Multi format DVD writer (1 Viewer)

[Steve_Ch]

Folks, it's time to take the leap into DVD writer world. I like to get some ideas on if it's worth the extra bucks to get a multi format writer, by which I mean one that does DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R and DVD-RW. Thanks.

 

[NickSo]

I hear the sony one does most (all?) of the various formats of DVD. I dont have a DVDwriter, so i dont know any of this stuff, except thats theres a highly regarded multiwriter from sony

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Yeah, the Sony DRU-500 will write DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW.

A multiformat burner is a good idea if you don't want to bet on one format and take the risk that in the future the other one wins the format war.

 

[Brian Ruth]

I'd say a multiformat burner is a good idea so that whichever format ends up winning is still burnable in your system. Saving a few bucks won't matter if you're stuck with a dead format (ask anyone with a Betamax tape deck).

Sony DRU-500 and up (DRU-500A, 500AX, and 510) all do + and - re/writing, but not DVD-RAM (which is not playable on most systems anyways, and is generally considered not needed). Pioneer's upcoming drive will also be multiformat (A-06, but I have no idea when it will be out).

 

[CaptDS9E]

I have a question myself as im also gonna get a DVD burner soon


I want to make backup copies of some home videos onto dvd and such. Which format is better compatible to use on dvd players. I have toshiba and sony dvd players in our house.

thanks
capt

 

[Gary_E]

Steve,

The SONY dual format burner is advertised in Best Buy this week for $350.00.

Another option to a dual purpose burner:
If your PC has the slots, an alternative would be to buy both drives and thus having the best of both worlds, with the flexibility of having one drive in working condition should the other one fail. If you check the weekly newspaper ads, 4X DVD-R and DVD+R burners can be had for $150.00 each after rebates.

Regarding blank media...it has been my experience that -R media is slightly less expensive but +R media seems to be more widely available in retail stores.

Regards,
-Gary

 

[Rob Landolfi]

Joey,

There are sites out there such as One Example of a DVD Compatibility Site that let you put your model of DVD player in and see what other peoples' experiences have been with not only the type of media on their players (+/- R/RW), but often even brands of blank media as well. In the link provided, my low-end Sony player shows up and it shows which formats play OK on it. Searching Google for DVD compatibility links should provide more help as I've seen other sites that list whether or not a particular player will play a certain format, but the one I listed also tries to point you in the right direction regarding successful CD/DVD media brands for your particular player. Good luck.

 

[Steve_Ch]

Thanks, all, keep coming .

Gary,
>>The SONY dual format burner is advertised in Best Buy this week for $350.00.

 

[Rob Gillespie]

I've had my Sony for almost three months now and apart from a couple of tester discs, have only ever used DVD-R. The discs are cheaper, just-as (if not more) compatible with standalone players. I could have save myself at least £50 and gone for the Pioneer A05.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

ive had my sony dru-500a for almost 2 months now, and i havent had any problems yet. ive burned 30 dvd+r discs (i'm a big concert collector) and i havent ruined a disc yet. ive only done one dvd video disc so far, worked well in my sony 5 disc changer. and i immediately removed the horrid looking faceplate from the front, with a little pocket knife, you can seperate the two pieces from each other, and get rid of the ugly silver face.

CJ

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>I've had my Sony for almost three months now and apart from a couple of tester discs, have only ever used DVD-R. The discs are cheaper, just-as (if not more) compatible with standalone players.

 

[Reece]

For the dvd players that I own (aiwa,jvc,panasonic) it seems that the -R media works on all, while the +R works on the last 2 only. This can obviously differ from player to player, but the cheapest players (in my experience) seem to have the greatest flexibility for some reason.

I run 2 pcs with the sony dru-500a and the liteon ldw-400d which are both dual format dvd burners. When I burn dvds to play in my set-top player, I use -R, but when I'm testing my projects before final burn I use +RW because of the short erase time. Typically -RWs take about 10-12 min to reformat while the +RWs take less than 20 sec to reformat. Since dvd burns usually run me about 1/2 hour, and the time spent compiling a project can be lengthy, the extra time saved - even though its not that long- is appreciated.

This fact, as well as the future proofing of my pcs, pushed my decision to buy dual format burners.

 

[Miles Lucasso]

I too am considering the Sony 500.

Question is:

With Sony leading the charge in almost all anti-piracy legislation, have they put any tweaks into the burners or software to prevent or hinder direct dvd duplication?

miles

 

[Steve_Ch]

I saw somewhere that there's another Sony model now, it's supposed to be a post 500 model, multiple format, a little cheaper, can't remember where I saw it though.

 

[Rob Landolfi]

Dave,

I've had my dru-500a since January, and have done two firmware upgrades to bring it to version 2.0f.

Like you, I've had very positive experiences with this burner so far. I don't think making a copy of a copy will be any problem. While tweaking my registry, I "zigged when I should have zagged" and needed to to a full reinstall. One of the files I didn't save was a disc image of a HT demo disk I authored, and I have made subsequent copies from the disc I originally burned. I've done it in two ways, on the fly and from a new image. I had the space in my system to add a separate DVD ROM drive, and am able to copy from the DVD ROM directly to my burner (using non-copy protected source) in one simple step. I've since created a new disc image (with Record Now DX) from my HT demo disk so I don't need to keep the original laying around my PC for any future copies I make. When I get home, I'll make a copy of a copy (on an RW) and let you know how it turns out. One nice feature is that the "Erase" function that I use to clear draft projects from my RW disks takes only 8 seconds to empty the disk and leaves it ready for the next burn.

If you haven't upgraded your software (free download) to Record Now DX from Record Now, you should. DX offers more functionality. DX may be included on the latest version of the burner, but was a subsequent download for those of us who jumped in on the 500a

Also, I just tried 4x dvd-r discs this weekend, and burning my demo disk went from ~20 minutes (2x dvd +r) to ~11 minutes.

This burner is the only piece of my system that I paid retail for as I "had to have it" in January, and I feel that it was (is) worth it.

 

[Danny R]

With Sony leading the charge in almost all anti-piracy legislation, have they put any tweaks into the burners or software to prevent or hinder direct dvd duplication?


Yes, sony has limited the burner DRU500A and related models so that it can only rip DVD's at 2x speeds.

This doesn't stop you from using it anyway you want, but you might want to purchase a generic DVD reader if you plan on copying any DVD media. It can take an hour to copy a DVD to my hard drive with the Sony, but only 15 minutes with a generic DVD reader.

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>This doesn't stop you from using it anyway you want, but you might want to purchase a generic DVD reader if you plan on copying any DVD media. It can take an hour to copy a DVD to my hard drive with the Sony, but only 15 minutes with a generic DVD reader.

 

[Miles Lucasso]

I am looking at the Sony DRX-500ULX which is external, as I have no open bays. I can connect to a firewire port.
Is there any disadvantage to using an external unit, as in, loss of speed or funtionality?
Best price I've found so far is around $399.
Does that sound about right?

-miles

 

[Rob Landolfi]

Miles,

That price appears to be the going rate for that burner for now.

Dave,

I messed around a bit and made copies of copies successfully using only the Sony burner. Took longer than what I'm used to as I normally have Record Now DX read from the DVD ROM drive and write to the Sony drive in one step if I'm going from DVD to DVD. My normal burns are from images I've created vice disk to disk, and they're even quicker. Have fun with it.

 

[Miles Lucasso]

Thanks Rob, Steve, Danny.

-miles