External DVD Burners

[JOD8FY]

Hello all, I'm in the maket for an external DVD burner for my powerbook. I'm interested in buying Final Cut Express 2 to do some editing, so I was wondering if you could help me out. I'd like the burner to be speedy and burn DVD's and DVD-RW's but it does not need to be able to burn CD's. Also, if you have any other suggestions for editing software, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, JOD8FY

 

[nargot]

Hello all, I'm in the maket for an external DVD burner for my powerbook. I'm interested in buying Final Cut Express 2 to do some editing, so I was wondering if you could help me out. I'd like the burner to be speedy and burn DVD's and DVD-RW's but it does not need to be able to burn CD's. Also, if you have any other suggestions for editing software, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, JOD8FY

lacie just released 8x DVD+- Burners, they also burn cds at 24x (i think most dvd burners do). In australia they are the cheapest FW burner. You can get them packaged with toast 6, captyDVD or without software. Hope this helps.

 

[JOD8FY]

Also I was wondering what the difference in performance would be between a drive that connects via USB as opposed to one that connects via firewire. Is it worth the extra $ to go firewire?

Thanks again,
JOD8FY

 

[mrgreen4242]

Hello all, I'm in the maket for an external DVD burner for my powerbook. I'm interested in buying Final Cut Express 2 to do some editing, so I was wondering if you could help me out. I'd like the burner to be speedy and burn DVD's and DVD-RW's but it does not need to be able to burn CD's. Also, if you have any other suggestions for editing software, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, JOD8FY

All DVD burners that I have seen will burn CDs as well. Also, I don't think I have ever seen a DVD writer without -RW support. The real question is wether you want -R or +R. Both have thier advantages, but I personally prefer the -R standard because it is slightly more compatible with set top player.

My advice is to buy an external IDE->Firewire enclosure. Then buy an internal IDE DVD-RW drive. This will save you money both up front, and in the long run, as you can easily swap out the DVD writer for a new IDE model as they become available (Dual Layer burners are only abotu 3 months away, so by Xmas I expect some decent prices on them).

You can also get a dual IDE to firewire enclosure for a little bit extra and put in a second harddrive for temp space while you master DVDs.

Here's some links:
A $83 IDE DVD-RW/+RW drive http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...g=5&manufactory=1336&DEPA=0&sortby=14&order=1
You can browse through Neweggs external enclosures here http://www.newegg.com/app/manufactory.asp?catalog=92&DEPA=0

From the looks of it you could get a decent setup for as little as $120+software ($49 for iLife w/ iMovie and iDVD is always a good place to start, from what I hear).

NOTE: I can't vouch for any of these products quality or compatibility. It's just what I came up with in a 2minute search. Newegg is a good retailer, however.

Hope this helps,

Rob

 

[JOD8FY]

Thanks a lot guys, for your quick responses. You really helped me out. JOD8FY

 

[JOD8FY]

Hi guys, I was searching through the external enclosures and found one here that I think is good: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-741&depa=0 I also found a nice hard drive http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=298845&pfp=SEARCH However, I cannot find an internal DVD Burner that is mac compatible. Does it need to be mac compatible since the enclosure already is? Any info and thoughts on my selections would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, JOD8FY

 

[jsw]

lacie just released 8x DVD+- Burners, they also burn cds at 24x (i think most dvd burners do). In australia they are the cheapest FW burner. You can get them packaged with toast 6, captyDVD or without software. Hope this helps.

FWIW, my co-worker bought the new LaCie 8X burner. She loves it!

As far as USB vs Firewire:

1X CD speed is 150KB/sec = 1200Kb/sec. [B = bytes, b = bits]
USB 1.1 is, I think, 11 Mb/sec.

Therefore, USB 1.1 would max out at ~9X (10800Kb/sec).

USB 2.0, and any Firewire speed, would safely get you well above the current 52X speeds.

 

[JOD8FY]

Hi guys, I was searching through the external enclosures and found one here that I think is good: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-741&depa=0 I also found a nice hard drive http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=298845&pfp=SEARCH However, I cannot find an internal DVD Burner that is mac compatible. Does it need to be mac compatible since the enclosure already is? Any info and thoughts on my selections would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, JOD8FY

Anybody, anybody?

 

[mrgreen4242]

Anybody, anybody?

I have no idea if you need special mac drives. In the PC world IDE is IDE and it will work with Windows, Linux, BSD, etc. You dhould check the various DVD writer manufacturer websites for info on Mac compatability.

If I had to guess, I would say that any IDE device should do, but I can't back that up with anything.

Hope you find your answers.

Rob

 

[nargot]

Anybody, anybody?

I know you can use the pioneer and lacie drives