suggestion for a DVD writer

[Proto]

I'm planning on buying a DVD writer whose price doesnt go above $150 dollars. I had decided already on the Liteon's SOHW-812S, but I'd like to hear your suggestions, along with things to take into consideration when buying this kind of optical devices since im kinda green regarding hardware

[james.miller]

ive got the nec 2500a. fantastic drive, and cheaper than the pioneer. Its a subjective matter though, so just read as many review as you can and pick the one thats right for you. all of the drives have the pro's and con's.

[orysyz]

The price of DVD writer is depend to ability of the device to access@write +RW and -RW
but i dont know much about it.

[hushypushy]

Lite-On makes EXCELLENT drives so im all for it

is that $150 USD? you dont live in the US do you? because newegg has a lot of burners cheaper that are pretty good too

but still, $150 isnt too bad if you get a good burner

[Proto]

s that $150 USD? you dont live in the US do you? because newegg has a lot of burners cheaper that are pretty good too

Yeah but considering shipping, intermediaries and the taxes it will have im expecting it to arrive at that price Another question.... can conventional DVD-readers read DVD-R or DVD+R. If thats not the case, which would be a tool to determine wheter if a writer can or not.

[james.miller]

virtually all 4x and 8x dvd burners cope perfectly well with dvd-rw, dvd+rw, dvd-r and dvd+r. I know my 8x NEC 2500a does.

[Proto]

Yeah i know that the burners do but how about the readers?

[hushypushy]

well, my sister's old Pioneer drive wouldnt read a DVD+R that i burned at a friend's house, but my new Lite-on read it perfectly. so, you should be safe with most drives. my sister's is pretty old (3 and a half years).

[Razor Blade]

Most DVD Writers these days are very good. There are few that suck ass.

I have the LG 4040B which you can see here: http://lg.ca/computer/default.asp?ss=5

They came out with other versions since I got mine but I got mine for $185 Candian which would be $140.80 USD Which since then dropped money so I bet yuo could find one for about $120.00 so you still havbe money to buy some media. It burns anything you throw at it and is also silent. Never makes very much noise at all. Mine reads, DVD RAM, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD Rom, DVD, CDR/W and you guessed it, regular CD's

One thing though. Don't use your DVD Writer as a regular DVD or CD ROM. The lasers are still fragile and extended use could decrease their lifespan. So only burn with these drives. Running the occasional DVD won't hurt it, but try to use a regular CDRom for that.

[Betamax]

My suggestion: Wait two months.

Both sony and philips have dvd 9 (dual layer) burners due in late april. You'd be a mug to buy a burner now, because even if you aren't interested in getting dvd 9, the current dvd 5 burners will all be dropping in price shortly after dvd 9 is introduced. BTW IIRC philips dvd 9 burner is going to be priced @ $169

[Valcrist]

what exactly is -r and +r for?

[Betamax]

They are different formats (think vhs vs me ) -r is developed by sony and the dvd consortum, +R by philips and the dvd allance. -r is better suited for data storage, whereas +r has a few extra factilities which make it better designed for video.

Oh and to confuse matters more, you also have dvd-ram... which is rubbish .

[Raziel]

I'd go for Pioneer (well, already did )

[Alchy]

Pioneer are generally considered the most reliable brand, although as has been said earlier in the thread, most drives are pretty good these days.

[Razor Blade]

>>Oh and to confuse matters more, you also have dvd-ram... which is rubbish .

It's not rubbish, I use it for backup. 9.4 GB sound big enough for you.

[Betamax]

Indeed 9.4 gb does appeal, that's why I'm waiting on the 9.4gb dvd +-RW recorders due at the end of this month . All the benefits of dvd ram but none of the drawbacks (ie they are real dvd's that work in normal dvd drives, not just oversized minidisks )

[Razor Blade]

Thats true. It is just a protective case. You do know you take them out of that thing right. Yea, I cant wait for dual layered DVD's etc ...

[Betamax]

Originally Posted by Razor Blade

Thats true. It is just a protective case. You do know you take them out of that thing right. Yea, I cant wait for dual layered DVD's etc ...

Aye I know that, but the compatibility rate is very low (around 60% IIRC, mostly panasonic drives for some wierd reason... not at all to do with the fact they invented it ). Plus they have cases for a reason (easily damaged). So I don't really consider that as a permanent option .

[Razor Blade]

I use Panisonic DVD RAM Type 4. They are very delicate. But damn love how much they store. Do you mean compatibility rate with the burners? Or being read by DVD Drives?

What would you reccomend as a permanent solution for backup? You are the media guru.

[Betamax]

Originally Posted by Razor Blade

I use Panisonic DVD RAM Type 4. They are very delicate. But damn love how much they store. Do you mean compatibility rate with the burners? Or being read by DVD Drives?

What would you reccomend as a permanent solution for backup? You are the media guru.

I'm talking about dvd players in general. Not too sure how they compare to dvd readers, as you stated they are more an archival format than a video one.

As for myself I use a mixture of zip disks and dvd rw's. Zip's are nice for quick n' dirty temp backups 'cos they are in reality just oversized floppies. Plus our uni has craploads of them . For more permanent stuff I stick it onto the dvd rw disks.

Anyways as long as you keep them in the cases I can't really see too much of a problem.