Sony DRU-500AX DVD-everything writer

[query]

If you are looking at getting into DVD writing, this is the drive to choose - it has been hard to find, but I managed to purchase one earlier this week at Circuit City.

For about what a 2X CD-RW drive cost in 1998, you get the ability to write not only CD-R and -RW discs (though it should be noted that the older 1X and 2X discs and write speeds are not supported for writing), but also the ability to write four of the five DVD formats - DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, and DVD-RW.  The only format not supported is DVD-RAM, which is an older standard that seems to be fading.

The drive seems very well built - quite a bit heftier in construction that many of the CD-RW drives that I've seen of late, particularly the models from Lite-On, Acer/BenQ, and other Taiwanese companies.  It installed easily, and though I have not given a workout to the software it arrives with (mostly from Stomp/Sonic/Veritas), it handles DVD+RW discs handily using the latest version of Ahead Nero.

For a 2.4X DVD+RW that means about 20-25 minutes for a full disc - about 4500 MBytes - not bad considering the volume of data.  Not all DVD-ROM drives can handle the +/-RW discs, but all three of the ones I have tried do so without problem.

DVD+RW media is down to about $5 a disc - competitive with or less exensive than CD-RW, considering the 7:1 advantage in capacity.  DVD+R/-R discs aren't quite as competitive, at about $3 each - especially considering the exceptionally low cost of CD-R blanks.

One of the nicest features is the ability to produce a CD with a Ghost or DriveImage of your hard drive and store it all on one or two discs - rather than on a dozen or more CD-RW discs.

I'll be giving some of the other features a workout soon - but if you're thinking of taking the plunge into DVD writing, this is definitely the drive to get.  Although NEC theoretically makes a competitive all-standards drive, the version Dell sells doesn't do -R/-RW, and from what I've been seeing, it hasn't established a good reputation for reliable writing in Europe, where it's available more widely.

The Sony does cost about $50 more than a single-standard drive - but with it, you don't have to worry about who wins the format wars.

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