DVD burner question

I need to buy a new DVD burner as mine finally went kaput. Not bad since I have had it for 3 years. My question is what do others use and/or recomend. Also, I see some can burn to the double layer disks that hold 8.5 GB data. Is this something worth considering?

ASny help would be appreciated.

rklepper wrote in post #2409994
I need to buy a new DVD burner as mine finally went kaput. Not bad since I have had it for 3 years. My question is what do others use and/or recomend. Also, I see some can burn to the double layer disks that hold 8.5 GB data. Is this something worth considering?

ASny help would be appreciated.

The dual-layer blank DVDs are still pretty pricey. The burners are pretty much generic, and if you use a Mac, then it should work out of the box without installation of drivers if you use Toast. Look for one that will burn + or - discs, and a rewriter is also handy to have. Some will even support DVD-RAM discs, but I haven't seen those disks since about 1999 or so.

Are you planning to just burn files, or make DVD video discs as well? That can get tricky if your DVD software doesn't recognized or support the drive.

Several good brands from yesteryear. Lite-On, Pioneer, Yamaha and Plextor. For up to date information try http://club.cdfreaks.c​om/showthread.php?t=79​195


Ken

Tony-S wrote in post #2410021
The dual-layer blank DVDs are still pretty pricey. The burners are pretty much generic, and if you use a Mac, then it should work out of the box without installation of drivers if you use Toast. Look for one that will burn + or - discs, and a rewriter is also handy to have. Some will even support DVD-RAM discs, but I haven't seen those disks since about 1999 or so.

Are you planning to just burn files, or make DVD video discs as well? That can get tricky if your DVD software doesn't recognized or support the drive.

I would like to do both. Back up files and make videos.

rklepper wrote in post #2410064
I would like to do both. Back up files and make videos.

Is your computer a Mac or a Windows machine?

Most DVD burners will come with software for Windows, but not macs. When you buy, make sure the software says it will burn "DVD Video" ("DVD" stands for "digital versatile disc"). This implies that the software will burn a VIDEO_TS folder on the DVD discs. Inside this folder will be video object files (VOB) that can be played on any set top DVD player. These VOB files contain the video (as compressed MPEG-2) and audio (in a variety of formats, such as AC3) and other info (e.g., subtitles).

If you have a Mac, things get a little more constrained. The bad news is that Macs support fewer DVD burners out of the box. The good news is that if it is supported, then you can use iMovie/iDVD (that came with the mac) or DVD Studio Pro (extra expense) for the new drive. It would be best to verify its compatibility. I have installed Pioneer, Sony and Lite-On DVD burners in a variety of macs, both internal and firewire drives.

The one I am looking to replace is on a Windoze based machine. I had the Plextor for 3 years and now it will not power up. This seems good to me and I always had good luck with it burning data as well as video. Perhaps the Plextors are still a good choice? I noticed there is a $30 rebate on top of the fact that it is 1/5 of what I bought this last one for 3 years ago.

plextors are the L burners, so to speak.

rklepper wrote in post #2410806
The one I am looking to replace is on a Windoze based machine. I had the Plextor for 3 years and now it will not power up. This seems good to me and I always had good luck with it burning data as well as video. Perhaps the Plextors are still a good choice? I noticed there is a $30 rebate on top of the fact that it is 1/5 of what I bought this last one for 3 years ago.

Last time I checked, Plextor was a reputable brand. Personally, I treat DVD burners like VCRs - disposable. They seem to have a much higher failure rate than most other components. Plus, the technology is maturing so fast. Who knows what will be around in another 3 years.

You mean there are other burners out there besides the ultra economical, ultra popular NEC 3500 family? Boy you guys sure have a lot of moolah to spend anything more than $30 for a burner.

When Plextor burns a DVD does it sound better? look better? last longer? than one made by an NEC-3550? Its just an expensive burner, but then I onlee have two NEC burners that have never quit on me in the two years that I ve had them and never made a coaster with el-cheapo disks that seem to keep the data just fine.

From what I've been seeing, Plextor's been getting sloppy, and no longer represents the "gold standard" they used to be. And NEC's discontinued the 35xx series. Hardware Guys is a very techy site for home builders and "creeping digititus" sufferers.

I've had pretty good success with the three Pioneer burners I've had over the years, but I do very little burning anymore now that hard drives are so inexpensive. Each of the Pioneers started to have write problems after about 1,000 burns which is acceptable, but the failure rate of the DVDs was worse. Most of the failures were on the DVD-RWs, so I would stay away from those. The key to good burning and long term reliability is good media. http://www.dvdrhelp.co​m is a good resource for drives and media, with a lot of user reviews. You'll see links on the left for DVD Burners and DVD Media.

Right now I am using an external Lite-On Ez-Dub (USB 2.0). For the little burning I do it gets the job done, and I can use it on any system in the house. I think I paid $75 for it. You should be paying about $30-40 for a run of the mill internal drive (Sony, NEC, Lite-On), or about $70-80 if you want a Plextor.

Regarding the dual layer, at $1.50 per disc (over 15c per gig), they are still almost the same cost per gig as hard drives so they are really not worthwhile in my opinion. 5-6 times the cost of single layer for only double the storage. Of the 4000+ DVDs I've burned over the years, I think about 5 were dual layers.

gjman wrote in post #2411491
You mean there are other burners out there besides the ultra economical, ultra popular NEC 3500 family? Boy you guys sure have a lot of moolah to spend anything more than $30 for a burner.

When Plextor burns a DVD does it sound better? look better? last longer? than one made by an NEC-3550? Its just an expensive burner, but then I onlee have two NEC burners that have never quit on me in the two years that I ve had them and never made a coaster with el-cheapo disks that seem to keep the data just fine.

Well I had extremely good luck with my Plextor. I do not think the cost is important. Just because it is cheaper or more expensive makes no difference to me whatsoever. I copy miniDV movies and make copies for the kids. I make copies of all family related photos for all my kids. My burners get used and abused more than most. I have burned 150 DVD's in the past month with my Plextor and not a single coaster. Quality of the output is also impeccible. That is what is important to me.

pcasciola wrote in post #2411500
I've had pretty good success with the three Pioneer burners I've had over the years, but I do very little burning anymore now that hard drives are so inexpensive. Each of the Pioneers started to have write problems after about 1,000 burns which is acceptable, but the failure rate of the DVDs was worse. Most of the failures were on the DVD-RWs, so I would stay away from those. The key to good burning and long term reliability is good media. http://www.dvdrhelp.co​m is a good resource for drives and media, with a lot of user reviews. You'll see links on the left for DVD Burners and DVD Media.

Right now I am using an external Lite-On Ez-Dub (USB 2.0). For the little burning I do it gets the job done, and I can use it on any system in the house. I think I paid $75 for it. You should be paying about $30-40 for a run of the mill internal drive (Sony, NEC, Lite-On), or about $70-80 if you want a Plextor.

Regarding the dual layer, at $1.50 per disc (over 15c per gig), they are still almost the same cost per gig as hard drives so they are really not worthwhile in my opinion. 5-6 times the cost of single layer for only double the storage. Of the 4000+ DVDs I've burned over the years, I think about 5 were dual layers.

The only thing is that I use these to distribute videos and photos to my kids, so the DVD is an extrtemely important part of my life.

Jon wrote in post #2411499
From what I've been seeing, Plextor's been getting sloppy, and no longer represents the "gold standard" they used to be. And NEC's discontinued the 35xx series. Hardware Guys is a very techy site for home builders and "creeping digititus" sufferers.

Thanks for those links guys. I will check it out.