This universal drive delivers four DVD formats in a single, slim device. By combining DVD+RW and DVD-RW formats, the LaCie Dual DVDå±RW Drive delivers greater creative versatility by eliminating the need to choose one format over another. This combination drive is also capable of writing to CD and DVD formats, which are compatible with nearly all existing DVD-Video players.Record professional-quality, personalized DVDs with your LaCie Dual DVDå±RW Drive and Roxio DVD Builder authoring software. Import video and audio footage from your DV camcorder, arrange your sequences, and burn projects onto DVD or CD-Video discs. Completed DVDs can then be played back on virtually any DVD player to share among family and friends.Offering the fastest DVD record speed on the market in a slim, aluminum design, the LaCie Dual DVD Drive features 8x record speeds in DVD-R and DVD+R formats.Back up valuable data, share photos, and archive MP3 libraries and MPEG-2 DVD video. With the ability to store digital data on CD or DVD media, the LaCie Dual DVD Drive allows you to burn up to 4.7GB or more than two hours of theater-quality video on large-capacity DVD general use discs.
1 You don't need another optical drive
When I bought this product several months ago, I set it up in five minutes and was burning DVDs in no time. Nowadays I don't burn DVDs as often, but it's still the fastest CD-RW drive I have and it plays DVDs and CDs. What more do you need?
I have it stacked on my Dell 4550 that came with a DVD-ROM and a CD-RW drive. I keep my two most played video games in those two drives and use my Lacie to do everything else. It's a great primary drive: installing programs, ripping CDs, burning any kind of disk (CD and DVD)...
I also want to mention that I've never had a malfunction of the drive (I just reviewed an external HD that sometimes was not recognized by my system), it's always provided top-notch performance, whether with my notebook or my desktop.
This is a five-star product all the way!
2 Good performance and value
I purchased this DVD ROM device to perform a specific primary task - as a back-up device for my laptops (I have three) - with some secondary needs, such as transferring some of my older VHS tapes to DVD. It meets all of these needs perfectly.
Set-up is easy, and the software that ships with it is perhaps not world-class, but does the job.
Installation and user documentation are clear and easy to follow; however, I have not needed to use the manufacturer's technical support, so I cannot comment on the quality of that.
Note - I purchased this device based more on price than features, so if you are looking for a full featured DVD ROM, or one with more sophisticated software, you may want to shop around and compare others on the market. If your needs are relatively simple, such as mine are, and want to burn data, music and video at an affordable price, this model is a solid buy.
