Hewlett-Packard's dvd840i Super Multi DVD writer can easily handle any format on the market this side of Blu-Ray and HD DVD. A recent price drop has lowered the MSRP to a reasonable $80, so if you need to burn to a wide variety of media, this Super Multi drive makes a lot of sense.

The dvd840i can burn DVD-R and DVD+R at speeds up to 16X, so a full DVD can be written in less than 7 minutes. The drive also offers swift rewriteable speeds, with 8X DVD+RW and 6X DVD-RW. In addition, it can read and write to DVD-RAM at 5X. This media can be rewritten up to 100,000 times, making it ideal for repeated scheduled backups.

The dvd840i also features Dual Layer (DL) compatibility. This media lets you store up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of high-quality video on a single disc. Burn speeds are 4X for DVD-R DL and up to 8X for DVD+R DL, so you can copy a full DVD+R DL disc in less than 20 minutes.

Since this is an HP DVD writer, it also includes the entertaining LightScribe technology, so you can burn professional-looking silkscreen-quality labels onto the upper surface of LightScribe-compatible CD and DVD. This special media is a bit more expensive than traditional blank discs and LightScribe currently supports only monochromatic labeling, but it's a great way to make those home-video DVD look impressive when you're giving them out as gifts.

HP packs an impressive software bundle with the dvd840i. In addition to HP burning software and LightScribe labeling software, the Nero software suite is included for editing video, creating slideshows and backing up your data. Installing the dvd840i does involve opening up your system and either replacing an existing drive or mounting the DVD writer in an open drive bay, so if you're not comfortable working inside your system, you may want to look at an external DVD writer.

The price for the dvd840i has dropped significantly, and we were able to find it for even less than HP's suggested retail price, so be sure to shop around. With excellent format compatibility and LightScribe technology, the dvd840i Super Multi is an excellent all-around DVD writer that lets you copy just about any optical media.


Pros: Broad format compatibility, LightScribe technology, good burn speeds
Cons: No blank media included, requires internal installation

Warranty
1 year, limited