Best DVD Writer ?

[garry35]

now that it seems like everybody is releasing dual format dvd burners, which is best ?

has anybody had any experiences good or bad and maybe a few suggestions. also does anybody know of a good site for reviews (cdrinfo is always a little outdated)

[Gees]

good site for reviews

Right here. Actual owner comments beat reviews any day. :c)

There's a big database of info to the left - DVD Writers. Can help you narrow down your choices.

[Vanderlow]

Contenders are: Plextor 708A, Pioneer 106D, Nec 1300A, Sony 500, OptoRite 203. The plextor is the only 8x for plus media. There should be some other 8x writers coming out within the next few weeks.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Contenders are: Plextor 708A, Pioneer 106D, Nec 1300A, Sony 500, OptoRite 203. The plextor is the only 8x for plus media. There should be some other 8x writers coming out within the next few weeks.

Optorite DD0204 will be out soon:8x DVD+R,4x DVD-/+RW.
I bought my DD0203 two months ago and I should have waited.

BTW...I had a Sony DRU-500A for less than a year when it died.

[GKar]

If the Nec ND-1300a is as good as the Nec 1100-a that I have, at $115 would make it a great deal.

[accountwiz]

I upgraded to a new Lite-on LDW-440D 4x last week, and it has been perfect over about 15 DVD burns and roughly 10 CDR burns. It has nice, beefy 8mb buffer too! It is dual-format, but I only have -R media right now. It was $140 shipped from Newegg.com.

[Dubber]

I have access to both: NEC 1300 and 1100 and gotta say I like 1300 better for it's versatility.

I'm still on fw 1.05 and as I use 'better quality' DVD _Rs, it's not an issue for me. I figure that it's really not worth saving a few pennies on cheaper blanks if you make a few coasters and the 'good' copies go bad in a few days to a few months. I don't want to burn same backup copy again and again... waisting time AND money.

[Dr_Layne]

Have a Plextor 708A. Love it. Burns 8x (starts at 6x then speeds up to 8x) on 4x dvd+r media. Burns cdr's at 40x. I realize others will be releasing 8x drives soon, but Plextor has always put out quality products and I did not hesitate to pick up this drive as soon as it was available.

Steve

[ccbadd]

I have a Pioneer A05 and an NEC 1300A. I don't have a Pioneer A06, but I make some asumptions in relationship to the A05. When it comes to cheap media, I would challenge anyone to show a better drive then the Pioneers. However, when I bought the NEC, I wanted a dual format drive and the Pioneer was still a little too high or was it the NEC was just too cheap? Anyway, the NEC works very well with good media. I have some white top Princos that practically every drive has problems with including the NEC, but the Pioneer loves them. I have been using some Memorex 4X -R media (Prodisc S03) that work perfect on both drives, but the Memorex 2X (CMC) only work on the Pioneer. When it comes to the other drives mentioned, I don't think Sony make durable equipment (high failure rates), Optorite is just not mature enough, and the Plextor is just to expensive. The one that I would like to test is the Liteon, I prefer there CD-RW drives over Plextor anyday and they tend to keep firmware improvements comming non-stop.

Conclusion, the A06 has come down in price close enough to the NEC that if I were buying today, that is what I would buy. I think Newegg had it for under $140.00 during this past week. Remember also that the holiday season is very close and things tend to get really cheap in November!

[spiderman2k1]

I like PIONEER

[B0ng]

I use to have an NEC ND-1300a. That was a really shitty drive. So many incompatibility problems. So I decided to **** it and I returned the drive and got the LG GSA-4040B instead. So far, it's worked like a charm. Dual format PLUS DVD-RAM support. Burns all my cheap media fine. The only gripe I have about this is for some reason I don't have the option to burn at 4x although I know the media allows it.

[scorps]

I use to have an NEC ND-1300a. That was a really shitty drive. So many incompatibility problems. So I decided to **** it and I returned the drive and got the LG GSA-4040B instead. So far, it's worked like a charm. Dual format PLUS DVD-RAM support. Burns all my cheap media fine. The only gripe I have about this is for some reason I don't have the option to burn at 4x although I know the media allows it.

My friend has an 1100a and also had this problem.
Turned out to be the media.

[strummy53]

I have the Nec 1300a and Pioneer A06. Pioneer burns anything I've tried and the Nec is a bit picky with media though all my 1x media I can burn at 2x with it. There is a hacked firmware that allows dvd-r 2x burn with any media and also rip speed of 12x. Go with the Pioneer!!

[strummy53]

Sorry......The pioneer has the hacked firmware, not the nec in case I've lead someone astray

[indolikaa]

My favorite burner for burning discs is that 55-gallon drum behind the house. It does a real good job, y'know?

Optorite has done well for me.

[Adder_78]

There is no such thing as "Best DVD writer"... I just dont like these "what is best X" threads. The best is what works best for you!

[Colindale]

??I don't have the option to burn at 4x although??

The A301 Firmware update fixed that for the LG GSM 4040b

[pacmania_2001]

Although it is the only DVD Writer I have experience with I can do nothing but recommend the Pioneer DVR-106D as it hasn't had a single problem with its CD/DVD writing and has taken every piece of media thrown at it.

[Cataphract]

I am in the market for a Dual format burner too, was looking at all the comments for DVD writers and it looks like the competition is between Pioneer DVR106 and the NEC ND1300, and pioneer is leading a little bit.

However I do not undertand the different model numbers that Pioneer has, i.e. DVR106, DVR105, DVRA06, DVRA05 and such.

What is the difference between DVR106 and DVRA06? All the tech specs seem to be identical. Which one is better? And are they upgrades of DVR105 and DVRA05?

There is about a $ 30-40 price difference between DVR106 and DVRA06, does this mean A06 is better?

Also I have never bought OEM drives, does this make any difference? It seems to be the norm these days, as they are about 40-50 bucks cheaper over retail prices.

[Metaluna]

Pioneer 105, 106, etc. drives are OEM, A05, A06, etc. are retail boxed, IIRC. Other than that they should be identical.

OEM drives generally come with a minimal warranty and little or no bundled software. Some vendors like Newegg offer their own extended warranty for a small additional cost however. Also retail drives are better protected during shipping because they are packed in their retail box w/padding at the factory whereas OEM drives often arrive at the vendor's warehouse in a big carton with each drive in an unpadded plastic bag, and it's up to the vendor to properly pack them for shipping. So the bare drive has to get handled one extra time, meaning one more chance for damage to occur, and you are relying on the competence of the guy packing your order to do a good job.