DVD drive advice

jerrys

Senior Contributor Location: New Britain, CT, USA (between New York and Boston) Joined: Feb 10, 2010 21:36 Messages: 1038 Offline

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Dec 26, 2010 15:19

I'm not looking for specific shopping advice, just some general guidance. Partly I'm typing out loud.

I use LightScribe, and I've been having trouble burning labels lately. It's a sporadic problem, which makes it difficult to diagnose. So far as I can tell there isn't any conclusive way to tell if is a hardware or software problem; but there isn't any way around using the standard LightScribe drivers, etc. That pretty much leaves me with two choices: I can do nothing and be annoyed; or I can replace my drive and possibly not be annoyed.

Assuming I go for option two, I need some thoughts from the community. This is what's going through my mind:

Currently, my only video sources are VHS tapes and my wife's (non-HD) Flip camera.

I am, by nature, inclined to ride the bleeding edge when it comes to gadgets. If I need a doorstop, I'll buy a nuclear-powered, dual-core unit with WiFi and artificial intelligence. (My wife would crawl through the window rather than learn how to use it.)

I do not have infinite amounts of money, but when I buy toys I like to buy the best I can afford. I recently bought a 58" 3D TV, even though I don't have anything to watch.

Based on all of that, I'm dithering between buying buying a simple DVD burner or a Blu Ray burner. The price difference is quite large, although we're not talking house-payment money.

So which direction do you think I should go? Am I likely to be finding more situations, such as hi-def slide shows, where Blu Ray would be handy? Is Blu Ray an interim step towards something better, in which case I would be better off saving my money? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Jerry Schwartz

1Nina

Senior Contributor Location: Norway, 50km southwest of Oslo Joined: Oct 08, 2008 04:12 Messages: 1070 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 17:34

In my world, Jerry, nobody I know has a blue ray
DVD player.. (certainly not a burner)
What I see people do is hooking up from usb's,
from computer, memorysticks etc. to their TV.

Just something.
https://www.petitpoisvideo.com

BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 17:48

I am actually looking to buy a BD burner, if I do a job for someone, I need the option, and I can't be giving away memory sticks and cards to clients. As for labels, I never really liked the Lightscribe results, except for archiving.
I buy print-on discs and use either CL Labelprint, or, dare I list a 3rd party? PM me if you want the BEST label-printing program available anywhere. It's not free, but it will even chroma-key out colors! HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

jerrys

Senior Contributor Location: New Britain, CT, USA (between New York and Boston) Joined: Feb 10, 2010 21:36 Messages: 1038 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 19:01

Considering all of the bells and whistles on my new TV and (yes) Blu Ray player, it turns out that their ability to work with USB sticks or SD cards is very limited.

I can (and do) put my videos onto a stick so that I can preview them before I burn a disk, but the only combination that works is to convert the video to DivX and play it back through the disk player. Although both the TV and the disk player claim more flexibility, their own tech support was unable to make any other combination work.

To their credit they were willing to spend an hour on the phone with me proving the manuals wrong, but it still left me with the one option.

I'm usually working with "family stuff." I just made six copies of a video from my mother-in-law's 90th birthday party, so that everyone could have one. I'm not giving out thumb drives like that, especially to relatives who wouldn't know what to do with them. Jerry Schwartz

jerrys

Senior Contributor Location: New Britain, CT, USA (between New York and Boston) Joined: Feb 10, 2010 21:36 Messages: 1038 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 19:07

Quote: I am actually looking to buy a BD burner, if I do a job for someone, I need the option, and I can't be giving away memory sticks and cards to clients. As for labels, I never really liked the Lightscribe results, except for archiving.
I buy print-on discs and use either CL Labelprint, or, dare I list a 3rd party? PM me if you want the BEST label-printing program available anywhere. It's not free, but it will even chroma-key out colors!

I've done the printed labels, I own at least two programs that can do it. I even have a CD Stomper for applying the lables. Perhaps because I'm more of an engineer than an artist, I find the LightScribe solution to be more elegant.

Since the cost of switching to paper labels is vanishingly small, I will bear your comments in mind. Jerry Schwartz

BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 20:01

No, Jerry, ink-jettable discs. No labels. You would have to buy a proper printer, I use the HP 5280.
When I print a label, it looks like it came straight from Netflix. Eyes POP when they see what I give 'em.
I had experienced customers that do not want stick-on labels because they can get off-balance, or stuck in the drive tray.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Dec 26. 2010 20:06

HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

JL_JL

Senior Contributor Location: Arizona, USA Joined: Oct 01, 2006 20:01 Messages: 6091 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 20:05

I own two BD burners, both LG’s with lightscribe support and they have been good for me. Most of my BD projects are only for personal use, I use both single and dual layer BD’s and also use them for long term remote storage of video files. I also burn a lot of DVD’s, year to date so far has been ~1200 single layer DVD's with ~120 lightscribe discs so these drives get a pretty good workout.

You may want to sit tight for a little while and see if the new BDXL drives (triple and quad layer) drop the price of single and dual layer BD drives. Currently at $US100, maybe they will drop some more, current 4 month trend about $10/month drop. I can't see the BDXL drives being a big consumer hit initially, media just tooooo expensive.

Jeff

BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 20:07

Hokey smokes JL, that's a moat-load of discs! HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

jerrys

Senior Contributor Location: New Britain, CT, USA (between New York and Boston) Joined: Feb 10, 2010 21:36 Messages: 1038 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 22:53

Quote: No, Jerry, ink-jettable discs. No labels. You would have to buy a proper printer, I use the HP 5280.
When I print a label, it looks like it came straight from Netflix. Eyes POP when they see what I give 'em.
I had experienced customers that do not want stick-on labels because they can get off-balance, or stuck in the drive tray.

Ah, that makes a big difference.

Unfortunately, I'm not ready to replace my printer and it doesn't have a straight-through paper path. Jerry Schwartz

Carl312

Senior Contributor Location: Texas, USA Joined: Mar 16, 2010 20:11 Messages: 9090 Offline

Dec 26, 2010 23:22

Printers that have the Disk Print option, use a disk tray for the disk.

My printer feeds from front of the printer and does not have a straight through path.

I use Ink Jet Printable disks and a third party Label program. My label program also prints the DVD case covers.

Do a little searching for Disk label programs. There is a good list on one of the D...printer sites.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Dec 26. 2010 23:23

Carl312: Windows 10 64-bit 8 GB RAM,AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 GHz,ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB,240GB SSD,two 1TB HDs.

James Dotson

Senior Contributor Location: Tennessee Joined: Aug 24, 2009 20:40 Messages: 3066 Offline

Dec 27, 2010 01:18

Over the years I have had a couple of computers, several different burners and four different programs that burn LightScribe. It has always been an unreliable system for burning labels. I am trying to find an affordable way to burn labels like Barry pointed out, but the only CD printers I can find and close to $300 US. My Mother has an HP printer that prints them, but you have to be an engineer to get the disc in the printer. __________________________________
CORNBLOSSOM

BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Dec 27, 2010 07:45

Jaime,
my HP 5280 was only $120.00, prints 1 disc at a time, and is easy to use, so it's not an unattainable solution. What model HP is Momma using? HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT