We will begin by presenting photos of the tested drive.

The design of this new HLDS Blu-ray model is cheap and simple.  It is not well designed, and the flex connection strips are very easily damaged or disconnected.  The model is technically very similar to previous models but unfortunately feels less solid and much cheaper.  Also, the “look” of the hardware models has deteriorated.  The beautiful and high-quality front panels of LG are a thing of the past.  The current LG panel is made of plastic with low scratch-resistance.  VinPower’s front panel uses better material and is more scratch-resistant.  The hardware used in both models is the proven MediaTek MT1959 HWDN chipset and very durable mechanics, and the Hitachi HOP B-711 OPU.

The performance of the drive tray is fast, stable and quiet.  The balancing of the drive is very good, despite the simple housing without additional balancing, similar to previous HLDS models.  Also, the noise level of the drive is very low when in use.

All types of test media were read quickly and accurately.  Very good audio test results were achieved.  Ripping audio tracks with EAC was done properly and without any surprises.  HLDS models have never had the best error correction mechanisms.  This is also true for the tested models for all media types (CD, DVD, Blu-ray).  It is very possible that the savings made in the design and construction of this model are the cause.  However, the firmware may also have some effect.  We hope that along with updating the drive’s software the manufacturer will improve media readability.

Writing to recordable discs (CD-R / RW, DVD +/- R / + R DL / - + RW, and BD-R \ -RE) can be rated as good and even very good.  All tested media and data written with the LG BH16NS55 \ VinPower LG WH16NS58 were successfully readable on our test drives as well as in the test burner.  Especially noteworthy is the excellent writing of M-Disc DVDs and BluRay as well as writing quality with maximum recording speeds of CDs at 48x, DVDs at 16x, and BluRays at 16x.

A great advantage is the ability to test the quality of Blu-ray and DVD media on VinPower’s WH16NS58 using Opti Drive Control or PlexTools Lite.

We invite you to visit our forum for more information on the drives:

LG BH16NS50 / BH16NS55

Mini Test - LG BH16NS55

Vinpower/LG WH16NS58 DUP\DQ

You will find many additional tests and other information about the above drives.  We will make every effort to keep the tests up to date.

Pros +
-  Design recognizes Ultra HD \ 4K media, BD-ROM DL 66GB, and BD-ROM XL 100GB
-  Very quiet drive
-  Very fast media recognition, including Blu-ray
-  Good price / quality of drive
-  Very good read quality for CD \ DVD \ Blu-ray
-  Vinpower WH16NS58 disc quality testing
-  Full support for M-Disc Blu-ray and DVD, and very good writing quality on these media
-  Very good writing quality at maximum speed CD 48x, DVD 16x, Blu-ray 16x
-  Support for most BD-R XL QL 128GB

Cons –
-  Poor error correction
-  Poor quality plastic, easily susceptible to physical damage
-  Front panel is a lot less aesthetic than predecessor
-  OPU \ tray close-open \ motor connectors do not make a good connection \ twisted and easy to damage and shake off due to vibration
-  No possibility to change book-type to DVD-ROM for DVD + R + RW \ + R DL
-  Small write strategy database (no support for most current on the market)

czary2mary & jadburner