Lite On DVD/RW Dual Layer Burner with Light Scribe Review

Bottom Line: I like the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe.  Together with the bundled software, the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe is a hard bargain to pass up for the serious user with an eye on DVD and or VCD creation and editing.     

As I stated in my review: Windows Vista: You will Most Likely Need an Upgrade in Hardware, Microsoft has upped the hardware ante for the new Operating System (OS).  A plain ole CD-ROM will no longer be enough to install the OS, you will need a DVD drive for the chore for a number of reasons.  So when it came time for me install the Beta 2 version of Windows Vista on my home computer I needed to replace one of the CD-RW drives with an (inexpensive) internal DVD drive.  Off to Newegg.com I wend to price and choose; I came up with the LiteOn SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe for under $70.00.

I was looking for a simple DVD drive, but those are next to impossible to find; multi-layered, multi-function units are all the rage these days.  I ended up with a drive that writes to all major DVD formats and has Hewlett Packard's seriously cool LightScribe digital printing technology imbedded in the unit.  SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe functionality:    

•·         8x DVD+R DL (8.5GB)

•·         16X DVD+R Single Layer write;

•·         8X DVD+RW write;

•·         6X DVD-RW rewrite

•·         5X DVD-RAM, and;

•·         16X DVD-ROM;

In addition to recording, rewriting and reading DVD discs in dual formats, the LiteOn SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe supports:

•·         48X CD-R write,

•·         24X CD-RW rewrite and;

•·         48X CD-ROM read speeds.  

The Drive

The front of the unit is dominated by the tray, which of course holds the DVD.  The ejection button for the tray sits right side of the box under the tray.  There are no other front panel controls; the lone status LED is situated in the middle of the unit under the tray.  There are no other controls; i.e. no volume control, or head phone jack port; this is a serious drive, the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe is all business.  The back panel includes a power connection, data connection, audio connection, and Master /Slave/ jumper switch.    

What is LightScribe?

According to the folks at Wikipedia.com the on-line encyclopedia designed to be maintained by the masses, LightScribe is an optical disc recording technology that utilizes specially coated recordable CD and DVD media to produce laser-etched labels.  LightScribe was invented by Hewlett-Packard engineer Daryl Anderson, and licensed by HP to numerous hardware manufacturers, media manufacturers and software developers. Although currently limited to desktop and laptop PC DVD/CD drives, HP has ambitions to make LightScribe present in consumer electronics products such as stereo-component CD recording decks and set-top DVD recorders.

The purpose of LightScribe is to allow users to create direct-to-disc labels (as opposed to stick-on labels), using their optical disc writer. Special discs and a compatible disc writer are required. After burning data to the read-side of the disc, the user simply turns the media over and inserts it with the label side down. The drive's laser then etches into the label side in such a way that an image is produced.

I was a Beta tester for the first LightScribe drive HP produced, and I can a-test to the drives ability.  The first discs were certainly lacking in contrast and coloring-everything was a shade of gold the base color of all the discs-but the resolution was far better then anything I had used before hand.  I continue to use the external LightScribe drive HP sent me.  Granted the discs are a little more expensive, but they are worth it. 

With the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe and bundled software (see below) you can capture, archive, organize and personalize your home movies and photos on DVD, VCD (Video Compact Disc), mini DVD and SVCD. You can create photo slide shows, complete with slick transitions and background music. Burned photos and photo albums in VCD will play back on most DVD players. You can also playback DVD's and VCD's on your computer. 

You can also back up and archive 8.5GB of data on a single-sided recordable DVD disc; all-n-all the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe is a very versatile drive.  The SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe comes bundled with the following software:

• Nero Burning Rom Express 6.6: simple yet powerful software for creating data and music discs as well as basic DVD/CD duplication.
• LightScribe software/ Users Manual
• Nero Vision Express 2: DVD-Video & Video CD authoring and editing software.
• Nero Back-It-Up: Back-up software.
• Power DVD 6.0: DVD playback software.

My Viewpoint

I like the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe.  Together with the bundled software, the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe is a hard bargain to pass up for the serious user with an eye on DVD and or VCD creation and editing.  If you want to use the drive as an external CD-ROM player for music however, look elsewhere.  If your budget allows, and I don't know why it couldn't, the SHM-165 Drive w/ LightScribe by LiteOn is one of the best money can buy.