Which Dvd Writer I Should Buy?

[sas_cars]

Hi,

I m in search of a DVD writer.My main motive is just to write movies,songs and software.I saw market prices in pantipmarket.There are some samsung DVD writers which are lesser than 3000.I just wanna know are they worth to buy and will they do the job for me good?

[h90]

Hi,

I had before a Plextor 708A (if I am not wrong with the number). Plextor is expensive and I only had Plextor in the past. And it was really crap.

I exchanged it to a LG GSA-4160 B, it was 3600 THB and it works without any problems the last few months.

I would look that firmware updates are available on the internet (there are a few recorder which does not support that) and would look for a doublelayer model in the hope the disks get cheaper soon (if not more than 1500THB price difference).

I personaly don't buy Sony/Philips/Traxdata/Creative CD/DVD products, because they made some very bad devices in the past, but that might has changed.

h90

Hi,

  I m in search of a DVD writer.My main motive is just to write movies,songs and software.I saw market prices in pantipmarket.There are some samsung DVD writers which are lesser than 3000.I just wanna know are they worth to buy and will they do the job for me good?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[paulfr]

I have an external LG GSA5163D Dual layer writer for my laptop (firewire connection) capable of writing to 8.5GB DVD/data discs. The discs are still expensive (250B) but that will change over the next year.

Works well so far ... have it for a month now.

Paid 4500B at Pantip in one of the smaller shops as the big stores were out of externals and I did not know about the boxes which can make an internal an external.

[aussman]

have recently installed an LG-GSA4163B dual layer ......seems to be going extremely well...cost..4,600bt

i think you cant go to far wrong with LG or LITEON..........i have used both brands in the past...never a problem

[sas_cars]

I have an external LG GSA5163D Dual layer writer for my laptop (firewire connection) capable of writing to 8.5GB DVD/data discs. The discs are still expensive (250B) but that will change over the next year.

Works well so far ... have it for a month now.

Paid 4500B at Pantip in one of the smaller shops as the big stores were out of externals and I did not know about the boxes which can make an internal an external.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

how can i connect a firewire device to my computer? how do I know that my computer and notebook can have firewire devices?Do I have to buy something separate to enable firewire in my computer?

[paulfr]

I

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

how can i connect a firewire device to my computer? how do I know that my computer and notebook can have firewire devices?Do I have to buy something separate to enable firewire in my computer?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Read the manual or look it up on the interent.

Or the connector might be labelled .... look carefully back there.

If your laptop or desktop is less than 2 yrs old, you probably have one unless you bought the very very very low end model.

[bino]

how can i connect a firewire device to my computer? how do I know that my computer and notebook can have firewire devices?Do I have to buy something separate to enable firewire in my computer?

Like paulfr said- if your laptop is less than 2 years old, you probably have it. The socket is tiny- about 1/4 the size of a USB socket, and will probably be labeled with 1394 or IEEE 1394, which is the correct technical standard name. The firewire name is owned / copyrighted by Apple computer who invented the firewire technology.

Most laptops I have seen have the firewire socket on the side of the case, as opposed to the back where everything else connects.

It is less common on desktops- standard only on the higher end / branded computers. Many desktops will have the firewire 1394 socket on the front of the case with USB sockets close by for attaching cameras and other portable devices. It may also be on the back of the computer close to the USB sockets, especially more true if your USB is a separate card and not "on board" the motherboard.

If you don't have it, you can buy a 1394 to USB adapter that will plug into USB port of a laptop or desktop PC. You will compromise some speed as firewire is substantially faster than USB 2.0.

If you want to add it to a desktop PC, I would suggest to install a 1394 card. You will not comprimise speed as you would with a USB gizmo.

Hope this helps.

[sas_cars]

how can i connect a firewire device to my computer? how do I know that my computer and notebook can have firewire devices?Do I have to buy something separate to enable firewire in my computer?

Like paulfr said- if your laptop is less than 2 years old, you probably have it. The socket is tiny- about 1/4 the size of a USB socket, and will probably be labeled with 1394 or IEEE 1394, which is the correct technical standard name. The firewire name is owned / copyrighted by Apple computer who invented the firewire technology.

Most laptops I have seen have the firewire socket on the side of the case, as opposed to the back where everything else connects.

It is less common on desktops- standard only on the higher end / branded computers. Many desktops will have the firewire 1394 socket on the front of the case with USB sockets close by for attaching cameras and other portable devices. It may also be on the back of the computer close to the USB sockets, especially more true if your USB is a separate card and not "on board" the motherboard.

If you don't have it, you can buy a 1394 to USB adapter that will plug into USB port of a laptop or desktop PC. You will compromise some speed as firewire is substantially faster than USB 2.0.

If you want to add it to a desktop PC, I would suggest to install a 1394 card. You will not comprimise speed as you would with a USB gizmo.

Hope this helps.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks a lot for the great explanation.You mean to buy a 1394 PCI card for PC?How much does it cost?Once again.Thanks for replying.

[bino]

Thanks a lot for the great explanation.You mean to buy a 1394 PCI card for PC?How much does it cost?Once again.Thanks for replying.

Right- a PCI expansion card for your PC.

To be honest, I don't know how much they cost. I know they exist (along with USB gizmos) - I've seen them in Fortune City but never enquired about cost because I use the firewire on my laptop which has it built in.

Maybe one of the other members has experience / can advise?

[Firefoxx]

Hmm, another person who bought the plextor 708a and thinks it's crap... just like me. I bought it and the only thing it could write reliably was CD-Rs. I have around 50+ coaster DVDs to testify to that.

I currently have a Pioneer 108, and it writes like a dream. With hacked firmware, it can write to any DVD media at any speed (I usually write to my 1x rated Fuji DVD-R media at 8-12x). Scarce few can do that. So far, after hundreds of writes to VERY cheap media, I don't have a single coaster. Now that's the total oppsosite of my old plextor (a big waste of money, IMHO).

Firewire is a standard (aka IEEE1394, iLink), but it's not standard equipment on PCs, except in certain brands like Sony. On notebooks, it's a bit more common, but not on lower-spec notebooks such as the IBM R40's. You can find it on medium-spec Acers and many Sonys and Fujitsus. A lot of the cheaper brands (Benq, Laser, etc) have the port too.

A PCI firewire card for your PC can be had for as low as 300-400 baht. A cardbus firewire card (for your notebook) is a few thousand baht. A firewire connection is required if you want to transfer DV video from your DV camcorder.

[Hikage]

People need to realise that just because you are not burning coasters does not necessarily mean you are getting a good burn. Just cause the disc works today, does not mean it will work in a year! Also, burning at speeds above the disc rating is generally NOT a good idea at all. Ideally you should be burning at just below the disc rating for optimum PIF/PIE ERR COUNT.

The best utility for checking burn quality is DvdInfo. Basically you will check the PIF/PIE error count on the disc. Your DVD drive's firmware will need to support this.

If your firmware does not support PIF/PIE error checking, next best thing to do is check the transfer rate with something like Nero CDSpeed.

[Firefoxx]

Sorry Hikage, but I really don't like to peruse error graphs like some of the guys over at cdfreaks/rpc1.org. What I do know is that all the discs I have written (on cheap and not-so-cheap discs, and on the 1x Fuji discs) are still working fine today, nearly a year after I have written them. No problems reading them on dvd players, dvd-rom drives, and other people's computers. I wouldn't trust critical data on them, but they're fine for anything else.

IMHO, disc reliability is way overhyped, both from the nay-sayers ("it won't last a month!") and the disc marketers ("it'll last 100 years!"). The truth, from what I've seen, is in between. The first CD-R discs I've written (about 10 years ago, at the time of SCSI-only 2x writing) are still 100% readable. All the cdr discs I've kept are also all as good as the day they were burned. However, the discs I've given to friends have deteriorated within a year. Why? Improper handling. They don't store them right and they don't even pick them up right. Leave them in the sun, or leave them stacked openly and susceptible to scratching, and of course they'll lose their data.

The way I check my burns is to see whether they can be easily read on my computer and my dvd player. Anything else is superfluous to me. And I don't agree about not burning above a disc's rating. Pretty much ALL 8x and 16x drives support overspec burning on certain speed media (usually 16x on specific 8x media and 8x on specific 4x media). Mind you, this is the *manufacturer's* approved setting (go ahead, check some websites to confirm). Mine just happens to do away with the restrictions via a hacked firmware, so I don't have to follow some arbitrary guidelines. Of course, there will be crappy discs that just won't go above a certain speed, but for those my drive will automatically adjust its speed to compensate.

You gotta love theory, but I love practice a whole lot more.

[sas_cars]

THanks firefoxx,very informative post as usual. But i see that Pioneer ones are very expensive.My budget is about 3k,which is the best model I can get for this price?I saw some liteons and LGs selling under 3k.What do u say?

[Hikage]

Sorry, but manufacturers use these specifications to rate media/hardware speeds, it's not just the cdfreak geeks. I'm not saying you nor anyone else is getting bad burns, if you've found your ideal hardware/software match then that's great.

Of course the physical handling of the discs is important. That relates to ANY media.

It's not theory, it's specification, the numbers are there in black & white.

Less PIF/PIE errors indicate a better burn, no doubt about it. The alternative for those getting to grips with burning is to find out a year later that suddenly they cant read their discs. Of course experience burners will know what works for them.

You gotta love specification cause it always translates into practice.

[Firefoxx]

sas cars, I don't have any experience with other burners, I can only say what I've experienced with what I've bought: that the Plextor 708 is worthless, and the Pioneer 108 is incredible. I really wouldn't give up my 108 for its newer sibling, since the newer one has no hacked firmware. I do know, from anecdotal information, that disc compatibility on most drives is not that great (but nowhere near as horrible as my plextor), but that was also common during the early days of CD-R writing.

Remember, Hikage, when I was talking about writing speeds specified by disc manufacturers. Specific 4x media can be written at 8x by most 8x drives (for reference http://www.plextor.com/english/support/media_708.html there are more charts at other manufacturers). The drive can write at 8x on certain 4x media. So is the 4x spec given by the disc manufacturer an absolute or simply a guideline? It's a guideline. For my Fuji 1x media, I also suspect that it's just a guideline. It's probably an old batch of media that's made at a fairly reliable factory with good CQ and is being written on by an advanced writer with good tech. I also write on el-cheapo 4x media at 12x, with no problems whatsoever. Yet I couldn't get a good burn on my Plextor even at 1x on nearly all media (with a scant few exceptions). The burn completed, but the discs had varying levels of readability, from bad to crappy.

I tend to push my hardware to its limit, but not to its breaking point. My CPUs have been overclocked, from my old celeron 300 (oc'ed to 450) to my new P4 2.4 (oc'ed to 3.2). They're still ticking because they're operating within their manufactured limits/tolerances. Same goes for discs... I say that the rated speed on discs is merely a conservative estimate for use in most writers at the time of the discs's first conception. It's only true for that time, and it's certainly not an absolute. Many specs are also simply guidlines, and major manufacturers tend to make their specs conservative to avoid future problems.

[bino]

You gotta love theory, but I love practice a whole lot more.

Amen!!

[h90]

a few things to add:

Yes exactly the same with my plextor 708a!

In thailand I got broken CD-R (I did not take care very well) from a strange material effect, starting at a small point and getting bigger. In the early stages you can take toothpaste and polish it away, later not anymore. Not sure what it is but it seems only to come in wet and hot climate.

Second and most dangerous for CD-R/DVD-R are thai women, either scratching them when cleaning (if they are on the table) and put them somewhere with rough surface.

Or in case of music/vcd, they get scratch and sometimes even chewing gum on its surface. So before sun, I would say most broken CD-R here are caused by Thai women.

Sorry Hikage, but I really don't like to peruse error graphs like some of the guys over at cdfreaks/rpc1.org.  What I do know is that all the discs I have written (on cheap and not-so-cheap discs, and on the 1x Fuji discs) are still working fine today, nearly a year after I have written them.  No problems reading them on dvd players, dvd-rom drives, and other people's computers.  I wouldn't trust critical data on them, but they're fine for anything else.

IMHO, disc reliability is way overhyped, both from the nay-sayers ("it won't last a month!") and the disc marketers ("it'll last 100 years!").  The truth, from what I've seen, is in between.  The first CD-R discs I've written (about 10 years ago, at the time of SCSI-only 2x writing) are still 100% readable.  All the cdr discs I've kept are also all as good as the day they were burned.  However, the discs I've given to friends have deteriorated within a year.  Why?  Improper handling.  They don't store them right and they don't even pick them up right.  Leave them in the sun, or leave them stacked openly and susceptible to scratching, and of course they'll lose their data.

The way I check my burns is to see whether they can be easily read on my computer and my dvd player.  Anything else is superfluous to me.  And I don't agree about not burning above a disc's rating.  Pretty much ALL 8x and 16x drives support overspec burning on certain speed media (usually 16x on specific 8x media and 8x on specific 4x media).  Mind you, this is the *manufacturer's* approved setting (go ahead, check some websites to confirm).  Mine just happens to do away with the restrictions via a hacked firmware, so I don't have to follow some arbitrary guidelines.  Of course, there will be crappy discs that just won't go above a certain speed, but for those my drive will automatically adjust its speed to compensate.

You gotta love theory, but I love practice a whole lot more.

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[Hikage]

haha, let me try again...

Yes, of course you can write a 4X disc at 8x and YES, this is a guideline, who said it was an absolute? When I said specification, I'm referring to error/jitter rates. These rates are not specified by the manufacturer as they will of course vary due to disc batch differences and different hardware configurations etc. Specification was the wrong word. I was trying to say that it is not a "theory" as you put it. Empirical is probably a better word.

What I am saying is that generally you will get better burns burning at a lower speed than the speed marked on the disc.

Now, the manufacturers will usually put as high a number on the disc as possible without going over a certain tolerance level. PIF/PIE errors go up as you burn at greater and greater speeds. A manufacturer is going to be better off marking a disc as 8X (for sales and marketing reasons) EVEN IF that disc burns better at 4X but still burns acceptably at 8X (under the specified levels). Hardware and software both have tolerance levels that when pushed to higher stresses begin to break down (like all physical mechanisms). These stresses translate into PIF/PIE/JITTER. Result = lower quality burn. Of course the tolerances and marked speed on the discs vary. You may well find a disc that performs the same or even better at a higher speed, but I'm telling you that this is not generally the case.

I have performed hundreds of detailed tests on DVDs and without exception the burns have been higher quality at a lower speed. The only reason to burn at the quoted or higher speed is to save burn time. I'll go with quality every time.

Under no circumstances would I encourage a novice burner to burn a disc at over the media rating. At the rating is acceptable. Under the rating is optimum.

[h90]

one add from CD-R. If you burn with fast and modern CD burner at 1x or 2x, you might get worse results, or at least the Disks seems to be harder to read on Playstation.

haha, let me try again...

Yes, of course you can write a 4X disc at 8x and YES,  this is a guideline, who said it was an absolute? When I said specification, I'm referring to error/jitter rates. These rates are not specified by the manufacturer as they will of course vary due to disc batch differences and different hardware configurations etc. Specification was the wrong word. I was trying to say that it is not a "theory" as you put it. Empirical is probably a better word.

What I am saying is that generally you will get better burns burning at a lower speed than the speed marked on the disc.

Now, the manufacturers will usually put as high a number on the disc as possible without going over a certain tolerance level. PIF/PIE errors go up as you burn at greater and greater speeds. A manufacturer is going to be better off marking a disc as 8X (for sales and marketing reasons) EVEN IF that disc burns better at 4X but still burns acceptably at 8X (under the specified levels). Hardware and software both have tolerance levels that when pushed to higher stresses begin to break down (like all physical mechanisms). These stresses translate into PIF/PIE/JITTER. Result = lower quality burn. Of course the tolerances and marked speed on the discs vary. You may well find a disc that performs the same or even better at a higher speed, but I'm telling you that this is not generally the case.

I have performed hundreds of detailed tests on DVDs and without exception the burns have been higher quality at a lower speed. The only reason to burn at the quoted or higher speed is to save burn time. I'll go with quality every time.

Under no circumstances would I encourage a novice burner to burn a disc at over the media rating. At the rating is acceptable. Under the rating is optimum.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[meadish_sweetball]

So let's return to the original topic and see if anyone has anything new to add:

What DVD writer (preferably external, because it will be connected by USB2 to a notebook (ASUS L5 Series)) is a good buy these days?

Thanks for your input.

[lomatopo]

I have a notebook PC (IBM Thinkpad T41) and would like to get an external DVD burner , primarily for archiving/backing-up data, music and movies.

Should I get a dedicated external DVD burner, or should I get an internal DVD burner along with the appropriate external case?

examples:

external DVD burner Seen at a shop in Fortune for b5,950.

internal DVD burner w/case

I can purchase in the U.S.A. and carry back with me on my next trip. The external cases seem to support 110-240.

Or could I assemble one of these internal DVD burners with a case here in Thailand?

Edited September 26, 2005 by lomatopo

[COBBER]

I have a notebook PC (IBM Thinkpad T41) and would like to get an external DVD burner , primarily for archiving/backing-up data, music and movies.

Should I get a dedicated external DVD burner, or should I get an internal DVD burner along with the appropriate external case?

examples:

external DVD burner   Seen at a shop in Fortune for b5,950.

internal DVD burner w/case

I can purchase in the U.S.A. and carry back with me on my next trip. The external cases seem to support 110-240.

Or could I assemble one of these internal DVD burners with a case here in Thailand?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thailand prices: Case , around b1000. Lite-on burner b2200-2800

Seems hardly worth the carry back from the US.

[Guest endure]

Are DVD-RAM discs available in the LOS? I have an LG drive and use DVD-RAM disks all the time

[stumonster]

I have an LG internal in the desktop and it has performed fine for the last 5 months - you will find on many of these devices the badge is the only difference.

you can get external enclosures that have both usb2 and IEEE1394 - but remember a burner will need the external power supply - and 1394 is a real bus - you can daisy chain about 128 devices - though I have never seen anyone use it.

[autonomous_unit]

Regarding the T41 thinkpad... FYI, the latest T42 models have a new "multi-burner" that can write DVDs and fits in the ultra bay of the laptop. This is probably a more expensive option, but if you have the option of shopping multiple contintents and care about travel convenience more than price, you might want to check into that instead of getting an external drive? I cannot vouch for the T42 accessory being compatible with the T41 ultra bay, so please confirm that on your own! Just thought I'd mention the possibility in case you have a need for writing DVDs on the road...

I plan to stick w/ my internal combo drive that only writes CDRs and buy a commodity external DVD writer that I can leave home and share with multiple computers, since I do not write discs much at all.

[lomatopo]

Regarding the T41 thinkpad... FYI, the latest T42 models have a new "multi-burner" that can write DVDs and fits in the ultra bay of the laptop.  This is probably a more expensive option,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, I had already investigated that option. There is a ThinkPad Multi-Burner Plus Ultrabay Slim Drive (73P3342) for my system, however it is a bit expensive (~$250 USD). I was looking at an external solution to use across multiple PCs and share with other users.

There is an external LG DVD burner generally available in/around Bangkok for ~4,000THB (3,950 in one shop in Panthip).

Some robust external cases (SINAMX: USB2.0/IEEE1394; 110-240/50-60 internal power supply, fan) go for 1,100 - 1,800 THB. Internal DVD burners from Pioneer range from 3,200 - 4,200 (x09/x10 models). LG, Lite-on and others are less expensive.

One last question re: burning speeds. It was receommended, in this thread, to burn a DVD at a speed lower than the media rating. So say I have a 8x DVD-R, I should burn at 4x. Does burning software allow you to select the burn speed? Or do you need some utility to jigger the drive directly?

[spog]

One last question re: burning speeds.[/b] It was receommended, in this thread, to burn a DVD at a speed lower than the media rating. So say I have a 8x DVD-R, I should burn at 4x. Does burning software allow you to select the burn speed? Or do you need some utility to jigger the drive directly?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Most CD burning apps allow you to choose the speed at which you burn.

Incidentally, NEC 35xx consistantly gets the best reviews from all the serious disc burners that I know.

[Khun Bob]

was over at samrorn it mall a few weeks ago and got quoted about 2200bt for the latest lg dvd burner - does dual layer too - not sure if it does dvd-ram aswell - i have a ide to usb adaptor - bought for £15 in uk - see www.ebuyer.com (should be cheaper now ) - and it comes with a power brick for ide devices - so no need for a box and is a light weight solution - works well with all ide devices i have given to it - which is saying alot as some cheap ide to usb boxes i got in the uk are far from that

Now looking for the best price i can get a pioneer 110 in LOS - - most recent burners are going for about £30 in uk which is about 2160baht

[wittleus]

So let's return to the original topic and see if anyone has anything new to add:

What DVD writer (preferably external, because it will be connected by USB2 to a notebook (ASUS L5 Series)) is a good buy these days?

Thanks for your input.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Been using an LG4160 for about a year and a half connected to HP laptop. Have burned over 500 movies, and copies for other people in that time. It is external and connect either firewire or USB2, I happen to use the USB2 as I use the firewire to connect video input.

As far as burning speed, I use Nero for most of the burns (DVDshrink calls Nero to write) and Nero is speed sensitive to the DVD-R speed, so I let it set its max speed. When I purchased 4x, it burned at 4X, when I purchased 8X, it burned at 8X. Also, when burning DVD's from personal videos taken through an editor such as Vegas, I have had some problem with SW like DVD Architect burning the DVD's, they only seem to play on Sony DVD players. So, I now just prepare the burns and then actually burn them with Nero and have no compatibility problems even with 4 and 5 year old DVD players.

[Khun Bob]

Any one know good prices for pioneer 110 bare drive and where to get it.... in bangkok

cheers

Edited November 5, 2005 by Khun Bob