Is now the time to buy a burner ?

[logopro]

Hi all,

I'm looking at the new Sony model: DRU-510A, but.... I also see a new Sony that is external - it's USB 2.0 and also Firewire , model : DRX510UL.
( our forum doesn't even have it listed yet, so it must be very new ) ... I found the model on www.ecost.com

Anyway I'm just wondering if now is the right time to buy, with so many formats available.... it's so puzzling.

I want to record home movies from my MiniDV video camera to DVD disc, but which disc to use ?? and also I wish to backup my data ( digital images) which are on my hard drive.... again which media to use ?

It's all so confusing. I also wonder if an exernal burner has disavantages .... is it as stable as an internal model that will be connected directly to the motherboard.... hmm....

anyway thanks much in advance,
Mark.

[LanEvo7]

Why not just get the A06, its about $100 less than the Sony drive.

[Vejita-sama]

There is never really a right time to buy, prices will always go down and new technology will just keep coming out. For example, is now the right time to by a 40x CDRW drive? They don't cost anything, but then again they don't store much info and with DVDs now becoming the standard CDR based video archives (VCD, CVD, SVCD) aren't worth that much.

Blu-ray (or something else) will kill DVDR drives, might take 2yrs might take 5yrs but it'll happen.

Personally I waited for 4x drives to come out (can burn a full DVDR in ~15min). I was able to get the drive for $170 (after rebates). Considering that I spent $300 'back in the day' for a 2x SCSI CDR I consider tha price (esp given the utility I get out of it) to be fair.

And as the above poster said, I'd go with the A05 or A06.

[snowmoon]

Personally I would say not QUITE yet.... here are my top complaints..

1) Media ( compatibilty / longevity ) - The dvd media is just not quite to the point where you can go out and buy a spindle and not be fretting that they will still be viable in 4 years.

2) Media ( price ) - Brand name media is still expensive except in bulk.

3) Authoring software - For creating custon video, the field is littered with programs that do one or two things well and are mainly kludgy and annoying ( if they work at all ). For ripping I guess the software is ok, but what's the fun in that?

4) Authoring software (price) To get legit authoring software costs an arm and a leg.

I just don't see DVD as the panecia that people are making it out to be. Until I can make a disc in under an hour ( authoring and burning not encoding ) and be 95% sure it will work in all DVD players I'll wait. I had the DVR-105 and sold it becuase of these problems.

[mkelley]

I agree with most of what's been posted although I don't agree that BlueRay will kill DVDR, any more than I think DVDR will kill CDR -- unless the poster means that you won't be able to buy a DVDR only drive. Let's face it, CDs are the standard when it comes to music, and that's not going to change in the next decade or so. So even if DVD burners (which can do both) essentially eliminate the need for a CDR burner, they are not killing the CDR format.

In the same manner I think DVDR will be around for many many years -- it will be at least a decade (or more) before HDTV becomes the norm. Indeed, here in the states I suspect we won't see HDTVs outsell "normal" televisions in my lifetime (admittedly I'm pretty old :>) So there will remain a place for DVDR burning, and your burner will still get use.

And I have both the Sony and the Pioneer A06, and I would agree to go with the Pioneer. While I haven't been able to quantify it yet, it just seems to perform *slightly* better -- at a cheaper cost.

(And to answer your basic question -- Yes, the time to buy is now. DVDR is taking off like a rocket, and you can buy local media in your grocery store. Well, maybe not *quite* yet, but you can sure find it in many places I never thought I'd see it).

[DeadLamb]

yeah too much focus of new buyers in on the format.. IMO, if one has a dvd burner hooked up their cpu, it could burn in some strange 100% proprietary format called "Z+F-G324 format" and as far as data back up.. Eh, big deal the drive you burn with can read whatever format it "burned" the disk with in the first place...

Now change that around to the +/- issues and one can see it's not really a big deal as far a data back up goes being support will be there for both for awhile..

That just leaves one with DVD video as a issue and one can look here in the data base for info on the stand alone players too see what their home system can play.. it really just comes down to cost.. As in is it worth the $$$ for you to have a DVD burner now?

I just bought a Pioneer 105 a few weeks ago, talked 2 other friends into getting them.. With burners well under $200 (dual is a waste of $$ for me) and with memories of dropping $200 just for a x4 cd-r a few years ago.. I can't see a reason (outside of cost) not to pick a dvd burner up..

It's too bad that the format issue is still freaking some out.. If you read around this site for a few weeks you will see that outside of some drum thumping for one or the other format, really for the average user, one is never even going to notice the difference. I know I am 100% happy with my - only format burner.. burned 20-30 disk with it already..

[mkelley]

While I tend to agree with you that too many people worry about what format to get, I don't agree that it's not a good idea for a new buyer to get a dual format drive.

The biggest reason to me is media -- I started off recording -R primiarly but when +R 4x went on sale for $1.30 a piece at my local Target I snapped it up. It's a big advantage right now to be able to use whatever media is the cheapest (and it seems to be changing nearly weekly).

I suspect towards the end of the year media in both formats will be cheap enough this isn't an issue, but I'd sure hate to be locked into one media right now when the A06 is so reasonably priced (about $250).

[ASB]

Yes go ahead and buy now.
I would also suggest A06 (I have A05 and have had no issues.)
For authoring I would go for DVDlab, its the best for the money.
for capture and editing maybe Pinnacle studio 8 (you can find some great deals) its a liitle buggy however.

good luck.....

[andkiich]

It's time to buy a burner whenthe cost of getting one and the media it uses are at a price level that you are willing to buy at.

[Colindale]

Wait til LiteON bring out thier DVD Burner shortly!.