Problem:
On one side of the equation, we have a whole lot of home movies and thousands of pictures from digital cameras. On the other side, we have family and friends all around the world. Also, new movies and pictures are being produced all the time.

Solution:
Create DVDs and Picture CDs and send them to everybody.

Software Used:
* Sonic MyDVD Studio Deluxe ver. 6.0
* Nero 6 Ultra Edition

As I weighed my options, I decided that something that would support the new LightScribe technology will be my best bet. I thought that it would be the easiest and fastest solution.

As I learned it is definitely the easiest, but the speed of writing a LightScribe label is what upsets me.

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The Drive:
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The drive installation was easy and straight-forward. My Windows XP Pro computer found it immediately and nothing else had to be done. The drive has been working fine for about 2 months now. I used it to burn all types of media and there were no glitches. It worked fine in all speeds up to 8x. It works well with both DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW formats. (Note: This drive should support creation of Dual Layer disks, but I didn't have a chance to test it since I don't have any DL media.)

The drive was able to read all media that I put in it. Some disk were a bit scratched, but that didn't deter the DW1625 in the very least.

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Media:
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I used various types and brands of media with this drive and I didn't have any bad burns. CR-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW with and without the LightScribe coating worked just fine. You can buy this drive and use it with regular media as well as the LightScribe media. Keep in mind that regular media is cheaper than LightScribe media. I only know two LightScribe media manufacturers: Verbatim and HP.

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LightScribe Labels:
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Using the LightScribe technology to create labels is really cool but very slow. I use the Nero Label Designer to print my LightScribe labels and it let's me design and create professional-looking disks with pictures, titles and contents. The disks look like they came from a Hollywood studio.

Remember, that for LightScribe you are required to use the special disks that are a little more expensive than the regular media. But then, the whole process is very easy. When the data portion of the disk is written, just flip it over and burn your label.

The problem is that it takes from 16 to 25 minutes per disk (normal mode vs. best quality mode). This is my biggest gripe. When I need to make 10 copies of the same DVD, it takes me 2 to 3 days (it's tough to find enough time in one day). I usually burn the disks first and then burn the labels.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 69
Operating System: Windows