Price is not a concern, what is the BEST DVD Burner to buy?

[Touchdown]

If money was not a concern, what would you say is the best DVD writer to get and why?

Looking to purchase a new burner for my business and to supplement my LiteOn 851S on my Dell 4550 PC.

Thanks

[soundforbjt]

NEC 3500 or Pioneer 108 would be my choices.

[lordsmurf]

LiteOn, Pioneer (and maybe LG).

[vioxx]

Pioneer

Maybe Sony

[HAMP]

Plextor

[Treebeard]

LiteOn or Plextor.

I got my LiteOn at newegg.com for $59.

[Marvingj]

Pioneer is the best I came across.

[Bodyslide]

I have both a Pioneer 105 and 107. With over a 1000 burns between them I would choose a Pioneer. I also only use DVD-R's

[kjbrack]

I got a Sony DRU-530A. Over 400 burns and not one coaster. I have burned about 300 -R and a 100 +R.

[Touchdown]

Thanks for the reply's.

I'm currently burning about 150-200 discs a month and figure that at this rate my burner is dying a slow death so I want to purchase another.

Looks like lots of favorable comments about the Pioneers. I'd like to be able to mount an internal drive in an external enclsoure. Anyone do this succesfully?

Thanks

[noki]

any NEC (2500, 2510, 3500)

[smearbrick1]

Liteon 451, 851, 832.

[Bodysurf]

As of 08/25/2004, the Pioneer DVR-A08XL.

BTW, it's not like this drive is "expensive" anyhow.

[trossin]

Buy a fab.

[QuaiBoy]

I have a Pioneer 106 in an external ADS USB2 box. 1k+ DVD-Rs burned (mostly Ritek, lots of MCC). It's a workhorse.
I've setup four friends with Pioneer 107s in cheap Bytecc USB2 boxes. One had a defective writer out of the box (coastered about half the discs), the replacement and the other three writers have performed flawlessly.
A friend I set up with a Pioneer 106 upgraded to an NEC ND-2510A which is mounted in a PC (IDE). Great results burning to 8x Prodisc DVD-Rs.

Pioneers are my favorite by far. NECs seem like a decent second if you want to save a couple bucks. Generally, NECs tend to support more 4x media at 8x (and some 8x media at 8x) than the Pioneers do out of the box. If you are willing to go with a third-party firmware though, I'd pick the Pioneer.

YMMV. Best of Luck,
-Evan-

[handyguy]

https://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters

[Denvers Dawgs]

Not a lot of people have mentioned my dvd burner, actually I've never heared anyone on this site mention it, but I've done over 200 dvd backups, and not one problem using verbatim/memorex media. I have the HP300i burner.

[Kool_Aid]

NEC 16X Double Layer 3500A

Write Speed: 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD+R9, 16X DVD-R, 4X DVD-RW, 48X CD-R, 24X CD-RW
Read Speed: 48X CD-ROM, 16X DVD-ROM

$87.00 + $4.00 shipping (U.S.) from Newegg


NEC drives have the best non-official support on the net.

[Vanderlow]

Get a BenQ DW1620. It's predecessor the DW822a had more usable 8x burns then either the Pioneer or NEC in a review by C't magazine and analyzed by a Audiodev CATS scanner (6 figure laser calibrating machine). Scores are in the table on this thread. The DW1620 has bitsettng for both SL and DL and burns a disk in 5:50. It also has the better reader of the three (look at cdrinfo.com reviews). You can also use CDSpeed with it and analyze your burns with it.

http://cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=17472

[shifted90]

Just make sure that you are willing to spend more money of the DVD-Rs or DVD+Rs themselves if you buy fast writers. If you buy a 16x burner, and only have 8x DVDs, then you just spent money for nothing.

[ZippyP.]

...then you just spent money for nothing.

Forward compatibility maybe? Like if/when 16X disks get good and cheap. I agree though, I wouldn't spend extra to get one.

[lordsmurf]

In the opposite direction, I'd avoid any SONY or NEC drive. Too many troubles with too many drives in the past.

Think carefully before buying BTC or OPTORITE or or BENQ. Those may require firmware updates before being useable.

You may want to browse the WWW.RPC1.ORG forums too.

Your PIONEER, LITEON, LG and TDK burners tend to be perfect right out of the box, and have a very good record with most media.

Does PLEXTOR make it's own drives?

[indolikaa]

Think carefully before buying BTC or OPTORITE or or BENQ. Those may require firmware updates before being useable.

The Lord of Smurfs has spoken wisely. In the case of Optorite, it usually takes them a few firmware updates to find a good burning solution. But when they do, it's burning nirvana.

[louthewiz]

I would wait until the end of the year when prices will drop on many burners and the dual layer bug will be resolved by then. And by the way I also have the lite on 851s and I am very happy with it for now.

[-jsl-]

In the opposite direction, I'd avoid any SONY or NEC drive.
...
Your PIONEER, LITEON, LG and TDK burners tend to be perfect right out of the box, and have a very good record with most media.

Most TDK burners have been rebadged NEC drives so that's a contradiction. Sony DRU-7** series are also rebadged Lite-On drives and Lite-On burners if any drives tend to need several firmware updates before working as they should.

Does PLEXTOR make it's own drives?

Yes, the PX-7** series. The PX-504 was a rebadged NEC and the PX-605A introduced in Japan recently is a rebadged Matsushita.

To answer the original question then if money was not a concern I would buy at least two burners as no burner is perfect on everything: One BenQ DW16*0 for DVD+R/RW and one Pioneer DVR-108 for DVD-R/RW and 4x DVD+R DL.

[lordsmurf]

I was referring to non-NEC TDK burners.

[-jsl-]

Well of the recent TDK burners the only non-NEC drives are the 1280B and 840G model. The 1280B drive is a rebadged Lite-On SOHW-1213S which is really bad and the 840G model is a rebadged Plextor PX-708, it's ok but not that good.
The coming 16x drive will be a rebadged NEC too.

[lordsmurf]

I was unaware TDK had started to rebadge.

[-jsl-]

TDK has never made any own DVD writers at all.

[lordsmurf]

TDK has never made any own DVD writers at all.

Hmm. Something I need to look into. Thanks.