Also trying to choose a DVD burner

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers
#1

Hi!
I’m going to relplace my mediocre TS-H552B. Here are the conditions for my next burner:

[ul]
[li]Perform excellent burns (with good media) and preferably reliable scans
[/li][li]I will be burning DVD+R discs mainly
[/li][li]As for CDs, burn quality and scanning are not important, but I want a drive that reads almost any overused CD (eg: Windows XP backups lol)
[/li][li]Preferably fast at ripping (from DVDs mostly)
[/li][li]Speed is not important, as long as it burns almost any 16X certified media at 12X at least
[/li][li]It will read DVDs that were burned with the crappy TS-H552B (and are perfectly readable by TS-H552B at the moment)
[/li][li]Burned discs will be readable by almost any drive (including standalone DVD players)
[/li][li]I don’t need LightScribe, nor DVD-RAM compatibility
[/li][li]I want a drive that doesn’t make too much noise (I have heard that Lite-On drives make too much noise :frowning: )
[/li][/ul]
I think I’m asking for too much, but if you know any drive that fulfills 8 or 7 of these 9 topics, it would be excellent.

Thanks!

#2

Seems to me that BenQ 1650/55 covers most of your requests.

#3

whatever liteon 6s drive is cheapest at the time you order (or sony Q120/G120) or the benq 1650/5

personally I think the benq is slightly louder than the liteon and makes a more annoying high pitched noise, but both are great drives and will give you good results and reliable scans. benqs are better cd burners/scanners, but both are good cd readers

If you end up getting one of the sonys, be sure to flash it to the appropriate liteon for best results (it will void your warrenty though)

#4

Thanks. I found a BenQ 1650 bulk for 40 Eur and a Lite-On 160P6S bulk for 52 Eur in Portugal (shipping included). What about Pioneer 111D?

#5

It’s a really good drive, also it’s a better CD burner than the LiteOn. But i love my LiteOn 160P :smiley:

#6

BTW, the 1650 I found is 43 Eur, not 40. Taking into account the price difference (160P=52 eur, 1650=43 eur), is the LiteOn worth buying?

Also, I found a Pioneer 111D for 41 Eur.

#7

The Pioneer is an excellent all around drive. However, if doing error rate scans is crucial to you then it isn’t the choice for you as it doesn’t support reliable scans. If you have another drive that supports scanning though then by all means get the 111D.

#8

Ok, I’m updating this thread.

The options are:

[ul]
[li]BenQ SW1650 (bulk) -> €42.80
[/li][li]Pioneer DVR-111D (bulk) -> €40.90
[/li][li]ASUS DRW-1608P3 (rebranded DVR-111D, retail) -> €39.90
[/li][li]Lite-On SHW-160P6S (bulk) -> €51.90
[/li][li]Sony DW-Q120A (rebranded SHW-160P6S, bulk) -> €47.00
[/li][/ul]

Now the requests, renewed:

[ul]
[li]Excellent burns (especially with DVD+R) at 12X using 16X certified media or YUDEN000T02
[/li][li]Ripping and reading DVDs at 16X with most media
[/li][li]Can read scratched discs that can’t be read by many other drives
[/li][li]A drive with high durability (can still perform good burns after 2 or 3+ years)
[/li][/ul]

That’s it. I don’t care much about scan reliability nor CD stuff anymore.

I hope this makes things easier!

One question:
Are rebranded drives any worse/better than the originals?

#9

PION 111D if you use +, still need a dvd scan to verify 1650/55, unless you can find Benq 1640

#10

A 1640 is virtually impossible to find new on the shelves anymore (not unless you find a store with some very old stock. So only a refurb or used one would be an option. Anyways @the original post, if you don’t care about scans then I would definitely say the Pioneer 111D hands down.

#11

There is not much difference. Sometimes the firmware support for the rebranded drives is better, sometimes it is worse. But if you don’t care about voiding warranty, you should be able to crossflash the drive. So just take the cheapest you can get.

Michael

#12

So, does everyone agree that Pioneer 111D best fulfills the requirements I stated in that post? :iagree:

It is important that it covers all of the 4 topics better than the other drives.

OT: Hey Jesterrace, do you work at Pioneer? You actually seem to recommend 111D to everyone. I hope it’s just because it’s a really good drive. :wink:

#13

ditto, the 1650 and 111 are your best buys at this time. The 111 is a little better burner, but not by much. If you use +R media like me then the 111 is the way to go.