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ReviewsLite On 4x Blu-ray Triple Writer DH-4B1S

Posted 07/11/08 at 06:26:27 PM by Katherine Stevenson

It doesn’t matter a lick to us that Blu-ray has prevailed in the high-def format war if the hardware remains expensive and uninspiring. We have to admit, we thought the tide was turning when we reviewed LG’s GGW-H20L Blu-ray burner back in December. That drive represented a dramatic price drop (falling to $500 from its predecessor’s $1,200 price tag in a matter of months—and now settled at $400 MSRP), and its 6x rating for BD-R media resulted in burn times we could actually live with (22.5GB in a little over 20 minutes).

Sadly, Lite On has not followed LG’s lead. Instead, they've released a drive that's made zero strides since its aged predecessor.

Hit the jump for the gory details.

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TAGS: Blu-ray, DVD burner, optical drives, hardware, Lite-on, blu-ray burner, reviews, build a pc

ReviewsLite-On 20A4PU EZ-Dub Optical Drive

Posted 04/04/08 at 06:05:33 PM by Katherine Stevenson

One of the most obvious differences between an external optical drive and its internal brethren is in appearance. A device that’s going to sit out in the open for anyone to see, after all, has to look the part. Lite-On’s latest EZ-Dub optical drive accomplishes this with a fashionable white and black aesthetic that would surely do Apple proud. It’s an update from the more staid look of the previous EZ-Dub model, which was also nearly two inches longer and a half-inch taller. As with the older model, this EZ-Dub comes with a stand, so you can set the drive on its side to save desktop space.

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Comments: 1
TAGS: usb, external, DVD burner, optical drives, consumer electronics, Lite-on, reviews

ReviewsLG GGC-H20L

Posted 12/18/07 at 10:59:24 PM by Katherine Stevenson

So your DVD burner is getting a little long in the tooth and you’re ready for an upgrade, but you’re not all that keen on adopting next-gen tech. And who can blame you? Even the falling price of hardware doesn’t make up for the relatively slow burn times, costly media, and compatibility issues that plague Blu-ray burners (and the same would be true of HD DVD burners if you could even find them!). Trouble is, you’ve got a brand-new 27-inch LCD that’s just begging to display high-def movies. What’s a consumer to do? Well, you could buy a combo drive—one that lets you read next-gen discs and write data to fast, friendly CD and DVD, like the two models we review this month.

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Comments: 0
TAGS: Blu-ray, DVD burner, optical drives, HD DVD, hardware, LG, combo drives, reviews, build a pc

ReviewsAsus BC 1205PT

Posted 12/18/07 at 10:57:05 PM by Katherine Stevenson

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TAGS: Review, asus, Blu-ray, optical drive, DVD burner, optical drives, hardware, combo drives, build a pc, Asus BC 1205PT

ReviewsPlextor PX-810SA

Posted 10/22/07 at 01:36:02 PM by Katherine Stevenson

Ever since Plextor stopped manufacturing the PX-755SA DVD burner, we’ve been on the hunt for a worthy replacement. We loved the Plexy’s SATA interface, so we’re not settling for anything less going forward. (It’s just plain foolish to opt for a drive with an oversized, outdated parallel connector when SATA models are available.) Since SATA drives from Lite-On and Asus failed to win us over in the August issue, we corralled a couple new contenders, including Plextor's new PX-810SA.

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