Planning on buying a SATA DVD Burner

[Thetech]

I plan on buying a SATA DVD burner, but I was wondering should I expect any trouble or any incompatibility with any software?

 

[JasonSix78]

I've been using a Samsung SH-S203B for about 4-5 months and haven't run into any incompatibility problems with it. I've installed games from CD/DVDs, Burned DVD/CDs with ConvertXtoDVD and Cdxpburnerpro under both XP Pro SP2 and Vista Ultimate SP1. Great drive BTW, what are you looking at?

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: JasonSix78
I've been using a Samsung SH-S203B for about 4-5 months and haven't run into any incompatibility problems with it. I've installed games from CD/DVDs, Burned DVD/CDs with ConvertXtoDVD and Cdxpburnerpro under both XP Pro SP2 and Vista Ultimate SP1. Great drive BTW, what are you looking at?

lol, that same drive if I recall correctly

 

[jackschmittusa]

Apps don't need to know what the drive interface is.

 

[dig314]

I was thinking about the Samsung SH-S203N b/c it has LightScribe.
LightScribe is only a novelty, but why not get that feature?

I have SATA cables. The bundled software with a retail version is usually poor.
Is there a good reason I should buy retail over oem?

Dig

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: dig314
I was thinking about the Samsung SH-S203N b/c it has LightScribe.
LightScribe is only a novelty, but why not get that feature?

I have SATA cables. The bundled software with a retail version is usually poor.
Is there a good reason I should buy retail over oem?

Dig

That's something I was also wondering

 

[JasonSix78]

OEM Drives don't come in a retail box, no cables and 'sometimes' no software. The Samsung I got from Newegg came with a Nero/Samsung Software bundle disk but I've never used it. The software can almost always be downloaded from the manufacturers website. I upgraded the firmware on my Samsung DVD drive from software found on Samsung's website. I've always bough OEM as I can't see myself paying more for a fancy box and cable that will just go into the garbage.

 

[Peter]

Samsung have three levels of packaging - bare, bare w/ software, and retail boxed.

Retail boxed drives come with software as well as swappable front bezels in silver, black and off-white.

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: Peter
Samsung have three levels of packaging - bare, bare w/ software, and retail boxed.

Retail boxed drives come with software as well as swappable front bezels in silver, black and off-white.

I need a black one to match my case.

 

[Peter]

Bare drives are available in black just as well. Suffix -BEBE w/o software, -BEBN w/ Nero OEM disk.

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: Peter
Bare drives are available in black just as well. Suffix -BEBE w/o software, -BEBN w/ Nero OEM disk.

I tried googleing it but do you know where I can find an OEM on with Nero?

 

[Peter]

I could tell you where I buy them in Germany, but I'm quite sure that won't help you

Google product search for "Samsung BEBN" does turn up results, so there you go.

 

[IlllI]

what happens if you want to install a fresh copy of xp but only have a sata drive? will it ask for drivers?

 

[Peter]

Just the same thing happens as with a SATA HDD. You need to have your SATA _channel_ configured to IDE mode, or install native SATA drivers from a floppy disk as you go along.

 

[IlllI]

Originally posted by: Peter
Just the same thing happens as with a SATA HDD. You need to have your SATA _channel_ configured to IDE mode, or install native SATA drivers from a floppy disk as you go along.

hmm i havent owned a floppy drive in about 6 years though . i didnt know about this configured to ide mode thing of which you speak. i must investigate this further

 

[KAZANI]

I own a Samsung SH-S203B; Excellent writer but I have been plagued by some nasty stuttering during playback of audio CDs. After a lot of troubleshooting I have come to suspect incompatibilities with my motherboard's (Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI) SATA controllers.

 

[Thetech]

Originally posted by: KAZANI
I own a Samsung SH-S203B; Excellent writer but I have been plagued by some nasty stuttering during playback of audio CDs. After a lot of troubleshooting I have come to suspect incompatibilities with my motherboard's (Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI) SATA controllers.

Ouch, I don't like those impossible to see incompatibility problems, I have an ASUS A8N-SLI Premium motherboard.

 

[bka4u2c]

Originally posted by: dig314
I was thinking about the Samsung SH-S203N b/c it has LightScribe.
LightScribe is only a novelty, but why not get that feature?

I have SATA cables. The bundled software with a retail version is usually poor.
Is there a good reason I should buy retail over oem?

Dig

I love the LightScribe feature on my drive. You can usually get Verbatim LightScribe DVD+\-R and CD+\-R on sale. They also now make Lightscribe color DVD's and CD's so its not just the tan/brown option when they first came out.

Just get the software from Lightscribe.com and you're off. They even have a template program there you can download, which I like better than the one that come with my burning software. It does take about 20-30 minutes depending on the quality you chose. If you're someone who uses a printer to print labels this will save you plenty of ink, but there is a trade off in time to complete the project. I just sat the project, then go off and do whatever computing task I was doing, not one coaster yet.

Also I have been waiting to see some dual-layer DVD-R lightscribe disc but no luck. If anybody knows a place that sells them let me know.

 

[Soundmanred]

The DL Lightscribes were surely cancelled due to lack of demand (not only for DL, but low demand for Lightscribe discs altogether.)
I love the Lightscribe feature. I've never had any problems with it and downloaded some nice labels from a few different places as well as made my own. It does take a while to write them, but it's worth it because they look great, don't rub off, etc.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Originally posted by: Thetech

Originally posted by: Peter
Bare drives are available in black just as well. Suffix -BEBE w/o software, -BEBN w/ Nero OEM disk.

I tried googleing it but do you know where I can find an OEM on with Nero?

ZipZoomFly

Just recieved this today. Comes with a Nero 7 OEM bundle. Good price, too.

 

[miguel421]

going to say, the ones with LS come with the software every time. the non LS ones are a 50/50 toss up.

as far as them working, watch out for via chipsets that don't have the ability to incorporate the sata drives into the IDE selection (anything on socket A or A64 older than the K8T800)

 

[ForumMaster]

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Apps don't need to know what the drive interface is.

if only that were true. apprently, The Witcher (a game released a while ago), will only run from an IDE port. this is to prevent the virtual SCSI drives often used by programs such as DAEMON tools.

not that it helps in anyway, as you can emulate an IDE port but whatever.

 

[bka4u2c]

Originally posted by: ForumMaster

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Apps don't need to know what the drive interface is.

if only that were true. apprently, The Witcher (a game released a while ago), will only run from an IDE port. this is to prevent the virtual SCSI drives often used by programs such as DAEMON tools.

not that it helps in anyway, as you can emulate an IDE port but whatever.

I play The Witcher, and it installs and runs fine from both of my SATA DVD-RW drives. Not sure if that's what you meant by IDE only.

 

[zmaster]

sh s203d with lightscribe. works perfectly both with ls and normal cds/dvds

 

[ForumMaster]

Originally posted by: bka4u2c

Originally posted by: ForumMaster

Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Apps don't need to know what the drive interface is.

if only that were true. apprently, The Witcher (a game released a while ago), will only run from an IDE port. this is to prevent the virtual SCSI drives often used by programs such as DAEMON tools.

not that it helps in anyway, as you can emulate an IDE port but whatever.

I play The Witcher, and it installs and runs fine from both of my SATA DVD-RW drives. Not sure if that's what you meant by IDE only.

really? that's weird. i recall reading a thread here about someone who had a SATA dvd drive and had problems with Witcher. the alternative was to get a crack.