You are using 2layer dvd terminology incorrectly:

- DualLayer is a name protected by the DVD Forum and can only be used for DVD-R DL.
- DoubleLayer is used for DVD+R DL.

The LG GSA-4163B can only record DoubleLayer DVD+R, but it cannot record DualLayer DVD-R!

Ups, forgot that one: The drive does officially support 32x CD-RW (Ultraspeed+) media. Without such support, all you'd get would be a Medium Error or a Power Calibration Error.

As you can try out on your own:
http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~noe/cdvdlib/
The drive even supports requesting the supported CD-RW subtypes, and the answer to that request is that it supports all current subtypes of CD-RW media (Multispeed, Highspeed, Ultraspeed, Ultraspeed+), just like the LG GSA-4120B does

Hate to ruin the party but as with my comments to your Plextor PX-716A review, you need to test with other popular media as well.

The review is worthless for using as evaluation for purchasing this recorder, unless you intend to use the exact same specific Verbatim media as you did.

I would have had no idea how this LG recorder performs in general unless I also read other reviews like the one from CDRLabs ( http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index.php?reviewid=258 ) where they have done everything right and tested with well over 100 different media (in total with other format categories).

"As you see, the new model doesn’t have some of those contact pads on the bottom. I don’t know the purpose of that – did they want to make this detail cheaper by making it simpler?"

The propose of those "things" is to cool the botton chips and prevent short circuit and burn the drive.

This drive is very good i only see one problem with it, while my NEC 3500A reads a DVD-R in 4m30s this took 7 minutes.

I think it's stupid to burn a DVD at 16X but read it at only 10X.

This is strange. GSA 4160B is an ata 66 (udma4) drive but the GSA 4163B is only udma2 (ata 33). I have the last firmware instaled (104). The performance in Nero at burst rate is significally low for the GSA 4163B (27MB/s). The GSA4160B = 43MB/s.

Will a dvd- copy to a dvd+r dl ?

very nice and good.

verbatim dvd-r dual layer 8,5 gb?

Have LG 16 LAYER dvd installed on concorde computer but cannot get sound when playing the DVD

davy.down@hotmail.com

a good extensive report and it made my buying this unit a lot easier..Thanks again for a great report

Stall using Nero 6, must reboot XP sp2.

Thgere is nothing about the LG 4163B at that CDRLabs Trond you Know it all DIMwitt

There is nothing about the LG 4163B at that CDRLabs Trond you Know it all DIMwitt

My first dvd-writer, and love it

I suggest that you contact LG and ask why they restrict faster vdv-r writes to selected brands.
I would also ask why they purposely mislead buyers into believing their drive is caapbale of faster speeds than it can do.
As for the restictions placed in their firmware they are now in breach of Australia's restictive trade practices act and action will be taken against them

I have just upgraded the firmware on my GSA4163B from 1.02 to 1.05, and Nero Infotool now reports thjat the drive will support DVD-R, so maybe DVD-R is supported (contrary to this article). Tomorrow I'm going to buy some DVD-R discs to find out.

I'm new to this DL stuff. Is there such a thing as a dual layer dvd +/- rewritable disc???
I want to be able to record longer movies over and over again

my drive used to write at 16x now it will only burn at 4x updated firmware the correct way no joy after the update still stuck at 4x