Best at reading dirty/scratched disks?

[Chas]

I am looking to buy a new PC DVD burner. I am wondering if anyone has ever done a test to see which model is best at reading (ripping) from dirty or scratched DVD's.

[zworg2]

I am looking to buy a new PC DVD burner. I am wondering if anyone has ever done a test to see which model is best at reading (ripping) from dirty or scratched DVD's.

First off, if at all possible I suggest that you dont rip with your burner. Rip with a standard drive. Not only is this likely to be quicker, it saves on wear on your burner, thus prolonging its life.

As far as i am aware, there hasnt been any specific comparative testing of burners for scratched discs.

I recommend that you keep your drive and discs clean. If you do get a problem disc that you try a number of different software rippers, and if available try a different drive to rip.

(you may be interested in THIS THREAD)

[QuaiBoy]

The Pioneers do a great job, NECs are not so good. That being said, I'd highly recommend purchasing a dedicated DVD-ROM for ripping. I have a Toshiba, Pioneer DVD-120, LG, and several Lite-Ons/Sonys in my two PCs (six drives total - mostly for reburning the home video discs my relatives send for "repair"). Sometimes only one of them will be able to read a DVD in the worst condition - I start with the DVD-120 and work my way down. Unfortunately, the DVD-120 and the best Lite-Ons are no longer on the market. The SOHD-16P9S (or the Sony DDU1615) isn't bad though, and can be had for around $20USD.

Best of Luck,
-Evan-

[Chas]

In general, I agree that using the burner to read/rip is putting extra load on it. But since the newest cheap fast burners are $45, a read only unit would not really be any cheaper. Unless I can find a model that is rated better at reading through bad diaks, then I would pay a premium. My old slot load Pioneer DVD reader (105?) is waaayyy too slow and gives lots of read errors, so out it goes.

[budz]

Get a BENQ 1620 which is so darn cheap right now because the 1640 model is out. Or if you can find a PLEXTOR 708a drive off ebay.

As for scratched discs my PLEXTOR 708A & BENQ 1620 have been the winners for me. They were able to read badly scratched discs that my TOSHIBA 1612, 1712, PIONEER 107, & LITEON 411@811 could not.

NEC drives are not good readers which many already know about. That's just my 2 cents.