the disc spins around at high speed. More errors on the outer tracks indicate a drive that has trouble with these discs. Samsung’s drive uses Tilt Actuator Compensation Technology and an Automatic Ball Balancing System. Finally, Double O.P.C. Technology controls two lasers with variable power for optimum writing across even a warped disc. Together, they all work to keep the disc spinning smoothly and the laser focused for higher quality writing. The drive also features Speed Adjustment Technology (SAT) to select the optimal write speed to the disc. In testing, the SAT correctly selected the speed that the disc was certified to be written at, however it cannot be disabled to allow overspeeding media (writing a disc at a higher than rated speed) which some other drives are capable of doing.

In testing, this drive was the quietest drive I’ve tested to date. This is very impressive as the Samsung is the only external one, and I would expect it to be louder. For users desiring the quietest drive experience, the Samsung Magic Speed program can be used to slow down the drive’s read speed even more for nearly silent operation. This makes the WriteMaster especially well suited for home theater applications where the drive should be seen, but not ever heard. For all benchmark testing, the WriteMaster was set to “High Speed Mode.” This is in contrast to the “Silence Mode” which is the default for the drive. If you don’t install the Magic Speed utility, the drive remains in the “Silence Mode.” The drive was quieter in “Silence Mode,” but even in “High Speed Mode,” the WriteMaster makes a lot less noise than most other drives out there. When I used it to rip some audio CD’s to MP3’s with my notebook, I couldn’t even hear the drive above the noise of my computer!

Reading Performance

CD’s

The most basic task for any optical drive is reading CD’s. The Samsung WriteMaster can read CD-ROM’s at 48x, and CDR’s at 40x. Testing was completed using Nero’s CD-DVD Speed utility which is included in the Nero package.

The disc used is a CDR audio disc. The disc could be read at 38.69x towards the end, even though the disc is less than the full 74 minutes. The DAE quality was a 10, the highest rating. Therefore, the 40x read speed is verified, and this drive suffers no penalty for the USB 2.0 connection, which is capable of 480 mbps.

The CDRW reading was lackluster. These discs are also supposed to be read at 40x, but the WriteMaster could only average 10.52x. I verified in the Magic Speed utility that I was still on high speed mode, which it was. For some reason, CDR’s are read at the faster CAV mode (constant angular velocity), and the CD-RW’s are read using CLV (constant linear velocity). I’m not sure why two different read strategies are used on such similar discs. In general, the CAV is faster, and you can read more about it here.

DVD’s

To completely test the DVD reading capability of the Samsung WriteMaster, a variety of DVD discs are used. This includes commercial DVD’s, both single layer, and the more common double layer, as well as DVD+R and DVD-R discs.

The overall read numbers on the DVD discs were decent, but the Samsung WriteMaster, as seen in the graphs, had trouble finding its groove. An average read speed across the dual layer disc was 6.38x, and respectable. The single layer test revealed read speeds of 7.83x on a pressed single layer DVD, 6.84x on a DVD+R disc, and 5.67x on a DVD-R disc (the test could not be completed for DVD-R). While these speeds are reasonable I’d like to point out that the curves are not smooth, and not near the 12x and16x claimed speeds. In fact, if you look carefully, only the DVD dual layer disc was read using the CAV strategy, the others used a Z-CLV read strategy, which clearly is inferior.

Writing Performance

At the request of our readership, I’m including the media code for each of the discs used. This will help to achieve a more direct comparison of results. When a disc is “Brand X 4x certified” there are often more than one manufacturing plant for that disc. I’ve even heard of one spindle of media containing more than one type of media! By including the media code, I endeavor to let everyone know exactly which disc was used for the writing process.

CDR

These are the original optical discs that started it all. They are still useful for audio mixes, and data storage of medium size projects. For this test we’re using a 48x certified Optimum disc sold at Staple’s (media code: CMC Magnetics). The Samsung WriteMaster was set to 48x, and the write was completed at 15.5x.

The scan is very good. The C1 errors peak at 45, and the disc has no C2 errors! Many DVD writers have problems writing CD’s with quality, but the WriteMaster is strong on this task. In fact, serious audiophiles would do well to use this drive for their CDR writing tasks.

CDRW

Never as popular as their CDR brothers, the CDRW discs still have a loyal following. These discs are excellent for storing an ongoing larger project, such as a PowerPoint presentation that is being modified. The WriteMaster can do these discs at the “ultra speed” of 32x, which is the fastest available. This media is rare, so I used a 24x disc (media code: Plasmon).

The disc had a large number of C1 and C2 errors at the very beginning, and a few C1 errors at the end. The WriteMaster is not as strong on these less common discs. This disc did play back in a portable Audiovox CD player with no audible errors.


DVD+R

The DVD+R discs are the most common DVD recordable media currently. This write was done on a Ritek 8x certified disc (media code: RITEK R03). The Samsung is capable of a 16x writing speed on a DVD+R disc, so I expected a high quality write at this speed. Using the Speed Adjustment Technology, the Samsung set itself to write at 8x, and this was accomplished at a measured 7.73x which is right on the mark.

The write quality was mixed. The PI Errors were quite high, maxing out at an over spec 377 (should be >280). The more serious PI Failures were never above 4, so this was all right and totally within spec.

The PI Errors are theoretically correctable, which is why they are less serious than the PI Failures. The theory translated into practice in this case the disc played flawlessly in both the Sharp and Sony DVD players.

DVD+RW

The DVD+RW discs are the most common rewritable DVD’s in use today. They are very useful for temporary storage, or testing out an authored DVD before committing it to a permanent disc. For this test we’re using a Ritek 8x DVD+RW disc (media code: RITEK 008). The 8x speed is the fastest speed currently available, and the Samsung WriteMaster supports it. (A 16x speed for DVD+RW discs is planned for early 2006). The disc was burned on the 8x setting, and was completed at exactly 8.00x.

While the write was completed quickly, the burn quality was quite poor. The scan could not be completed on two attempts, but the PI Errors were over 1300, and the PI Failures were over 200 on the portion scanned. Neither of my DVD players was able to play the disc.

This is why it is always important to check writing quality of these drives. When magazines test drives, they meticulously report the writing times, but never scan their discs, nor check for readability. This is a case in point of why their testing needs to be more thorough.

The Samsung WriteMaster is not strong on DVD+RW discs as it did not recognize a Mitsubishi 8x, nor an Imation 4x DVD+RW disc that work fine on other drives. If you plan to use a lot of the DVD+RW discs, you’ll do better elsewhere.

DVD-R

These are the less popular write once DVD discs of the DVD Forum. For this test we used a Ritek 8x DVD-R disc (media code: RITEK G05). The drive was set to write at 8x, and the write was completed at a speed of 7.36x. Most drives are slightly slower at the “minus” discs than their “plus” counterparts so this didn’t surprise me at all. The Samsung is capable of writing these discs at 16x on appropriate media, so the 8x speed should be no problem for this drive.

I was very pleased with the scan. The PI Errors were less than 20 which is quite low. The PI Failures were even more impressive with one “peak” at 4 which is below specs, and large stretches of none. This was a great write on this excellent disc, and I highly recommend these Ritek discs with this drive. The disc played in both the Sony and Sharp players with no difficulty.

Samsung is a member of the DVD Forum, champions of the “minus” standard of discs. The current crop of DVDRW drives all write to both “plus” and “minus” standards, but this drive is clearly stronger on the “minus” discs of the DVD Forum than its plus counterpart. The Samsung writeMaster is clearly showing its roots on this disc!

DVD-RW

The DVD-RW discs are the rewritable discs of the DVD Forum. The fastest current speed for these discs is 6x, which the Samsung WriteMaster supports (an 8x speed is planned). For this test I used a Ritek DVD-RW 6x disc (media code: RITEK W06). The write was accomplished with the 6x speed at a very acceptable 5.93x.

The scan is disappointing. The PI Errors are over 1200, and the PI Failures peak at 45, with a baseline that puts it over the limit of 4. After the excellent DVD-R result, I was expecting a nicer write. However, the scans don’t tell the whole story. Surprisingly, the disc played back in both the Sony and Sharp DVD players without a problem. This shows that a good DVD player can correct a large number of PI errors with its internal error correction processing.

DVD+R DL

We now take a look at how the Samsung WriteMaster performs on the DVD+R DL media. These are the “plus” dual layer discs that have twice the capacity of their single layer brethren. The Samsung is capable of writing this type of disc at a maximum speed of 5x. For this test, we used a Ritek DVD+R DL disc, certified for a 2.4x speed. The media code is RICOHJPN D00. The drive wrote the disc at a faster than expected speed of 2.64x.

After the DVD+R scan, I braced for the worst. After all, the more complex dual layer discs are more difficult to write to. The Samsung produced a disc with a reasonably good scan. The highest PI Errors were 156, which is within spec. Furthermore, aside from 3 spikes (the highest is 29), and a few errors over 4 at the transition between the two layers, the PI Failures were within spec for the rest of the write. The drive did a very good job on this Ritek media. The disc was readable in both the Sony and Sharp DVD players.

DVD-R DL

Check back soon for minus dual layer media tests on the Samsung WriteMaster with this latest media standard.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

• can be used vertically or horizontally
• nearly silent operation
• easy installation
• attractive case
• fast CDR reading
• high DVD-R writing quality
• high CDR writing quality
• good DVD+R DL writing quality
• Eco-Friendly uses no lead
• Magic Speed utility to optimize drive for speed or quietness
• Nero software included

Weaknesses

• no support for LightScribe technology
• no DVD-RAM support
• one color LED
• Z-CLV strategy hampering DVD reading speed on some discs
• no included blank media
• very low DVD+RW writing quality
• low CDRW and DVD-RW writing quality on tested media
• no overspeeding of media
• no disc quality scanning capability

Who should buy this drive?

If you value silence over speed, and want great write quality on CDR,DVD-R and DVD+R DL discs, and don’t plan on using other discs, and want it all externally, than this is the drive for you.

If you have an older “plus” drive and want to add a second drive strong on “minus” writing, in an external case, this drive fits the bill nicely. It is also strong on the DVD+R DL disc test in terms of writing quality.

Conclusion

The Samsung WriteMaster is an innovative, external DVD writer. It has no performance penalties in either reading, or writing, by the use of the USB 2.0 interface. Its attractive black and silver case is complemented by the ability to use this drive either in the more conventional horizontal, or the space saving vertical configuration. The drive is nearly silent during use. With the included Nero Express software, users can burn a variety of disc formats. The drive is particularly strong when burning to CDR, DVD-R, and DVD+R DL discs. With so many optical disc formats, no one drive can be exceptional at them all. While this drive does have its weaknesses, a user looking to add DVD recording to their computer, without dismantling his or her case, should certainly consider the Samsung WriteMaster SE-W164 DVD recorder.

Special thanks to Samsung for providing units for this review.

Special thanks to Ritek for providing media for this review.

Buy Ritek discs on Amazon today.

Recommended links:

• LiteOn 1693S
• Plextor 740A
• Belkin External Case