Which DVD Writer do you recommend

[stamp92]

Please vote and comment!

I'm looking for an 8x writer. Have no idea which is the best make. If left to my own decision I'd probably get NEC or LG? Any comments on these brands and their DVD writers?

How about Samsung, Optorite, Freecom, Sony, Liteon, Aopen, Pioneer, Philips, Plextor, Benq, TDK, Toshiba?

Also what CD Storage Media do you buy and recommend. Which brands do you stay away from?

[SMHarman]

www.dvdrhelp.com is a great resource for this...

I've a Sony x4 Media wise, if you get a coaster burn slower. The media whilst being certified for higher speeds does not seem to be keeping up with the hardware.

[Bifta]

Go for the NEC ND1300A .. top writer, even burns on cheap nasty blanks with no coasters.

[spacedhopper]

What about pioneer?

[stamp92]

Originally Posted by spacedhopper

What about pioneer?

i could only fit 10 in the poll do u recommend pioneer?

i notice so far nobody has recommended an 8x dvd writer, only 4 speed. is there any problem with 8 speed's?

[Shaun]

Nec

[spacedhopper]

I have the Pioneer 106 and it is superb. I think the Pioneer 107 is 8x speed and is meant to be the canine's nads.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by stamp92

i could only fit 10 in the poll do u recommend pioneer?

i notice so far nobody has recommended an 8x dvd writer, only 4 speed. is there any problem with 8 speed's?

I would have thought Pioneer was more important to have in there than Benq for example. They have been one of the leaders in the market since it started. The Apple drive is a badged Pioneer drive.

8 speed are new to market, so most of us that have bought one bought when 4 or 2 speed was the top.

DVD read speed is pretty high in the first place at 10,000Kbps for single speed (DVD Video Book Standard). So at 80,000KBps thats a lot of data throughput etc. More risk of errors coming into the burning process.

Whats a coaster? A disk that has not burned properly so cannot be read. The only use is as a coffee coaster (mat).

[bigboab5]

Originally Posted by spacedhopper

I have the Pioneer 106 and it is superb. I think the Pioneer 107 is 8x speed and is meant to be the canine's nads.

I bought a DVD writer in November. I did a lot of research into it before making my decision, including asking on here and at www.dvdrhelp.com . In the end I came to the decision thet the Pioneer 106 was the best, a decision I have not regretted since! Great little machine!!

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Bifta

Go for the NEC ND1300A .. top writer, even burns on cheap nasty blanks with no coasters.

Got the same one here, Ive had two coasters in the whole time ive had it and they where both my fault.

I use Bulkpaq Orange DVD-R's, so far I cant fault them.

[stamp92]

thx for all your replies i will either buy a pioneer or nec.

how abt speed tho. i dont know whether to get an x4 or x8 speed?

My feeling from comments made so far is that x4 speed is more reliable because its slower, some writers are good with cheap media and some arent. Are there any reliable x8 speed writers which work well with expensive/cheap media discs. If not are these writers unreliable because of the discs or because faster dvd writing hasnt been mastered yet by the manufacturers.

Assuming that x8 writers arent recommended because x8 media is not reliably written at x8 speed could i get the x8 write and write on x4 media at x4 speed just as reliably as with a x4 writer.

Thanks

Any comments on DVD RAM AND DVD R +/-?

[altis]

Scan have the newly-released LG GSA-4081B for £86.50 + delivery and VAT. I have its predecessor, the GSA-4040, and it's fine (quiet too on DVD-RAM). I also have two Panasonic LF-D200s which are DVD-RAM only. I like DVD-RAM. With no drivers a DVD-RAM disk in the GSA-4040 appears as an ordinary read-only DVD. With the drivers it appears like an enormous removable drive. No need for burning software - just read and write to it like a floppy disk. Read this document (originally from Verbatim) that compares all the formats. It's a bit old, but most of the information is still valid.

The GSA-4081B writes to DVD+R (8x), DVD-R (4x), DVD+RW (4x), DVD-RW (2x), DVD-RAM (3x), DVD-ROM (12x), CD-R (24x) & CD-RW (16x).

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by stamp92

thx for all your replies i will either buy a pioneer or nec.

how abt speed tho. i dont know whether to get an x4 or x8 speed?

My feeling from comments made so far is that x4 speed is more reliable because its slower, some writers are good with cheap media and some arent. Are there any reliable x8 speed writers which work well with expensive/cheap media discs. If not are these writers unreliable because of the discs or because faster dvd writing hasnt been mastered yet by the manufacturers.

Assuming that x8 writers arent recommended because x8 media is not reliably written at x8 speed could i get the x8 write and write on x4 media at x4 speed just as reliably as with a x4 writer.

Thanks

Any comments on DVD RAM AND DVD R +/-?

I thought the Pioneer and NEC drives came off the same production line?

Speed - if the price of the 8x is competitive when compared to the 4x then buy an 8x. Unless you are requiring high volumes of output then 4x will burn a disk in 30 mins. If your PC is up to spec you can certainly post on here at the same time, (though I would not recommend trying to play halflife at the same time). That or you set it burning and go to bed. Nero even has a shutdown function on the burning options. Most burning software allows you to limit the max speed of the burn.

I think speed is more a factor of media. Media is getting better and better (think what it was like with CDR, now they are as reliable and cheap as chips).

RAM - limited use - only real benefit if you have a camcorder or RAM recorder under your TV.
-R - Generally more compatible with Stand Alone machines. The best option for video IMHO.
+R - Seem to be increasing the speed quicker. Better file structure design, so multisession is more useful. A better disk for data use IMHO

Originally Posted by altis

Scan have the newly-released LG GSA-4081B for £86.50 + delivery and VAT. I have its predecessor, the GSA-4040, and it's fine (quiet too on DVD-RAM). I also have two Panasonic LF-D200s which are DVD-RAM only. I like DVD-RAM. With no drivers a DVD-RAM disk in the GSA-4040 appears as an ordinary read-only DVD. With the drivers it appears like an enormous removable drive. No need for burning software - just read and write to it like a floppy disk.

The GSA-4081B writes to DVD+R (8x), DVD-R (4x), DVD+RW (4x), DVD-RW (2x), DVD-RAM (3x), DVD-ROM (12x), CD-R (24x) & CD-RW (16x).

altis' drive got best buy in a PC Pro 109 November 2003. Twas £150+va t then. This also rated the NEC NC1300A and the Pioneer DVR106

[Paul M]

I have used Plextor, Sony & LG over the last 6 months and not had any trouble with any of them.

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by SMHarman

I thought the Pioneer and NEC drives came off the same production line?

They do indeed, so do the freecom's, all identical in practically every way apart from the packaging