P.c Dvdr /rw

jac114 · August 17, 2003

I have an account with a P.C parts wholesaler who at the moment has a very very cheap dvd r / rw on sale ...

Here are some specs.

Panasonic DVD-R/-RW/DVD-ram & CD/RW IDE Burner - OEM

Panasonic has released its DVD Burner II the next-generation combination DVD/CD drive that takes the confusion out of buying a Recordable DVD drive. Meeting DVD Multi specifications, the new DVD Burner II builds on the success of Panasonic's currently available DVD-RAM/R DVD Burner by extending the drive's capabilities to include read/write support for all Recordable DVD formats approved by the DVD Forum and read/write support for CD-R/RW discs. Universal and affordable, the DVD Burner II offers higher write speeds, faster playback, broad compatibility and the convenience of being able to switch between formats and capacities.

What price do you think?

jac

Brettster · August 17, 2003

well I have seen Pioneer A05 drives that do -r at 4 speed and -rw at 2 speed and they cost £89.00 also writes to cdr's and cdrw's

-r discs are the most compatable format as they should work in nearly anything that spins dvd's and the blanks are cheap as chips too

I have one of these drives and they work every time

Fargo · August 17, 2003

What you need to look out for is a DVD burner that supports buring of both the - version and the + version of DVD R media..

Although the - versions are cheaper they willnot play in all stand alone home DVD players.

You need the + version to do this.. they play in 95% of hte home dvd players, also the - version will play in th PS2.

Jan_ · August 17, 2003

It's always a good idea to have the best of both worlds if you can.

The only issue I've had with DVD-R writers and compatibility with DVD players is with the quality of media you use. From personal experience, the more you spend on a blank DVD-R the more reliable / compatible it will be. Spend less than 95p + per disc and you'd be lucky to find it works on other DVD players or older DVD-ROM drives too.

The only real benefit I can see with a DVD+RW on your PC is if you want to edit DVD+RW discs written by a DVD+RW 'video' recorder. If you go for the Panasonic and want to backup your PC data - stick with DVD-RAM, it's a lot faster and robust than -/+RW although the media is more expensive.

DVD-R media is generally a lot cheaper and they will playback your backed up discs on most DVD players and games on a PS2

For more information on media :

Blank Media Shop

You might also want to search the web for any reviews for this particular DVD writer. I knew when Sony first released it's -/+RW writer it had compatibility issues a lot of blank media.

jac114 · August 17, 2003

The one that i have mentioned above seems to do all of this.. or am i reading the discription wrong?

its about £100

jac

Jan_ · August 17, 2003

For a £100 - that's cheap.... can't really go wrong there (so long as it works)!!! :D

phunt · August 17, 2003

DVD -R works fine in most standalone players :) the tesco dansai and asda pacific and my Tosh to name a couple. if any1 has any questions on this matter feel free to ask as im quite knowlegable in this field ;) SHHHHHHHH

Brettster · August 17, 2003

I dont think the + format will be around for much longer, all the companies that make the -r discs are trying to crush the market on the + format, even sony who was one of the creators of the + format along with philips make machines that read and write the - format.

+ is the Betamax of the VHS world, Better quality but more expensive and in the end will loose out to the cheaper and more massmarket - Format.

Thats all until the bluray machines come out anyhoo :P