When did DVD Burner prices go the way of CD Burner Prices?

[marmasatt]

Wow,

This is awesome right now. I don't really know when DVD Burner prices went the way of CD Burners, but I'm sure we'll see some FAR pretty soon. Remember when CD Burners were $ 300 bucks? Then they went to $ 100 before you knew it and then FAR at any given store..... I remember less than a year ago looking for 2x DVD Burners for over $ 150 bucks. Now it seems you can even get a 16X for under $ 100. Anyone have a guess when a DVD Burner will be FAR? Or when you will be able to get a 52X DVD Burner for about $ 50 bucks? :thumbsup: I don't think we'll be waiting too much longer.

 

[Algere]

Doubt you'll see a 52x dvd burner. AFAIK the limitation of DVD's(not DVD drive) is around 16x.

 

[VirtualLarry]

A little OT for this forum, but not this thread. I managed to snag a 4x DVD +/- R/RW drive yesterday for $30, it was a clearance Cendyne that was an open-box return. I went looking on the web for updates and a description of whether the included Nero was a version 5.x or 6.x release (since it's still sealed, I thought I might sell/trade it, since I already have Nero 5.x). I also came across an article about the debut of this drive, suggested retail was $299! The date on the article was only May of 2003 (last year). So in over a year's time, the price on this drive dropped by an entire magnitude, $300 to $30. Whoa.

At this rate, CD-burners will start to become a rarity, or at least sold new on the market. Last time I checked, top-of-the-line 52x32x52 models from each of the major mfg's, were selling retail for only $20-30 online. (LiteOn 52x on NewEgg for $25, etc). If you want a back-up CDRW drive, now's the time to buy them folks, because I have a feeling that they will be going the way of the dinosaur pretty soon.

This is actually kind of a sad thing. Why? Because dedicated CDRW drives can burn CD-Rs faster than most DVD burners can (my NEC 1300A can only burn CD-R at 16x), AND ... the most important part - some CD-RW drives can burn copy-protected game CDs. Most DVD burners CANNOT. (Ones that require "correct EFM encoding".) So that's a big reason to own both, if you don't mind taking up two drive bays.

Edit: Clarify, not getting rid of the Nero disc, sorry.

 

[magomago]

I'm going to sit on my 48x cd burner and just wait for Dual Layer technology to cheapen- and then probably wait some more for blue ray technology to cheapen
Yeah once I find a good deal- 50 no rebates, I'll pick one up, use it for two or so years and get my moneys worth and then replace it again

 

[RobCur]

Originally posted by: magomago
I'm going to sit on my 48x cd burner and just wait for Dual Layer technology to cheapen- and then probably wait some more for blue ray technology to cheapen
Yeah once I find a good deal- 50 no rebates, I'll pick one up, use it for two or so years and get my moneys worth and then replace it again

4500mbvs702mb is a big difference!@#
DONT WAIT ANY LONGER THOUHGT>>

 

[marmasatt]

AFAIK the limitation of DVD's(not DVD drive) is around 16x.

Oh yeah, I never thought about that .

 

[RobCur]

Originally posted by: marmasatt

AFAIK the limitation of DVD's(not DVD drive) is around 16x.

Oh yeah, I never thought about that .

my harddrive can't even keep up very well at 16x 24000mb/sec
let alone 32x at 48000mb/sec

 

[CQuinn]

AFAIK the limitation of DVD's(not DVD drive) is around 16x.

and DVD speeds are a couple times faster than CD speeds

 

[orginalinternet]

Now, guys! 20 long years later, where are those DVD or CD drives? They were god damn so expensive. And this generation has endured an enormous frustration and confusion of the humble beginning of the digital age.
Who Remembers so much software and hardware failure in those 1990s and 2000s?

 

[orginalinternet]

in year 2000, a CD burner was $150-$200. At that time, the minimum wage of Los Angeles was about $6 / hour. That means you need to flip burgers for 30 hours to get one CD burner.

A lot has changed. Today, year 2025, computing hardware and software becomes much more popular and affordable than the 1990s and 2000s. And you see, some 'members' were banned after 20 long years.

Portable computers like smart phones, iPhones, android phones are mobile computers and have become so popular now in the year of 2025. They have internet connectivity, long distance voice and video communication capabilities, and all sorts of internet communicating software that can broadcast text, voice, and visual content to a vast number of users and people. These software applications are called 'apps'. People call these software platforms the 'social media'.

If any person discovers this posting in the year of 2045, please tell the next generation all the fascinating stories that happen.

Thank you!

 

[mindless1]

in year 2000, a CD burner was $150-$200.

They'd already dropped by then. I paid about $50 for a Mitsumi 4804TE in Feb. 2000, bought at some chain computer store but can't remember which one. By 3 years later I was routinely working deals online, mostly through office superstores, to get them for $20 after rebate, or in the next year or two, free after rebate.

I remember that well, because they were usually white bezel colored Sony or Lite-Ons, and the trend had moved to black or silver cases, so I bought black and silver automotive spray can vinyl dye to paint the bezels to better match cases. Vinyl dye is great for that because it seeps into the plastic and won't ever peel off, better even than some of those "paint for plastics" products out there.

Today we have huge capacity and performance increases, but the cost to build a modern quivalent tier of computer isn't that much different than it was around the mid-2000's, except that high end can cost much more today, and a mid tier gaming system also costs about 40% more today, adjusted for inflation. Thanks nVidia!

Granted my yearly cost has gone down because I'm not upgrading systems nearly as often. Back in the 2000's I'd upgrade multiple systems every couple of years, but as performance and capacity increased, the upgrade rate slowed down a lot.

 

[mikeymikec]

It's interesting that this thread should show up again because I'm facing the prospect of removing SATA DVD drives from my computer builds because I simply can't get them any more, and when I can get them the price seems to be steadily going upwards.

Assuming the reason is because production has stopped and remaining stock is being used up, I guess I'll offer them as an option for a while. They haven't been in demand, I simply included them because historically they've been cheap, the cases I use have a 5.25" bay that would otherwise be unused, so why turn something down that you might need later.

 

[mindless1]

^ ?? 1st hit on google shopping:

Amazon.com: Lite-On 24X SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive + Nero 12 Essentials + SATA Cable Kit - PC Optical Drive - DVD/CD Writer - Half Height - 16X DVD, 12X CD - 8X Write Speed : Electronics

Buy Lite-On 24X SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive + Nero 12 Essentials + SATA Cable Kit - PC Optical Drive - DVD/CD Writer - Half Height - 16X DVD, 12X CD - 8X Write Speed: Internal CD & DVD Drives - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I can't recall the last time I needed something off a DVD or CD, everything I might need was ripped to an image file (or files copied off for data discs) many years ago.

I still have one old but operational (hooked up to a monitor and keyboard) system with a DVDRW in it, and an old laptop, and a drive or two brand new and sealed in plastic bags just in case I ever need one, but haven't put a CD/DVD drive in a new build for the last dozen+ years.

 

[mikeymikec]

^ ?? 1st hit on google shopping:

Amazon.com: Lite-On 24X SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive + Nero 12 Essentials + SATA Cable Kit - PC Optical Drive - DVD/CD Writer - Half Height - 16X DVD, 12X CD - 8X Write Speed : Electronics

Buy Lite-On 24X SATA Internal DVD+/-RW Drive + Nero 12 Essentials + SATA Cable Kit - PC Optical Drive - DVD/CD Writer - Half Height - 16X DVD, 12X CD - 8X Write Speed: Internal CD & DVD Drives - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

UK here. Amazon UK has a few drives but they're all at least £10 more expensive than the prices I would have expected say six months ago. One of my suppliers has a drive going for like £38 when I paid £11 for such a drive in 2021. Supply has been hit-and-miss for about six months, when I noticed the trend and prices were still reasonably normal, I'd keep a spare drive in stock just in case a computer build order came in while supply was dry, but I'd be surprised if 10% of my customers wanting desktops actually want a DVD drive, so it only makes sense if the drives are generally going up in price to give customers the option.

 

[tcsenter]

I have acquired three NIB this year just to have in the hoard spare inventory. There are plenty used ones on the marketplace though I don't buy one unless a photo of actual item offered is given so I can check the manufacturing date on the label. Won't buy older than 2014/15.

 

[dlerious]

I bought a Pioneer BDR-S13UBK flashed for UHD disks last Black Friday for around $300 (with makemkv license). Unfortunately, it seems Pioneer stopped making drives. LG quality isn't what it used to be, so options are getting thin.