DVD Writers
DVD writers, as with so many things in the computing world, have become something of an accepted accessory, often taken for granted as an integrated component in modern PC and laptop bundles. However, for those looking to upgrade an aging device or replace a malfunctioning drive, then the DVD writer and its multi-functional capabilities is an extremely important device.
Combo Drive Functionality
The modern DVD writer is something of a combo drive, incorporating a number of functions. Along with its standard DVD writing capabilities, most modern drives can also record to DVD-RW, DVD-R DL, CD R and CD-RW as well as playing CDs and DVDs. This versatility in formats makes the DVD writer an indispensable device for modern computing data storage and transferal.
Large Transferable Storage Capacity
With an average capacity of 4.7GB (4.38 GiB (usable size)) DVDs are becoming an increasingly popular storage solution in computing. The huge capacity dwarfs other transferable storage disks, offering 6.7 times the capacity or a standard CD-R (700MB) and a monstrous 3260 times that of the good old floppy disk (1.44MB). Their size makes them ideal for storing vast amounts of media, including up to 4 hours of high quality video, or even backing up parts of your computers hard drive.
Rewriteable DVDs, just as with their CD-RW counterparts, allow users to interchange data on the disk giving greater flexibility and providing a storage solution akin to a small hard drive or a USB Flash Drive. Dual layered DVDs (or DVD-R DL) almost double the capacity of their DVD-R equivalent, offering a hugely increased 8.5GB (7.96 GiB) capacity, giving you the opportunity to store even more data.
Versatile External Drives
Our range of DVD writers is specifically designed for external connection, and can therefore be easily transported between devices. This versatility makes DVD writer drives ideally suited for use with both home PCs and laptops. The sizes range from the more robust design, more akin to that of an internal drive, to super sleek slender drives with internal batteries to make up the deficit in power from the USB ideal for laptop usage.
The vast majority of DVD writers require an additional power source, as they cannot function simply from the 'bus' power provided by the USB port. Therefore most drives come with an additional power lead to plug into a local source, which ultimately limits the writers' usage to places with a fixed power supply.
DVD Writer Variations
Like most modern drives, DVD writers come in a variety of connectivity options and other variable features. Ordinarily they come available with either a Firewire or USB connection. Both Firewire and USB/USB 2.0 provide the drive with some of the required power, whilst also transferring the data between your computer and the writer. If you purchase either variety, but more particularly the Firewire, you should first ensure that your computer or laptop is compatible. Not all consoles have a designated Firewire port, which means that you will either need to find an alternative external DVD writer or purchase an external Firewire connection port for your PC.
The writing speeds attributed to each DVD writer relates to the rate at which the device can safely operate when burning data onto a disc. Due to its unique transferal rate, DVD recording tends to be significantly faster than that of a standard CD-R; with speeds topping 20x for a DVD-R recording, which would be the equivalent to a CD-R speed of 180x, were that possible. Copying data to re-writeable formats such as DVD-RW tends to be a little slower; however with speeds averaging around 8x, you can still expect to transfer over 600 megabytes per minute.