DVD Writer, will OEM do?

EvilMonkey

Morning all,

I'm wanting to upgrade my DVD reader to a writer as I want to archive off my digital photo's and CD's aren't really cutting it anymore for me (now I've got a 4GB card for my camera, I find that 1 photo session is taking up more than I can fit on a single CD and it bugs me to have to split them....)

A lot of decent DVD writers can be found at pretty good prices at place like ebuyer etc. but most are marked OEM. I believe that stands for Original Equiment Manafacturer and basically means you get just the device, no nice box manuals leads etc.

Given that I have a DVD reader, is it safe to assume I've got all the correct bits inside the PC already and it's a fairly simple option to pull out the old DVD reader and plug in the new writer? Is it also fair to assume that drivers etc for popular writers like the NEC ones can be found online fairly easily? (or will I get them in the OEM package?)

Possibly a daft question, but I have a version of nero for writing CD's will this step up to be able to write DVD's or will I need new software? Any free / open source apps for this?

Lastly, does anyone know of any killer deals out at the mo?

Thanks

E.M.

coolagarry

Take a look here. The customer reviews answer some of your queries

http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10277838&pid=44

(Sony DW-D22A Dual Layer Black 16X DVD +/-R/RW oem for £34)

wolfman

I've always bought OEM drives, and never had a problem. All you'll basically get is the drive, but cables etc... should have come with your motherboard so that shouldn't be a problem. The only thingyou will need is some software to burn the discs. Nero or Alcohol 120% are two of the best to choose from.

simsun

EvilMonkey,

Replacing your DVD-Rom with a DVD writer is relativley straight forward as all the cables should be universal. As for Nero, if it is version 6 you should be able to write DVDs as the software should recognise the new writer.

If you need a new version of Nero however, you could check out http://www.savapoint.com/savapoint/index.php?cid=99 I don't think that you have to buy any other items but you can get a copy of Nero for £2.99

Hope this helps

cheers
simsun

bbb_uk

You are correct, OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) DVD Writers are the same as retail except they don't include a manual, software, etc (basically just the drive itself).

Given that I have a DVD reader, is it safe to assume I've got all the correct bits inside the PC already and it's a fairly simple option to pull out the old DVD reader and plug in the new writer? Is it also fair to assume that drivers etc for popular writers like the NEC ones can be found online fairly easily? (or will I get them in the OEM package?)

You can just simply remove your DVD reader and and put the DVD Writer in it's place but it is actually best to have one DVD Reader and one DVD Writer which will make backing-up stuff easier. Therefore, if you currently only have one drive then it may be best to keep that as it is and compliment it with a Writer. If you wish to do this then post here as there are some other things you may need and the drive settings may need changing (I won't bore you with this stuff unless you plan on doing this).

You do not need Windows drivers for using a DVD Writer as Windows uses its own generic built-in driver.

As you have Nero already then you can use Nero with your DVD Writer but depending on how old Nero is you may need to update/upgrade Nero so that it will recognise your DVD Writer (so it knows what type and how fast it can write, etc).

If you visit MSN's/Kelkoo DVD Writer shopping Search you will find a list of DVD Writers* out there - the decent ones start at around £40.

Now if you ask which drive is best you will most probably get a few different answers as everyone has their own opinion. I personally like the Pioneer DVD Writers (109 is latest model) as they're fast and support the newer standards Dual Layer (around 8GB storage instead of 4GB storage) standards.

* There are 3 different format DVD standards in existance, DVD-R, DVD+R & DVD-RAM (note the '-' (minus) and '+' (plus)) and the above search only lists the drives that support both the main standards (DVD-RAM isn't that common). Visit DVD section of VideoHelp.com for little more info on the main two different formats.

wolfman

Have a look at:

http://www.cdrinfo.com/

The LG GSA-4163B, by that review, and from what I've read in forums is meant to be the best.

The NEC ND35xx is also very good. I've always been very happy with mine. I'd like to try the LG, but the cost of switching isn't worth it.

Look on https://www.microdirect.co.uk, they usually have one of the lowest prices around.

EvilMonkey

Thanks guys for all the info, especially like the £2.99 copy of Nero (no point in even looking for a freebie when the market leader that cheap!) & having a DVD reader and writer on the same PC. I've got a CD writer on the PC already, so you're right, I'll use that bay for the new DVD writer.

So far I think I've got the choice down to the Panasonic 109, the NEC 3520 and a Sony one on scans today only and the LG looks a nice bit of kit too...

I'll have to start looking around for the best prices now...

T4i

wolfman wrote:

The LG GSA-4163B, by that review, and from what I've read in forums is meant to be the best.

The NEC ND35xx is also very good. I've always been very happy with mine. I'd like to try the LG, but the cost of switching isn't worth it.

I agree with wolfman, the LG and NEC writers are great. If you ever get into backing up DVD's these two drives are leaders!

Hop over to DVDDecypter and look at the DVD writer hardware tests. The LG and NEC are simply fantastic!

Woby_Tide

Was using an OEM version of the LG myself last night, can't fault it at all, nice and easy and was a great price from microdirect a few months back. The RAM capability was my main reason but even without that would have been happy