The Plextor PX-716UF DVD Writer came with everything (Firewire cable, USB cable) we needed to hook it to a Mac or PC.  It also came with software from Roxio (Easy Media Creator-PC, Toast Lite-Mac) for DVD burning and Dantz (Retrospect) for backup.

Plextor also included a holder to allow the drive to be positioned vertically.  We have never used our drives this way, but we can see how it may be useful for some.

The PX-716UF can handle pretty much any media type on the market today (DVD+, DVD-, Dual Layer DVD, CD-R, CD-RW). 

The read/write speed of the supported formats:

- 16X DVD+R and 16X DVD-R Writing;

- 8X DVD+RW and 4X DVD-RW Rewriting;

- 16X max DVD-Reading;

- 4X DVD+R Double Layer;

- 48X CD-R Writing;

- 24X CD-RW Rewriting;

- 48X max CD-Reading;

The most exciting aspect of the Plextor PX-716UF is it will handle the new double layer DVD discs.  This means we'll be able to put over 8GB of data on a single disc.  That is more than 12 CD-R's worth of storage space!

Plextor has built in several different ways to connect this unit to the computer (IEEE 1394/Firewire, USB 2.0). 

There are a lot of different CD and DVD burning software available, but the one we used the most at RainyDayMagazine is Roxio Toast Titanium.  The presence of the Plextor drive was automatically detected by Toast. 

The software allows the user to select the burner they want to use via a popup menu.

Since Apple's iDVD software will only recognize the Mac's internal SuperDrive for DVD creation, in the FirstUse review we'll create the first DVD using iDVD.  We will then use Toast and the Plextor DVD burner to make multiple copies of the original.  Check back in mid-November... we should have the FirstUse results posted by then.

Most computers today come with an internal CD or DVD burner.  Many of them are useful for making CDs and backing up data.

We have been thinking about getting another DVD burner for a while now because we need to handle so many different formats.

In checking around, we found the Plextor PX-716UF to have all of the features and format-handling abilities we needed.

In this FirstLook review, we'll tell you about the basics of the unit.  In the FirstUse review, we'll use it with a variety of CD and DVD formats and compare Plextor's claims with real world times.

Reviews:

1. FirstLook

2. FirstUse

3. InTheWild

Review Summary:

Initial Impression- Dual layers!!!

Usability- Many ways to connect

Durability- Test in progress

Price- $240

Related Reviews:

1. Plextor ConvertXPVR

2. EyeTV Install

3. Recording Shows

4. Playback on a PDA