DVD Writers - A good time to buy one?

LegacyUser

With my hard drive apparently dieing on the 11'th May(time will tell), an easy way of backing up my data came into my head. A dvd writer. So is now a good time to be buying one? Or will they be changing dramatically in the next few months?

So are DVD writers worth buying?

Mutant_Fruit

Now is a good time to get one, if all you need is a single layer burning drive.

The NEC 2500A is the best drive for write quality, and writes +r and -r at 8x, so its fairly snappy.

But if you want a dual layer drive, you're better off waiting until you can get them in at least 8x speeds. That means a full disc will only take 20 mins (i think). Fast dual layers would take a few months.

My advice is get teh Nec 2500A for 82 euro from jes-computer.de, and then buy a fast dual layer drive in 9-12 months time.

Col_Loki

Id personally go for the LG for €90ish or the Pioneer for €117. I have an NEC DVD+R burner and am happy with it but have had friends with horror stories. There are no firmware upgrades which is not a good sign (ND1100)

LG won the best DVD burner in one of toms hardware reviews, it was the overall fastest drive for both burning/reading DVD's and CD's. Pioneer is also excellent...... i dont have to say much about that drive!!

Mutant_Fruit

While the NEC 2500A is not the fastest out there, it is definately the king of quality.

On even the cheapest of crap media that was put in it, it still managed to burn a disc that was readable and within the limits for errors, which only 1 other burner could match (can't remember what hte other one was). And for 82euro, its a steal.

The one downside is that it cannot make 1:1 copies of the latest game protections.

fenris

Check out cdfreaks for reviews, the not only review the drives but also tell you which media gives best results for a given drive.

here is the LG Review conclusion that stopped me buying the LG

I went for a Liteon 811S instead and am very happy with it.

Col_Loki

Wow, such a conflicting review to the one i was reading..........Good site for reviews, am going to have a look through it a little more. Seems like a more indepth review (as its only dealing with one drive) than toms , especially as it tested cheaper disks . Heres the other review anyway....

http://www6.tomshardware.com/storage/20031027/dvd_burner-13.html

byte

Got a NEC 2500 from jes-computer a few months ago, and it's going great. Haven't had any coasters yet, though I've only been using Princo dvdrs. Will be trying out teh Datawrite Reds soon.

Mutant_Fruit

Erm, the 2500A is an 8X +-R burner and a 4X +-RW burner. I believe it also outspecs the LG GSA-4040B when it comes to CD-R(w) burning speeds aswell. And for less than the LG, i think its well worth buying.

And to be honest, no-one in their right mind uses DVD-Ram discs....

EDIT: Just double checked, the LG is SLOWASS when comared to the 2500A
LG
* CD-RW: 16x
* CD-R: 24x
* DVD-RW: 2x
* DVD-R: 4x
* DVD+RW: 2.4x
* DVD+R: 4x
* DVD-RAM: 3x

2500A:
*DVD-R: 8x
*DVD-RW: 4x
*DVD+R: 8x
*DVD+RW: 4x
*CD-R: 32x
*CD-RW: 16x

Col_Loki

Em thats the older drive your lookin at........ the one on jes-computers for €90 is the newer version. (earlier links are for the older version 4080b - current model is the 4082)

* CD-RW: 16x
* CD-R: 24x
* DVD-RW: 4x
* DVD-R: 8x
* DVD+RW: 4x
* DVD+R: 8x
* DVD-RAM: 3x


http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/9603

Doesent the NEC have slow reading / seek times?

[edit] Good to hear the NEC is serving you well, mine is too. But at the start i when i was looking for firmware upgrades i was very dissapointed....... 0 support. One of my mates had to flash it with a more general firmware (not sure of details) because he had so many coasters and problems with the drive (most makes including verbatim, imation). Thats the main reason im not quick on recomending NEC.

Mutant_Fruit

Ah right, i was wondering why you linked to such an old model.

Anyway, the 2500A is still slightly faster, burning CD-r's ar 32x. Other than that, its really up to you. The reviews and comments i've read have put the 2500A as the king of write quality (which is why i got it) but the LG one does support DVD-Ram (but what real use is that anyway?).

Its up to you.

K!LL!@N

I'm looking at getting a DVD burner in the next week or so.

I'm interested to see the opinions on the NEC ND-2500.
That was one of the ones i was looking at.

Anyone have any experience with the Plextor PX-708A?
It's pricier than the NEC but it seems to support more features than the NEC.
Any thoughts on this drive?

Killian

Col_Loki

Anyway, the 2500A is still slightly faster, burning CD-r's ar 32x

Yea i overlooked that, mainly focused on overall speed for ripping etc aswell.

TBH from the reviews ive seen now id be in agreement with you, the NEC looks to be a great buy especially at the price. DVD-Ram is pretty much a useless feature for most users, not worth buying the drive for that feature.

Mutant_Fruit

I couldn't be certain, but i think that the NEC 2500A is limited to 5x reading speed for Video DVD's, so as to reduce noise when playing them back.

Unfortunately that means that ripping DVD's to your HD will take a but longer if you use the 2500A. But i suppose edited firmware is always possible.

And you can get firmware for the 2500A that allows Bitsetting, which increase compatibility of burned DVD+-R's in some cases.

MisterAnarchy

I bought a Nec 2500 last month.
I flashed it with an updated Firmware v1.07 and it is a magnificent drive.
I have burnt loads of DVDs ,DVD-r at 6x and DVD+R at 8x even though the media is 4x.
The playback has been perfect on my standalone player across all media.
I had problems with my previous drive on cheaper media.
Ripping is up to 7x .

Mutant_Fruit

I'm still waiting for my 2500A to arrive, but i'll let ya know how i get on with it. But, from all reports, its a great drive.

BadCharlie

Mutant_Fruit where did you order your dvd drive from ? And how much was it ?

whosurpaddy

Originally posted by fenris
Check out cdfreaks for reviews, the not only review the drives but also tell you which media gives best results for a given drive.

here is the LG Review conclusion that stopped me buying the LG

I went for a Liteon 811S instead and am very happy with it.

i have that burner and that review was either done without applying the latest firmware, or its complete crap. read the reactions after the review, nearly everyone says theyve had no problems with it. its an amazing burner that has done dam near everything ive ever asked of it.

carrolls

Every time is a good time to buy one.... Until the latest x16 Blue Laser DVD burner comes out and then you are back to square 1.

LegacyUser

So the nec2500a is the king then ye? Seems that way. Am i missing anything?

Dman_15

i have a 2500a.
No probs with it at all. Very quiet burning actually which suprised me for such a cheap drive. 12 mins to burn at 4x. It doesnt seem to mind cheapo discs either. Can't find any reasonably priced 8x media though
You could wait for a 16x drive but 8x drives have been out for 6 months now and the media hasn't caught up fully. think how long it will be until we see cheap 16x media on the shelves

Mutant_Fruit

While its price is cheap, its not a "cheap" drive. Its pretty solid in build, and very solid in features. I can;t wait for mine.

As i said already, the only gripe is its inability to copy game protections, but that isn;t a huge problem. This drive can burn even the crappest of crap media according to the reviews i read.

butts

Have had the NEC 2500a for about a month and have had no problems with it burning the cheapest printable dvd-r and cd-r media that SVP sell.

Mutant_Fruit

I got mine from jes-computer.de for 85euro, and i think its cheaper now (by about 4 euro).

Bus as of yet, no word from jes, and no sign of my package! I am REALLY pissed off with them now.

WetDaddy

Hmmm... Looks like that 2500A might be the way to go. Anyone know to hand if it's alot better than the 2500? Or are they the same thing? Komplett sell the 2500 but not the 2500A...

Also, what was that bout 1:1 gaming backup protection? Before I type this I know I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most of that had to do with the software, not the hardware.

Am I allowed mention that I may be considering making backups of my PS2 games and that the ability for a recorder to facilitate me would be of key importance in my purchasing decision?


-S

Mutant_Fruit

1:1 copying is all based on hardware. If your hardware can't do it, no software can help.

If you want 1:1 copying, get a Sony CRX 210/215/220 CD-RW drive. They are all good at 1:1 copying. And as far as i know, they retail for under 30euro in komplett.

Also, i hear good rumors that the NEC 2500A can be flashed with the firmware of the 2510 drive, and can then be converted into a 2.4x Dual layer drive. i.e. burns normal discs at 8x, and dual layer discs at 2.4x. Not half bad for a drive that retails for 85euro.

I couldnt be certain if the 2500=2500A, you'd have to do some googling, but its possible.

WetDaddy

Cheers Mutant_Fruit.

Forgive my ignorance, but are those Sony drives on CD-RW? Or was that a typo? (Or does that part of the model number have nothing to do with the actual drive?)

'Cos it's a DVD recorder I need...

Mutant_Fruit

No, the sony drives i recommended are CD-RW drives, not DVD+-RW drives.

The reason being for that is i don't know of any DVD Burners that are capable of 1:1 copies of newer games, and i am 90% certain that the Sony's can.

Of course, if you were to do a bit of searching in the cdfreaks.com forums you might be able to spot some DVD+-RW drives that can make 1:1 copies of games.

Woden

lite-on drives are great for being able to do 1:1 copies and have no problem with the latest safedisc protections.

however i think all drives are having more trouble with the securom protection its becoming a hassle and i when you sort out a burn you still need to use something like alcohol and enable emulation so i don't think they are 1:1 copies. anyway lite-on all the way.

i have the 24x version and while it can't deal with safedisc 2.9 and up due to the firemware its still the best thing i ever bought for my pc

data

Explosive_Cornflake

NEc 2500 Dual layer patch. Be warned
http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/tm.asp?m=66772&mpage=1&key=&#66772