How to Build Your Own PC - Save A Buck And Learn A Lot  9  Chapter 12: Home Video -- “So, You Want to Be the Next Steven Spielberg?”

Installing Internal and External Drives 1 Video Input: FireWire 1394 versus USB 2.0

After choosing a format, it’s important to look at the software that comes with the DVD drive. For example, Digital Research has an Internal DVD+RW drive that comes with Pinnacle Instant CD, Pinnacle Studio 8, and WinDVD. Pinnacle Studio 8 is a superior program for digital video editing. You might pay quite a bit for a stand alone version of Studio 8. So, if your goal is to produce videos, you might want to select a DVD burner that comes with quality video production software. That can save you some money.

The HP DVD300I comes with ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD, Veritas RecordNow and DLA and Simple Backup. That bundle of software probably isn’t as great.

Verbatim DVD burners come with Nero Express, Vision Express, InCD, Sonic MyDVD, and WinDVD.

Typically, the software included with a DVD burner will include software for watching DVD movies (WinDVD), software for creating and editing videos (Studio 8 or ArcSoft), and software for using your DVD burner as a backup device (InCD or Nero Express). Windows Media Player will also play DVD movies.

Installing Internal and External Drives 1 Video Input: FireWire 1394 versus USB 2.0