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 Post Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 10:17 pm 
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I have a Blu-ray burner on my main system. Would it make sense to spend $20.00 for a DVD burner so that the Blu-ray would only be used when actually needed? I'm just looking at the difference in cost of drives and what it would take to replace.

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 Post Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:30 pm 
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How much do you really use the burner? I haven't burned a DVD in years.

Also, I think you should get a job, you have too much free time on your hands.


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 Post Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 11:40 pm 
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I actually use the burner fairly often. Mostly to burn installs of stuff (software that I buy) along with the associated key codes. Also I have a large portion of my media library that is purchased in digital format. I burn these digital files as a backup. Granted is the fact that most of the program backups are actually on CDs but it is still wear on a drive that cost over $120.00 new. Also granted is

LOL! I happen to have a job! Retirement is a full time occupation... :mrgreen:

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 Post Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 11:38 am 
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It might just be bad luck but I can't help feeling that the build quality of DVD burners has taken a serious nose dive in recent years (I never thought to check the country of manufacture but suspect that's what's changed?).

e.g. I always used to swear by LiteOn optical drives but after the last two I bought I won't be buying any more, the first was dead on arrival, the second appeared to work when first installed but when actually needed a few months later it was creaking, groaning and clunking... I then tried an Asus and that was also struggling right out of the box, all were returned for refunds.

I'm not sure what I've got in my PC at the moment but it isn't an Asus or a LiteOn (I'd need to take it out the PC and read the label to know because there's no branding on the front), I bought it only a couple of months ago and it seems to be ok for the moment.

By contrast, I've got an old external USB Samsung DVD writer manufactured in the Philippines in Aug 2010 that just keeps on going, it's painfully slow compared to today's standards but it does get the job done when all else fails.

My point is, see what other people are saying about the reliability of whatever DVD burner you decide to buy before handing over your old age pension ;)


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 Post Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:04 pm 
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The DVD burner I ordered is Asus. It gets 4 eggs on Newegg.com with 77% of ofer 5700 reviews giving 5 eggs. It is the same optical I put in the rebuild of my old system.

My Blu-ray burner is an HL-DTST DVDRWBD GBC-H20N. It is made by LG.

Take a peek in Device Manager and it will probably say what your drive is.

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 Post Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:14 pm 
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Atapi iHAS 124; I guess I must have allowed Amazon talk me into accepting another LiteON after all
:oops: :lol:


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 Post Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:22 pm 
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jaylach wrote:
The DVD burner I ordered is Asus. It gets 4 eggs on Newegg.com with 77% of ofer 5700 reviews giving 5 eggs...


I'm likely comparing apples with oranges but lets assume the mark downs are for drive failures, that's almost a 1 in 4 failure rate which isn't great... consider that DVD optical drives have been around for a very long time and are in their death throws... reliability really ought not to be an issue when no boundaries are being pushed.


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 Post Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:30 pm 
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11% are 4 eggs.
4% are 3 eggs.
2% arew 2 eggs.
6% are 1 egg.

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 Post Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:57 pm 
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6% @ 1 egg, which is the worst case scenario, is very poor as far as I'm concerned.

Like I hinted at earlier, this is a tried and tested technology that's on it's way out and really has no excuse for poor user ratings... I could understand end users having different experiences when the read/write rates were being pushed but that's not the case now and hasn't been for a very long time.

How few manufacturers actually now build them (I was shocked a year or so ago that aside from LiteON and Asus there were hardly any others building and supplying these drives at an affordable price) speaks volumes.

We could drill down into your egg ratings for ever but the fact remains that 23% didn't give 5 eggs , that's high for a product that's no longer developed and should essentially be perfected.

My experience with DVD burners in the last year hasn't exactly enhanced me to them whilst in the past I'd have staked my life on them... all i'm trying to say to you is, be wary of what you buy and don't rule out a Blu-Ray burner as your best option.... that said, Blu-Ray burners are NOT cheap and the reason I don't have one.


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 Post Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 4:21 pm 
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I do have a Blu-ray burner. That is why I'm buying a cheap DVD burner; to save wear and tear on the Blu-ray.

And I DO mean a cheap DVD. I'm paying less than $20.00 for the thing. I do actually agree with you on the ratings for the most part but for a cheap drive that I don't really care about..... I aready have one of these drives and it seems fine but that does not mean it will next month. ;) Now, if it were a case such as the 6 TB hard drive I ordered, I would never accept 4 eggs.

I understand what you are saying and pretty much totally agree. I just consider the risk worth it compared to the price of the drive. ;)

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 Post Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 7:58 pm 
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Old topic but still worth an update. ;)

My decision to purchase the cheap DVD burner just proved itself. I put in a DVD from Netflix and it exploded. Actually the DVD burner survived but just as easily may not have done so. I burned two DVDs and then loaded in another drive and all seems OK. LOL! Pretty well destroyed the Netflix DVD! There is a crack that can be separated through one entire side and a chunk about 1/8 inch square totally missing. It was probably already cracked but I didn't notice. Reminds me of a lesson I learned many years ago... ALWAYS examine a Netflix DVD before loading. Unless they get a damage report they don't seem to check a DVD before sending back out.

The point is that this could easily have destroyed the drive and I'd much rather have it happen with a DVD burner that cost under $20.00 than my $120.00 LG Blu-ray burner even if I only actually paid, I think, $56.00. I don't look at what I paid but what it would cost to replace.

BTW, so far both of these Asus DVD burners have performed without issue.

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 Post Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 9:46 pm 
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good advice, Jay. ;-)

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