islandalex's Full Review: Sony DRX-530UL DVD±RW Burner
I had never actually thought about buying an External DVD writer. Then one day, my prized possession, my Toshiba Laptop, refused to read my CD’s and DVD’s. What followed was mass panic. It was no longer under warranty! It would have cost me about $600 to replace the CD-RW / DVD drive, so I decided instead to upgrade to a DVD writer.
Upgrading was no easy task. Living on a rock, I had to do all my researching online. My laptop was dated, and only has 2 USB 1.1 ports and one 4-pin Firewire. My desktop was even older, although it had plenty of USB 1.1 ports, and no Firewire. Also, buying blank disks can sometimes be a nightmare, and only one format will be in stock for weeks.
So, I needed a USB 1.1 and Firewire compatible DVD/CD burner that could handle all different types of media.
Along came the Sony DVD +/- RW burner
The Packaging
The Burner came securely packaged in a box that was clearly sturdy enough for the long trip. The box was larger than I had expected, and the jitters started. However, I soon found that most of the space was taken up with the supplied cables, and the packaging.
It came with everything necessary, and more. As it is USB and Firewire compatible it comes with a USB cable, a 6-pin to 6-pin Firewire cable, and a 6-pin to 4-pin Firewire cable. The power adaptor is compact (Less than 2” x 4” x 1”), and can handle 100v-240v, and 50-60 Hz. Wonderful, it can be used practically anywhere. It came with a US standard plug, but is interchangeable with other types. (You can unplug the plug from the adaptor)
The back of the burner has one USB port, and 2 Firewire Ports. There is also a handy On/Off switch. (Although it is a bit hard to reach in the back!) I thought it was a bit strange that there were so many ports, but it made life easier while switching between machines.
The burner was small for its time, and had sturdy rubber feet which wrap all around the sides so that you can use it vertically or horizontally.
I chose the 6-4 Firewire cable, plugged everything in, and switched it on, and booted up my computer! (All while holding my breath!)
The Installation
I was a bit worried that I would not be able to use it at all, as my laptop’s CD drive was faulty. However, the computer found the new device immediately, and started installing the drivers automatically. Wonderful, as it meant I could load the software suite from the external drive. As I am a bit of a wimp, I loaded the whole software suite. I have since discovered, on other computers, that you don’t really need a single one of the programs. The drive just works!
The Software
The DVD Burner came with Sony MyDVD 5, and Sonic RecordNow! 6.7.0. It also came with software to use the Burner as an External Hard Drive. The documentation supplied suggests using RecordNow! for regular Data or Music burning tasks, and the MyDVD for creating DVD’s which can play on standard DVD players.
I have only used MyDVD a few times, so pass some Home Videos on to friends. It has a very easy to use interface that allows you to set up custom menus. However, as it changed the format of the file, it can only hold 120 minutes of Video. The files that I put on 1 Data disk took 5 DVD format DVDs.
RecordNow! is very easy to use, with a setup similar to other burning programs. It takes you through each project step by step, and prompts you to change any file names that wont be compatible on all systems. Picture and music data disks do play in my MP3 compatible home DVD player.
Both the software and the burner prevent making illegal copies of music and DVDs. It seems a bit controling, but today it seems like anything goes. Unlike some other software, this Burner has never prevented me from burning somethign that I have a right to.
The Performance
It is very easy to use the DVD burner for a variety of tasks. It burns CDs in under 10 minutes, and Data DVDs in about 15. It takes a bit longer for Video DVDs, normally finishing in just under half an hour.
Video playback is nice and smooth. And it also installs programs successfully most of the time (The whole Adobe Creative Suite installed without a hitch). The only thing it does not do well on is run games that require the disk to play. SimCity refuses to start unless the disk is in my computers internal CD drive.
This is all through my Firewire 4-pin connection. I have been told that it would be even faster through USB2 or 6-pin Firewire.
It is not very loud. The initial spin can be heard, and it is also audible while burning. Just enough to remain confident that it is doing its job, but not enough to overpower your music. (Even my Laptop fan is louder!)
Neither the Burner nor the Power Adaptor gets excessively hot. It also made no objections with the transition from the US to the UK, and works with either power supply.
I have only had a few Burn Tasks that have not completed successfully, normally due to me trying to overwork my computer, rather than the Burner giving up. It is nothing like the old burners which practically ate CDs!
The Durability
The Burner, now two years old, has traveled across two oceans and still works well. The rubber feet have not followed the history of many other devices, and still remain firmly attached.
It still operates smoothly, without any excessive noise, and the disk tray slides in and out with out any jumps or funny noises.
I have had one DVD go corrupt, and no longer read. However, it was one that had traveled a lot with me, been used a lot, and had not been treated with the utmost respect.
Overall
While I know that my DVD burner is no longer the latest and greatest, I have absolutely no desire to upgrade. It works fast enough for me, and is still small enough to fit on my desk.
I make all my backups on DVD, so that I have no disappointment if my computer ever decides to give it all up and die. It is an easy and cheap way to make backups, especially when I want to make multiple copies. I cant imagine loosing my computer, and loosing all my pictures from over the years!
It is hot swappable, so I can change it from computer to computer without shutting down, and it is just small enough to make this a viable reality.
If you want a fast DVD and CD burner that is cheap and reliable, then this is the one for you!
The rest of my setup:
Home:
Toshiba Satellite 17” Gateway Monitor
HP DeskJet 5550
HP DeskJet 1280 A3 Printer
ZiO! USB Card Reader
Freecom Classic SL 250 GB External Hard Drive
Zonet 4 Port USB2 Hub
D-Link AirPlus Wireless PCMCIA Adaptor
ASUS 802.11g Wireless Router
Sonys award-winning Dual RW drives, which started shipping a year ago this month, were the PC industrys first combination drives to support the DVD+RW...More at eBay
Records on DVD+RW/+R and DVD-RW/R media and standard CD-R/RW discs so you can choose the right disc for the task at hand Sonic Solutions MyDVD Video/V...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.