Computer Times
June 2006

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Review by Angie Kibiloski

The EZ-DUB DVD External DVD±RW Drive (Retail around $100), from Lite-On, is a great little DVD burner for all of your burning needs. Easy to use, multi-functional, fast, and attractive...what more could you ask for in a DVD drive? With a such a reasonable price, the EZ-DUB can't miss.

The EZ-DUB is a USB 2.0 drive, that is extremely easy to hook up. Just plug in the power and the USB cable, and off you go. If you have Windows XP, you don't even need to install a driver. It is so simple to operate. In addition to being a DVD burner, the drive also has standard CD/DVD play back capabilities, and allows you to burn to CD as well as DVD. Of course it depends on the type of files you are burning, and the amount of space on the disc you are using, but the burning process should last about 30 minutes, give or take. Its smaller size and attractive design gives you the option to leave it plugged into your system full time without it looking like an after thought.

There are several ways that the EZ-DUB allows you to burn your information to disc. The first two options use the built in EZ-DUB software. The simplest and quickest option is to use the DUB function. This is for when you want to directly copy a source disc to a blank DVD. You can either place the source disc into a separate drive to read and the new disk into the EZ-DUB to burn simultaneously, or you can copy the original with the EZ-DUB, replace it with the blank disc, and then burn with the EZ-DUB. The second option is recommended to avoid any possible glitches in the final product. The second burning option is done using the FILE choice on the EZ-DUB. Using this method, you can choose files that are on your hard drive to burn to DVD. The built in software uses a very easy drag and drop system to create your burning menu. You can burn music, video, data, or photos.

The final option allows you to utilize other choices of software that are compatible with USB 2.0 drives. For instance, if you want to burn some home movies to DVD, you can use a video editing and authoring package. I suggest Newsoft's Presto! DVD Power Suite 2.0 as a fine and comprehensive option for such purposes. When you are finished creating your video project in your favorite editing suite, you can simply choose your EZ-DUB as the drive you wish to burn to, and off you go.

With all of these ways to use the Lite-On EZ-DUB External DVD±RW Drive, there is no reason not to add one to your computer system. Having the EZ-DUB in your life will finally provide you with a fast and easy way to burn all of your information to disc. Nicely priced for immediate take home, this attractive, functional, and user friendly product is a perfect choice for any consumer.

• CPU: Pentium III 450 MHz or higher (Pentium III 800 MHz is recommended)
• OS: Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
• Memory: 128 MB RAM or higher (256 MB RAM recommended)
• Hard Drive: 650 MB available capacity; 9GB free HDD space or higher for creating a DVD image file

• External DVD-Dual drive, supports DVD+R / DVD+R9 / DVD+RW / DVD-R / DVD-RW / DVD-ROM / CD-R / CD-RW / CD-ROM format
• Supported Double Layer Function
• Portable design, using USB 2.0 connection to ensure the best performance
• Plug & Play, and emergency manual eject function is embedded
• SMART-BURN avoiding Buffer Under Run Error, Automatically adjusting writing strategy & running OPC to provide the best burning quality
• SMART-X function adjusts CD-DA / VCD / DVD data extraction to a fastest allowable speed according to both data request rate from host and disk quality
• DVD read compliant : DVD single / dual layer ( PTP / OTP ), DVD-R ( 3.9 GB / 4.7 GB ), DVD-R multi-borders, DVD+R / DVD+R9 Single / multi-sessions, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW
• CD read compliant : CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM / XA, Photo-CD, Multi-session, Karaoke-CD, Video-CD, CD-I FMV, CD Extra, CD Plus, CD-R, and CD-RW
• Support both 8 cm and 12 cm disc of CD and DVD family

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