dvd/rw

Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T

T wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T

You do realize new models are released at
random, and if there was such a thing as a
"good" model, it's long forgotten.

They're $20 a piece, and are like a roulette
wheel in terms of what you get. You take
your chances. The ones I've received were OK.

I've had more troubles in the past with
optical drives, than in the last three years.

Check the customer reviews on Newegg, and
see what they say.

The mechanisms, I've seen a claim that the
"engines" all come from the same plant. The
controller board with a MediaTek chipset on it,
that may be designed by the manufacturer.

They need firmware. Products rushed to market
don't have a complete set of media tags. And
that's the reason you update the firmware before
burning any test media.

If a drive says "24X" in the advert, there is
no 24X media to test with. If you're lucky, maybe
you can find some 16X media. As a result of that,
I don't know if the DVD burner industry has
any more "innovations" to sell us. What's the
point of "going faster" if there is no media
for it ?

And the ones I see for sale, are no faster.
I have a 24X bought some time ago. And they're
still at the 24X level. This one throws in
MDISC burning as its new feature. Those
are the "rock discs" for archival storage.
My last two drives were LG. The Asus ones seem to be
a bit different on noise. The LG isn't "quiet"
but only an Asus sounds like an Asus. My Asus
ones sit in the next room.

LG
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA4M54185692

Asus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135204

"Cons: -the thing sounded like a jet engine at full rpm"

But don't they all ?

Actually, there are differences in the noise. An Asus
might be like "white noise" or "whoosh". The ones I've
got are more of a "whine" (a tone).

Since the innovation has stopped, maybe the firmware
will be mature when you buy one now.

Most drives are "OEM". A drive mechanism in a plastic bag.
No screws. No cables. Nothing.

The "Retail" drives come in a cardboard box. The reason
you buy them, is for the software CD. To find out what
software is on the CD, you have to drive to the store
and read the side of the box!!! I've had trouble in the
past, finding *any* online info with a precise list. I
used to get drives with a copy of Nero in the box. The
copy of Nero only works with that drive, so it's a
"branded" copy of a sort-of Nero Lite. Since we've got
Imgburn now, Nero is no longer needed. I think I may have
received a DVD movie player software of some sort too. So
for double the price of a regular drive, you get a grab-bag
of software. A good deal, maybe, if it's something you
actually want.

Unless your purchase is somehow a mechanical disaster
(faceplate doesn't fit tray hole), you'll probably
be happy with any of them ($20 ones).

Paul

In message , Paul
writes:
T wrote:
Hi All,
Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.
[]
If a drive says "24X" in the advert, there is
no 24X media to test with. If you're lucky, maybe
you can find some 16X media. As a result of that,
I don't know if the DVD burner industry has
any more "innovations" to sell us. What's the
point of "going faster" if there is no media
for it ?

I don't know about DVD media, but for CD media, I tend not to burn at
the maximum speed the drive and/or media claim to be capable of anyway:
I have a feeling that the recording is more reliable if the recording
isn't done at the limit, and for the cost of waiting an extra couple of
minutes, it's worth it. Though I can't say I have any _proof_ of my
feeling.

And the ones I see for sale, are no faster.
I have a 24X bought some time ago. And they're
still at the 24X level. This one throws in

As for speeds not going, I don't know what actual rotational speed 16 or
24 times corresponds to in DVDs, but I did hear that for CDs, the reason
the industry stopped at about 50 or 52 times isn't lack of improvements
in coating or electronics, it's that at any speed much above that, the
base plastic is liable to disintegrate, giving you a drawer (or more
likely mechanism) full of little pieces of plastic. A CD, at times 1
speed, rotates IIRR at about 700 down to 400 RPM (they play from the
middle out, slowing down as they go - for an audio CD playing at
standard speed; some of the faster drives max at a constant rotational
velocity). If you think about that, times 50 or 52, they're really going
some! I expect the same applies to DVD media too.

MDISC burning as its new feature. Those
are the "rock discs" for archival storage.

(Oh, do they need special treatment, rather than just burning more
slowly?) Last time I bought a drive (some years ago, an external one; I
use optical discs very little altogether), the go-for feature was the
ability to do "lightscribe" discs, which are ones (made by hp?) that
have an extra coating on the other side which suitable drives can write
the label on (monochrome only). I think that novelty has been overtaken
by ones that can be printed directly on (and printers that can do so); I
certainly can't remember seeing lightscribe discs (or burners) being
advertised recently. I don't think I have the necessary software to
design the "labels".

My last two drives were LG. The Asus ones seem to be
a bit different on noise. The LG isn't "quiet"
but only an Asus sounds like an Asus. My Asus
ones sit in the next room.

LG
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA4M54185692

Asus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135204

"Cons: -the thing sounded like a jet engine at full rpm"

But don't they all ?

It can make quite a bit of difference just repositioning the disc on the
spindle, IME. (Obviously not in the middle of a burn - I mean for
reading.)
[]
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

The web is a blank slate; you can't design technology that is 'good'. You can't
design paper that you can only write good things on. There are no good or evil
tools. You can put an engine in an ambulance or a tank. - Sir Tim Berners-Lee,
Radio Times 2009-Jan-30 to -Feb-5.

In article , lid says...

T wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T

You do realize new models are released at
random, and if there was such a thing as a
"good" model, it's long forgotten.

They're $20 a piece, and are like a roulette
wheel in terms of what you get. You take
your chances. The ones I've received were OK.

I've had more troubles in the past with
optical drives, than in the last three years.

Check the customer reviews on Newegg, and
see what they say.

The mechanisms, I've seen a claim that the
"engines" all come from the same plant. The
controller board with a MediaTek chipset on it,
that may be designed by the manufacturer.

They need firmware. Products rushed to market
don't have a complete set of media tags. And
that's the reason you update the firmware before
burning any test media.

If a drive says "24X" in the advert, there is
no 24X media to test with. If you're lucky, maybe
you can find some 16X media. As a result of that,
I don't know if the DVD burner industry has
any more "innovations" to sell us. What's the
point of "going faster" if there is no media
for it ?

And the ones I see for sale, are no faster.
I have a 24X bought some time ago. And they're
still at the 24X level. This one throws in
MDISC burning as its new feature. Those
are the "rock discs" for archival storage.

From my experience you might as well basically buy the cheapest you can
find that does the job. For most that's usually read/write DVD+ & DVD-
disks in both normal and double density format along with burning cd's
which they all seem to do. I personally search for ones also do
Lightscribe but seeing as blank disks have almost disappeared from the
market and I have none at current moment I might simply ignore feature
if I needed a new drive "tomorrow".

I burn almost all disks using Nero 7 or Nero Vision under Win 7 btw. I
burn at least 300 disks a year not counting misc. cds. Current drives
(two in pc) have burned reliably for over 3 years now although one seems
to now fail burning cds as it doesn't properly eject/insert disk
anymore. Unsure why but not a problem, I just use other drive or turn
off verify feature (music cd, just see if it plays).

I also have a couple of external burners. They both work fine and are
years old now. 7 of the other 8 pcs in house also all have a dvd drive
burner (or two) in them, all years old and worked last time I tried them
which could be months to year or so now.

Bottom line, there propably isn't some reliability measurement that's
usefull. Chances are cheapest is an LG model and it'll work fine for
long enough to not complain.

T wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T

Don't know about reliability but for $90 you can buy 6 of these and
put in a new one every two months. Reviews are decent.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...ble_SATA_Drive

On 12/10/2016 04:09 PM, Paul wrote:
T wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T

You do realize new models are released at
random, and if there was such a thing as a
"good" model, it's long forgotten.

They're $20 a piece, and are like a roulette
wheel in terms of what you get. You take
your chances. The ones I've received were OK.

I've had more troubles in the past with
optical drives, than in the last three years.

Check the customer reviews on Newegg, and
see what they say.

The mechanisms, I've seen a claim that the
"engines" all come from the same plant. The
controller board with a MediaTek chipset on it,
that may be designed by the manufacturer.

They need firmware. Products rushed to market
don't have a complete set of media tags. And
that's the reason you update the firmware before
burning any test media.

If a drive says "24X" in the advert, there is
no 24X media to test with. If you're lucky, maybe
you can find some 16X media. As a result of that,
I don't know if the DVD burner industry has
any more "innovations" to sell us. What's the
point of "going faster" if there is no media
for it ?

And the ones I see for sale, are no faster.
I have a 24X bought some time ago. And they're
still at the 24X level. This one throws in
MDISC burning as its new feature. Those
are the "rock discs" for archival storage.
My last two drives were LG. The Asus ones seem to be
a bit different on noise. The LG isn't "quiet"
but only an Asus sounds like an Asus. My Asus
ones sit in the next room.

LG
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA4M54185692

Asus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135204

"Cons: -the thing sounded like a jet engine at full rpm"

But don't they all ?

Actually, there are differences in the noise. An Asus
might be like "white noise" or "whoosh". The ones I've
got are more of a "whine" (a tone).

Since the innovation has stopped, maybe the firmware
will be mature when you buy one now.

Most drives are "OEM". A drive mechanism in a plastic bag.
No screws. No cables. Nothing.

The "Retail" drives come in a cardboard box. The reason
you buy them, is for the software CD. To find out what
software is on the CD, you have to drive to the store
and read the side of the box!!! I've had trouble in the
past, finding *any* online info with a precise list. I
used to get drives with a copy of Nero in the box. The
copy of Nero only works with that drive, so it's a
"branded" copy of a sort-of Nero Lite. Since we've got
Imgburn now, Nero is no longer needed. I think I may have
received a DVD movie player software of some sort too. So
for double the price of a regular drive, you get a grab-bag
of software. A good deal, maybe, if it's something you
actually want.

Unless your purchase is somehow a mechanical disaster
(faceplate doesn't fit tray hole), you'll probably
be happy with any of them ($20 ones).

Paul


Hi Paul,

No fooling. The sub 20 U$D Lite On's that I sell with new
systems only really have to work once when I install the OS.
(I have started installing from flash drives a lot as they
are so much faster.) I have never had a bad one reported,
but then again, my customers hardly ever use them.

In my case, the damned things need to work when I
need them. I will look at the LG. ASUS and I
have a checkered history. Sometimes their stuff
is wonderfully well made and other times ...

Thank you for your help!

-T

On 12/10/2016 08:16 PM, pjp wrote:
I burn almost all disks using Nero 7 or Nero Vision under Win 7 btw

I am fond of CD Burner XP for Windows and K3B for
Linux. Both allow for a verification of the
burn, which makes so you don't show up at
a customer's site with a shiny tea coastie.

Use the MSI version of CD Burner XP, it has no junkware.
I hate junkware.

On 12/11/2016 11:47 AM, Wolf K wrote:
T wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T

I bought a Plextor external, USB-connected optical drive some years ago,
still the best way IMO.


Hi Wolf,

I have a bad, bad history with Plextor.

My troubles with Plextor went to zero just as soon as I
switched to any different brand. This was about 15
years ago. Perhaps they have cleaned up their act?

Thank you for the help!

-T

On 12/11/2016 5:17 PM, Wolf K wrote:
On 2016-12-11 15:16, T wrote:
On 12/11/2016 11:47 AM, Wolf K wrote:
T wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T

I bought a Plextor external, USB-connected optical drive some years ago,
still the best way IMO.


Hi Wolf,

I have a bad, bad history with Plextor.

My troubles with Plextor went to zero just as soon as I
switched to any different brand. This was about 15
years ago. Perhaps they have cleaned up their act?

Thank you for the help!

-T

I bought the Plextor on the strength of a Maxximum PC (remember them?)
review about 10 years ago. Have had no problems with it. But I don't
burn as many CD/D DVDs as you apparently do, so in "engine hours" terms,
the drive is still fairly new.

Have a good day,


I still subscribe to Maximum PC, been reading it since they were called
BOOT magazine, some 20 years now.

Rene

On 12/10/2016 02:39 PM, T wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone have a favorite long lived Internal
5-1/4" DVD writer? I cut about four disks
a week on this computer and it has to be
absolutely reliable. And not break in
a year too.

Many thanks,
-T


Follow up: I order out an LG GH24NSC0B

Thank you all for the help!

-T

On Sun, 11 Dec 2016 12:16:30 -0800, T wrote:
I have a bad, bad history with Plextor.

My troubles with Plextor went to zero just as soon as I
switched to any different brand.


And in other news, the rate of teen pregnancy drops to zero when the
woman reaches age 20. :-)

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://BrownMath.com/
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
Shikata ga nai...