DVD Drives With Dual Function

Two vendors that have a strong play in this niche are Sony and Plextor with their DRX-810UL and PX-740UF DVDR/RW drives, respectively.

Both external optical drives contain similar technology and feature 4X DVD-R DL, 16X DVDR, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 48X CD-R and 32X CD-RW recording.

Incorporating the new DVD+R9 double-layer format into the device allows for storing almost twice as much data (8.5 Gbytes) on a single side of a disc, which puts the device higher on the food chain when it comes to viable backup solutions.

The two drives are almost identical and incorporate a dual interface that supports both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and full-speed compliant IEEE-1394 FireWire. Both drives include a Nero 6 software package suite for burning and backing up critical data. The software is very easy to use and incorporates well with all Windows and Macintosh environments.

Another marketable option for these external recordable drives is bundling them with ultra-portable mini notebooks that lack an optical drive. A major (and common) problem end users discover after they purchase their ultra small notebooks sans optical drive is they do not have a method to watch or burn DVDs, or know-how to add applications or certain peripherals to do so. Solution providers can offer the devices as an upgrade or a quick fix to their customers&' problem.

The Sony drive comes with a one-year warranty and is priced at $150. The Plextor is slightly higher at $179 and also comes with a one-year warranty.

PRODUCT SNAPSHOTS
> Name: DRX-810UL
> Company: Sony
San Jose, Calif.
(800) 352-7669
www.sony.com/dvdburners

> Name: PX-740UF
> Company: Plextor
Fremont, Calif.
(800) 886-3935
www.plextor.com