How to Buy the Best DVD Burner

This article will bring you up to speed on buying the best DVD burner for your computer. Buying and utilizing a good DVD burner should be a vital part of your storage and backup strategy for the data residing on your computer's hard drive. DVD burners and the media (optical discs) they use are both reasonably priced.

You can store all of your favorite programs, documents, MP3s, pictures, movies, etc., on a DVD disc. DVD burners hold much larger amounts of data (4.7-8.5 GB) compared to a CD (700-750 MB), and as a bonus will read and write CD-ROM media too (backwards compatible). Given this, the best optical drive to consider for any computer is a dual layer DVD +RW/-RW burner.

Format Debacle

There are three competing formats for DVD/RW drives. They are the DVD(+)RW and the DVD(-)RW, and the DVD-RAM.

The DVD (+) format was developed by the Digital Alliance, and comes in three forms: DVD+R (recordable),DVD+R DL (double or dual layer), and the DVD+RW (rewritable). The DVD Forum's proprietary minus (-) format has three forms as well: DVD-R (recordable), DVD-R DL (dual layer), DVD-RW (rewritable). The manufacturers have solved the problem of these two competing formats by the simple expedient of offering both in the same drive.

DVD-RAM

DVD-RAM is a type of rewritable DVD disc which excels in the sheer number of times it can be reused. Typically a DVD-RAM rewritable can be rewritten close to a 100,000 times. The DVD (+)(-)RW by comparison can only be rewritten 1000 times.

NOTE:The use of DVD-RAM discs require DVD burner compatability. Most new drives support the function, but be sure and check for compatability!

X Rating

No, not that one! The X rating or drive speed is a general way of indicating the best DVD burner's performance.

For CDs, the X1 designation is 150 KB/s. If you take a 50X drive speed, it would have a data transfer rate of 7500 KB/s (7.5 MB/s) assuming 1 MB=1000 KB. The calculation to arrive at this conclusion is 50 x 150 KB=7500 KB.

Similar to the CD, the DVD x1 designation is 1350 KB/s. This would lead to an 8X DVD yielding a maximum transfer speed of 10,800 KB/s or 10.8 MB/s. Again this rate is based on 1 MB= 1000 KB.

Currently the maximum writing speed for CDs is 52X, and the best DVD burners is 18X.

NOTE:Be sure and check the manufacturer's specs for the writing speeds of the best DVD burner for different types of media. The maximum transfer rates do not apply across the board for the different media.

Interface

Just like internal hard drives, the best DVD burners use either the SATA or PATA (AKA IDE) interface to connect the drive to the motherboard. Be sure the burner's interface matches the one used by your motherboard.

Conclusion

Select a dual layer DVD/RW with both the +RW and -RW formats. The dual layer DVD burners allow writing to both the 4.7 GB and the 8.5 GB DVD optical discs. Make sure the best DVD burner you select is DVD-RAM compatible.

Buy a name brand drive such as the Plextor PX-716A or the Western Digital Raptor 740 GD with the new Lightscribe technology. Lightscribe technology will allow you to actually print a grey-scale image directly on the face of the CD or DVD. Remember, everything the CD burner can do, the best DVD burner can do better. Find a great selection and pricing on the best dvd burner here.