How to Buy a Portable DVD Burner

You'd like to burn DVDs on the road and you're considering the purchase of a portable DVD burner. DVD burners have come a long way in the last few years and you can now burn your video clips for that big presentation onto DVD quickly and easily. Here are the things to keep in mind when buying a portable DVD burner so you can create that presentation on the run.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine your portable DVD burning needs. If you're going to be using your laptop to make presentations, then it's going to be easier to burn DVDs with an internal or even an external portable DVD burner that works directly with your laptop.

2. Set a budget for your new portable DVD burner. Expect an external DVD burner for your laptop to range in price anywhere from 50 to 200 dollars and expect a portable DVD burner and player, which will most likely include a notebook or laptop computer, to start at around 1,200 dollars.

3. Look for a good name brand with a high consumer rating. Try shopping sites such as epinions.com to see which brands have the highest ratings. Sony's DRX-S50U Burner is fairly well rated and has a brand name you can trust.

4. Check compatibility with your system. Most of the external DVD burners have a USB connector so they're compatible with most systems that have a USB port. Keep in mind that if you're getting an integral DVD burner for your laptop, you need to get one that will plug into one of your drive ports. Check with the manufacturer for the specifics of what DVD burner will work with your system.

5. Shop around. Try searching for portable DVD burners on sites like eBay, Amazon and Shopbot to get the best price.

[ewilke]

on 2/18/2008 I have a DVR which allows you to transfer to VCR. I want to be able to transfer to DVD. I guess this means an external DVD? I don't know anything about what the specs mean--10X, speed, and so on, which would help me decide what to look for. I need suggestions on where to look for basic information.