DVD Burners & Softwear?

[Lars411]

Originally Posted by AAR.oner

i've heard some good things about the NEC drives, and also smoe bad things...i've only owned one [it was loaded into a Lacie d2 external shell @ $200+] and it died in less than a year, so i'm back to Plextors...

for future refernce--the link you provided Lars is for an OEM product, which means it ships out-of-box, no software, etc...alot of folks warn against getting drives that are OEM, due to increase in possible "issues"--its one of those roll-the-dice situations, much cheaper, but more likely you get a lemon...

Yes I'm sorry I should have stated that the link was for the OEM version. The site also sells the retail verison as well. I have 2 because I have 2 computers not because 1 died out or anything. You can review on the site the cust reviews. I haven't heard of a lemon coming from 1 of the 356 who have bought it from this site.

[saltman]

I love the plextor drives
That's the only one I'd consider.
Guaranteed to not let you down.

[Chachi420]

I LOVE my LG super-multi DVD+/-R/RW...that thing will burn whatever you put into it (except dual layer...but those discs are WAY too expensive anyway so that doesn't matter)
My new laptop burner is sweet too. HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GWA-4080N

[Black Dog]

for future refernce--the link you provided Lars is for an OEM product, which means it ships out-of-box, no software, etc...alot of folks warn against getting drives that are OEM, due to increase in possible "issues"--its one of those roll-the-dice situations, much cheaper, but more likely you get a lemon...[/quote]

I purchased a OEM Sony DVD RW DW-U18A for $49 new @ Tiger Direct.
Could not locate drivers online, so it's running the generic win driver. I also cannot find any info on firmware....not problems yet...but not worth the headache.

[Lars411]

Originally Posted by Black Dog

for future refernce--the link you provided Lars is for an OEM product, which means it ships out-of-box, no software, etc...alot of folks warn against getting drives that are OEM, due to increase in possible "issues"--its one of those roll-the-dice situations, much cheaper, but more likely you get a lemon...

I purchased a OEM Sony DVD RW DW-U18A for $49 new @ Tiger Direct.
Could not locate drivers online, so it's running the generic win driver. I also cannot find any info on firmware....not problems yet...but not worth the headache.[/quote]


Heres the firmware for your drive.

http://dhc014.rpc1.org/indexOEM.htm#DW-D18A


You can also turn your single layer into a duel layer burner. If you know what you're doing.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=109

[alg]

Originally Posted by guido12

I too am looking into a DVD burner. I have about 50 Hi-8 tapes that need a new home. My Hi-8 player got damaged during a horebask riding canter incident (too much jarring forthe poor thing - me and the camera!) Anyway, I plan on borrowing a Hi-8 and getting all my tapes copies to digital. So I will need a digital video camera and a DVD burner. I'll be looking for the replies for suggestions.

I wonder if that was a freudian slip 'horebask riding incident' or just a typo

[Black Dog]

Thanks for the links. Back when I was searching for drivers, a read something about mine (OEM Sony) being a rebadged lite-on. Much appreciated!!

Originally Posted by Lars411

I purchased a OEM Sony DVD RW DW-U18A for $49 new @ Tiger Direct.
Could not locate drivers online, so it's running the generic win driver. I also cannot find any info on firmware....not problems yet...but not worth the headache.

Heres the firmware for your drive.

http://dhc014.rpc1.org/indexOEM.htm#DW-D18A


You can also turn your single layer into a duel layer burner. If you know what you're doing.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=109[/quote]

[drpino]

despite having 4 Plextor optical drives (1 Premium CD-RW, 1 708UF external and 2 716As), i would say the best bang for your buck DVD burner out right now is the BenQ 1640...i got one not too long ago and it's a helluva drive for $50 (online/newegg) or $80 (retail/circuitcity)...

i would highly suggest reading up at the forums at http://club.cdfreaks.com , the reviews at http://www.cdfreaks.com and the reviews at http://www.cdrlabs.com

each brand has its loyal fanbase you'll see...

[agenbite]

Originally Posted by Chachi420

I LOVE my LG super-multi DVD+/-R/RW...that thing will burn whatever you put into it (except dual layer...but those discs are WAY too expensive anyway so that doesn't matter)

FWIW, I second this choice.

I love my LG super-multi etc... too. Easy to setup, operate, and works like a charm on anything I've thrown at it. Before purchasing it, I was kicking myself for not specifying a DVD-R burner when I bought a new PC...but now I'm glad I didn't. This is much better than anything DELL would have installed.

I bought mine at newegg.com for $100.

[sillyolbear69]

ok i did alot of research and read alot of reviews and decided to get the NEC Model ND-3540A and man i love it !! thanks for all the info everyone it really helped alot . i figured for 44 bucks new i couldnt go wrong and i loved the ease of install and understanding i almost bought another one to do dvd to dvd but decided against it . again........thanks


dave

[drpino]

'grats on your new burner...you can find custom modded firmwares, media code editors, quality scans, recommendations on media to use and a plethora of other useful info here (all NEC-specific): http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86

be careful, once you get to know more about optical drives you kinda get hooked on tinkering around with 'em

I've just downloaded a DVD that is 7.71 gigabytes. I have a DVD burner but it only burns the traditional 4.7 DVD-/+r(s). I was wondering if anyone here knew any way to help me get the DVD that I downloaded onto a regular DVD 4.7 DVD-r.

[AAR.oner]

dvdshrink http://www.dvdshrink.org/what.html

Well, it looks like I'll have some money to buy a DVD burner pretty soon. I'm looking for an external because I've got a laptop, and although I have found a DVD burner that'll fit my laptop, it's only 8x and I don't want to buy something I wouldn't be able to use if I get a new computer.

I know you're all going to chime in with replies of "Plextor PX-716UF", but I do believe that model requires at least a 1.4 GHz processor, and mine is a mere 1.06 GHz, so unless you really can get by with a slower processor with that drive, it's a complete no-go.

I'm really tempted by the LG GSA-2166D, because its box says its minimum processor requirement is only 800 MHz, and it's a 16x burner--dual format, dual layer, and LightScribe (not that I can even use LightScribe since I don't think there's Linux support for it just yet). Is this a good burner, or should I just opt for a refurbished Plextor PX-712UF? Or is there another burner that would better suit my situation?

[gsmyth79]

I never burn DVDs over 4x.

I can't remember why burning faster than that is bad but I could probably find it if you wanted to with some quick Googling.