LaCie (300920) 16x DBL lyr d2 DVDRW USB & FW
1 Mixed feelings ...
When you get it working, the drive is fine. It does what it is supposed to do. However, the way to get it working is not so smooth. It comes with 2 CDs and a lot of software and the installation process is confusing, but doable. The case is really heavy. Probably it's supposed to attract big truck/SUV buyers or something. It's actually not a bad thing, just unusual. So if you are not afraid of technology, the drive is ok. But if you need something really hassle free, maybe you should try some other one.
2 This drive does not perform as expected
I bought this drive to use on both PC and Mac, and paid extra for double layer and lightscribe capabilities. After fiddling with it for 2 days, I am returning it. It is as slow as my old DVD writer (internal) at copying movies from my hard drive (appears to be 1x). The tech support is lousy (not toll-free, and busy all the time), the enclosed software difficult to use, and all in all I am extremely disappointed. I am a computer trainer by profession, so I figure if I can't use it, a lot of other people won't be able to either. Don't bother unless you want to beat your head against a wall all night trying to get it to work.
3 A reliable solid performer from LaCie
One of the finest electronic device made and a must have for laptop owners. Not very portable, but is a faster option then an internal DVD-r for a laptop. LaCie is really giving you a lot for this quality DVD-burner. I have burn over 30 DVDs since August 2004 for backing up files, making home movies and there haven't been any problems yet.
The software that comes with this burner is for Mac and PC. I use the PC's software, which include Roxio's Easy Media 7.0; that can burn movie, CD and DVD, and do some simple editing. Converting a file to a video on a slow laptop is kind of long though. There is a DVD player software included also, but there are a dime a dozen out there. I burned at 16X, 8X, 4X speed on DVD-R and DVD+R on Sony, Verbatim, Memorex, Fuji, TDK media and they all work fine. This drive is one of the faster external DVD-r options available. I have yet to use the expensive Double Layer DVD media option.
The drive has a nice metallic silver exterior that is very robust and sturdy, with a blue ON/OFF button, connection to a firewire or USB2 output. I have a Dell 8200 PIV laptop with 1gigs of ram, with an 80gigs external firewire hard-drive that connect straight to the external D2 burner. It is somewhat smooth and quiet NEC's drive. Hopefully it will last a long time.
LaCie is a French company that is trying to break into the America's market with a balance of great quality components at a reasonable price.
