Is this a good burner?

[J-Mack]

I'm looking into buying a DVD burner and was thinking of going with this one

http://www.compuplus.com/insidepage.php3?refer=froogle&id=1002209#moreinfo

Im pretty new to the dvd burning thing but was told this is good one because the firmware can be updated. Does this mean it supports dual layer DVD-r/+r? Is their any reason not to get it?

[J-Mack]

Anyone? My girlfriend wants to buy it for me but I dont want to have her buy me a POS.

[tigerman8u]

Plextor makes very good products IMO. You can get good burners alot cheaper if you look around. You can get good 4x dual format burners for under $100. I have an Optorite that costs under $100 and works great. Nec is also a good sub $100 burner IMO. Check here to see what other people's comments are www.videohelp.com Good luck

[CAG]

I have the Plextor PX-708A which is the internal version of the drive you're looking at. I've had since March and I think it is an excellent burner. Its a "dual format" burner meaning that it'll write to both DVD+R and DVD-R media. It is NOT a "dual layer" burner meaning that it will not write to dual layer DVD media. Dual layer burners have just recently come on to the market and dual layer DVD media is pretty expensive.

[J-Mack]

Yeah the externals are pretty expensive, but I have to go external because I want to be able to take it with me if neccessary. So does plextor or nec offer a external dual layer burner?

[tigerman8u]

Originally posted by J-Mack
Yeah the externals are pretty expensive, but I have to go external because I want to be able to take it with me if neccessary. So does plextor or nec offer a external dual layer burner?

External is more expensive than internal, not only for burners but look at the difference in price of external hard drives. They do make external cases to put internal dvd burners in. If I remember correctly the external case is around $20. This would be much cheaper and give you the option of going internal or external. I'll try to find a link and post, or do a google or similiar search for external cases.

[CAG]

Originally posted by J-Mack
So does plextor or nec offer a external dual layer burner?

Plextor has not yet come out with a dual layer drive, internal or external. Don't know about NEC. There's only a handful of them out right now (Pioneer, Lite-On, Memorex, and some others) Pioneer can write dual layer media at 4X while the rest of them are 2.4X. The Lite-On drive is external and Memorex is coming out with an external drive in August @ ~$230.

[J-Mack]

I'll wait a while and see what comes out.

They do make external cases to put internal dvd burners in. If I remember correctly the external case is around $20. This would be much cheaper and give you the option of going internal or external. I'll try to find a link and post, or do a google or similiar search for external cases.

So I would be able to take a internal burner and make it an external burner? Would it still connect through USB/Firewire?

[CAG]

With regard to an external enclosure, you'd be looking for something like this. I'm sure there are others on other sites. On a brand-by-brand basis, there's not a big savings in getting the external enclosure/internal drive combo over the external drive but you can always use the external enclosure for other types of drives.

[tigerman8u]

@ CAG thanks for the link to the site. As a person can see the external cases come in different price ranges. My son paid $150 for an aluminum computer case and I paid $35 for my case. Both get the job done but the fancy aluminum case does look pretty. Guess it's a matter of taste and how much a person wants to spend, but then now days kids seem to get the more expensive stuff while parents settle for less. It's called "First National Bank of Dad". No down payment, 0% interest, 1st payment not due for the rest of your life. LOL

[CAG]

Originally posted by tigerman8u
[But then now days kids seem to get the more expensive stuff while parents settle for less. It's called "First National Bank of Dad". No down payment, 0% interest, 1st payment not due for the rest of your life. LOL [/B]

Tell me about it...

[tigerman8u]

check here for a plextor 4x external burner for $69

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?sku=P67-1088&sourceid=qIZ6QPgE@yrvAkTqKdTs&siteid=0038070825&CMP=AFC-AFFIL

[J-Mack]

What enclosure would I need for this?
(too many to choose from!)

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-025&depa=0

Thanks for the link CAG, I would have never known.

[CAG]

Originally posted by tigerman8u
check here for a plextor 4x external burner for $69
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&CMP=AFC-AFFIL

Not the fastest (but its fast enough) and it won't read/write DVD-R/RW (no big deal...DVD+ media is more available anyway) but its a great price on a good, quality external burner.

[CAG]

Originally posted by J-Mack
What enclosure would I need for this?
(too many to choose from!)

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-025&depa=0

Thanks for the link CAG, I would have never known.

Let's talk burners first. If you want/need bleeding edge technology, the NEC is a good dual format, dual layer burner. Keep in mind though that dual layer media is, for now at least, very expensive...so, you probably won't be using some of this bleeding edge technology any time soon. If, on the other hand, you want a quality burner with tried-and-true single format, single layer capability, the Plextor that tigerman8u linked you to above is the way to go, particularly @ $69 (I have a Plextor 8X dual format, single layer internal burner and I love it)...it doesn't have all the "bells and whistles" that the NEC has but it'll do everything that you're likely to want to use it for...play and burn CD's and DVD+'s. As for enclosures, I really can't help you there b/c I've never shopped for one but if you call the folks at meritline, they can probably help you with what fits and what won't fit. One other thing...if you go with the internal burner w/enclosure combo, keep internal burner color in mind (i.e., black, grey, beige, etc.)...there may come a day when you want to install the burner in a PC.