Max Builds a PC Series Part VII: Optical Drives

1. Bluray/HD-DVD is still too expensive/too undecided. If you must have a high def disc format, try and find a combo reader, or use the xbox360 hd-dvd addon if you have it.

3. Asus or Pioneer would be my choice.

5. SATA or IDE - depends on what the motherboard had! I'd go for SATA if I had a choice over the two, because the next generation of motherboards won't have an IDE slot, so you wouldn't be able to move over your optical drive.

Personally, I'd go for something like the stock standard Asus DVD burner (I think they have lightscribe?) or a Pioneer 2xx series drive (I have a 112, I think. Works great)

Aeoth:  good comments overall, logical.

(bonus points for being a quickdraw... I just posted this!)

I agree with aeoth, no HD-DVD or BluRay. Too close-a-call.

Also, PLEASE not Asus. I've just had an Asus WL700gE router, and I have NOT had very good experiences with their tech support. At all. Basically I told them where to shove their crap support and their rubbish FAQ, but the person simply replied: "If there is an update we will upload it." Well you damn better!!! "You are welcome to refer to the FAQ" which is a ton of faqing rubbish! It doesn't contain an issue that is WIDELY received: incompatibility of this "state of the art" router with vista. *Sigh*...

Anyways, not Asus. If I win and it has anything Asus in it, I'm selling it on eBay. I swear to god.

Back to the job in hand:

I say we go for two drives. Two identical drives, of course. I don't know about you lot but I do a lot of DVD-DVD and CD-CD copying (not in the bad way *angel*) and it's really useful, rather than having to buffer all the data up then switch disks.  As for brand, anything LG/Lite-On.

On the subject of optical drives, I'll cleverly switch to 5" drivebays and suggest this: http://www.soundgraph.com/Eng_/Products/oem3.aspx?topMenu=2&subMenu=1&leftMenu=43

gimmicky maybe... but I've always wanted one and since I had a Packard Bell iMedia forced upon me (okay not forced, but I'd have prefered something with a warranty that actually allowed me to go inside my own computer) I wasn't able to get one... I'd just really like one. After reading in on the tech and the apps included, it seems pretty cool

Summary:

Anything LG or LiteOn
Nothing Asus or eBay will see a really cool PC up for sale
Soundgraph iMon ftw

My 2c

OK, OK!  NOT asus....

Well, I wouldn't mind getting a blue ray drive, since Warner Brothers just announced blue ray exclusivity. Saddly blue-ray looks like it will be winning. Blue-ray has 75% of the publishers now, Apple is putting their full weight behind blue-ray, Dells only come with the option of blue-ray, I mean who do you think is going to win? This computer already has a 1000 dollar processor, why not get high definition player on it, it isn't like standard def is the way of the future.

For a regular DVD Burner/Reader, I would choose the Pioneer DVR-112.

If you went blueray, once again go Pioneer and get the BDR-202BK.

 

I wouldn't call this a done deal yet, Trix... There are some pretty heavy hitters behind HD-DVD still (*cough* Microsoft *cough*).

I know Microsoft is behind HD-DVD, I would like it to win as well, because I like the region freeness, I like the current better quality, but the facts are there. HD-DVD has less supporters. Microsoft doesn't make the movies, the studios do. It is actually quite upsetting, I have been buy dvds with the dual format (HD-DVD on one side and DVD on the other) and it feels like I just wasted my money. I mean look at the list of Blue-Ray supporters.

• Apple Inc.
• Dell
• Hewlett Packard
• Hitachi
• LG Electronics
• Mitsubishi Electric
• Panasonic (Matsushita Electric)
• Pioneer Corporation
• Royal Philips Electronics
• Samsung Electronics
• Sharp Corporation
• Sony Corporation
• Sun Microsystems
• TDK Corporation
• Thomson
• Twentieth Century Fox
• Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group / Buena Vista Home Entertainment
• Warner Home Video Inc.

HD-DVD has a lot of supporters as well, but they haven't really done much.

http://www.hddvdprg.com/eng/about/member.html

I have gotten used to my friends HD-DVD player, where I watch movies all the time, because Bourne looks so nice in HD, so does harry potter and planet earth.

I mean if you know something I don't.... we could get an HD-DVD player for the computer.

The reason I am suggesting getting an HD capable player, it is obviously the future, and I'm not pay for it, neither is anyone else on this forum . You said let you worry about the budget.

By the way, love the new site .

wow this is funny i just finishing bashing some guys on engadget about this whole hd-dvd vs bluray stuff. Personally i prefare hd-dvd and, no not because microsoft is behind it but rather i think its a better format and it has a more complete standard/revision  than bluray. a video player has to be one that if bought can run all the formats it supports natively without having to force the user to go online and update in order to watch a movie. But alas that is my opinon. although have to make this clear since it seems lots and lots of people are getting this mistake. Which ever format wins, microsoft is really the biggest winner. VC-1 and .h264 are supported on both systems, if hd-dvd wins microsoft gets paid for it's codec and ihd support. if blu-ray wins microsoft gets paided for its VC-1 codec, the real looser if hd-dvd wins is Sony since they have no codec format and their technology is not what is powering hd-dvd players.

either way back to the main point.. Since there is no single reason for me to watch movies on my pc apart from ripping them and storing them on a nas server i see little or no use of bluray/hd-dvd drive, if i need a movie i will rent on netflix or watch on xbox live. as that being the case  my recomended dvd recorder drive will be the lite-on LH-20A1L-06  or the pioneer  one that trix and aeoth mentioned.

if we do manage to go with blu-ray /hd-dvd then i will suggest LG Electronics GGCH20L

thanks. ohh and the site is now way way better, interms of stability props to the developer(s)

As usual, loving the comments guys.  Thanks for the site feedback so far, feel free to post your thoughts in our brand spankin' new forums section!