Help choosing DVD Writer...

byte

Hi, hoping somebody can help me choose a DVD burner. I've shortlisted to the below items!

LG GSA4040B Retail (inc neoDVD and powerDVD) for €132

LG GSA4081B Retail (8x DVD+R inc unmentioned Software) for €166

LG GSA4081 Bulk (as above) for €145

NEC 1300A Bulk for €95.90

NEC 2500A Bulk (8x DVD+/- R) for €139.90

LiteOn LDW-811S Retail (4x DVD-R 8x DVD+R, powerDVD, MySonic) for €154

The full list is here

Is Retail versions worth the extra moolah?

Is it worthwhile getting 8x writers?

I kinda like the LG coz it supports DVD-RAM too.

Any help appreciated!

oneweb

Try a model number search on cdfreaks

Here's a brilliant article (Near the bottom of that page there's a Table of Contents which links to the DVD models tested)

Retail versions come with cables, burning software and other such goodies. OEM or bulk versions consist soley of the drive itself - no cable, no manual, nada (as you'll see some saps moaning about on some forums :rolleyes: )

If you're gonna be recording often, a faster writer seems to be well worth the extra investment.

Let me know how you get on if you're ordering from JES, I'm about to buy a writer too very soon (PS, you pay by bank transfer or via PayPal, they don't (as far as I could see) take Credit Cards directly)

PS, Pioneer is about to release its DVR107 - may be worth holding out for it (great speeds)

byte

Thanks for the reply.

The article you posted only covered one of the drives I mentioned, the LG 4040. Mentioned some DVD+R incompatibilities with other drives :dunno:

I hadn't realised that JES don't accept Credit cards the "proper" way which is a bit worrying. Also wondered if I orderred from JES would I have to pay duty tax?

Ach the decisions.. :dunno:

EDIT:
I looked at reviews on the forum you posted and the LG got a bad review. So I think i'll ignore the LG for now.

I'm a bit deterred from JES now coz it only uses Paypal for CC use. Plus the prices were ex-VAT though most prices were still cheaper than Komplett.

Has anyone ever shopped at blankdiscshop.co.uk? They have an 8x DVD-/+R NEC 2500a bulk for UK£94. It sounds like a good price to me.


€176.62 for NEC 2500 Bulk from JES, with 10pack of Princo blank DVD-Rs, and postage with Deutche Poste.

£129.61 (€190 ish) for NEC 2500 Bulk from Blank Disc Shop, with 25pack of Datasafe Ritek blank DVD-Rs, and postage

€180 for same drive from Komplett with no discs or delivery included! So they're out! :rolleyes:

Krusty_Clown

Why no Pioneer drives? I have the 106/A06, and find it to be excellent..

byte

Originally posted by Krusty_Clown
Why no Pioneer drives? I have the 106/A06, and find it to be excellent..

Well basically because JES are sold out of them, Komplett expect €203 for a bulk one and I missed the Medion one in Aldi. Blankdiscshop used to sell them but just sell the NEC now.

ixoy

Originally posted by byte
Well basically because JES are sold out of them, Komplett expect €203 for a bulk one and I missed the Medion one in Aldi. Blankdiscshop used to sell them but just sell the NEC now.

Dabs direct sell them! I just ordered one and should arrive tomorrow. They're all in stock too. £87 quid, altho' you gotta add on about £25 for shipping too.

oneweb

Pioneer is about to release its DVR107 - may be worth holding out for it (great speeds), or even just to let the price of the 106 go down a bit

Mutant_Fruit

or you could wait for the dual layer ones to come out.... thats what i;m waiting for. Once they come out you'll be able to make perfect 1:1 backups of those precious DVD's, before they get covered in jam.

byte

Originally posted by Mutant_Fruit
or you could wait for the dual layer ones to come out.... thats what i;m waiting for. Once they come out you'll be able to make perfect 1:1 backups of those precious DVD's, before they get covered in jam.

Yeah, but they'll be very expensive and it'll probably be a few years before they become a reasonable price. So Im considering a standard single layer writer until then. Still too many options!

I think dabs are cheap but the £25 charge to deliver across the Irish Sea is a bit much unless you're ordering a monitor or PC, I reckon.

I'm tempted by the NEC 2500a on blankdiscshop at the moment. Still not sure. Wish Komplett would stick one in their weekly specials :rolleyes:

Mutant_Fruit

Yeah, but they'll be very expensive

Don't be so sure of that... you must have heard the rumors that some existing 8x burners can be flashed with new firmware that makes em burn dual layer discs. So, if it is true, all we have to do is wait for an official release, or wait for someone to buy the dual layer writer, and rip out the firmware and mod it to allow it to be flashed on the pre-existing 8x burner (i believe the A06 was the model used for demonstration purposes using the new firmware.)

byte

Well i'm a n00b when it comes to burners and that's why I asked in here

Incidentally, Komplett have the LG 4040 Retail for €144 on their weekly special!

Sadly, it still works out more expensive than the 8x NEC from blankdiscshop (though this one is bulk), which works out at €136

:dunno:

oneweb

Originally posted by Mutant_Fruit
Don't be so sure of that... you must have heard the rumors that some existing 8x burners can be flashed with new firmware that makes em burn dual layer discs. So, if it is true, all we have to do is wait for an official release, or wait for someone to buy the dual layer writer, and rip out the firmware and mod it to allow it to be flashed on the pre-existing 8x burner (i believe the A06 was the model used for demonstration purposes using the new firmware.)

Here's a (translated) link

byte

OK, well it's too late now. I've finally made an order!

I ordered the NEC 2500a 8x burner from JES Computer. It cost a total of €164 including a spindle of 10 Princo DVDR's and delivery. I'll let ya know how my order with JES goes. Was kinda wary of the Paypal IPN payment, but I went with it anyway!

Now to find suitable software... :dunno: