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Drives Supporting All DVD Writing Standards?
lnxslak asks: "I was asked today to research a viable DVD burning solution. I thought this would be a simple task, little did I know of the horrors waiting me just around the corner. There are 5 different DVD writing standards. DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW. After coming to terms with this I figured I'd just get a drive that does them all. Is there a drive out there that does this, and (hopefully) more ? Have you guys had any experiences positive/negative with various brands? C-Net reviews are great, but I'd like some comments from people that actually know how to use a computer."
DVD-RAM is old (outdated), and DVD-R/DVD-RW is sort of the same standard, as is DVD+R/DVD+RW. AFAIK most modern drives can do the recordable-only version of their standard.
From what I've heard, the "-" (DVD-R/DVD-RW) standard is winning the formats race due to higher compatibility and wider industry support. So I'd say go with that type of drive. However there are drives coming to market that can burn both the dash and the plus standards.
By the way, I think Hitachi is making a universal DVD burner. It at least does DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW. I am not sure about DVD-Ram. See that mods!!! I'm NOT off topic!
How ya like dat?
Enjoy
I got the Sony DRU500A a few weeks ago. It does DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD-R, and CD-RW. No DVD-RAM, but who uses that anyway? Comes with all kinds of great software. Not bad for $350.
I've been looking for a "do everything" DVD drive for a while. Still haven't found it. But I have found a couple of good spots on the net for DVD comparisons and info:
Extremetech DVD page
Extremetech dvd/cd page
arstechnica dvd a04 review with a great comparison table down the bottom.
Cool, but useless.
The Sony DRU500 is the most universal drive currently available, however other companies have announced drives with similar capabilities.
There are drives that combine DVD-RAM with DVD-R/RW out there. I have one of the first DVD-RAM drives made, (read very slow). DVD-RAM has some advantages over other rewritable formats, most particularly in that it really is designed from the ground up as format for rewritable data storage. The big downside with DVD-RAM media is that you can't put a DVD-RAM disk into a typical DVD-ROM drive and read the data, while this is possible with other DVD formats.
Hello, my name is Alice, I am a retired homeworker currently using AOL as my "Internet" portal and electric mail.
I own a universal DVD burner myself, which came with my computer, which was conveniently bought from my local Gateway Country store, where I got best deal on the dollar, professional technical help on setting up my modem and extended warranty for a very low price.
I am satisfied with my universal DVD burner, I usually use it to save digital pictures of my cat. In Windows XP Home Edition (it's a company called Microsoft that makes it, I think they are a Seattle-based company, but you might check your local phonebook to see if you have a dealer in your town) you just click "Burn this to CD..." and even though it is DVD, not CD, the operating system from Microsoft (highly recommended for high-tech professionals, by the way) knows the difference and does the burning just right.
On a 5-point scale I would rate my universal DVD-burner as 5 stars.
I agree with RAM. The Gateway's have a DVD-RAM that also does DVD-R and -RW. In fact I just used mine tonight to burn off a copy of my MP3's. 4 GB pf MP3 burnt in about 30 minutes. DVD-RAM is SLOW! STILL! Lastnight I formatted a DVD-RAM (Free one that came with system) and that took about 20 min/ Copied 600 MB of data to it and it took nearly 30 minutes to write that! DVD-RAM is 1x. Period. It will die unless the speeds come up. Mine also seemed to say that it will(DVD-RAM Discs) work in some DVD-ROMS and players. Only way I will use it is for backup media. BTW, the drive that comes in the gateways seems to have done away with the tray thingy. If you went the route I did and order a new machine, get a CD-RW with it for normal stuff. From all reports, DVD-R is the best for compatability. DVD+R will eventually work in possibly, but I don't know why DVD+R is better. One review I saw said that the DVD-R worked in nearly everything while the + ones did not. YMMV!
Gorkman
Anyway, I currently don't see any significant advantage of +R/+RW over -R/-RW, given the people actually write these discs. So I think if I get a DVD burner any time soon, it will be a Pioneer DVR-105. This burns -R discs at 4x speed (maximum DVD+R speed of any current drive is 2.4x), though the 4x blanks are currently considerably more expensive than 1x and 2x blanks. I figure that won't last and DVD blanks will be like CD-R soon enough.
You should buy those $10000 drives that burn REAL DVDs. Works on all drives, don't worry about all the other formats.
Anyway I've had one of these multiformat drives on order for a month now, and there's still no sign of stock. I've looked everywhere - no stock in the UK, and none I can find in the US. No-one has any delivery dates either - the retailer I've ordered from says his supplier won't even confirm a date, and they've already blown three of them.
All this makes me wonder if the device has been withdrawn for some technical reason. I'm aware there's been a BIOS update already, but it does seem odd that no shop anywhere can get hold of these drives. Even Sony's own online shop says end of January before shipping.
Has anyone heard anything?
Cheers,
Ian
Cheers,
Ian
I agree, it's an excellent format for data use, but DVD-RAM discs are nearly impossible to find locally, and their scarcity on the local market doesn't help their prices. Still, I see some ultra-cheap ones for sale on the net... A 10-pack double-sided in cartridge for 85$ US seems like a pretty good deal.