Digital Trends

Sony DRU-800A

June 13th, 2005 | by Ian Bell

Conclusion

The Sony DRU-800A may cost a little more than other DVD writers on the market, but keep in mind that you are paying the higher price for cutting edge technology. Since this drive can record to DVD-R DL media, it is probably one of the most versatile drives out there, and it will stay cutting edge until sometime next year when you can expect to see HD-DVD and Blu-Ray writers hitting the market. Another technology that is slowly gaining in popularity is HP's new Lightscribe DVD writers which allow you to physically burn the title or pictures onto the top of the DVD using a laser. LightScribe DVD writers do not support Dual Layer DVDs yet, but we would not be surprised to see this change in the next year.

The most important thing to remember is that the Sony DRU-800A is a fast and reliable DVD writer. It comes with a solid software suite, and two different faceplates rounding out a fairly complete package. DVD-R DL media will be hard to find and can be expensive for a while, but that should be expected for a new technology. The Sony DRU-800A is our current DVD writer champ, and with good reason.

Pros:

-          Supports both DVD+/- R DL media

-          Fast write times

-          Reliable

-          Comes with two faceplates

Cons:

-          A tad bit expensive

-          Has trouble writing at the faster speeds on slower rated media

-          DVD-R DL media is still hard to find, and expensive