what dvd writer should i get?

[Adi Head]

what dvd writer should i get?

speed - not important
rewritable - also, not a big issue
internal/external - i'll go with the cheaper internal
budget - i have about $70 to spend

most important is that the quality of the dvd burning and that i don't run into to many technical difficulties and problems. i want to be able to make dvd's using VEGAS 5.0 + DVD ARCHITECT
and being able to play them on most home dvd players. that's all that really matters to me.

thanks

[Ed Smith]

Adi,

There are a number of issues concerning making DVDs, not only the burner.

1) the quality and datarate of the MPEG file
2) the media you are burning to
3) the Brand of the media
4) the set top player it will be played on
5) the burner

You will need to look at all those issues when making a DVD. If you can get hold of a dual DVD burner that burns +R and -R then you can get the best of both worlds. However you will still need to do some tests your self to find out what media/ brand is best, and at what datarate your MPG file is.

I prefer the Pioneer burners, they seem to have done well for me. They are more expensive but I think are worth it.

Thanks,

[Peter Moore]

Definitely get a +/- R burner for maximum flexibility on playback devices.

[Adi Head]

ok thanks. other than pioneer, any reccommendations?

how about LG.

[Gints Klimanis]

I upgraded from a Pioneer A04 to a Pioneer A07 last month, the latter cost me $84.50 from a place called US Depot in Las Vegas, I think. Search www.pricewatch.com because the prices are all over the place. These prices are for the bare drive, so you'll
need some sort of DVD burner software (Nero) and DVD player software (nvdvd from nvidia.com).

However, you can get the latest NEC dual layer (not practical yet)
for $88. I've never used it, but some of the read abilities are faster than those on the A07.

$89.99 NEC ND-2510A 9-in-1 Double Layer DVD±RW Dual Driver

[Jean-Philippe Archibald]

Adi,

I am using a LG 4082 8X burner. It can burn DVD-R/RW, DVD+r/RW and DVD-RAM. Work great with DVD Architect. I am using Princo media with it and I have not find any set top player unable to read them yet.

[Gints Klimanis]

You haven't tried hard enough. Which format ? Go to Circuit City or Good Guys and try get DVD-RW to work in the rack of DVD players. Try sticking a DVD-RW into a Sony playstation.

[Adi Head]

as i mentioned... speed doesn't concern me. my top priority is compatibility with diffirent dvd players and minimum problems. most of my work is editing events and wedding receptions. if it takes a while longer to burn the dvd, i'll live with that. but if clients start calling me saying that the movie won't play on their dvd player - that would be a drag.

... thanks for the comments so far, keep 'em coming :)

[Glenn Chan]

Plextor seems to be the best damn drive you can get. What makes it good is that:
A- It burns fast. 8X DVD-R, 12X DVD+R, 48X CD-R.
B- It works well with whatever media you throw at it. Some other drives have media incompatibility problems. meritline.com is somewhat useful to look up media compatibility if you buy from them (they have Riteks for a bit less than $1/each).
C- Low error rate. The Plextor has the ability to adjust burning speed and laser strength to minimize errors.
D- It can also check DVDs for errors. The NEC drive cannot check DVDs for errors easily.

Explanation of DVD errors: When you burn 5GB ones and zeros there are bound to be lots of errors. To combat this, DVD has error correction than can compensate for a certain level of errors. When you exceed this threshold, then the data stream will have errors which will show up at glitches.

Reviews of Plextor drives:
http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/144 - Review of the latest, greatest Plextor drive.
http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/hotrod.html - The Ars Technica Buyer's Guide recommends the Plextor drive:

DVD rewritable/CD-RW: Plextor PX-708A

DVD-writers are now affordable enough for the Hot Rod. Pioneer, NEC, Plextor, and Sony (have we forgotten anyone?) all have nice units out, with Plextor's 8x unit finally being joined by 8x competitors from most companies in this update.

Sony and Pioneer both have excellent 8x units to choose from, the DRU-530A and DVR-107/A07, but competition has driven the price on Plextor's 8X unit down to affordable levels alongside its new competition and it becomes our recommendation this month.

Cost: US$168.88 (3/09/2004) [Comparison shop for this item]

2- For a great guide on how DVD media affects the compatibility of your burns, check out

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

[Adi Head]

thanks glen, for the informative post and the links. i read about the plextor you reccommend. seems like a great DVD burner, but almost twice the price i can pay at the moment.

thanks.

[George Ellis]

I recommend a Pioneer 107D or A07 (The 107 is just the drive, the A07 is the same drive with software and cables - about $40 more.) I also recommend Maxell -R media. I use printable Maxell media and print a label on it (as sticky labels are not a good idea on DVD media because of balancing and the high rotational speeds.)

[Glenn Chan]

The Plextor PX-708A (a step down from the latest and greatest) is recommended by the Ars Technica's Buyer's Guide is roughly $170 online. From what I can tell, it's like the 712A except it burns slower (8X is the max).

Sorry about the confusion as the links point to two different models.

[Elie Zakaria]

Get a dual layer DVD writer.

[Bogdan Vaglarov]

I have LG GSA 4081 - the replacement 4082 is now even lower price. LG are good in my opinion - may be give slightly higher error rate than Pioneer or Sony. The higher speeds are prone to more errors but it comes time that the new recorders wouldn't be able to record at single speed or give higher error rate if used at lower speeds. There are such tendency with the CD recorders which doesn't give good results with speed different from their projected one (wich is high).

In general the DVD-butrner prices droped a lot in the last 2-3 months but I don't think you can get something decent for 70 USD!

Also you repeat the speed is not an issue and the DVD quality is. I'm afraid nobody can help you with that as nobody (even the makers) doesn't give you 100% garantie on compability etc.

Even the most expensive media you'll buy will have sticker sending you to one of the main home pages for info on the given format and compability issues and/or forums.

For example I've made my first DVD-R brand media a coaster and the second thing ever recorded - DVD+RW worked without a hitch in a set top player.

[Adi Head]

thanks guys. i ended up getting the LG GSA-4082B. it supports several kinds of media and has received good reviews. also, it fit my budget like a glove. so thanks again to everyone. i'll try it out today.