Looking for a new Burner

[badboysean]

Ok, im new to this but I would like to get a burner that I can back up my movies with.

First I wanted a double layer because I learned of the higher capacity and I will never have to worry about using 2 cds for a backup. Then I read somewhere that lots of software isnt supported by the double layers and they havent been out long enough to be tested therefore lots of them are still very bugged. Whether or not this is true I dunno..

I have a price range of $150.00 or so and I would like one that is fast and reliable with supported software where I can jump right in and start burning.

I run WinXP on my computer.

Any help and or suggestions are appreciated.

[bugster]

You can't go far wrong with a Pioneer burner. The 109/A09 is the latest I believe.

[soundforbjt]

Pioneer, NEC 3520A, or BenQ 1620 would be my top 3 choices.

[bugster]

Take a look at this thread

[mattyboy]

Id wait for one of those new LightScribe burners to come out. SHould be more available to the masses by the summer, just like the dual layer are everywhere now. They seem really cool. No more shody marker scribling or tacky labels!
EDIT Benq says march theirs is out.

[Ma_Jie]

I'd suggest the BenQ1620. You can grab it at Newgg.com ...the NUTech drive they sell her is a perfectly rebadged BenQ1620, which might be a few bucks cheaper.

Why the BenQ?

1) burns BOTH DVD-R and +R very well (I use only -R and never a coaster)
2) Frequent firmware updates/no need to use hacked firmware
3) Bitsetting right outta the box on +R
4) It's a really good reader to boot (but I'd suggest a DVD-ROM for ripping)

I can't believe I beat budz....

Buy this drive; you won't be disappointed.

Cheers,

MJ

[lordsmurf]

Pioneer

[Bodyslide]

Pioneer. I have 3 of them 105,107 and 108. Great Drives. IMHO

[waheed]

Nec 3520, being the first and only (as far as im aware) support for Dual Layer DVD-R burning (discs not available yet) as well as Dual Layer DVD+R.

[samijubal]

NEC

[TerminalVeloCD]

1. NEC ND-3520A
2. Pioneer DVR-109

...belive me, I have both! :P

Regards,
TerminalVeloCD

[badboysean]

Are any of these burners available at Comp USA? I only ask because I have a gift card I havent used yet.

[richdvd]

Get a Pioneer.
Whatever you do...DON'T get the BenQ 1620.

[budz]

COMPUSA has I/O MAGIC 16x DVD BURNERS that are rebadged BENQ 1620 or BTC. To tell the difference look at the specifications of the drive located on the side of the box. If it says 2.4x speed for DUAL LAYER MEDIA then it's a rebadged BENQ 1620 drive. If it says 4x speed for DUAL LAYER then it's a BTC drive. Also on the box of the BTC drive it will have a little white sticker on the top of the box with a FIRMWARE number. The rebadged BENQ 1620 doesn't have that. I am hoping the I/O MAGIC 16x burner will go on COMPUSA's Sunday sale because I have a giftcard too. I was there the other day and they have the rebadged BENQ 1620's.

[budz]

richdvd wrote

Whatever you do...DON'T get the BenQ 1620.

why not? got any reasons why not to get the BENQ 1620 drive??????? do you have one or know someone who has one? it's tiresome seeing others post , "Don't buy the BENQ 1620 drive", when either you don't have one or have ever used one. nuff said!

[Ma_Jie]

laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif why not? got any reasons why not to get the BENQ 1620 drive??????? do you have one or know someone who has one? it's tiresome seeing others post , "Don't buy the BENQ 1620 drive", when either you don't have one or have ever used one. nuff said! wink.gif

Ain't that the truth! Preach on bro. So many people are like, "The BenQ is a POS" or..."I'm not remotely impressed with the drive" -- but do they own one? No. That should be evidence enough that their viewpoint is faulty and lacks credibility.

For example, look at my post: those four things that I listed are undeniable because I have tested them personally.

Cheers,

MJ

[TerminalVeloCD]

Heck, all those positive reviews about the BenQ DW1620 make me want to get one RIGHT AWAY!

Regards,
TerminalVeloCD

[richdvd]

A local computer store constantly has a large stack of the 1620's to be returned to BenQ because they crapped out or are defective from the get go. That's enough for me to advise people away from them. But if you want one, go ahead and buy one. There are lots of others with bad experiences to share as well.

If I remember correctly, Lordsmurf had tested some and said he thought they wern't good drives either.

it's tiresome seeing others post , "Don't buy the BENQ 1620 drive",

When different people continually post the same thing, don't you think it might mean something?

[steve2713]

When different people continually post the same thing, don't you think it might mean something?

Yes, it means they are little blue lemmings.

[richdvd]

I am not about to waste my time arguing with people on here. Just stated my opinion (which is what this thread is about).

why not? got any reasons why not to get the BENQ 1620 drive??????? do you have one or know someone who has one?

Don't take such offense LOL.
Take a deep breath man....relax.

[budz]

richdvd wrote

If I remember correctly, Lordsmurf had tested some and said he thought they wern't good drives either.

Yuh, I've seen what he said about the BENQ 1620 drive. I even suggested helping him in getting the drive to work better for him. then he locked that thread. :P As I recall he said in another thread his friend had a BENQ 1620. In my opinion if you can't backup your statements with scans or demonstrate why the drive didn't work well then it's best not to make negative comments when others have had positives with the drive. Just some information to you richdvd, Plextors 716 drive had TONS of RETURNS when the drive was first released so just because some BENQ 1620 drives were returned doesn't mean anything. I am not thinking of buying one cuz I already have 2 BENQ 1620's which burn flawlessly on DVD+R & DVD-R media. Lordsmurf can tell me till he's blue in the face he did tests but I don't see him posting any of them for others to see so they can judge for themselves. I've posted a 16x burn in the media forum to show others how well the drive is. But hey as we all know everyone has their opinions just like how we all have ********......

[dcsos]

BENQ=ACER's new brand

cheap stuff...but might work...best stay with the PIONEER
or NEC

by the way, BTC stands for
BEHAVIOR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION (Taiwan)
doubt its better

just my 2cents

btw my sony DRU died and my LITEON is a little flakey,
but my PIONEER A03 lives on!

[Richard_G]

Yuh, I've seen what he said about the BENQ 1620 drive. I even suggested helping him in getting the drive to work better for him.

Isn't that the whole point? Why should anyone need help in getting a brand new, straight from the box, piece of kit to work properly. If it doesn't work properly the moment you install it, send it back. It isn't worth messing about with. Do you go out and buy a brand new car and then take it to a mechanic to get it to work properly? Of course not, if it doesn't work properly you throw it straight back where it came from.

My vote, NEC or Pioneer, nothing to choose between them. They both work straight from the box too.....

[steve2713]

People have had issues with the Pioneer 109 straight from the box as well, so I guess that's a piece of crap too...

[bugster]

it's best not to make negative comments when others have had positives with the drive.

Errm, why? If some one has had bad experience of a product and some has had good experience of the same product the both have the right to say so. No evidence required from either part really, after all, its just personal experience and opinion

[waheed]

Completely agree, just like there is two sides to a coin, there will always be two sides to any product.

[lordsmurf]

I've used the BenQ 1620 ... it was a big honkin' piece of shit. Software and media was nothing but a hassle. At the time, about a month ago or so, only Nero 6 would work with it, and even that was a bit dodgy. DVD Decrypter would also reject discs. These were good media too (TDK). Upgrading the firmware was also a chore. And in the end, it didn't help any.

Part of this is to blame on new drives in general. New software really sucks compared to the stuff of yesterday (RNM, Nero 5.5, Prassi, etc). But I was entirely aggravated by the BenQ, and it was just a step more aggravating than the others.

In general, few drives are PERFECT "right out of the box". The Pioneer 109 works fine, no firmware upgrade required. Nero 6 is okay too. Just be aware the Nero 6 is bloatware and can cause the buffer to underflow. It also is not 100% compliant on DVD-Video burns. If you head over to CDFREAKS, there is a patched DLL file that lets you use RecordNow Max 4.x instead. Works perfect. Basically, all the "Pioneer issues" were solved within a week, and properly identified as problems with software. Not the drive. The same cannot be said about BENQ and any number of other drives.

I have several BTC drives too. They work fine out of the box. The one exceptions is Taiyo Yuden media. Just avoid it. The other is firmware updates can cause the drive to go kamikaze (1108 committed suicide this week, but it was new, so exchanged it).

LG and LITEON are great drives.

NEC is a decent drive, I guess. Not my favorite AT ALL. It has far too many media issues for me. It has ALWAYS been this way for NEC drives. I don't like super-picky drives.

Plextor drives also really low on my list, probably just above BENQ. It is also the source of lots of misery for many people.

[dcsos]

Not my experience,,, Its probably our system configs, LORDSMURF, cause my NEC burns anything I throw at it (even burning some rated 4x blanks successfully at 8x..eg TDK, Verbatim), while over here the LITEON 16X dual layer drive is "picky" as you have indicated the NEC is for you

It NEC is a decent drive, I guess. Not my favorite AT ALL.It has far too many media issues for me

[budz]

Richardg wrote

Isn't that the whole point? Why should anyone need help in getting a brand new, straight from the box, piece of kit to work properly. If it doesn't work properly the moment you install it, send it back. It isn't worth messing about with. Do you go out and buy a brand new car and then take it to a mechanic to get it to work properly? Of course not, if it doesn't work properly you throw it straight back where it came from.

ummmmm why should anyone need help you say! hmmmms.....he never had problems with installing it.......

lordsmurf you bash the BENQ 1620 drive and yet comment PIONEER 109 is a excellent drive but you've posted problems with the drive at cdfreaks.com because NERO 6 doesn't work well with it. it needs to be mentioned to people on this forum site that others have said they use NERO version 6 and have no problems in burning. giving misinformation to others misleads people who are looking at the PIONEER 109 drive. if you're going to give information at least tell them others have not had problems using NERO version 6 with the 109 drive.

as for your comment on Plextor drives again you bash without even owning one. remember people turn to a forum when they have problems with computer hardware. as a owner of a PLEXTOR 708A drive my experience is it's a better reader than a PIONEER 107 drive that i have. it reads discs that are scratched when all other drives i have fail including the PIONEER 107. we all give our experiences of computer hardware that we use. at least give correct information instead of misleading ones.

this thread as many others regarding which is best and which is crappy can go on and on. a forum is where experiences and opinions are posted. one would hope that information posted is not misleading. nuff said!

[lordsmurf]

Nero 6 doesn't work correctly on the Pioneer 103, 104, 105, BTC 1004, 1008, 1108, NEC 1100, 1300, Sony 500 .... would you like a bigger list of drives that don't produce 100% perfect DVD-Video discs in Nero 6, with full abilities? I'm sure I could make one.

The software is seriously flawed.
They totally screwd it up as compared to Nero 5.5.10.x.

Sure, the Pioneer 109 is seen, and can burn .. but are the Nero 6.6 burns perfect? Hell no. Not even close. They are not 100% to spec. To me, serious error.

And if you want a better "reader" drive, buy a freaking ROM. Burners are not meant to be "reader" drives. They are "writer" drives.