Samsung Writemaster SH-W162C/RSWN

Replacing the Samsung TS-H552, the SH-W162C/RSWN is the latest in the Writemaster range. It has made a great leap from 4x DVD +/- RW to 16x. In our tests we only had 6x DVD +R available, which burnt 4GB in 7min (a data rate of 9MBps). This was slightly slower than the competition, but burnt a better quality.

The real competition in the DVD market lies in the double-layer burning. The SH-W162C/RSWN burns DVD+R DL at 5x, however, it detected our 2.4x discs at 6x and produced a readable burn of 7.4GB in 20 minutes, a data rate of 6MBps.

The quality of this burn appeared nearly perfect when we analysed it later. This is due to Samsung's Silent Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and Tilt Actuator Compensation Technology (TACT).

The Silent PWM allows for more precise voltage waveforms at high disc speeds and the TACT provides the correct angle for the laser to write, for each part of the disc. The SH-W162C/RSWN has a 2MB buffer and a burst rate of 25MB. However, it lacks DVD-RAM, which you will find in most burners in a similar price range.