Anyone know of any good dvd drives out there?

[IFdragon]

Can anyone tell me what are the best DVD drives and who makes them? I just got the Dell 1.6 computer from that deal about a month ago and I didnt add a dvd drive to it because it seemed to be a bit much. I figured I could get it for cheaper if it wasnt through their package. I've seen a few on ebay, sony 16x for around 10-20 bucks but of course there's a minimum, which is unknown and shipping is 20 bucks.

I have no experience with them so I dont know if they are good or not.

Thanks in advance.

[millervt]

If you just want a basic DVD drive, such as for using DVD disks like clip art and encyclopedias, anything past the first couple of generations should generally be fine. (the first few had compatability problems at times). I've had two cheapo ones and both worked fine. Get a more name brand one if you feel more comfortable with that option.

The question comes if you want to watch, for example, dvd movies via your PC. Then you will need to deal with the issue of mpeg decoding - whether to let your software do it, which takes a pretty hefty PC (but if you have a new one, probably OK) or get a separate hardware card to do it for you.

[IFdragon]

Ya I want to use the dvd drive to watch movies.

Would you suggest the sony ones being auctioned off on ebay [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

[millervt]

I rarely recommend hardware from ebay. It consistently sells for too much. You'd be paying $65 for a dvd drive with no dvd software. I'd keep looking, unless you are in a rush. These drives appear with rebates, often on the last generation model, for less than that.

I'm sure the 16X sony unit is fine, in and of itself, but that's a lot for an ebay purchase (with 30 day warranty only) and no dvd decoder software.

[IFdragon]

Thank you so much. No, I'm not in a hurry to get it so I'll take your advice and wait until they go on sale with rebates.

What brand name dvd drive do you consider good and how much do they run if you know?

Thanks again.

[millervt]

well, i'm far from a real expert on dvd drives. I paid about $25 after rebate for my low-end dvd drive with decoder software.

I encourage you to do some more research if you want...I dont have all the answers, but I was reasonably certain that paying that amount for a drive from ebay with no software and limited warranty would be a bad move.