I have been looking for a new burner (that that can also write dvd-ram) for a while and reading up on all of them. The bad thing is is that they all have problems with error rates and are exremely picky about media and/or they have serious firmware problems, etc etc. I would like to use it to backup a few (<20) movie DVDs , burn some CDs, do computer backups to DVD +R, but mainly through stuff from the desktop to dvd-ram. Is there a single dvd burner made today that will work the way it is supposed to out of the box, and be relaible ?

Have a look at the burner in my siggy its got some great reviews, as have the new necs

Yes, but you will have to do the research your self, only you know what your full requirements are.
Also you must be aware that an all singing and dancing burner can be bought for less than a night out! So they are made to compete at a price not to last a life time.
The technology is moving so fast if it lasts two years it’s probably time to replace it for a better one, after all were not all driving around in model T Fords now, are we.

I have no complaints with my LG4167B. It's fast and burns well.

I have no complaints about my NEC 2510 (retired after 18 months) or my lg 4163b which gives better burns than my Benq 1650, but it may get better once its run in.
I retired the NEC because it burned at X8 and I needed the space, thats what I mean about changing drives about every two years.

He was looking for a dvd-ram capable burner, the LG fits the bill.

Nec 457x or Pioneer 111 are also good choices.

Thanks everyone but I am beginning to think that they are all flakey at best and you should consider yourself lucky if you get one to work right at all (until shown otherwise). Think they might get the problems ironed out after another year?

The Nec 4570/4571 has firmware issues at the moment.
The Pioneer 111 doesnt support DVD-RAM writing.
The LG 4167B has bad capacitor/power supply problems.

I agree the Nec 457x series has taken it's fair share of complaints. I've never had issues with my 4167B but many have. With decent power they definitely work well. The statement about the 111 is not correct. The Pioneer 111D doesn't support DVD-RAM writing but the 111 does. However, if you are in the US that would dictate a crossflash which negates your out of the box requirement. I have never seen the 111 marketed in the US but I may be mistaken. Might consider the Liteon 165P6S or 165H6S. Still yet even better the LG 4166 has been reported to be a fine drive.

If you're worried about the PSU/capacitor problems with the 4167 (mine works excellently, BTW), try and find a 4163. OK, so it's an older drive, but damn, it's a good all-rounder

I think you are doing what a lot of people here do, dwell on the negative because you read a thread complaining about some piece of equipment or other. People usually write to these forums because they have a problem, mostly the operator doesn't understand something so he blames the burner or software. The larger number of people that don't have problems and are happy with their setups, you don't hear from. What are they going to do post a new thread saying I like my shit? I think that the main burner companies, NEC, Liteon, LG, BenQ all have good, generally reliable equipment and you can't really go wrong with any of them. All have their supporters and detractors but they're all good. You'll never find the perfect burner, so don't be afraid to buy something or you'll miss out in the end. See reviews on Cdfreaks, cdinfo.com, bitburners.com, cdrlabs.com and many others and find something that fits your needs. There is a ton of support here (and there) if you do run into a problem.
By the way, you see my setup below and I only have a 350w power supply. Never had a single power problem.

OOOOPps my bad yes the 111 does support dvd-ram writing.....its the Pioneer 111D that doesnt here in the US that only supports dvd-ram READING only.

even then id imagine there would be some firmware to turn that around

There is, since a long time.

TDB is the key.

WEll well.... I do believe I may have been mistakin in my initial statement. It seems that The Pioneer 111/111D is the one to get and seems to be perfect in almost every way. I will try to get one here in a few days and let everyone know how it goes.

Not perfect if you want reliable scan results...

Yes I saw that part. I might get a Liteon SHM-165P6S or a BenQ 1650 to do the scans with.

glad you found a burner I bought the BenQ 1650, after looking at all the positives, and the spec sheets saying it would burn DL media at 8x. After seeing that it can only burn 8x rated DL media well, I got the pioneer dvr-111. Now I just use the BenQ as a scanner and the 111 as my writer, which is now in an enclosure. I only get 8x burning with my enclosure but I dont mind as I use Taiyo Yuden 8x media anyway. It also gets 12x read speeds in the enclosure and can finish a transfer rate test in about 15 minutes with a DL dvd.

The only other downside is that the drive cant read safedisc, but other than that its good. If you do get the 1650, it is a good reader, and a good writer when it comes to cd's and SL dvd's.

I went with a DVR-111D and it works great. This is the best purchase decision Ive made in a long time.

I just may do the same.

nhft8k:

i'm in a similar situation like you. i was looking for a decent burner and got a BenQ 1650 (in addition to my 1640). it turns out that both burners are quite picky when it comes to media choice. as long as i use taiyo yuden (TY02) or verbatim 16x (MCC004), there's not much to complain. but when it comes to cheaper media that are quite often onsale in officemax/officedepot/best buy/compusa like memorex (RICOHJPN xxx -- i forgot the rest), i'm producing around 98% coasters!!! also printable TDK's from costco (CMC MAG M01) are not on the BenQ's favorite list -- 90%+ coasters. they burn and read fine with my Nec 3520, and i get 95% quality score (although i do know that necs are not reliable scanners), but at least they read them back!!! and BTW, forget 16x burns with my BenQs -- quality scores go soooouuuth!!! 12x is their sweet spot.

hmm, i should post a separate thread about this...

anyway, my only gripe with the pioneer 111: it doesn't do BITSETTING (!!!) which is an EXTREMELY important feature to me and has guaranteed me that my burned DVDs are playable in ALL stand alone players so far *knock on wood*. supposedly, only the buffalo DVD writer (pioneer OEM sold in japan?) is bitsetting capable. but PLEASE correct if i'm wrong, then i think will jump on the pioneer train.

CKA

Not really true. It AUTO bitsets +R DL to DVD-ROM. But surely you referred to +R, or?!?
It *can* set the booktype for +R to DVD-ROM with OEM firmware(s), when available. They will come available to the public, the only problem is that we actually not know when this will happen...

yes, i meant +R *and* +RW to DVD-ROM -- thanks for the clarification. i have read about OEM f/w, but you're right, it's not here *now*!

CKA

You may have a visit in the speedlabs.org forum.

Thanks for this info! I've been reading my arse off, and I was gonna go for the pioneer 111, and then the BenQ 1650 and now I really think I will stick with NEC. Tons of modded firmware, and they seem to handle anything I throw at them that is of the dvd-r media ( because of my standalone). I have a NEC 3520a now flashed with 3.07 which makes it a 3520aw. So hopefully I will beable to try some dvd+R's ( they are cheaper usually ). It's getting old I think the reading is getting bad but it will burn great, and when I watch what it read on my ISO virtual player it will burn exactly back what I see on that. I'm gonna give this new firmware a try for awhile before I buy again maybe it cured it.