your assistance requested to help me pick a dvd burner

hi there. i have absolutely no clue what model of dvd burner to buy. i'm going to be using it to backup movies, as close to the original version/quality as possible (looks like dvd x copy is the way to go there)
i'm looking for an internal drive. i already have a dvd rom installed. if it matters, this is my motherboard http://www.chaintechusa.com/tw/eng/product_spec.asp?MPSNo=13&PISNo=277
it's a chaintech 7NJL6. i have an athlon xp 2200+

i'll pay 100 or so if i need it for quality, reliable dvd burns. but obviously, i'd like to go as inexpensive as possible.

your input is appreciated! thanks
matt

 

Hi sans,
First off, let me just implore you to NOT waste your money on a dvd burning program like dvdxcopy. I used it when i first got started. it works fine. but you can get freeware programs that do exactly the same thing, arguably giving better quality backups. And ofcourse, they're free! Go with the DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink combo. Very easy to use. Heres a guide with pictures, that'll tell you every thing oyu need to know:
http://forum.dvddecrypter.com/index.php?showtopic=7984

About the burner, you're in luck that I am the first person to reply to your post, since I'm gonna give you the straight deal regarding burner quality.

In general, there will be three burner brands that will be recommended here: NEC, Plextor, and Pioneer.

In terms of quality(in every since that that word can apply to burners), there is NO significant difference that is intrinic to the burners themselves. The NEC 3500 or 3520 will give you just as good burns, lasts just as long, burns and rips just as fast, and is supported with firmware as or even more often then the others. And its the least expensive by far. It is now only 59.99 at newegg.com!!! Seriously, there is no tangible reason to spend more on another dvd burner.

Its just one humble suggestion, but the NEC will do you very well, trust me.

 

oh, you RULE! that is just excellent.

thanks a lot. this forum rox my sox

**edit: also can anyone recommend a blank media brand?

 

You'll also find that most other brands of burners are really one of the three that [bold]Balaam[/bold] just mentioned. Mine for example is an Asus but really a NEC since that is the guts/chip inside. I wanted this one since I like DVD-R media better and it can burn them at 16x such as the Sony 8X "SONY08D1". I get them locally for for 42 cents a piece.

I need coffee tonight!

 

scuba whats the model number on that?

 

Asus DRW-1604P Burner

Again, it's just a bit more bells and whistles.

DL burn at 4x, 16x burn with DVD+R or DVD-R.

But the higher burns also require the suggested media by the manufacturer. I can honestly say that even at 16x, I haven't had a coaster yet. But I also have a very clean system with plenty of memory and HD space.

 

any brands of blank media i should stick to/avoid? thanks

 

Again, my suggestion is always to purchase what the manufacturer recommends for their burners. Their firmware is set accordingly.

Memorex gets dumped on all the time and I’m going to duck my head after I say this because I know what's about to come but… I have great success with it on my other burner which is an OptoRite DVD+/- 4x burner. It is the Memorex ProdiscS03. At the same time, my main burner, Asus DRW-1604P hates the Memorex ProdiscS03. Great on one & bad on the other so it’s not the media in this case, it’s the burner. My Sony media works great on either so that's what I use now.

[bold]Update to my comment above, Feb 17, 2005.[/bold]

I have found that the Memorex mentioned above was the cause of a Non playback issue on two of my DVD-Rom drives and not the program that I was using. So yes, they did burn well and work on other Players, but the media I use currently, Sony DVD-R 8x, works on ALL my players. So Memorex... You're fired!

 

Here is a list that, while it hasn't been updated in a few months, is still a good starting out point for rating media quality:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
Its all about the media ID. Read up on media ID and manufacturers on the above link.

Memorex is definitely one you want to stay away from. In general, be a little wary of the media you can find in brick and morter stores. The majority of it is just a few steps up from crap. That goes for US stores at least. Taiyo Yuden is pretty widely accepted as the best. If you live in the US, you can get them for 47 cents a disk, which is a pretty good price IMO. You can only get them online though.

ETA: @ScubaBud lol, I wasn't taking a shot at you with my memorex comment. You just beat me to it with your post while I was still typing mine.

 

nec 2510 or 3520

 

If you u use your burner for ripping, like me, I wouldn't suggest getting the NEC 3520a. I had both, and the NEC was patched with Dee-27 and Liggy to unlock rip lock. This burner was pathethic when it comes to ripping double layer, even with the Patched firmware. Its max was 4-5x. Ripping a DVD-R is, however, was 15-16x!

The Pioneer 108 rips both pressed and DVD-R at about 13x. Stick with Pioneer in my opinion.

 

NEC 3520A is da best burner out there. Even Alienware recommends them and thats saying somethine. I bought two (FOR BOTH MY SYSTEMS) of them two weeks ago and have backed up over 200 DVDs using various medias (Memorex, Maxell, Verbatim, TY). I have had no problems or coasters with the NEC 3520A. Best of all it is cheap ots only $60 on NEWEGG.COM and you will absolutely kick your self in the ass if you dont take advantage of that offer. There isnt a better burner out there and I dont know how they can make it so cheap. GET THE NEC AND YOULL HAVE NO PROBLEMS!

P.S. LEGENUX: WHO ACTUALLY USES THEIR BURNER TO RIP? You cant rip for shit on a burner thats why you always use a DVDROM and you get better results that way!

 

[bold]Balaam[/bold] Thanks I still know that more is going to come over my comment about the “M” word! <G>

[bold]sans[/bold] Here is a link that goes into tons of detail about burners, their pros and cons, etc. It might help you before you make your final decision.

(http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Home.aspx)

 

right now im using a hp dc4000 movie writer,the dc4000 has been replaced by the hp dc5000.these are external writers that will also allow you to transfer vhs tapes to dvd movies.with these writers you do not need a capture card to transfre vhs to dvd,what you need is a dvd copy program and a vcr.

 

ok guys, just got my nec 3520a and a 50 pk of yuden today, both from newegg. i'll let you know how it goes.
do you guys know where i should get the drivers from? the nec site only has a firmware update for the 3500.

also any other suggestions such as what software i s hould use are greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

HELP!! I'm new to DVD technology, and joined this forum to learn about DVD burners. But a previous post:

"P.S. LEGENUX: WHO ACTUALLY USES THEIR BURNER TO RIP? You cant rip for shit on a burner thats why you always use a DVDROM and you get better results that way!"

totally confused me. I'm working with a DELL dual bay Dimension 8400, which I thought had DVD burning capability, until I discovered that the "combo" bay was a CD/RW and DVD-ROM only. Based on this previous post, is there a way to burn DVD's with this hardware without purchasing a DVD burner to replace this "combo" drive that appears to only burn CD's and read DVDs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ciao,
Mambo

 

nope, common sense says that you have to have a dvd burner to burn dvd's. listen to your common sense.

 

there is some programs out there like dvdclone that allow you to copv dvd movies using a cd rom however these types of programs are rated low because of program instability ,poor color and sound and slow and complicated process. my suggrstion would be for you to invest in a dvd writer and advd copy program like 1-click dvd and anydvd.anydvd kills the copyright protection and 1-click dvd shrink,copy and burn,they work toghther.