Introduction
The optical drive is a common accessory in desktop computers. As the application of multimedia becomes more and more widespread, the optical drive has become a standard configuration among many accessories of desktop computers. At present, optical drives can be divided into CD-ROM drives, DVD-ROM drives (DVD-ROM), combo (COMBO) and burners.
Other types of optical drives
CD-ROM drives
Also known as compact disk read-only memory, it is a read-only optical storage medium. It was developed using the CD-DA (Digital Audio) format originally used for audio CDs.
DVD drive
is an optical drive that can read DVD discs, in addition to compatible DVD-ROM, DVD-VIDEO, DVD-R, CD-ROM and other common formats , CD-R/RW, CD-I, VIDEO-CD, CD-G, etc. must be well supported.
Burning optical drive
Includes CD-R, CD-RW and DVD burners, among which DVD burners are divided into DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD -RW (W stands for repeatedly erasable) and DVD-RAM. The appearance of the recorder is similar to that of an ordinary optical drive, except that the three speeds of writing, copying and reading are usually clearly marked on the front panel. 2. CD-ROM speed CD burning speed: CD burning speed refers to the maximum CD-R burning speed supported by the optical storage product. At present, the mainstream built-in CD-RW products in the market can achieve the maximum recording speed of 52 times. There are also some 40 times and 48 times speed products. In actual work, they are affected by the host performance and other factors. The difference in the burning speed of the three There is no great disparity. The 52x speed is basically close to the limit of the CD-RW burner, and it is difficult to improve it. The speed of products on the external CD-RW burner market is quite different. There are 8 times, 24 times, 40 times, 48 times and 52 times speeds, etc. The general size is small, and the burning speed of products that emphasize portability is generally higher. Low level. The relatively bulky external CD-RW burners basically maintain a higher burning speed, even the same as the built-in CD-RW burners.
Speed
DVD burning speed
Currently, the highest burning speed of DVD burners in the market can reach 22 times faster, and most products can only reach 16-20 times the recording speed, the data transfer per second is 2.76M～5.52MB (2~4X), it takes about 15-27 minutes to burn a 4.7GB DVD disc (2~4 times); However, it only takes 7 to 8 minutes to burn at 8x speed, which is only a bit slower than burning a CD-R. DVD burning speed and recording quality are the primary factors for buying a DVD burner. If you have sufficient funds, choose a DVD burner with high speed and better recording quality as much as possible. Some music enthusiasts will also use low speed (or even 2~4 times) for better recording effect.
CD reading speed
Maximum CD reading speed refers to the maximum optical drive speed that optical storage products can achieve when reading CD-ROM discs. Because it is for CD-ROM discs, the speed is rated at the double speed of CD-ROM, not the double speed of DVD-ROM. At present, the maximum CD reading speed that can be achieved by CD-ROM is 56 times; the speed of DVD-ROM reading CD-ROM is slightly lower. There are relatively few products that reach 52 times, most of which are 48 times; COMBO products are basically Both reached 52 times the speed.
DVD reading speed
Maximum DVD reading speed refers to the maximum optical drive speed that optical storage products can reach when reading DVD-ROM discs. The speed is defined in terms of DVD-ROM speed. At present, the maximum DVD reading speed that the DVD-ROM drive can reach is 16 times speed; the maximum DVD reading speed that DVD burners can reach is 12 times speed, I believe that 16 times speed products will be launched soon; currently in the mall COMBO The maximum DVD reading speed supported by the product is mainly 8x speed and 16x speed.
CD rewriting speed
CD rewriting speed refers to the speed at which a CD-RW disc is burned and data is stored on the disc when the recorder erases the data and burns new data. Maximum burning speed. Faster CD-RW burners can reach 32 times the speed when rewriting CD-RW discs. Although DVD burners also support the writability of CD-RW discs, the general CD rewriting speed is slightly lower than that of CD-RW burners. , Only individual products can achieve 32 times the speed of replication. COMBO products also perform well in CD-RW reproduction. The products on the market can basically reach the level of 24 times speed, and some products have reached 32 times speed.
DVD rewriting speed
DVD rewriting speed means that the DVD burner burns the DVD burning disc of the corresponding specification, and when there is data stored on the disc, the data is erased and burned The maximum burning speed of new data. At present, the maximum DVD rewriting speed that can be achieved by DVD burners of various standards is 4 times the speed, which is about 5.4MB/s per second.
The purchase of COMBO optical drive
< p>Since COMBO integrates DVD, CDRW and other functions into an optical drive, it is obvious that its biggest feature lies in the high integration of functions, which not only frees up the originally narrow chassis space, saves motherboard interfaces, and reduces Power consumption, so that the use and maintenance costs are greatly reduced, which will greatly reduce the user's total cost of ownership (TCO), and can maximize the cost-effectiveness of the product.In addition, COMBO can easily realize automatic conversion between different functions. The new bald technology enables COMBO to automatically identify and process CD, DVD and CD-RW media. Users do not need to determine and set in advance. As long as the corresponding CD is inserted, COMBO can automatically enter the CD-ROM or DVD playback state, or call the corresponding software to burn conveniently, making it easier for users to use. Especially for consumers with elderly or children at home, the use of an integrated combo drive can be convenient for primary users to use the drive conveniently, instead of special memorizing DVDs to be placed in DVD-ROM, and CDRW discs to be placed in the recorder This kind of user-friendly interface is very important for users today when the PC home appliance trend is getting faster and the proportion of primary consumers is increasing.
As I said to you above, the combo drive is actually no different from ordinary DVD, CD, CDRW, that is, the functions of the three are integrated. Therefore, the purchase of combo optical drives is not much different from the purchase of ordinary optical and magnetic products, but everyone should pay attention to the following aspects.
SCSI, IDE, and USB three interfaces are more common in the current recorder market. The COMBO optical drives are basically built-in, and use the IDE interface. Generally, they are dedicated combo drives for desktop computers, but recently Samsung has introduced a 9.5mm DVD combo drive for notebooks. In fact, there is no need to worry about the interface method and whether to buy a combo optical drive. When buying a combo optical drive, you still need to be optimistic about its burning speed and cache size. This is not only the key to buying a burner, but also the key to buying a combo optical drive.
Choose COMBO or DVD-ROM or CD-RW
Today's computers are integrated as the beauty, which is why the integrated graphics and sound cards are in the middle and low-end of the motherboard market The biggest reason for motherboard sales. The IT market has gone from perceptual consumption to rational consumption. Home computers are no longer high-end decorations in the home. If they are enough, they have gradually penetrated into the minds of consumers. Consumers are no longer blindly pursuing high performance. Just imagine an ordinary home user. It is possible to burn 3-10 discs in a month. If you buy a CD-RW separately and spend most of the time in a "rest" state, you are talking about watching DVDs. A family watches DVDs on TV much more often than on computers. The emergence of Herbalife just happened to cater to the needs of these customers, which led to the rapid growth of the Herbalife market and also brought an impact to the CDRW and DVD markets. As for the DVD burner, due to the current high prices, it will not make a difference in a short period of time!
The first combo optical drive to land in the domestic market is Samsung combo. As some non-professional DIY users, it is a very cost-effective thing to equip a COMBO optical drive while reducing costs. Because a combo optical drive replaces DVD, CDROM and burner, and the price is not much more expensive than ordinary burner. But if you use it frequently, it is recommended that you buy professional recorders and DVDs.
The current domestic combo optical drive product line does not want to be like before, with a single product and fewer models. In addition to active old brands like Samsung, many new faces have emerged actively. Common COMBO optical drives in the market now include Taiwan Power, Philips, BenQ, Liteon, and LG. When Samsung launched its first combo, it did give many manufacturers a good idea.
Usually the promotion of new products goes through a process, but Combo is quite different. It can be said that the Combo market was created by a Samsung company. In 2002, Samsung began to promote Combo on a large scale, and the new concept of being able to read and record DVDs quickly penetrated into the hearts of users. Of course, without the "temptation" of price, savvy users will only watch the excitement on the sidelines. So there was a "trial", first 599 yuan, then 499 yuan, constantly approaching the price of DVD-ROM and CD-RW. Users who can no longer withstand the "temptation" start to act, and efficiency and convenience are important reasons for them to choose Combo.
However, there are also some users who laughed at Combo. They think that the single performance of Combo is not as good as that of independent products. The users who like Combo think that Combo is easy to use and highly integrated. They in turn think that it is more troublesome to use DVD-ROM and CD-RW together. In this regard, we believe that each has its own needs. There is no wrong or right judgment between this, there are only needs and applications.