Hey all..... I currently have a NEC ND 1300a DVD burner and it has treated me well but it is time to upgrade. I have looked around but as far as i can tell no one can give me a straight answer as into what they think would be best suited for my needs

I burn heaps of movies and i also back up heaps of PS2 games. If anyone out there has a new burner that they use for the same needs and thinks that it would suit me lemme know

My comp specs are
* P4 3.6
* 1gig ddr ram
* 128mb 9700 pro ATI video card
* 2x 120gig seagate hard drives
* NEC ND 1300a dvd burner <-------This is what has to be replaced!!!!
* Diamond Data standard 16x dvd reader

Thanks

Just read some reviews...

The fact is, Action Man, that choosing a DVD burner is a daunting task, complicated by the fact that nobody on this forum seems to either know nothing beyond what they are running, or just aren't interested in answering - Chef: "Just read some reviews...".?!!?

Here's another fact that renders this forum useless: Unless you demand the high-end Sony DRU-810A, or the Plextor 716A, most of the reviews you can find online will differ little on performance specs and unless you are specifically looking for double layer speed or the new Light Scribe technology, IMHO you should choose a burner based more on the bundled software. Either FULL versions of Roxio Media Creator or Nero Burning progs would give you the best value for a DVD burner depending on your intended use.

I am a newbie to DVD burners and this is my first visit to these forums, but I have encountered too much immaturity, elitism, and just plain stupidity from those labeled "Guru" to put any faith in what they say. NO HELP HERE.

If you are interested in full quality scanning, a BenQ 1650 could be one to consider. It can test for PIE/PIF and Jitter values with Nero CD-DVD Speed, and has better 16x writing over the 1640 (which is now nearly impossible to find). BenQ updates its f/w often, with usually significant improvements. I have been impressed by the LiteOn 1693s, which burns many mids well, seemingly nailing anything MCC (Verbatim) with excellent quality, generally better than other burners (such as the BenQ). A LiteOn is also considered a very accurate scanner under K-probe, although a LiteOn only measures PIE/PIF values (no jitter). Now, I do not know if either is better for burning PS2 games, but either does quite well with movies. I would say anything Plextor is out--primarily because Plextor in the last few years has gotten very lazy with f/w updates (especially with the 716a, which I have) and has continued this on its 740 and 755 models. Consequently, their write strategies for widespread mids are generally lacking in my burning experience with them. Their current 755 offering only has about 6 supported medias it the 755 database, with the rest being developed under AutoStrategy as the user burns different mids.

Going the cost effective route, the most scanning capabilities and overall best burner routes, I would consider either a BenQ 1650 or a Liteon 1693s. These can be gotten OEM from an excellent online retailer such as NewEgg (www.newegg.com). It would mean at best you might get an OEM Nero bundled (or not anything at all) with something and pay for the upgrade...unless you can find a good Brick and Mortar store to give a "genuine" retail version of one of these drives at a good price (although I have yet to see a good retail package at a fair price *and* that included what it should). All that said, read the respective forums for the burner you're interested in, then make your own decision. Perhaps make a chart of the media burned, at what speed, which settings, which f/w used, then record the PIE/PIF/Jitter values if you want something on paper. This is how I decided on my BenQ 1640. Although making the chart took 3-4 weeks (including reading of any other related items on the 1640), when I made my decision, I even bought at a time when the f/w was more 'mature' and higher quality, so I won all the way around. Just try to take your time to consider as much as possible, then decide on your own terms.

Just look around, then count how often this exact question appear here.
That should lead anyone in reading the READ FIRST and reviews first...

If you don't like the way this forum is running why are you still here.
Just what is your agenda?
You have been here 5 minutes and all you do is slag us off.

I have spent PLENTY of time reading here on this forum - in fact it's 4:34am and I've been reading and experimenting with my drive and Nero for about 5 hours tonight - and I must agree that it's tough to find out what the best drive is for you unless you spend an exorbitant amount of time reading and learning here.

I agree that the "gurus" are not helpful and they seem expect that everyone should have 3 to 4 hours a day for a couple of weeks to "bone up" before they ask questions, which is simply not practical. Yes, Chef, I see that the question is asked frequently, but THERE ARE NEVER ANSWERS TO IT.

Thanks very, very much to Quema34 for a thoughtful and generous response.

For my 2 cents: I bought a Pioneer DVR-110D based on reviews and recomendations here. It worked very well for me for burning movies on +R DL media for my Sony player, however, I have recently purchased a Marantz DV-9600, wich doesn't like +R media, and -R DL is to expensive if you can even find any. My problem with this drive is that it doesn't scan properly, and I am unable to set the book type to DVD-ROM using Nero with it. Frankly I never knew that this would be an issue, so I didn't check it out before I purchased. -Live and learn.

I'm still looking for the best drive that burns DL fast and well on a variety of brands, scans, and has the ability to set book type.

You have exactly explained why I gave the answer I posted.

Yea, well, I got 4 hours of sleep and here I am again.