What do I look for when buying a DVD burner?

Question

I've been wanting to buy a DVD burner for some time and was just wondering what the necessities are. You know like, the brand, the price, speed, compatibility, if it works with both DVD-R/DVD-RW, etc etc. Thanks for your answers.

Answer 1

These are the questions I usually ask when buying a DVD burner:

1. What drive speed?
- should be a maximum of 18x or more for DVD and 48x or more for CD
- should be a minimum of 8x for DVD and 32x for CD

2. Drive Compatability
- I would recommend getting a DVD drive that supports both DVD+R and DVD-R, as these are common formats.
- Also look for DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL (dual layer) support
- Also look for LightScribe support

Look for DVD burners that are labeled as "Super Multi DVD Rewriter."

I was able to find a DVD Burner that does fit my criteria- LG GSA H22L.

4 reviews from VideoHelp.com
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters.php?DVDnameid=1799&Search=Search&list=2

Answer 2

You probably want to choose based on other things. Choose a burner that can burn on the discs your DVD player can read. You may be able to determine this by looking at the front of your DVD player, or in the manual. The brand does not really matter, for the most part. As for price, choose something in your own price range.

Answer 3

Hi. Most DVD burners will work with all formats. Look for a good brand. You will need software to burn a DVD.

Answer 4

Hi.
Don't go nuts over it ... the technology on these devices has pretty much peaked & most any brand with Dual Layer & 16X will do just fine.

At under $50 if they last a year it's less than a dollar a week ( one pack of gum) .... most come with a 1 year warranty so there you go.

LG, Lite-On, Samsung ... are all well priced & reliable.
E-mail me & I'll show you how to get the best burning software for free on the web.

regards,
Philip T

Answer 5

All the other answers I have seen above are accurate, and have good info in them...just wanted to add one thing...make sure it actually comes with burning software...I got a DVD burner recently from a reputable site, but it didnt come with software to burn...turns out the lower cost DVD burners dont come with one.
Good luck

Answer 6

does it work with these formats (and what are the speeds of each)

CD-R
CD-RW
DVD-R
DVD+R
DVD-RW
DVD+RW
DVD+R DL
DVD-R DL
DVD-RAM

does it have lightscribe technology?

Make sure whichever one you buy has all of the above formats, or atleast the ones you need, and has the speed you need. If you don't want to use labels then you can get one with lightscribe technology (although the light-scribe discs are a little more expensive).. It is better to do it this way, because sometimes when you use labels it causes problems when being played in some dvd players.