What Should I Consider When Buying a DVD Drive?
DVD drives are available in many different speeds with a variety of options and formats. The main factor to consider when purchasing a DVD drive is its purpose. Usually, a DVD drive is intended to play DVD movies and audio CDs, as well as to read DVD-Rom and CD-Rom discs. Consumers interested in obtaining a more advanced DVD drive will need to consider other options, such as burners, drives that support DVD-R technology, and drives that support DVD+R technology. The only difference between the two formats is the way the DVD drive determines the position of the laser on the disc. DVD-R discs are read by the DVD drive through special grooves on the disc known as land prepits, whereas DVD+R measures a disc’s wobble frequency. A consumer can also purchase a “dual-DVD” drive that supports both the DVD-R and DVD+R format, typically known as DVD±R. The DVD-R format, which was introduced by Pioneer in 1997, was the first to hit the market. The DVD-R is a write once, read only optical disc tha