Suggestions on a burner?

[Cabadam]

I am currently looking into buying a DVD burner. I have just now begun reading on the various formats, etc. Does anyone have a suggestion on their preference?

Thanks

[jomo]

pioneer owns approx. 60% market now on dvdr burner and then is sony, then is whatever brands. if you are going to spend couple hundred for a good quality drive and quick burnning process such as 4x, then I will say pioneer 105 or 106 will be your perfect choice. On top of it Pioneer is indeed a pioneer of dvd tech. anyway, more relieable then any other drives out there. you could find deal from these companies:

www.shop4tech.com
www.meritline.com
www.supermedistore.com

[Cabadam]

Hmm... ok. I also took a look at newegg (I frequently buy things from them) and I see two listings: 106D and 106BK. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anywhere what the difference is between the two. The BK is $10 more than the D.

[jomo]

$169.99 free shipping at shop4tech.com

[NeoNSX]

I've been waiting to ask the same question as Cabadam.
I don't care about prices as much as media compatibility, reliability,
and quality.

There don't seem to be many detailed reviews of the Pioneer A06.
And equally less for the Sony DRU-510. I would prefer the "sony"
badge on my case, but if the Pioneer is better, i want that.


Anyone with review links i haven't seen or a qualified opinion & first hand experience?

[mrbass]

If your looking for a bargain I'd say hold off for the lite-on 4X DVD+R/DVD+RW burner that should come out sometime this month for around $130. If price is no object then get whatever dual format burner now or wait till the 8X burners come out in August / October.

[NeoNSX]

mrbass: so there is no difference in terms of media-compatibility between the Sony and Pioneer dual-burners?
As in "sony/pioneer burn more reliably on different discs"? I've checked the media FAQ but there is very little feedback for Sony burners. :(

8x burners? They'll probably take a couple of months to filter into the marketplace and stabilize in price. Let's hope 8x Media won't be as hard to find as 4x was. :D

[mrbass]

Lite-on 4X DVD+R DVD burner should come out middle of July for around $130.

http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article1.asp?datePublish=2003/06/18&pages=15&seq=78

[jomo]

guys, Pioneer is the one came out with the laser head on dvdr recorder who also is the one supply to all differnt manufacture such as Sony and so on. The reason I stronly suggest you on Pioneer drives such as 105 or 106 is because their tech. is more mature than any one out there. At the same time, their acceptance on media is well better than others. Most of branded drive out there only support Japanese media such as TDK and so on products, for those who wants to save some money on media with your drive, Pioneer is only one could take over 85% media in the market with burnning process on 4x from start to end. Now, if you go for Sony,NEC,or others known one, then you are only going to get 2x result on generic media and sometime 1x. Most of you might think, generic media is no good and branded is always better. In fact, do you know CDR media or DVDR media are over 70% made in Taiwan. Most of branded company such as TDK and whatever known branded product are all from these generic manufacture these days. again, save you some money and get you a quality drive and media!!

[NeoNSX]

jomo : that's the most persuasive post i've read. You've actually changed my mind from a Sony to Pioneer A06.


I've heard the same about brandname and generic DVD-R/W media coming from the same manufacturers. It's too bad there isn't a database or collection of facts so we REALLY know who makes each brand. This would be more useful than the sticky DVD Compatibility thread.

[jomo]

take a look of my testing result post which will tell you what media to buy and from whom!! the purpose of this forum is to share experience and save money!

:devil:

[Cabadam]

OK... just as a clarification. In my looking around I've seen (such as on Pioneer's website) the A06. However, in many stores I see 106. Pioneer's website does not mention a 106 anywhere. Are these (and the 105-A05) one and the same?

[jomo]

A05 or A06 is just a retail box which come with software and 1 pcs free media, 105 or 106 is bare drive however they are all the same. but why pay for additional 20 dollars or more for "a box" anyway, I know shop4tech.com has one deal 105 with free software and media for only $189.99 free shipping something like that. it will be better if you could just call to find out what is the deal they have. or look around to see what others have.

[Cabadam]

Ah... now that makes more sense. Thx. I'm looking more into the 106 than the 105 as I want to make sure (compatibility-wise) that I have the option to do the various formats. I figure at SOME point, this will all get standardized into one common format. Hopefully it will be one of the formats we currently have so this will last me a while :)

[NeoNSX]

Cabadam : i wouldn't expect the formats to become standardized... but hopefully one will become a 'de-facto' standard.

[mrbass]

Originally posted by mrbass
Lite-on 4X DVD+R DVD burner should come out middle of July for around $130.

http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article1.asp?datePublish=2003/06/18&pages=15&seq=78

took long enough anyway this is the one I've been waiting for.
Weighing in at 144 lbs.
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=27-106-914&DEPA=1

[atreides93]

mrbass, dont' you already have a DVd-R drive? I'm curious why you'd switch to a DVD+RW drive?
I can't believe how low these drives are selling for now. I bought my A03 for $299 or so...maybe it was $399 i forget.
I wouldn't mind 4x burning though. heheh

By the way I will never buy a SONY recorder...I hate SONY..they tend to not support generic media because they want you to buy name brand media. Kind of like their insane decision to use memory sticks instead of standard compact flash or smart media in their cameras.

I say stick with Pioneer...
My A03 has been rock solid...

[CzechMate]

WoW! $144 for a 4x burner! Just like atreides did, I bought a 2x burner about a year or so ago for $329, and I thought was a good deal!

Is Lite-on a good brand? Aside from a smaller buffer than some (2vs8 MBs), the specs seem very similiar to other models/brands.

BTW, newegg.com rocks if you are looking to order computer stuff! Fast/good support and usually the cheapest prices.

[mrbass]

yea I bought a sony dru500ax from circuitcity.com for $350 - $50 online coupon and tax it came out to $323 with free shipping. That was March 2003. That's ok though because I ordered it from dell.com October 6, 2002 and in Feb 2003 they canceled the order but gave me $75 free credit which I used for a 17" LCD. One month before I got my sony I played around with the various dvd backup programs to learn and I could only test the results with PowerDVD.

I knew the price drops were gonna happen but I'm ok with it because I wouldn't know what I know today had I waited this long for the lite-on $144 burner.

As for which do I prefer DVD+R or DVD-R...let's not start a huge flame/war thread on it and I'll just say that after going thru about 300 DVD-Rs I'll never go back. I'm with DVD+R camp forever.