Drives > DVD±RW (+R Double Layer) Drives > 48x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD+R DL)

Advantages: Can be moved from PC to PC, lighweight, robust, reliable, fast
Disadvantages: None so far...

...an external CD writer by Freecom which had been extremely reliable, I opted for the High Speed (USB2) Classic DVD+/-RW Double Layer model. It was the most expensive at just over £120 at the time (much cheaper now, see below), but the best available. The Hardware: In the box was a black DVD RW which was slim and lightweight (it was also available in white), the USB connector cable, the power transformer/cable (PSU- power supply unit) and two adapters ...
...system. A quick phone-call to Freecom (the phone no. at the time was 01423 704715) solved the problem. Roxio would only work on Windows 2000 or Windows XP and they would send me a disk with Nero 6 on which would work every bit as good as Roxio on my system. The company was true to their word - the program landed on my doormat the very next day. So it looked like Freecom had excellent customer service also. Since then I have upgraded my system to ... Read review

Advantages: Very fast, very stable, well priced.
Disadvantages: None which come to mind

As drives go, the NEC 3500a is nothing special to look at, a bit of a plain Jane with it's utilitarian beige facia, no headphone sockets and volume control (but who ever used these anyway?) I needed one to convert some movie footage of my granddaughters first Christmas nativity play at her school for my daughter. Previously I had tried to convert it to VCD on a normal CD but the results were, shall we say, less than dissapointing. So I had a look ...
...things) as they concluded that NEC had imposed something called a "rip lock" on the system in order to minimise the occurance of pirate DVD copying, or at least to make the process less easy. What the rip lock does is to slow the drive to about 1/2 it's capable speed when burning, this apparently is easy to over come by simply downloading a firmware update (not official of course which invallidates the drives warrantee) which allows the drive to ... Read review

Advantages: Fast, reliable, most formats supported great support and regular firmware updates.
Disadvantages: Supports CD-G copy/writting but has no CD-G Player, supports -R DL but there are no disks available...

...bundled. If not Goggle Plextor and away you go... I got the retail package since I wanted the black bezel (quite easy to change and should be done with great care). So much for the bundled software since I have all the full retail version of the Usual titles I.E. Nero, Ulead Videostudio, etc... If you need it to start up then it is a very complete package. As easy to install as 1, 2 done.... One great addition is the Plextools professional which ...
...and jsut keeps on going.. I bet if there are questions about this drive Plextor website has the answers, Trully recommend the visit if your considering a drive to compliment an existing Drive or as a First drive on New system.... Very reliable and great build quality. ... Read review

Advantages: Fast and reliable writing, Quiet operation
Disadvantages: No DVD-RAM Support

Good general writing speeds to most media including + and - R Dual Layer discs The drive is fairly quiet whilst in operation and the build quality is higher than a lot of the drives in the same price range. We have installed these in 5 PCs, all in use for over a month and haven't had any problems with reliability. I have found it has good media compatibility with a variety of manufacturers, although as with most DVD writers, you will find some ... Read review

Advantages: Very Quiet
Disadvantages: Somewhat prone to read errors

...drive (reader only) which this NEC 3500 was purchased to replace can however happily extract data from this discs! Another plus point is the noise, or rather lack of, from this drive. As it is in a PC placed under the TV in my living room, I was very pleasantly surprised by how quiet it is in operation, especially considering the relative budget price of the drive ... Read review