All DVD Drives

The Bottom Line: The Plextor PX-608CU portable DVD burner is a great match for users who have a laptop without a built-in DVD burner; we just don't know who that might be.

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM, 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL), 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM)

The Bottom Line: The Plextor PX-810SA internal CD/DVD burner is quick for both ripping and burning. We like it.

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM, 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD), 40x (CD) / 18x (DVD±R) / 10x (DVD±R DL), 32x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 12x (DVD-RAM)

The Bottom Line: The LaCie d2 Blu-ray burner offers good performance speeds, but it's still prohibitively expensive. Home users should wait for Blu-ray burners to drop in price and improve in performance.

Specs: BD-RE, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD) / 2x (BD), 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL) / 2x (BD-R) / 2x (BD-R DL), 16x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 2x (BD-RE) / 2x (BD-RE DL)

The Bottom Line: The Sony DRU-830A is a fast drive, but it's on the expensive side.

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM, 48x (CD) / 16x (DVD), 48x (CD) / 18x (DVD±R) / 8x (DVD±R DL), 32x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 12x (DVD-RAM)

The Bottom Line: The Sony BWU-100A Blu-ray burner is still priced out of range for most users, but if you have $700 to spare, it's a good choice for its range of media support and acceptable task speeds.

Specs: BD-RE, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD) / 2x (BD), 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL) / 2x (BD-R), 16x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM) / 2x (BD-RE)

The Bottom Line: Although it's pricey, the Sony DVDirect VRD-MC3 is a boon for anyone who has lots of old videotapes but less time or tech skills to digitize them using a computer. Even better, it doubles as an external DVD burner, so you can use it with your PC long after you've transferred all those old tapes.

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL), 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD), 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 8x (DVD±R DL), 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: The first Blu-ray burner to hit the market, the Pioneer BDR-101A gives you 25GB of storage on a single disc and its actual write speeds nearly match its rated 2X spec. Still, it's a first-generation drive that's too expensive for anyone but professionals and enthusiasts working with HD video.

Specs: BD-RE

The Bottom Line: The Plextor PX-740UF is a sturdy drive that performs beautifully, but it's expensive.

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL), 48x (CD) / 16x (DVD), 48x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD-R DL) / 8x (DVD+R DL), 32x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: Due to its small form factor, the LaCie Slim DVD+/-RW with LightScribe burner is a good choice for those who need a burner while traveling; however, its audience is limited to Windows users.

Specs: DVD±RW (+R DL), 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 2.4x (DVD+R DL), 24x (CD) / 4x (DVD±R)

The Bottom Line: The Pioneer DVR-110D is a swift, reliable burner for movie fans, but those looking to back up by using rewritable discs might be disappointed.

Specs: DVD±RW (±R DL), 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD), 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 8x (DVD±R DL), 32x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW)