DVD writer...worth it yet?

[1nteger]

Just looking at the Philips DVDRW228...it has DVD+RW and DVD+R giving up to 4.7Gb of space per disk from a 22 min burn, as well as CDR/RW at 12x10 speed...all for around £225.

I don't need to worry about having enough drive bays free, so is a combi drive like this worth that money, or should I go for seperates? Whats the best DVD+R/DVD+RW drive available at the moment and how much are they?

I like the sound of the new Plextor's CD/RW flagged up by Quad in the review section...so I'm thinking about one of those plus a separate DVD writer in a couple of months...what would you do?

Questions, questions, questions...I've bored u all while choosing a case, now it's optical drive time!! Comments most welcome

 

[Eric Portelance]

I'd say wait for two things:

1. Price drops in DVDs and recorders
2. A standard is chosen

 

[1nteger]

Mmmm...you're probably right, but how sure can we be that a single standard will emerge? I think it's a little different to the old Betamax vs VHS wars, in that they were both directly competing for the same market...but DVD writing and rewriting seems to have two more discrete markets: PC Businesses using DVD+R/DVD+RW geared to data backup, so it's fast and the disks are cheap; and then the consumer electronics businesses focusing on DVD-R/DVD-RW, wanting a standard that will play movies on any DVD/home cinema setup.

In other word, there seems to be a strong market for each of the two main formats at the moment (I'm ignoring DVD-RAM) and unless the market place radically changes - i.e. one side of it starts to adopt the other's format, then perhaps we could be waiting a long time for a single format.

I think your advice is best for now...wait and watch for a while...but my current DVD player has not been working properly, so i'm going to have to replace it in the near future...might as well get a re-writer as well...or not :crazy:

 

[Ev Mitchell]

from what i understand there is no commercial program like clonecd that will copy off DVDs that will play in a multiregion DVD player, however PS2 games will burn ok

apparently Elaborate Bytes (the CloneCD guys) are making CloneDVD...

could be interesting

 

[muckshifter]

1nteger

Have you thought of one of the +/- writers such as the Sony DW10A (Dual Writer +/-) - (4x DVD+R / 4x DVD+RW / 4x DVD-R / 2x DVD-RW / 24x CD-R / 16X CD-RW), it comes in around £150-160 mark.

 

[Quadophile]

Mucks,

That's a great find!

I was also considering going for one but the +/- thing was driving me nuts.

What you suggest is best of both worlds, lets hope THIS becomes a standard so that in future Integer and me do not have to loose sleep over it.

 

[1nteger]

Originally posted by Quadophile
Mucks,

... lets hope THIS becomes a standard so that in future Integer and me do not have to loose sleep over it.

I would like to point out the following:

1. I never lose sleep over IT prices and purchases...it's not important in the great scheme of things.

2. I am not sleeping with Quadophile.


Thank you. Now please carry on as if nothing happened.

 

[Ian]

Originally posted by 1nteger



I would like to point out the following:

1. I never lose sleep over IT prices and purchases...it's not important in the great scheme of things.

2. I am not sleeping with Quadophile.


Thank you. Now please carry on as if nothing happened.

LOL! I had to read that twice to understand!!!!

 

[Quadophile]

Integer,

Prices? Who is talking about prices? I was referring to the technical aspect of the DVD writer not its prices? Prices can NEVER be standardised. My reference was towards +/- aspect of the writer. If you find it difficult to understand my so called English, you should understand that it is not my mother tounge! However, Ian and Mucks never had any problem trying to understand me.

I do not wish to touch upon the second point as I consider it inappropriate.

 

[floppybootstomp]

It looks as though prices for DVD-RW's are coming down. Check out Scan & Komplett. There's a dual standard machine somewhere there for under £200.00.

And 1nteger, as for sleeping with Quads, you couldn't afford him