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shatten22 · 01:55 AM

Hi gang-

Did a couple of searches and didn't find what I was looking for. Maybe someone can help me out. My external CD-R drive died and I am looking to replace it with a multi-format number. Something that handles DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW.

I have been watching dealmac.com and have found a bunch that fall into my $200 price range. This drive will be going into a Firewire Case.

Which one is the best for my buck? The most supported? The fastest.

Should I get a Pioneer DVD-106 or a Sony DW-U10A? They are both around $200.

Or should I get a Panasonic Multi-Drive II for $139?

Any help, even pointing to relevant threads, would be appreciated.

thanks,

g

Eug · Jul 22, 2003, 02:13 PM

Best bang for the buck is the Pioneer DVR-105 if you want 4X DVD-R support. No + support, but Macs aren't big on + anyway.

The Panasonic DVD-Multi II is a killer deal, but max DVD-R burn speeds are 2X. The main benefit is DVD-RAM read/write. (OS X supports HFS+ and FAT32 read/writes like a hard drive with DVD-RAM.) Last time I checked though, you couldn't burn CD-RW through the Finder with this drive though. Only through programs like Toast. I'm not sure, but I think the Finder supports the non-Apple DVR-105 natively for burning.

Anybody else know about the specifics with the DVR-105? There must be a relevant thread around here somewhere.

shatten22 · Jul 22, 2003, 04:46 PM

Originally posted by Eug:

The Panasonic DVD-Multi II is a killer deal, but max DVD-R burn speeds are 2X. The main benefit is DVD-RAM read/write..

How fast does a DVD-RAM write to a DVD-RAM disc? Also, even though the Macs don't support the +R, isn't there a rumour out that they will....

Hell, I'll go with the 105 if I'll never need the +R...

g

shatten22 · Jul 23, 2003, 02:03 AM

Can anybody convince me of the benefits of having a +R, +RW capable drive on a Mac?

thanks.

g

vmpaul · Jul 23, 2003, 11:00 PM

Originally posted by shatten22:
Can anybody convince me of the benefits of having a +R, +RW capable drive on a Mac?

thanks.

g

I'd like to hear an answer for that as well.

As far as I can tell, the media for +R is much more abundant than -R. Though you can find a lot of -R media, I just see more +R. I have yet to see any -RW media in any stores. I see +RW all the time.

shatten22 · Jul 24, 2003, 10:36 PM

anybody?

shatten22 · Jul 26, 2003, 05:14 AM

bizump

zkmusa · Jul 29, 2003, 01:10 AM

This an excellent source of information : http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html

Basically, DVD+R is very similar in features to DVD-R. It is just not supported by the DVD association (i forgot what it's called), but is supported by Microsoft and Dell.

Besides that, they're hardly different. DVD-R is generally more compatible with older DVD players than DVD+R. That's really about it.

Go with what works best for the system. In the case of Macs, you'll probably just want to stick with DVD-R.

Zoom · Jul 29, 2003, 06:45 AM

Originally posted by vmpaul:
I'd like to hear an answer for that as well.

As far as I can tell, the media for +R is much more abundant than -R. Though you can find a lot of -R media, I just see more +R. I have yet to see any -RW media in any stores. I see +RW all the time.

There does seem to be a lot of +R media out there, and cheaper. I can't imagine that it's actually cheaper to make (anyone know?), so what's up? I wonder if Dell and MS are subsidizing this format and trying to beat -R the old-fashioned Microsoft way. I've never heard a compelling reason for choosing +R and I don't understand why the format even exists. (If I have time, I'll check that link.)