DVD burners are all the rage now. Just look at the units flying
off the shelves worldwide.
The reason? They can allow you to burn DVDs of 4.7 GB capacity. That's more than
seven times the capacity of a normal CD!
DVDs are useful for storing home movies, MP3 music files, or simply archiving
files from your computer. For video enthusiasts, it is an especially important
tool in your video editing setup because an average home video can run into
hundreds of megabytes in size.
DVD writers come in many formats catering to
different standards--DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, and DVD+RW. Confusing? Well, these
standards simply translate to different types of DVD format supported by
commercial DVD players.
If you're in the market for a DVD writer, you'll want to
make sure you select one that enables you to view the recorded DVDs. You
wouldn't want to get a DVD+R drive if your DVD player supports only DVD-R.
To help you in choosing a good DVD burner, I've
rounded up five of the latest options below.
Sony DRU720A
The Sony DRU720A DVD
burner is a solid drive that has read speeds of 16x (DVD), and 40x (CD).
Write speeds are 12x (DVD+R), 16x (DVD-R), 4x (DVD+R DL)
and 48x (CD).
The drive supports Double Layer
DVD discs so you can
record up to 4 hours of video on an 8.5 GB disc. The drive is also bundled
with very nice software, including NeroVision Express DVD, Nero Burning ROM
and Nero Showtime.
Plextor PX-716A
Plextor has long been
known as one of leaders in CD/DVD peripheral technology. The Plextor PX-716A
boasts read speeds of 16x (DVD) and 48x (CD). Its write speeds are 16x (DVD+R),
16x (DVD-R), 4x (DVD+R DL) and
48x (CD).
Like the Sony DRU720A, Double Layer DVD discs are
also supported.
This drive is certainly one of the fastest
drives in this list and is
highly recommended. Be prepared to pay a premium in price though.
LG GSA4163B
The LG GSA4163B is a good performer that gives
you read speeds of 16x (DVD) and 40x (CD). Write speeds are published as 16x
(DVD+R), 16x (DVD-R), 4x (DVD+R DL) and
40x (CD).
I've tested this unit and it supports an
amazingly wide range of DVD media (some drives refuse to burn on specific
brands of DVD discs). On the whole, a good buy and certainly one to check
out if you're out shopping.
NEC ND-3540A
NEC is recognized as a leader in optical technology, producing an
impressive line of DVD writers. The ND-3540A has read speeds of
16x (DVD) and 48x (CD), as well as write
speeds of 16x (DVD+R), 16x (DVD-R) and
48x (CD). This speedy drive is
also the
first to support the
latest DVD-R DL media.
HP LightScribe DVD640I
The HP LightScribe DVD640I is a capable
internal DVD writer with LightScribe direct disc labeling technology. The
drive boasts read speeds of 16x (DVD) and 40x (CD), as well as write speeds
of 8x (DVD-R), 16x (DVD+R), 2.4x (DVD+R DL) and
40x (CD). The LightScribe
feature allows you to burn
customized labels directly to LightScribe discs - for a neat, professional
look.
Conclusion
Out of the above list, I'd personally recommend
either the Sony DRU720A
or the HP LightScribe DVD640I. Although the price tag will go up a little,
I find the feature set and performance to be best in these two drives. In any
case, always perform your own research before shelling out cash so that you can
get the best DVD writer your money can buy.
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