4x DVD Drives

The Bottom Line: HP's innovative DVD Movie Writer dc3000 offers an easy route from VHS to DVD, and it's a decent burner to boot.

Specs: DVD+RW, 40x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2.4x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: This versatile, four-format DVD-rewritable drive is simply not as fast as Sony's DRU-510A.

Specs: DVD±RW, 32x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2x (DVD-RW) / 2.4x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: Need movie burning and massive archiving on the cheap? Verbatim's Producer 44 is a steal--but the pricier Sony DRU-510A may be a better deal.

Specs: DVD±RW, 40x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2x (DVD-RW) / 2.4x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: Despite some petty penny-pinching on Sony's part, the DRU-510A establishes a new industry standard for burning performance and versatility.

Specs: DVD±RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 24x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 2x (DVD-RW) / 4x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: Despite some petty penny-pinching on Sony's part, the DRU-510A establishes a new industry standard for burning performance and versatility.

Specs: DVD±RW, Internal, 32x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 24x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 2x (DVD-RW) / 4x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: HP's replacement for the DVD200i is solid, if uninspiring. You get decent performance and features and superior support for a darn good price.

Specs: DVD+RW, 40x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2.4x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: Only experienced users need apply; the CenDyne drive's packaging, performance, and support are inconsistent at best. A better choice for DVD recording is Pioneer's DVR-A05.

Specs: DVD-RW, 32x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 8x (CD) / 2x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: If you're shopping for a DVD-recordable drive, put the fast, flexible DRU-500A at the top of your list.

Specs: DVD±RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 24x (CD) / 4x (DVD-R) / 2.4x (DVD+R), 10x (CD) / 2x (DVD-RW) / 2.4x (DVD+RW)

The Bottom Line: With a retail price of less than $300, the DVR-A05 is easily the fastest, cheapest way to burn DVD movies.

Specs: DVD-RW, 32x (CD) / 12x (DVD), 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 8x (CD) / 2x (DVD)

The Bottom Line: The DVD100i is an excellent, speedy drive for backup or for authoring DVD movies that will work in newer players. However, it can't match a DVD-R drive for compatibility with older drives and players.

Specs: DVD+RW, 32x (CD) / 8x (DVD), 12x (CD) / 4x (DVD), 10x (CD) / 2x (DVD)