Introduction:
Today we will be taking a short look at the LG GE-20 external DVD writer. Yes, this is the same one which is available in Croma. I got a few queries regarding this from members so thought to post this preview as a kind of overview of the same.
First of all, who needs one of these?
1. The ever increasing number of netbook users. Due to their low cost, netbooks are flying off store shelves like hot cakes. For most technically adept people, its usually a secondary system for mobility purposes. A ROM drive is not really needed as one can always use the primary system to transfer data to a pen-drive and use it as required. However, many people are buying netbooks for basic browsing, music use etc. Many people I know have gifted these to their parents (so did I) and to younger siblings where it will be the primary system for movies/music/internet use. In such cases, a ROM drive will come in handy even if its just lying around at home so that it can be used when required.
2. Many offices where the standard desktops do not have DVD/CD writers (not cost efficient) but occasionally, a writer may be required on different systems. A portable writer is a good solution here.
3. Imagine the ROM drive in your 3 year old laptop going poof. Many times, its just not cost effective to replace that expensive laptop drive when you dont know how much longer the laptop itself will be in use.
In such cases and probably some more I cant recall, an external drive is a better and much cheaper solution. Not to mention one that comes with a casing from a reputable company (with proper warranty) instead of a cheap chinese one, and at a similar price point to boot!
With that covered, on with the preview:
The box
Official Specifications/Features:
Official site:
LG Optical Drives - Model GE20LU10: Computer Products > Optical Drives > Optical Drives > GE20LU10
The official specifications/features from the LG website:
Unboxed/Bundle:
The Bundle
This external writer unfortunately needs an external power supply and hence a separate power brick for the same is provided. While this makes the package bulky and not really portable, for the price, one doesnt really complain. My dealer was offering an Iomega USB only 'slim' dvd writer for approximately 4k. Needless to say, it didnt seem to be a value for money option.
The case is black with silver edges and the design is functional. This is basically a 5.25" casing with a standard IDE DVD-writer drive slotted in the case. The build quality seems solid and better than the chinese casings commonly available in the same price range.
Front (Thin layer of plastic all over the new unit, protects from scratches while new)
The front has a plain eject button. There are two bands of rubber supports covering the bottom as well as the sides of this case. This enables it to be used either horizontally or vertically if required. The rubber bands also ensure that vibrations are kept to a minimum and the the player isnt accidentally moved or knocked about.
Back
The back of the case has two basic connectors, one for a USB cable and the second for the 12V power supply. The power adaptor is LG branded as well.
Manufacturer Information
The underside has the standard manufacturer information.
The software bundle isnt much, just the normal CD you receive with any other DVD-writer from LG with a version of Nero supplied (I personally find ImgBurn to be less bloated for burning operations). This is also supposed to have features such as copy protection for PDF documents which may be appreciated by some people who wish to keep their data secure and non-copyable. I personally do not know how safe or difficult to bypass such protection may be. Please do your research before using any such features.
[BREAK=Burn Scans]
Burn Scans:
Burn Scans are up, courtesy of forum member vb86.
Verbatim media, burnt at 16x.
Scanned twice on a Moserbaer (lite-on) writer @ 8x/16x.
8X
16X (Some issue with the cropping. Quality was 95.)
[BREAK=First Impressions/Conclusion]
First Impressions:
The LG GE20 seems to be a very capable DVD-writer. With maximum supported write speeds of 20X for DVDs and 48X for CDs, it will probably be limited by the USB 2.0 interface it uses rather than anything else.
I was unable to find this in retail channels with my regular dealer and had to buy it from Croma, Pune for 2k. For the price, its a good buy. Keep in mind that even if you decide to assemble your own drive, you end up spending approx Rs. 600 for a chinese casing (TAG/Zippy/Techcom) which has questionable quality/durability + around 1.2k for a DVD-writer.
For another 200 rupees here, you get a good quality branded casing from LG which will have better quality than a chinese casing and a decent 1 year warranty on the same as well (not all chinese casings may come with a proper warranty).
Also, in case you didnt notice till now, that 200 extra also gets you LIGHTSCRIBE support. The technology may not be extremely popular and supporting media may not be freely available everywhere. But, if you do need to use it even a couple of times, you wont regret spending the small amount extra for this drive.
Conclusion:
While this is a basic DVD-writer offering features comparable to other drives in the market, the Lightscribe support as well as the good quality casing make this a no-brainer for anyone in the market for an external DVD-writer. The value for money tag of Rs. 2000 (from Croma) puts this in the same price range as lower quality chinese casings.
Pros:
1. Value for money price, same as self-assembled chinese 5.25" casing + DVD-writer. Better quality casing.
2. Lightscribe support is the icing on this cake.
3. 1 year warranty on the complete package.
4. If the writer dies after warranty, the drive is replaceable and the casing can be reused.
Cons:
1. Bulky due to 5.25" size + power adapter. For the price, an acceptable trade-off.
I know this is not a usual review as this product is not the latest and greatest, or even expensive, but this is something practical many of us would be interested in (especially with the netbook explosion). I was in the mood to write something and having recently purchased it, this caught my fancy today.
Do let me know if you liked it or have any queries.
UPDATE: Burn Scans are now up too. Thanks to forum member vb86 for the scans.
Today we will be taking a short look at the LG GE-20 external DVD writer. Yes, this is the same one which is available in Croma. I got a few queries regarding this from members so thought to post this preview as a kind of overview of the same.
First of all, who needs one of these?
1. The ever increasing number of netbook users. Due to their low cost, netbooks are flying off store shelves like hot cakes. For most technically adept people, its usually a secondary system for mobility purposes. A ROM drive is not really needed as one can always use the primary system to transfer data to a pen-drive and use it as required. However, many people are buying netbooks for basic browsing, music use etc. Many people I know have gifted these to their parents (so did I) and to younger siblings where it will be the primary system for movies/music/internet use. In such cases, a ROM drive will come in handy even if its just lying around at home so that it can be used when required.
2. Many offices where the standard desktops do not have DVD/CD writers (not cost efficient) but occasionally, a writer may be required on different systems. A portable writer is a good solution here.
3. Imagine the ROM drive in your 3 year old laptop going poof. Many times, its just not cost effective to replace that expensive laptop drive when you dont know how much longer the laptop itself will be in use.
In such cases and probably some more I cant recall, an external drive is a better and much cheaper solution. Not to mention one that comes with a casing from a reputable company (with proper warranty) instead of a cheap chinese one, and at a similar price point to boot!
With that covered, on with the preview:
The box
Official Specifications/Features:
Official site:
LG Optical Drives - Model GE20LU10: Computer Products > Optical Drives > Optical Drives > GE20LU10
The official specifications/features from the LG website:
[BREAK=Unboxed/Bundle]
Unboxed/Bundle:
The Bundle
This external writer unfortunately needs an external power supply and hence a separate power brick for the same is provided. While this makes the package bulky and not really portable, for the price, one doesnt really complain. My dealer was offering an Iomega USB only 'slim' dvd writer for approximately 4k. Needless to say, it didnt seem to be a value for money option.
The case is black with silver edges and the design is functional. This is basically a 5.25" casing with a standard IDE DVD-writer drive slotted in the case. The build quality seems solid and better than the chinese casings commonly available in the same price range.
Front (Thin layer of plastic all over the new unit, protects from scratches while new)
The front has a plain eject button. There are two bands of rubber supports covering the bottom as well as the sides of this case. This enables it to be used either horizontally or vertically if required. The rubber bands also ensure that vibrations are kept to a minimum and the the player isnt accidentally moved or knocked about.
Back
The back of the case has two basic connectors, one for a USB cable and the second for the 12V power supply. The power adaptor is LG branded as well.
Manufacturer Information
The underside has the standard manufacturer information.
The software bundle isnt much, just the normal CD you receive with any other DVD-writer from LG with a version of Nero supplied (I personally find ImgBurn to be less bloated for burning operations). This is also supposed to have features such as copy protection for PDF documents which may be appreciated by some people who wish to keep their data secure and non-copyable. I personally do not know how safe or difficult to bypass such protection may be. Please do your research before using any such features.
[BREAK=Burn Scans]
Burn Scans:
Burn Scans are up, courtesy of forum member vb86.
Verbatim media, burnt at 16x.
Scanned twice on a Moserbaer (lite-on) writer @ 8x/16x.
8X
16X (Some issue with the cropping. Quality was 95.)
[BREAK=First Impressions/Conclusion]
First Impressions:
The LG GE20 seems to be a very capable DVD-writer. With maximum supported write speeds of 20X for DVDs and 48X for CDs, it will probably be limited by the USB 2.0 interface it uses rather than anything else.
I was unable to find this in retail channels with my regular dealer and had to buy it from Croma, Pune for 2k. For the price, its a good buy. Keep in mind that even if you decide to assemble your own drive, you end up spending approx Rs. 600 for a chinese casing (TAG/Zippy/Techcom) which has questionable quality/durability + around 1.2k for a DVD-writer.
For another 200 rupees here, you get a good quality branded casing from LG which will have better quality than a chinese casing and a decent 1 year warranty on the same as well (not all chinese casings may come with a proper warranty).
Also, in case you didnt notice till now, that 200 extra also gets you LIGHTSCRIBE support. The technology may not be extremely popular and supporting media may not be freely available everywhere. But, if you do need to use it even a couple of times, you wont regret spending the small amount extra for this drive.
Conclusion:
While this is a basic DVD-writer offering features comparable to other drives in the market, the Lightscribe support as well as the good quality casing make this a no-brainer for anyone in the market for an external DVD-writer. The value for money tag of Rs. 2000 (from Croma) puts this in the same price range as lower quality chinese casings.
Pros:
1. Value for money price, same as self-assembled chinese 5.25" casing + DVD-writer. Better quality casing.
2. Lightscribe support is the icing on this cake.
3. 1 year warranty on the complete package.
4. If the writer dies after warranty, the drive is replaceable and the casing can be reused.
Cons:
1. Bulky due to 5.25" size + power adapter. For the price, an acceptable trade-off.
I know this is not a usual review as this product is not the latest and greatest, or even expensive, but this is something practical many of us would be interested in (especially with the netbook explosion). I was in the mood to write something and having recently purchased it, this caught my fancy today.
Do let me know if you liked it or have any queries.
UPDATE: Burn Scans are now up too. Thanks to forum member vb86 for the scans.
