Opti DD0401 compared to Plextor PX-708A

[Papag]

Looking at making a new purchase. So far I have my eyes on the following:

Plextor PX-708A
Opti DD0401
Lite On LDW-811S
Lite On LDW-411S
Pioneer DVR-A06U

Other than the HD-Burn, which I view as not necessary because if I'm going to back up my HD I will use all 4.7 media rather than squeeze 1.5gb on a 700mb CDR, what else does the DD0401 offer? I can purchase it for 100.00 at a local store, and that price is what has caught my eye. The Plextor is 190 but you can use 4x media to burn at 8x. Anyone know what 4x media can be burned at 8x with the DD0401? If I were to go with a 4x drive, the Pioneer DVR-A06U would be my choice. I'm stumped as to what I should go with. Would the LDW-811S be better than the DD0401? Need someone to point me in the right direction!
Thanks for your time.

[Ian]

Anyone know what 4x media can be burned at 8x with the DD0401?

Ask and you shall receive:

http://www.optorite.com/dd0401.htm

Scroll down to the bottom.

[Papag]

Thanks for the info Ian. I found it for 100.00 after rebates. Any reason as to why I should get the Plextor instead of this? 90.00 more for a burner that performs slightly better seems like alot.

[BurninMan921]

I have a DD0401, and I do like it alot. However: it is a bit more picky about what 4x-rated DVD's it can burn at 8x than what the Plextor would be. I've had problems with some Verbatium 4x DVD+R's that according to their website it can burn at 8x. Well...mine can't. The write times at 8x are very erractic. I don't trust those disks at 8x. But, they burn fine at 4x. The TDK 4x DVD+R's I have burn great at 8x, as do the Ritek 4x's. Those are the only DVD+R's I've tried so far.

CD-R burn quality is great, too. TY's, Ritek's, even CMC's burn good.

The Plextor is a bit faster, though. It's a 6x/8x Z-CLV burner, the DD0401 is a 4x/8x Z-CLV.

The Plextor is probably gonna last a little longer/is better built - I mean, it IS a Plextor, after all!

The DD0401 is cheaper and it's a great drive. I love mine.
One of the main reasons I got it over the Plex was HD-BURN - CD's are still cheaper than DVDs. And besides, it can read the HD-BURN discs back at 80x!! I transfered my Windows install disc to a HD-BURN disc for that very reason.

Hope that helps; let us know what you get!

Oh, and $100!?! Jeez, I paid $140 for mine! Lucky devil...

EDIT:
Almost forgot! Welcome to CD-R Labs!!

So much for not pimping HD-BURN anymore...ah well. Maybe it should say "HD-BURN Pimp" instead of "CD-RW Player"

[aviationwiz]

I've got the PX-708A and I love it. Burns anything I throw at it at 8x (DVD+R) and it burns Ritek and TY DVD-R's perfectly at 4x. Great build quality and great writing quality.

[RJW]

Since when did Plextor have 8x support for 4x -R media ?
And were did you get the 8x DVD-R TY's ?
(The last thing I heard is they won't ship untill there is a specification from the DVD forum !!!)
I guess you ment DVD+R.

[aviationwiz]

Yeah, I meant it burns Ritek and TY DVD-R's perfectly at 4x, not 8x. LOL.

[SkaarjMaster]

From what I've heard, the OptoRites are one of the cheapest and you get what you pay for (not just this forum either). I would toss out the OptoRite and Lite-on 411S from that list and this leaves the other Lite-On, the Pioneer and Plextor. If you have the $, then go Plextor. If you don't mind 4X DVD+R burning and 16X CD-R burning and want quality, then go Pioneer. If you want a good compromise, then get the 811S Lite-On. If you can though, wait and see what the new Pioneer can do; possibly a A07 and last thing I heard was sometime in January 2004. I don't own a DVD burner, but this is what I've heard from various hardware forums (this being the best one for DVD burning, of course).

[JustMike]

I had an Optorite DD0401 for exactly 2 days before it died. Was burning a DVD and it stopped with a power calibration error. After that the drive would not recognize any DVD's. It's now on it's way back for a refund.

Just purchased a TDK (rebadged Plextor 708a).