HP's DVD-Writer DVD200i could be the DVD-movie-burning solution of your dreams. A speedy, second- generation DVD+RW drive, all-in-one optical wonder and a backup drive par excellence.

HP's DVD-Writer DVD200i can now write to DVD+R recordable discs as well as older DVD+RW, CD-R, and CD-RW media. The new DVD+R media's compatibility with DVD-ROM drives and movie players also looks promising, although we're still testing a variety of discs to make sure.

Think inside the box
HP ships the AU$1,249 DVD200i, which is compatible with Windows 98 and later, with a healthy collection of documentation, software, and accessories. The paperwork includes a quick- start poster, a colorful software manual, and a troubleshooting guide. HP also packs an audio cable, an 80-pin IDE cable, and mounting screws, as well as one DVD+R and one DVD+RW disc in the box. The DVD200i is no more difficult to install than any internal drive; the process is daunting if you're afraid of opening your computer but otherwise straightforward. One minor gripe: the drive's emergency-eject hole can be accessed with only the smallest of paper clips--very frustrating if you don't have any handy.

The DVD200i's software bundle is necessarily copious to handle the myriad tasks the drive performs. The easy-to-use (but somewhat limited) RecordNow program lets you master data DVDs and CDs. DLA (Drive Letter Access) takes care of packet writing to both DVD+RW and CD-RW. For mastering movies, you can turn to Sonic Solutions MyDVD, while ArcSoft Showbiz takes care of advanced video editing. HP also includes Simple Backup to address your backup chores and CyberLink PowerDVD for DVD movie playback.

Greased lightning
In the majority of ZDNet Labs' performance tests, the DVD200i outpaced its rival, the Pioneer DVR-A04 DVD-RW drive, and its overall performance outpaced that of the Sony DRU120A DVD+RW drive. The 2.4X-rated DVD200i wrote a 383MB file to rewritable media more than twice as fast as the 1X-rated DVR-A04, and it tied with the Sony. However, the HP wrote a 500MB batch of small files only 45 seconds faster than the Pioneer and lagged behind the Sony by more than two minutes. The DVD200i picked up the pace when reading data, grabbing it off rewritable discs almost 4.5 times faster than the DVR-A04, though it was still a bit slower than the DRU120A. Where the DVD200i excelled was in movie mastering; it burned a movie file to DVD+R at nearly 3MB per second, 26 percent faster than the Sony and 36 percent faster than the Pioneer. Also, the DVD200i and the Sony can format DVD+RW media in the background without tapping system resources; in contrast, DVD-RW drives such as the Pioneer place that burden on the system CPU.

But performance is only one criterion for judging DVD recordable drives, especially if you plan to burn home-movie discs. A preburned DVD+R provided by HP worked in every player we tested it in, including some real antiques that wouldn't play DVD-Rs. This initial success is promising, but it's still early in the DVD+R game; we'll continue to test this disc and others we've burned ourselves in as many drives and players we can.

The most sensible choice
The DVD200i is an impressive performer and an excellent choice as a backup drive. Furthermore, DVD+R media may prove to be the most compatible DVD-recordable format. If you want or need a DVD burner today, a DVD+RW drive, such as the HP, is the sensible choice.

HP DVD200i
Company: Hewlett-Packard Australia
Price: AU$1,249
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 13 13 47

Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, a CBS Company. All Rights Reserved.
ZDNET is a registered service mark of CBS Interactive. ZDNET Logo is a service mark of CBS Interactive.