Finding the right external DVD burner

WITH many of us now (or soon to be) a proud owner of a netbook, there´s a need to have an external optical drive.

The Buffalo Technology Slim (RM239) The LiteOn eSAU108 (RM214) The NU External DVD-RW (RM199) The LG GP08-LU10 (RM249) The Samsung Slim E SE-S084B (RM180)

Most people tend to choose a DVD burner or combo drive � an optical drive that can read and write CDs, VCDs and DVDs. This drive will come in handy whenever you want to install drivers for a new peripheral or load new applications. It also gives you the option to back up your data on disc or extract content such as movies, video clips, and photos not yet loaded into your netbook´s harddisk.

You can also play lightweight games on your netbook off a disc if you have an optical disc drive.

DVD burners today are slimmer and more stylish, with some that even match your netbook´s design.

Third-party models are plenty, and many support both Windows and Mac machines.

The easiest interface to work with would be USB 2.0, as most netbooks have at least two ports.

For netbooks that have a FireWire interface, you can opt for models that support this connectivity and free up your USB ports.

Of course, DVD burners that support both USB 2.0 and FireWire offer more options, but they are more expensive.

Typically, each DVD burner offers different speeds for reading, writing and rewriting discs. If you plan to use the drive to back up data such as downloaded movies, music, videos and photos, you can invest in a DVD burner that offers faster speeds.

Speed-wise, the current offering is 20X for write-once speed on a singlelayer DVD, and 8X for dual-layer DVD.

The rewrite speed for DVD-RW is 6X. Most of the time, slimmer external DVD burners tend to be slower, unlike their internal counterparts. But you gain on portability, which is important if you travel a lot.

While speed affects pricing, items such as bundled software can add value. Check the list of software that comes with the DVD burner. Go for those that offer easy-to-use video and image authoring tools, data backup utility, and capability to encode data for playback on a regular DVD player.

Software titles from Nero and Roxio are common inclusions. But there are models that pack in proprietary software that might need a bit of learning. So, it´s important that the tools suit your computing needs.

As you browse for a DVD burner, you will likely come across the term "LightScribe", which refers to a disc-etching technology licensed by Hewlett-Packard. DVD burners that support LightScribe let you creatively label each disc you create using text and images.

Check for warranty details and after-sales service before you settle on your purchase.

Also, make sure that you get the vendor to bundle in the necessary cables.