Positive:

• Reads BD Media at 4x
• Reads DVD±R and DVD-ROM at 12x
• Reads DVD±RW and DVD±R DL at 8x
• Reads the content of Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) Blu-ray Game Discs
• Drive runs very quiet
• 8MB Buffer
• Can perform disc quality testing
• Very good bundle (Software, SATA Cable, Screws & extra Bezel)
• Nice looking bezel design
• Consistent reading speeds
• Inexpensive

Negative:

• Reads CD Media at only 32x
• Doesn't read DVD-RAM *

* Firmware dependant. There should also be a Lite-On DH-401S firmware that supports the reading of DVD-RAM media.

Conclusion:

Let us summarize the most important positive and negative points below:

The main positive points:

The Lite-On DH-401S is a very capable reader and performed reliably throughout our tests. Reading speeds are fairly good and well up to standard for this type of drive.

The Lite-On DH-401S also has some neat features. The ability to read Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) games is a very useful feature to have. The DH-401S is also able to do Disc Quality Scanning on Blu ray media, as well as scan DVD and CD media. This should make the drive appealing to members of CD Freaks, who like to test their burned media.

The Lite-On DH-401S also runs very quietly, which is ideal for a media centre PC, or watching movies on your main PC.

The main negative points: 

There is hardly anything negative to say about the Lite-On DH-401S. Reading speed on CD media is rather slow at 32x by today’s standards and the ability to read DVD-RAM media would have been a nice inclusion.

So to sum it all up, this is what we would say: “The Lite-On DH-401S is a neat solution and a good performing drive. A nice effort from Lite-On”

By using the price grabber feature at geizhals we found the drive listed at 95 EUR (April 2008).

Based on our results and experiences with the Lite-On DH-401S we would like to give it our Safe Buy award.

You may discuss/comment this review below or in this thread.

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Introduction