Pros/cons DVD drive manufacturers

[Agent_J]

Can anyone confirm that what I’ve read is correct?

NEC - excellent writer, but poor reader
Liteon - a good reader/writer
BenQ - excellent writer and reader
Plextor - the best drives, but expensive

Also, what are the opinions of Pioneer and LG?

[fmctm1sw]

Plextor - the best drives, but expensive

Not from my experience. I wasn't as pissed off that the drive broke as I was about the fact it took me over a week to convince them of the fact. I trink all drives will have their issues but I didn't appreciate the shoddy tech support (email).

[cd090580]

Can anyone confirm that what I’ve read is correct?

NEC - excellent writer, but poor reader

Also, what are the opinions of Pioneer and LG?

The Nec ND-2500A is a very good Writer.

It's also a good reader for Protected Audio CD (Cactus Data Shield) with a good error correction.

It read very good the DVD I burned (I don't tried yet with DVD ripping, nor commercial dvds)

[igalan]

I was surprised when I tested the LG GSA-4040B because it's very silent, which means that mechanical parts are well designed . I use one at work to burn CD and DVD, mostly data (backups), but I have tested movies (DVD-Video) and no problems or anything. No coasters either.

I have also tested the newer LG GSA-4140B. It looks exactly the same, and it's as silent as the LG GSA-4040B but can also write DVD+DL and DVD+R up to 12x (no 16x, however there's no 16x media yet, so who cares?). I didn't have the opportunity to test DL, due to not availability of media (it comes without blank DVD+DL so you can't test).

If I have to replace my Sony DRU500A (which works flawless after hundreds of burns), I would get the LG GSA-4140B for sure.

[QuaiBoy]

Plextor has a premium name and price, but IME they aren't what they used to be. Back in the day, their SCSI CD writers and readers were top-notch and I owned most of them. The build quality of the current line doesn't hold a candle to those drives.
I have a Pioneer 106, it's a great drive. Most people with Pioneers don't regret their purchase. Do a search for more info, been talked about to death.

Best of Luck,
-Evan-

[ViRaL1]

I wouldn't worry too much about 16x burning over 12x. You're talking about a difference of about 1m15s, and that's if you were burning 16x and 12x across the whole disc. As far as I know, nothing does that so it's really not worth the wait.

[Shocker Milwaukee]

Got two friends with Pioneers (05 & 07). Those are great drives - great Kprobe scans (I have a LiteOn).

[anubis13]

i own 2 nec 2500A in two different systems. i purchased them because of the information on this site. I love them. they never fail me. i can read everything i throw at them. one even read a disc with a crack in it.

[waheed]

I cant mention a specific drive but i can point you in some directions. Look for the following features in a DVD Burner:

- Dual Format (burns both + and -)

- Dual Layer of at least 8x (though these are not out yet, so you may have to wait, currently, 2.4x is the max for DL Burning)

- Bitsetting (Allows for choosing booktypr DVD_ROM for greater compatibility with dvd players, especially if your burning DL Disks)

- CAV (constant angular velocity)

ViraL1 wrote:

I wouldn't worry too much about 16x burning over 12x. You're talking about a difference of about 1m15s, and that's if you were burning 16x and 12x across the whole disc. As far as I know, nothing does that so it's really not worth the wait.

NO BURNER will ever write at 16x constantly or probably even 12x constantly, as these are the max speeds. To prove my point, can ANY 16X DVD-ROM rip dvds constantly at 16X. Yes, you may attain 12x or close to 16x burn at some point (probably nearly the end of the burn) but not constant 16x burn.

[ViRaL1]

Exactly. So, you'll see even less of a speed difference. Just doesn't seem worth it.