Best DVD+R DL Burner?

Hey guys, first of all thanks for your time and help!

I have a SH-S223Q drive currently. I have been reading up on what is the best burner to use for DVD+R media and have seen that others fare better than my current SH-S223Q drive (such as Samsung SH-S203) but I cant really decide which is really the best of them?

I have seen "good" things about pioneers but their 15, 16 and 17 drives all seem to be "good".


Also there is a Sony out that people have tested out to work well.

I also believe theres a lite-on out there that is good.

Which drive would you guys recommend? Thanks again!

The best DL burner on the planet is the Sony Optiarc AD-7240S. Period.

It blows all other DL burning drives out of the water.

Hm, in case of what media/MID??

Try it with anything. MKM 001/003, RITEK S04, RICOHJPN D01, whatever.

Explain, even a 5 year old can yell that.

What makes this statement true? Why is this burner better than the LiteON iHAS422 I just acquired? According to reviews of both, they are pretty equal except that the LiteON can provide jitter scans, has SmartErase, LightScribe, full bitsetting and can copy SafeDisc 2.9 while the Sony drive cannot.

While the Optiarc may be more flexible in choice of media used, so long as you use quality media in either of these 2 drives, I suspect similar results/quality would be acheived by either burner, with the LiteOn providing more options (SmartErase, LightScribe) and ease of use (full bitsetting for example).

Just my opinion/thoughts, and just trying to understand the blanket statement of why the Optiarc is the "BEST".

I doubt it lol. After I decided to buy that Sony and doing my own research, I tested the quality of the burns on different media with the common tools people use on this forum and I must say that I'm mighty impressed!

Let's face it, LiteOn could never challenge OPtiarc, let alone this model with the Nec chip in it.

Btw, if I want to archive my precious data I want to use the writer that offers one of the best burns, I could care less about all the, also for the average user, less important features that you mentioned and btw, you're wrong about Lightscribe, this model is also available with Lightscribe.

So basically "best" in my book is the quality of the burn and I have to admit, Negritude IS 100% right, which to be honest is no surpirse with his 3,595 posts.

The AD-7240S is NOT available with LightScribe, that would be the AD-7241S which while in the same family, is NOT the same model.

Also, I am not saying Negritude is wrong, I am asking for validation and reasons rather than simple blanket statements. Even you asked for the same, a little over a month ago.

Finally, the number of posts a person has does not automatically indicate whether someone is wrong or right or can even spell, because by your logic I would be more right than you with only 5 posts to my 26.

The question was about the best DVD+R DL burner, not about the best DVD burner in general, but about the burner that is best at burning DVD+R DL media. If the question was interpreted wrong, then I apologize.

I was responding to the question because I assumed the OP was asking about a drive's ability to burn DVD+R DL media specifically. The proof of the AD-724x series drives superiority in that area can be found by simply looking in the NEC/Optiarc forum, and perusing many of the DL scans. They are beyond amazing.

Now, if you're just talking about a drive's burning abilities in general, with SL or DL media, then the AD-724x series is still at the top of the heap, but it might share the crown with drives from other manufacturers.

Also, if you want to talk about the best general-purpose drive, which is good at a number of things, then that would yield an entirely different answer.

Really, the best drive all depends on what you need to do. Most of us own multiple drives because no one drive is the master of everything. They don't make those kind of drives anymore (like the original BenQ and Plextor), so the very question, which comes up again and again, is obsolete. There is no such thing as the best drive, rather, there are drives that are the best at doing certain things.

Let me break down my basic brand recommendations (this only includes drives currently manufactured):

Best For Burning CD Media: (1) Pioneer (2) Optiarc

Best For Burning SL Media (1) Optiarc (2) Lite-On (3) Samsung

Best For Burning DL Media: (1) Optiarc (2) Pioneer

Best For Quality Testing: (1) Lite-On (2) Samsung

Best For Ripping And Reading: (1) Samsung (2) Lite-On

To me, the best combination would be an Optiarc for burning and a Lite-On for ripping & quality testing.

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Last edited by negritude; 28-07-2009 at 10:56.

I think the Pioneer 116 or 216 is best choice for dvd media, Optiarc 7203A/S closely within, but the latest Sammy sucks a bit (Samsung 203 would be good).

Read, understood, and my apologies if I offended anyone.

I think I agree that the "best" arrangement would be a combination of drives, so since I have a LightScribe LiteOn, I may try to find a LabelFlash Optiarc, and cover all bases.

Thanks for the explanation, and comments!

[QUOTE=Bob_Collins;2409399]

I may try to find a LabelFlash Optiarc, and cover all bases.

The model number for the Optiarc with LabelFlash is AD-7243S.

What has that to do with the thread at all??

I know this will sound quaint, but... I need a model that is E-IDE.
Would that be the AD-7201A ? There doesn't seem to be any 'A' in the AD-724x series.

Reason? It's to use in a Dell Small desktop, which only has E-IDE for the DVD drive. Only one SATA port is used by the HDD.

My other problem is no local stores seem to sell Sony. Mostly LG, LiteOn or Pioneer.

I need something to reliably burn (Ritek-S04-66) DVD+R DL media, so the Sony sounds of interest.

D.

Hello Daemons,
I found some sites that gave model numbers for the IDE burner by searching google using Optiarc ide.
Newegg has one that is model number AD-7200A-0B.
On the Sony site it shows the A means P-ATA and the S means S-ATA.
The Newegg seems to have the A but they say it is IDE so I am confused about the markings.
I guess you can just search for the IDE's and find one you like and search the specifications.
Good Luck

Yes, that is an IDE version of the Optiarc drive, that specific model features Lightscribe, that is the difference from model AD-7200A listed below. Otherwise they are identical drives internally. I am not aware of any IDE version of the 724x series drives.

IDE and P-ATA can be interchanged.

A = PATA = IDE

I will check the Newegg website. It might be my only option. I find their shipping expensive, but what can ya do.
And Parallel ATA is the same as Enhanced-IDE. E-IDE is more specific as being faster speed (ATA-66/100), but it's she same basic interface.

Good.
Now, other than the speed difference, would the AD-7200 be as good for DL burning as the AD-724x drives? Anyone know?
I don't use Lightscribe or labelflash etc.. what I want is a stable DL burner for my Ritek-S04-66.

I know.. I should use Verbatim.. but I have 100 of those disks already. I didn't know there was that much of a difference. I was told they were very good DL media at the time. Ah well.

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Last edited by Daemons.ca; 14-08-2009 at 06:46. Reason: typos

LOL, you gotta be kidding me. If that's true, then the best DL burner is sh*t.

Bought TWO a few months ago. The first one went right into my main box. At this point all it produces is coasters from the cd spindle I have, and the Verbatim DVD+R spindle. Oh, and it won't read discs half the time. Coaster after coaster after coaster...

The other, I just pulled out of the box and put into my burning box a week ago. It gave me at least one coaster out of the handful (half dozen or so) DL discs I've burned. I say at least one because it's the only backup I've made that I've put in and watched so far. I'm hoping to go 6 for f***ing 6 lol.

Best burner, LOL! Again if that's true, all DL burners are sh*t.

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Last edited by C0deKing; 17-08-2009 at 03:34. Reason: Please use better language

I think the problem is probably the operator!!

@John_Qyoo_Public

My experience with the 7240s has been all good, for both single and double layer burns. I don't think it is any better than my Samsung 203B though.

And you can get poor drives from any manufacturer...had to return my first 203B when it failed within a few weeks.

Might be a faulty drive. I have a 7200S that doesn't perform any where near as well as other 7200S drives or my second 7200S.

Edit: Kerry56 beat me to it.

You are talking about Newegg.ca in Canada, correct? I hope you haven't been purchasing stuff from the U.S. site.

Also check NCIX.com.