Video University: Video University Forums: Wedding & Event Videography: Recommend internal DVD burner

VideoUniversity.com
Home	Free Library	Store
Free Catalog Please support VU by making your B&H purchases and links through this B&H ad. Doesn't cost a penny more.

See The New VU Postcard Catalog

To post in the forums see the Forum Guidelines.

Join or Renew Today.
New Benefits for all VU Members

Forum Guidelines and FAQ
Main Index	Search Posts
Who's Online	Log In

Home: Video University Forums: Wedding & Event Videography:
Recommend internal DVD burner

Brackish
Veteran

Apr 13, 2008, 4:55 AM

Post #1 of 11 (528 views)
Shortcut

Recommend internal DVD burner	Can't Post

Hi all.

I've had my current Sony DVD burner about 5 years now and
it still works fine but it's having problems recognizing the newer
DVD media. The firmware/software for my burner is no longer
upgradeable because Sony has not offered any updates for it for
a few years now.

So ... I'm needing to get a new burner but haven't really been following
them that much so I have a few questions.

1. Do I need to go with a name brand like Sony or Pioneer? What
about some of these other names like Lite-on, Phillips, LG, Plextor?
I see Asus is even making them now.

2. What about burn speeds? My current Sony is a 2X - 4X. I've seen
some of the newer models are 20X! I know I've heard a while back
that to reduce the number of coasters it's best not to burn
at high speeds. Does this still apply? What speeds are you
having luck burning at? Have you found coasters start popping
up at a certain speed?

3. Any feature I should be looking for, like a certain buffer?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Todd L
Veteran

Apr 13, 2008, 8:39 AM

Post #2 of 11 (510 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have close to 20 DVD burners of all types and most have done very well. I used to be a NEC fan. They made some of the best drives around, but they were bought out by Sony and by most accounts the quality has dropped. I also have several Samsungs, and most recently I purchased 5 Pioneers to build a duplicator. All of these have done very well.

Plextor has always been the top of the line, but you will pay a lot more for one of those. Liteon is considered good.

I have drives up to 20x and the 16x Ty disc are recognized as 20x disc. The truth is that they don't actually burn that fast, but they do burn fast. I have not had any issues at any speed with TY disc. The 8x will burn at 12x.

I have two NEC (16x before Sony) and two Toshiba/Samsung 16x SATA burners that I am getting ready to EBay. All 4 are lightly used (long story). PM me if you are interested.

Doughnuts.......Is there nothing they can't do?

fr0gm@n
Veteran

Apr 13, 2008, 1:48 PM

Post #3 of 11 (475 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

Pick the least expensive one in the color that matches your system. Tongue

In my computer builds that last few years I have looked for the least expensive and bought the next step up....usually a few dollars. I have not heard many DVD Burner horror stories with the current crop. If you are going to buy one online look up a few reviews to find out any quality issues.

Lately most of mine have been Lite-On and they work fine.

Why does a gorilla have big nostrils.......cause it has big fingers.

frog blog

RustyB
Veteran

Apr 13, 2008, 3:55 PM

Post #4 of 11 (466 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

PM me your address and I'll mail you practically new 20X Samsung Super Writemaster burner on Tuesday (gotta go buy packing peanuts after my paycheck clears Tongue

). Just keep in mind, it is a SATA burner, so you need a spare SATA hard drive connection on your motherboard.

It's this one: http://www.newegg.com/...153&Tpk=sh-s203b

It works fine, I just bought it to see if it would make 16X Watershields play on my Sony player, but it didn't, so I'm just keeping my trusty Pioneer burner until I build a new PC with BluRay burner soon. Hopefully you or someone else can use it, or it's going in my junk box under the bed.

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Brackish
Veteran

Apr 14, 2008, 7:15 AM

Post #5 of 11 (431 views)
Shortcut

Re: [RustyB] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

PM me your address and I'll mail you practically new 20X Samsung Super Writemaster burner ... Just keep in mind, it is a SATA burner, so you need a spare SATA hard drive connection on your motherboard.

Appreciate the offer, Rusty, but this PC doesn't have any SATA
connectors. IDE only.

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Apr 15, 2008, 5:59 AM

Post #6 of 11 (385 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Todd L] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I used to be a NEC fan. They made some of the best drives around, but they were bought out by Sony and by most accounts the quality has dropped.

Thanks for the info, Todd. You know ... I had heard about NEC being good a couple years back but then I went to look at my options and I see "Sony NEC" brand and I didn't know what to make of it. You cleared that up. So it sounds like all the brands are pretty okay these days. I won't be buying Sony, though, as I'm a little peeved about them not supporting a bad CCD on my cam when they admit the part was prone to being faulty at the time they put it in there. Now, about the software that comes with the burners, is it best to use the company's proprietary burning program with each burner? Or how have you worked this with all your different makes?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

brucecleveland
Veteran

Apr 15, 2008, 2:26 PM

Post #7 of 11 (354 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have never had any problems with our Pioneer burners. We have 6 in a duplicator I put together.

Bruce
"Always over my head, but not quite deep enough to drown."

Todd L
Veteran

Apr 15, 2008, 6:36 PM

Post #8 of 11 (336 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Brackish] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey Brack,

I have pretty much always used Roxio. I have tried Nero and Sonic, but I just keep going back to Roxio. It probably has more to do with the fact that I started with Roxio than anything else. I will say that it is very intuitive and easy to learn. I have taken several other programs off friends/relatives computers and installed Roxio because it just seems to be the easiest to learn.

This again could just be because I have used it forever and know it so well that I can teach it to them and walk them through the stuff over the phone. With the other programs, I was always having to learn them to teach it to someone else. I finally said that if you want my help, you have to use my programs.

Nero has a great reputation, but there seems to be so many different versions. I never took the time to figure out what the difference was and just went back to Roxio.

Doughnuts.......Is there nothing they can't do?

RT Steele
Veteran

Apr 15, 2008, 7:10 PM

Post #9 of 11 (331 views)
Shortcut

Re: [Todd L] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

Nero has a great reputation, but there seems to be so many different versions.

I installed a trial of Nero once and it loaded about 10 different applications - all basically doing different things. Geez. Even just making a simple DVD took some effort with that "file manager" style interface of theres.

I'm too old and lazy to learn different ways to do this crap. If it doesn't walk me through things or if it does 500 things I don't need it to do then forget it. Doesn't explain why I use Adobe Encore though. I struggled with that thing until some 12 year old posted a 5 minute tutorial clip on youtube. Laugh

- RT

Brackish
Veteran

Apr 15, 2008, 10:18 PM

Post #10 of 11 (302 views)
Shortcut

Re: [brucecleveland] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I have never had any problems with our Pioneer burners. We have 6 in a duplicator I put together.

I believe, a few years back, Pioneer was one of the top rated.

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Apr 15, 2008, 10:23 PM

Post #11 of 11 (301 views)
Shortcut

Re: [RT Steele] Recommend internal DVD burner [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I installed a trial of Nero once and it loaded about 10 different applications - all basically doing different things. Geez.

I think with Nero you have to custom select to just load Nero
and not all the other programs that come with it.
I vaguely recall hearing something about a "Nero Scout"
utility ... it was said you should not load this, as it causes
some problem(s) ... maybe slow system. At least look into
this if you are considering installing Scout.

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."