what dvd burner to buy?

I think my HP200i DVD+r/+rw is the best !! ;-) lol

Look, I guess when you own a writer and you don't have any problems with it you think you have the best of the best.
The expensive once (The HP is one of the most expensive DVD writers) Will not automatically say its the best.
When the drive (which one at all) does the job for you .....!

 

I haent posted in here in a while, the reason being that it was starting to turn into an arguement. At the end of the day, if it works for you, then you should be happy. If others have differing opinions, then thats fine and normal. The people who need the advice can take all of our suggestions on board and make their own decisions.

brh996: I am capable of thinking rationally and having debates, contrary to what you may think.

ashlvsya: I appreciate the kind support

 

Thought mine was supportive too LOL

 

Sorry man - i didnt see yours on my initial quick read through. I see it now. Very true. Thanks mate

Very true!

 

Your statements above CLEARLY demonstrate otherwise. You just hope on the band wagon with the relatively stupid majority.

 

Ok! Will do, nice chattin

 

I own a CD-RW Iomega drive and always did like it. Burn lots of music. Am not aware if that is a name brand or not. But now I want to move up to a DVD burner. I brought a BackPack brand made by Micro Solutions. Took it back. I was unaware that I needed a high speed USB port. (plan on upgraded to one soon) It did not work for me. It was also a DVD+RW, what is the difference in +RW or -RW burners? And is a DVD-RW better? Brand names do not mean anything to me one way or the other I want a user friendly DVD burner that will stand up to time and upgrades. I would also prefer that it be an external drive, as I own two desktops and one laptop to use it on. Can anyone help?_X_X_X_X_X_[small]Thanks[/small]

 

This should answer your questions:

http://www.chrismccann.co.uk/dvd_info.htm

Click on the first link

 

Oriphus
I read your link, but still have the question...when I got my DVD+RW burner, should I have kept it and upgraded my USB or should I get a DVD-RW? Which one is better?

 

Don't buy a DVD writer that can only burn to DVD-rw or +rw.
Check if it burns to +r (or -r) too.

I know f.e. the old HP100i only burns to DVD+rw... better not buy this one..if they still sell them..

 

The DVR106 does both!

 

Been reading this thread and I to Am looking to upgrade my system and thinking about the Pioneer DVR-a06 dual format can get it added to the sysem for $214.00. I alread have a Sony DRU-510A that I will add to the new system. "brn996" what can you tell me about the "Optorite" drive? cost? where to buy it?

 

DONT BUY THE Optorite. It sucks. I bought one 2 weeks ago and it can only play the things that it burns. So I thought it might be a bad drive. I got another one....it sucks too. Same problem. I thought surely not 2 bad drives so I took it to my friends house and replaced his sony with my optorite and it did the same thing on his machine. So I was reading these posts to figure out what kind of drive to get and thought I would give my 2 cents about my experience with the optorite. Oh and check their website out its very stylish and informative and they dont answer emails either. c-ya

 

Another option is the Memorex Duel X-1. I love mine and haven't had any burning issues with it so far (knocks on wood). I've even used cheap CompUSA 1x -r media with great success.
It's also dropped 50$ in price since I bought mine 3 weeks ago (sigh) Now sells for around 230 US.

 

Howdy!

I don't want to get into or start the argument all over but just wanted to say hello to all as this is my first post.

Also, I have just placed my order for the Optorite dd0203 for $108.50 delivered. I hope it works for me.

I seriously considered the Pioneer and have not ruled it out if the Opto does not do the trick. But the price on the Opto was just to good to pass up. Will let you know how it turns out.

Have a question for Optorite owners...What is the best cheap DVD-R media for this drive? I know that Fujifilm is the recomended choice by Opto but I also read here or on another DVD site that fuji and Ritek are the same discs under different names? thanks_X_X_X_X_X_[small]vin

http://www.amazingfacts.org[/small]

 

More 2 Cents on the Optorite...

I picked one up at a computer show from a dealer I do business with all the time locally. Got it for $ 117.00 (DD0203) just 2 weeks ago. My opinion at this point is to steer clear of it, unless you are willing to take a chance. Great features if they are reliable. The quality of the drive and the unpredictability of success w/ burns has now caused a major riff between the vendor and me, and I will no longer be buying from this vendor anymore. He would not take the drive back unless I was willing to take a credit of $85 for it ($117, 14 days ago)... Ok, now for the issues I have seen.

1- HD Burn : I have no clue about this feature. I got the recommended media (FUJI-CDR, even the exact same UPC from the Opto website) --- Power Calibration errors in Nero. I managed to successfully burn one HD using a Memorex 12x (Dye Type 6/CMC Magnetics) but none after the initial disc. Other types of discs attempted (Imation (burned successfully but could not read), Phillips, Memorex and TDK - all failed)... Types of Dye: 2, 6, 9. Mfg. Prodisc, Ritek and CMC.


2- DVD Video (Movie backups) - used Memorex, Princo (CompUSA branded), and Maxell. DVD-R/RW is hit or miss. Worked 50% of the time. Other times would not playback even on the Optorite. DVD+R/RW -- had a higher success rate with, esp. the Memorex. Appears to be somewhat reliable, software tweaking may or may not help.

3- DVD Data Backups - Works well. No problems using Nero 6 or B-Gold (included w/ player). DVD discs could be read on other drives as well with 75% success (depending on type of disc and DVD-ROM, DVD/CDRW or DVD+-RW). Was able to use every type of DVD disc I have on hand (Memorex, Maxell, CompUSA --- DVD+- R and RW).

I have used Nero, B-Gold and various firmware revisions 2.16, 2.25, 2.30 all with various problems. Some would cause the burner not to recognize other media burned in other burners, other times it would not recognize discs it just burned. I have configured the drive every way I could think of (Master/Slave on Primary-Secondary, USB2 and a firewire enclosure) again with similar problems. Also went as far as to test on 3 different pc's in the house.

My main reason for not recommending this drive is the ridiculous amount of time I have had to spend trying to get successful burns out of it. I have a Sony DRU 500AX and have burned one coaster out of 100 successful burns. NO special tweaks or settings and no special media. Also no preference in software, InstantCopy, Nero, Ulead VideoStudio, Pinnacle, etc... everything has worked on the SONY. The Optorite has now produced over 15 COASTERS in just 2 weeks and only 5 successful burns. There is no excuse for that. Could be a defective drive but I have been told from the vendor he will not exchange it... Plus... in just 2 weeks time there has been 3 different firmware revisions released... all meeting with moderate success.

If you are going to buy it...test it thoroughly, try everything you can and see what works and doesn't. Comparing it against my SONY, I have a hard time recommending it when I have such a high success rate w/ the SONY. I can say for sure that the Optorite burns DVD data reliably... and if that is all you are going to use it for ... it may be a good deal for you. However, cost savings is negated when the drive requires special media or particular brands for video, etc... and time to troubleshoot.

I am going to attempt to get the manufacturer to RMA the drive and see if I can get a replacement. I will let the board know whether or not I am dealing with a defective burner or not when I receive a replacement.

Again... my experience may not be yours. I have read elsewhere people meeting with good success. However, I have not. I would like to point to my hardware but my pc's are 3 entirely different chipsets (Intel, VIA and a SIS based).

Good luck if you pick one up but you may want to consider that $100 more for a burner isn't so bad if it offers greater compatibility and works out of the box.