CDRLabs DVD Writer Poll - January

[Ian]

We skipped December but the poll is back for the New Year.

Once again, vote for your favorate DVD writer. By doing so, you'll hopefully help those looking to buy a new drive.

For this list, I tried to chose original drive designs that are currently available or will be soon. I also threw in a few rebadged drives from Plextor and Sony just to make it interesting.

Feel free to leave comments and an explanation as to why you voted the way you did. Also, if there's a drive you'd like to see added to the poll, let me know.

For reference, here's the top 5 drives from November's poll:
#1 (tied) BenQ DW1640 and Plextor PX-716A
#2 (tied) LG GSA-4167B and Pioneer DVR-110/A10
#3 NEC ND-3540A

[Ian]

Would it be worth creating a separate poll for "Super-Multi" drives?

[ItalianJob]

I vote for my new drive, a LG 4166 doing LS and DVD-RAM.

This is my third burner, after a NEC 2510 (first 2.4X DL burner - retired) and a BenQ 1620 (excellent PI/PIF scanner and good burner).

As I want to test LightScribe, and as I don't like the implementation of "solid burn" in the BenQ 1640 (...1650/1655) and overspeed (a function, not true write strategies in firmware anymore...), I decide not to wait for 1655.

LG 4166 seems a good new burner (got excellent and fast results with MCC004), but lakes an official firmware update (there's different 1.01 firmwares running around...).

[hoxlund]

Plextor px-716

[nothoxlund]

Plextor px-716

w00t, hey hoxlund

yeah

were winning

kickass

[Dartman]

Well I have 110, 1640, and 4550 so its kinda hard to pick. I just got the 1655 and considering its brandy new and first firmware I think it might just outdo my 1640. I like the NEC based drives for DL, for everything else I use the BenQ, the 1655 seems to be able to do great disks at fast speeds so far, a few updates ought to really bring it even better quality I hope. LS might be a fun diversion too but didn't get it for that.

[Ankerson]

I will stick with my Plextors.

[ItalianJob]

Com'on, vote for my LG 4166, he is a good super-multi burner with LS and can even do the coffee



(Two 24 minutes best-quality passes on a Verbatim CD-R LS 52X.)

[DeltaLima]

I don't like the implementation of "solid burn" in the BenQ 1640 (...1650/1655)

Why? Just bought a 1655 and it's my 1st DVD drive, I had no real need before today. Why you don't like that feature?

[DeltaLima]

(Two 24 minutes best-quality passes on a Verbatim CD-R LS 52X.)

You had to do the LS twice? Why? The 1st resulat was not good?

I hope I will get great reasult with only one (loooong) pass...

[ItalianJob]

I don't like the implementation of "solid burn" in the BenQ 1640 (...1650/1655)

Why? Just bought a 1655 and it's my 1st DVD drive, I had no real need before today. Why you don't like that feature?

Why ? Not stable. In 1640, you have to clear the memory sometimes to get good burns (to say the less). Well, is this a correct implementation of learning ?

[ItalianJob]

(Two 24 minutes best-quality passes on a Verbatim CD-R LS 52X.)

You had to do the LS twice? Why? The 1st resulat was not good?

I hope I will get great reasult with only one (loooong) pass...

The 1st pass was correct, but the second is darker. A 45 minutes x 2 time was reported before, so I was supprised to wait only 24 minutes for each pass.

Moreover I decide to launch again to see if my LG was working ok ( good synchro ) ...

The 4166 is very cheap for a 16X LS & DVD-RAM drive. I remember the BenQ 1625 price (129 / 99 euros) Now the 1655 is here, but it wasn't a month ago.

[Ian]

We're into our last week here. It looks like the BenQ DW1640 is going to take it again.

[Ian]

Last day! Vote!

[dolphinius_rex]

Heh... once again the DW1640 dominates. I really wish BenQ had not discontinued that drive so soon!

[Scour]

Heh... once again the DW1640 dominates. I really wish BenQ had not discontinued that drive so soon!

Hehe, the 1640 dominate because most guys here have the 1640, much more than the 1650 or 1655

[thegdog]

Why ? Not stable. In 1640, you have to clear the memory sometimes to get good burns (to say the less). Well, is this a correct implementation of learning ?

It could be the media. If the media is significantly different, than what the drive learned could also be very different. I've noticed that with some of the 50- and 100-packs I've purchased. The media quality varies throughout the stack.

[AxBattler]

Interesting. Should I get the 1640 before it can't be found any longer, or is the 1655 a definite upgrade? I know that the 1640 goes well with the TYG02 that I have, but I don't know much about the 1655 (and it seems like some folks here have issues with it).