Need help on buying a DVD burner...

Bigoj wrote on 1/28/2004, 1:47 PM
I'm trying to buy a DVD burner but don't have any knowledge about it. I've done my own survey on the net reading articles after articles but still not sure what I want. Can anyone give me one that he/she have been using and going great for them? I'm looking for an external one and the popular name brand out there right now. Thanks.

Comments

zemote wrote on 1/28/2004, 2:01 PM
I love my Sony DRU-510A. Great site is dvdrhelp.com. It is hard to go wrong with sony or plextor. Not a huge fan of external drives. That is more preference than anything. Cheap media tends to be a bigger problem them drives. My parents have a cheap NEC that works great. I like drives that have the + and - RW format for the flexibility. I'm sure others will chime in with their tips too. Happy shopping.

-Jeff "zemote" O'Hara
Jsnkc wrote on 1/28/2004, 2:10 PM
Get a Pioneer A07 (if they are out already), then pick up an external case and you should be all set.
corug7 wrote on 1/28/2004, 2:13 PM
Mine is a Pioneer. I think it is a model A04. That model has been upgraded and if I'm not mistaken it is now an A06. Mine has never failed me, and I know several people who use them for duplication purposes. Hope this helps.
corug7 wrote on 1/28/2004, 2:15 PM
Oh, I guess it has been upgraded again! What Jsnkc said.
Jsnkc wrote on 1/28/2004, 2:20 PM
The A07's are the new 8X ones, I thought they were out already, but I'm not sure.

I guess they are officially the:
DVR-A07-J (white) and DVR-A07-J-BK
Bigoj wrote on 1/28/2004, 2:24 PM
Thanks guys, y'all are great. I'll keep reading to get different tips. So far I think the Pioneer is what's popular. thanks
Flack wrote on 1/28/2004, 3:29 PM
My first one was the Sony and it lasted 11 months, it just died. But to be honest I was not happy with it, they are very picky what media you use on them.

I got a replacement for my Sony drive the New 8x Plextor and this seems to be a lot better drive than the Sony, burns all media that I have tried in it.

I also have a couple of friends who own Sony writers and thay to have problems with certian media.

I have also bought a cheap NEC writer and I can throw anything at this drive and it works great, and its multi format.

So my advice is NEC or Plextor.


MJ.
jdas wrote on 1/28/2004, 4:15 PM
PIONEER has never failed me. Get it !
PeterWright wrote on 1/28/2004, 5:34 PM
Definitely get one which burns + and -.

I have an A04 which only burns DVD-R/RW and have had several clients who couldn't play them. Last week I bought a Lite-On +/- burner for only A$200 (US$150) and it has solved the situation.
logiquem wrote on 1/29/2004, 5:19 AM
Have a LG 4040B ($100) in a cheapo USB2 external. Works perfectly with all medias.
brother7 wrote on 2/1/2004, 10:37 PM
The OEM version of the Pioneer A06 is $116 with free shipping at newegg.com
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-129-135&depa=0
filmy wrote on 2/1/2004, 11:20 PM
Depending on where you are Best Buy has a 'rebate" thing right now for a Buslink DVD +/- RW / +/- R and it also does CD-R/RW as well. It is $129.99 and Best Buy mail in rebate is $20.00 and Buslink mail in rebate $30.00...so that is $129.99 - $50.00 = $79.99. Now the tricky part is this - the actual unit inside will either be an NEC or a Lite-On, Corp burner. You don't know unless you open the box and take the unit out and look at it. In my case it was a Lite-On (LDW-411S). Some people think that Lite-On is slighty better than NEC, others reported some issues but when they flashed the firmware with the update there were no more problems. You can go to their website and get the latest firmware and off you go.

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(From the Lite-on website)
LDW-411S.
This DVD Dual ReWriter is able to write DVD+R / DVD-R media at 4x, rewrite DVD+RW media at 4x, rewrite DVD-RW media at 2x, and read DVD-ROM media at 12x maximum. It only takes around 15 minutes to backup 4.7 GB data on a certified DVD+R / DVD-R / DVD+RW media at 4x. LITE-ON IT DVD Dual ReWriter can save you a lot of time and trouble for data storage. It is not only a fast DVD ReWriter but also a powerful Ultra-Speed CD-RW drive. It can write CD-R media at 40x maximum, rewrite Ultra-Speed CD-RW media at 24x maximum, and read CD-ROM media at 40x maximum. LDW-411S has the best CD-R/CD-RW writing/rewriting performance in the current market of DVD ReWriters. No matter what you want to backup important or personal data from ( digital still camera, digital camcorder, TV, etc. ), LDW-411S is your best choice for recording large volumes of DVD audio & video. An amazing LITE-ON IT 4x DVD Dual ReWriter with multiple functions can meet your desires for DVD title creating and multi-media applications. Built-in SMART-BURN technology provides Buffer UnderRun Free function and great media compatibility for high-speed writing DVD+R / DVD-R / DVD+RW / DVD-RW / CD-R / CD-RW media. Innovative SMART-X technology provides smooth & stable Audio CD / VCD / DVD playback and high-performance DAE / VCD / DVD data extraction.

The length of LDW-411S DVD Dual ReWriter is 17cm only, shorter than other half-height optical drives. It is very easy to be installed into your PC system, especially for popular mini barebones. Your PC system with this DVD Dual ReWriter will also have better dissipation for extra heat during operation. 2MB buffer memory is available for stable DVD recording. Power saving function is also ready.
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