detail information

In this part of the VisionTek review we'll start testing the reading and writing of copy-protected data discs. Copy-protections are used on almost every game nowadays so it's important a writer can handle the various protections out there. For the tests we used the latest CloneCD version 4.0.1.6 from Elaborate Bytes. As you might know if you've read our CloneCD v4.0 preview, CloneCD now uses Profiles for each type of disc. In this review we created a separate Profile for each protection with the common settings used in the old CloneCD versions. E.g. for SafeDisc we only selected the 'Fast Error Skip' setting.

As an extra 'service' or help you can download the Profiles we have used in this review. Click on the Profile images to download the used Profile. Store these files in your CloneCDProfiles folder on your hard disk. Alternatively you can view and download all used Profiles from our CloneCD forum, by clicking here.

Now let's start by giving you a screenshot of the supported drive capabilities of the VisionTek Xtasy 48X / Lite-On LTR-48125W with CloneCD v4.0.1.6:

As you can see in the picture above, the VisionTek Xtasy 48X is fully supported by CloneCD (DAO-RAW96). To determine the copy-protection used on our game discs we scanned every disc with the latest ClonyXXL version 2.0.0.6. ClonyXXL can be obtained from home.arcor.de/bejot.

We'll test the following, most common, copy-protections and compare the achieved read times with other drives we've previously reviewed. After the tests we'll conclude the reading of protected data with our usual conclusions:

• LaserLock
• SafeDisc
• SafeDisc 2
• SafeDisc 2.51.021
• SecuROM
• PlayStation/LibCrypt
• Conclusion

Protected Data - LaserLock:

For this test we'll use a game called 'Desperados' protected with LaserLock 2. As a comparison we read from both the original disc and from a back-up (CD-Recordable) disc. The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings (all other options like SubChannel Data reading were disabled). You can click on the image to download the used Profile:

• Read Speed: Max
• Fast Error Skip ON:
  • Read Retries: 0
  • Error Correction: Software
• Intelligent Bad Sector Scanner:
  • Sector Skip: 100 (default)

In the screenshots below you can see the VisionTek Xtasy 48X successfully reading the original LaserLock disc:

VisionTek Xtasy 48X reading LaserLock Original

LaserLock 2 is hard to read for a lot of recorders but the VisionTek Xtasy 48X performs very well. It's not the fastest Lite-On drive we've seen but it's faster than a lot of other recorders we've reviewed. The VisionTek Xtasy 48X drive is the fastest drive when reading the LaserLock back-up disc:

Protected Data - SafeDisc:

For this test we'll use a game called 'Beavis and Butthead: BungHole in One' protected with the normal (read: old) SafeDisc protection. The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings (all other options like SubChannel Data reading were disabled). You can click on the image to download the used Profile:

• Read Speed: Max
• Fast Error Skip ON:
  • Read Retries: 0
  • Error Correction: Software

Below you can see the achieved result of the VisionTek Xtasy 48X:

VisionTek Xtasy 48X reading SafeDisc

The VisionTek Xtasy 48X drive needs about 9 minutes and 30 seconds to read the disc. Not a very slow time but certainly not the fastest drive we've seen. Let's compare the achieved results to other drives we've reviewed. Please note that some reviews were done on different machines so the achieved read times can be a little off:

Protected Data - SafeDisc 2:

For this test we'll use a game called 'The Sims: House Party' protected with SafeDisc version 2.10.030. The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings (all other options like SubChannel Data reading were disabled). You can click on the image to download the used Profile:

• Read Speed: Max
• Fast Error Skip ON:
  • Read Retries: 0
  • Error Correction: Software

Yes we're using the same Profile as for the normal SafeDisc version. As the name of the Profile suggests, this Profile has 'Amplify Weak Sectors' (AWS) disabled. First a screenshot of the VisionTek Xtasy 48X reading the SafeDisc 2 disc:

VisionTek Xtasy 48X reading SafeDisc 2

Like expected the VisionTek Xtasy 48X is again not very fast when it comes to reading the SafeDisc 2 protection. It's not that slow though and can read the disc in an acceptable time. Let's compare the achieved results to other drives we've reviewed:

Now as most people will know, we also need to check if the drive can write SafeDisc 2. Unlike the other protections SafeDisc 2 back-ups depend on whether or not the drive support 'Correct EFM Encoding' which is needed to write 'regular bit patterns'. For more info on SafeDisc 2 read this article.

We wrote the disc with the default settings enabled ('buffer underrun protection and 'always close last session' on). Like said before, 'Amplify Weak Sectors' was disabled in the Profile. As expected (Lite-On writers are known for their ability to back-up SafeDisc 2 without the need for CloneCD's 'Amplify Weak Sectors' option), the VisionTek Xtasy 48X succeeded in making a fully working back-up. We tested the back-up in the following drives:

• Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1502: success
• VisionTek Xtasy 48X: success
• TEAC CD-W540E: success
• Mitsumi CR-480ATE: success
• PleXCombo PX-320A: success

Protected Data - SafeDisc v2.51.021:

Besides our SafeDisc and SafeDisc 2 tests we need to take a look at the latest SafeDisc 2 version 'called' SafeDisc v2.51.021. This is a new version of the regular SafeDisc 2 and has caused quite a few problems for a lot of writers (which didn't have problems with the normal SafeDisc 2). For this test we'll use a game called 'Grand Theft Auto 3' (the Play disc) protected with SafeDisc v2.51.021:

We read the image with the VisionTek drive using the same 'SafeDisc (2) [no AWS]' Profile as for our normal SafeDisc and SafeDisc 2 tests. The 'Hide CDR Media' option was enabled in the CloneCD tray to test playing from the CD-RW drives. The results when playing from the following drives:

• Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1502: success
• VisionTek Xtasy 48X: success
• TEAC CD-W540E: success
• Mitsumi CR-480ATE: success
• PleXCombo PX-320A: success

As expected the VisionTek drive had no problems creating a working back-up without enabling CloneCD's 'Amplify Weak Sectors' option. The VisionTek Xtasy 48X / Lite-On LTR-48125W therefore fully supports 'Correct EFM Encoding' which is a rare feature on a drive... Let's give you a final screenshot of the drive reading 'Serious Sam 2: The Second Encounter', also protected with SafeDisc v2.51.021:

VisionTek Xtasy 48X reading SafeDisc v2.51.021

As expected the VisionTek Xtasy 48X is again not the fastest reader we've reviewed when it comes to reading the SafeDisc error sectors on the disc. In the table below a final comparison of the VisionTek drive when reading the 'Serious Sam 2' (SafeDisc v2.51.021) disc:

Protected Data - SecuROM:

The next protected data tests we'll do is with a game called 'V-Rally 2 Expert Edition' protected with SecuRom 2. The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings (all other options like 'Fast Error Skip' were disabled). You can click on the image to download the used Profile:

• Read Speed: Max
• Read SubChannel Data from Data Tracks
• Read SubChannel Data from Audio Tracks

In the screenshots below you can see the VisionTek Xtasy 48X successfully reading the SecuROM disc:

VisionTek Xtasy 48X reading SecuRom

The VisionTek Xtasy 48X supports the reading and writing of the full 96 bytes of SubChannel Data and has no problems reading the SubChannel Data at full speed. In the table below you can see that the drive is the fastest drive we've reviewed:

Protected Data - PlayStation/LibCrypt:

The final protected data test we'll do is with a LibCrypt protected PlayStation disc called 'Final Fantasy VIII'. We used the first (of four) disc(s) of this game. The CloneCD Profile and the drive were set-up with the following settings (all other options like Fast Error Skip were disabled). You can click on the image to download the used Profile:

• Read Speed: Max
• Read SubChannel Data from Data Tracks
• Read SubChannel Data from Audio Tracks
• Don't Repair SubChannel Data

In the screenshots below you can see the VisionTek Xtasy 48X successfully reading the PlayStation disc:

VisionTek Xtasy 48X reading PlayStation

Just like with SecuRom the VisionTek Xtasy 48X is very fast when reading the SubChannels. It has no problems reaching full speed and again gets the first place as you can see in the table below where we compare the achieved results to other drives we've reviewed:

Protected Data - Conclusion:

The VisionTek Xtasy 48X / Lite-On LTR-48125W showed some great results. It was not the fastest drive we've seen with some protections like SafeDisc but it could read these protections at an acceptable time. The drive was very fast with other protections based on SubChannel Data (SecuRom and PlayStation/LibCrypt) and had no problems writing the protections. The drive even supports 'Correct EFM Encoding' perfectly (as most Lite-On drives do) and could back-up SafeDisc 2 and SafeDisc 2.51.021 without any problem.

Next up in our VisionTek Xtasy 48X review, the reading of protected audio discs...