codeorama Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Ok, I'm about to start bidding on a dvd burner on Ebay. First, should I get Firewire or USB connected? How much difference in speed is there? My laptop and home cpu are both firewire compatable, but USB is compatable with almost any cpu now adays. Second, take a look at the link and tell me if this is a good unit. Thank you for any help, I really appreciate it. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2769380632&category=51039 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I'm sure someone here can give you good advice on the unit you're looking at Code, but just thought I'd throw my 2cents in. I'd highly recommend you wait. A stand alone dvd recorder is the way to go. The main problem with a lot of computer based dvd burners is disc playback and player compatability issues. You may be able to use any discs you make on this machine on your computer player, but its likely you'll have major problems when you go to play it on a regular dvd machine. I've experimented with many kinds of formats, both discs made on computer based dvd-burners and the newer standalone pure dvd recorders. My conclusion is that there's no comparison with the stand alone dvd recorders. The downside is that they are very expensive, but they are coming down in cost rapidly. I think if you were to wait a year or so, you'll be able to pick up a very nice dvd recorder that'll make dvds compatible with just about any player you want for under $300.00. If you were to look at dvd recorders now, I would NOT recommend the Philips models. They work great when they work, but they have a lot of bugs (trust me, I know). I recently purchased a panasonic dvd recorder and it is a true thing of beauty. Mine also has a harddrive so you can use it like a primitive Tivo. The cheapest current panasonic is still pretty pricey: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1055388006745&skuId=5591763&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat13900050019 I hear Samsung makes a cheap copy of this player that works just as well, but I can't speak to that from direct experience. Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there as it doesn't do any good to have a dvd burner that makes discs no one will be able to play. And if you wait just a little while, you'll be able to get a stand alone recorder that will make beautiful discs compatible with the vast majority of players, and that is a benefit worth waiting for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 Tarhog, thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallyG3 Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 If you want to edit home movies and then put them on DVD, I would still recommend doing it via PC, although you will probably get pretty slow performance on a laptop. Firewire (400mbps) is WAY faster than USB 1.1 (12mbps) but USB 2.0 is a little faster than Firewire (480 mbps). If you get a USB 2.0 drive, make sure that your laptop USB ports are 2.0 and not 1.1. A site I really like for hardware reviews is: http://www.tomshardware.com I just got a multi format DVD drive last month and it works pretty well so far. If you stick to the DVD-R format, most DVD players will read it. I paid about $130 for the internal drive. An external multi format drive will set you back $220-260. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 Wally, thanks, that was very helpful. I'm looking MOSTLY to take homemovies and burn them to DVD. I have a Sony PC and an Apple laptop with iMovie and both are pretty cool to work with for movies. I just got a digital camcorder and I'm putting together some practice movies now. I have USB 2.0 ports on both so that's the way I'll go. If I can copy DVD's (with that X copy program) then that's only a plus, the movies are my main concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Originally posted by codeorama Wally, thanks, that was very helpful. I'm looking MOSTLY to take homemovies and burn them to DVD. I have a Sony PC and an Apple laptop with iMovie and both are pretty cool to work with for movies. I just got a digital camcorder and I'm putting together some practice movies now. I have USB 2.0 ports on both so that's the way I'll go. If I can copy DVD's (with that X copy program) then that's only a plus, the movies are my main concern. Actually, are you SURE both of those machines have USB 2.0 ports? Only very recently has Apple included USB 2.0 ports on their machines, and not all of them have it even today (due to refresh cycles). On the other hand, all Apple laptops made in the last several years have firewire ports, and most Sony computers do as well. Despite the theoretical 480mbps speed of USB 2.0, real world tests regularly show Firewire HDs to deliver better performance than USB 2.0 HDs. Just FYI. I haven't used a DVD burner myself, so I can't comment on the drives themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallyG3 Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Originally posted by CrankyTodd Despite the theoretical 480mbps speed of USB 2.0, real world tests regularly show Firewire HDs to deliver better performance than USB 2.0 HDs. That's good to know Todd, thanks! Code- I got mine only because I just got a digital video camera and want to save the video on DVD. The DVD Burner I chose was an LG GSA-4040B (internal IDE). I got it online for $134. Burns DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM, and CD-R/RW. The DVD-RW didn't play in my old (1999?) DVD player, but it did on the new one. The DVD-R played in every DVD player I've tried it in. I've been using the Windows XP Movie Maker to create the movies and Nero 6 to compile and burn them. It's really cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 Cranky... Thanks I know for a fact that my Sony has usb 2.0, I found a site that shows how to check for it. I assumed that the iBook does because it's brand new, but I shouldn't assume. Do you know how to check the apples for usb 2.0? Wally... Do you have your drive mounted or are you using one of the external cases?? I want one of the external cases because you can hot swap hard drives and the burner. I have an old hard drive with tons of pics that I want to recover. I have on my Sony, the Windows XP movie maker, and 2 other programs including a Sony program that is really really easy to use. However, the iMovie is freaking awsome. While I love my Sony, I'm starting to wish I bought an Apple desktop because I love their software. I can do everything that I want with my laptop, but my Sony is so beefed up it seems like a waste. Does anyone know of a windows based moviemaking program that rivals iMovie?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen-like Todd Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Originally posted by codeorama Cranky... Thanks I know for a fact that my Sony has usb 2.0, I found a site that shows how to check for it. I assumed that the iBook does because it's brand new, but I shouldn't assume. Do you know how to check the apples for usb 2.0? What model iBook do you have, and when did you buy it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallyG3 Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Originally posted by codeorama Wally... Do you have your drive mounted or are you using one of the external cases?? I want one of the external cases because you can hot swap hard drives and the burner. I have an old hard drive with tons of pics that I want to recover. Does anyone know of a windows based moviemaking program that rivals iMovie?? My DVD drive is mounted in my PC case. I really like the newest version of Windows Movie Maker, but I've never used iMovie. Not a Mac person. Have you ever seen the show "The Screensavers" on TechTV? A few weeks ago, they did digital video all week, and they reviewed movie software. Check out the show notes here and specifically here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 Wally, I just "discovered" The Screen Savers last week, really cool show. Thanks for the links. FYI, iMovie is really simple but offers a ton more tools and just seems a little more professional. I love it. Cranky, I didn't my my iBook, the school system I work for did, they ordered it directly from Apple.com, they bought it 3 weeks ago. Damn.... I went to apple.com to get the model info and there were the specs and yes, it does have USB 2.0.... Thanks for using the force to direct me to look it up.... (doh...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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