*** Big DVD-writers topic *** Which are the best (and worst) ones?!

[Dance123]

Hi,

I was wondering if everybody could tell from experience which are the best combination CD/DVD-writers which handles all formats (DVD+R/W, DVD-R/W, etc..) and can write both CD's and DVD's without errors or any other problems?! Is it best to take Plextor then, which has a good reputation from its cd-writers but there DVD-writer is among the most expensive I believe, or are there other (better) alternatives?! Which are the top recommended drives and which are the drives to avoid that have certain problems, cause I have heard certain drives burn DVD's that become unreadible after a while, etc..?!

The brands that are avaible over here are Aopen, Asus, Lite-On, LG, MSI, NEC, Pioneer, Plextor. Is it true the NEC ND-2500 is considered the best? Why? If you mention a brand, please also mention the model/type.

PS: aren't there any good comparison reviews online of the recent DVD-writers?!

Some additional question I hope you can help me with:
1/ is there a difference in noise and heat between DVD-writers? Which are the most silent and coolest ones, and which the loudest and hottest running ones?!

2/ is it a good idea to also use your DVD-writer also as your everyday DVD/CD-ROM, or will it wear out fast then (giving you errors etc..). Is it true that writers have heavier heads and therefore also give slower access times so that it is better to have a separate burner and player, or doesn't it matter much anymore nowadays with the newer DVD-writers? What about this?

3/ how important is buffer size. Is 2MB enough, or do you need 8MB. Why do DVD readers only have 256 or 512kb?

4/ is it possible to use a DVD or CD disc like you use a "harddisk". Isn't that called packet writing or dvd-ram or multi-session? Is this reliable cause isn't it so that you can only edit/re-rewrite a CD/DVD 100 times or something and then you start getting errors which wouldn't make it usefull as a "virtual harddisk". What about this?

5/ In simple words, when is it best to use DVD+R(W) and DVD-R(W). I've read some articles about it but I still don't get the difference apart from the fact that the "-" discs are a bit cheaper I believe. Maybe stupid question, but can all DVD-writers also write DVDs that you can put in your video DVD-player attached to your TV. Which format is that?

6/ is it interesting to get a drive that supports "dual-layer" as I believe there aren't dual-layers discs available yet?!

Thanks in advance for all good feedback!!

 

[BryansAccount]

I have had the sony dru-510a plextor px-708a and pioneer a07 drives in the last year. I would happily recommend any of them, though I feel that the pioneer was a step back from the plexor in many ways. IE slower cd writes, noisier and doesnt overburn cds as well. It did add 8x dvd-r support though... that I have never once used.

The NEC 2500 is popular because it is cheap, reliable and upgradable.

1: I found my pioneer to be the noisiest and hottest of the 3 I mentioned.

2: I have heard some people say this, but I have been using my dvdrw as my sole optical drive ever since I replaced my yamaha cdrw-F1 with one and had no problems with reliability or perfomance.

3: I never noticed a difference between the 2 or 8mb buffers. More must be better but I dont think its needed as long as you have a good system.

4: That would be very, very slow.

5: The DVD-R(RW) discs are compatable with a small percentage more dvd players that the DVD+(RW) discs. All + or - dvd writers can write DVD-video DVDs.

6: the Sony DRU-700a DL writer comes with a blank DVD+RDL. I believe they will cost about 5-7$ each until there is more demand for them.

 

[WobbleWobble]

1) Can't comment, haven't worked with enough different models

2) I've used mine as my everyday drive. Any burner I've always used as my main drive and no problems whatsoever.

3) It shouldn't really matter. They all have some sort of buffer-underrun technology and 2-8MB is barely enough to last a hiccup.

4) Slow, limited writes/rewrites

5) Most modern DVD players can read both + and -. Don't worry about the format, just buy whatever is cheaper.

6) How often will you be replacing your drive? Some burners are upgradable via firmware to dual-layer so you might want to look into that. Media will be expensive and will continue being expensive for many months so you most likely won't use the dual-layer discs anyways.