LG GGW-H20L 6x Blu-ray Drive With LightScribe

The most sensible way to get into Blu-Ray, even just for watching movies

Strengths: Very attractive front panel and solid/firm tray performance. Excellent value with bonus features such as HD-DVD reading capability.

Weakness: Thin plastic film, not apparently for removal, reduces appeal of front panel. Also, bundled PowerDVD software is crippled for two-channel audio playback only, with limited (and pricey) upgradeability.

This is a great choice for maximum versatility when you want to get into Blu-Ray. Currently there are hardly any Blu-Ray players on the market that are compatible with the Profile 2.0 specification for the Blu-Ray format, and at that there are constantly evolving problems of compatibility with movie releases. Getting a Blu-Ray drive rather than a standalone player is a very sensible choice, as...
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This is a great choice for maximum versatility when you want to get into Blu-Ray. Currently there are hardly any Blu-Ray players on the market that are compatible with the Profile 2.0 specification for the Blu-Ray format, and at that there are constantly evolving problems of compatibility with movie releases. Getting a Blu-Ray drive rather than a standalone player is a very sensible choice, as long as you can connect your computer to your HDTV. Using PowerDVD, you can get Profile 2.0 compatibility and the ease of easy software updates as they happen. So, having settled on a Blu-Ray drive instead of a standalone player, you then have to decide on whether to add burning capability. Simply put, the format war is over, and eventually you will want the ability to burn Blu-Ray discs just as you have the ability now to burn DVDs. Why wait? The price point of this product is so close to a read-only drive, and so far below a standalone player anyway, that you can justify getting a Blu-Ray burner today. Add to that the bonus of having HD-DVD compatibility, and you can get clearanced HD-DVDs with the same video quality as Blu-Ray releases. No other drive on the market combines Blu-Ray writing capability with HD-DVD reading capability. This purchase was a no-brainer for me, and after several months of steady use, it has not failed me at all. Highly recommended.

By H Paul - May 30, 2008

GGW-H20L Black Dual Layer BD-RE/HD DVD-ROM Writer

Strengths: Cool design, compability with all DVD formats, fast speed of recording and reading, price

Weakness: Incompability with some video cards, getting cheaper very quickly

This drive is awesome. It can read all possible DVD formats and it may record most of them as well. This is a new generation of affordable internal DVD recorders. I had difficulties watching HD DVD movie because my video card did not support HD DVD format but after downloading some utility (SlySoft AnyDVD) the problem was solved. I highly recommend this particular drive for any self-built PC.

By zipmale - Mar 5, 2008

LG Covers Both Sides of the Hi Def DVD Format War

Strengths: This will play all of your standard and high def dvds. Also burns regular dvds and blu ray.

Weakness: This doesn't burn HD DVD format. included PowerDVD software doesn't output DD or DTS 5.1 -- you need to get PowerDVD Ultra retail or downloaded

This is a great drive if you're looking to build a HTPC and have both bluray and HDDVD disks that you want to play. Even though bluray won the war, hddvd movies are still available and are really cheap so you can load up on HDDVD movies now and still have the flexibility to playback bluray disks in the future. This is a SATA drive so make sure you've got the right type of connections on your...
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This is a great drive if you're looking to build a HTPC and have both bluray and HDDVD disks that you want to play. Even though bluray won the war, hddvd movies are still available and are really cheap so you can load up on HDDVD movies now and still have the flexibility to playback bluray disks in the future. This is a SATA drive so make sure you've got the right type of connections on your motherboard

By rambocat888 - Apr 14, 2008

LG Bluray Writer

Strengths: Versatility, Easy to use

Weakness: HD DVD ROM function-abandoned format

I installed this drive in my media center with an HDMI output. This is a device capable of writing Bluray-R and RW discs, both single and double layered ones. Also works equally fine with standard DVDs. It was easy to install and came with a great software. It is also capable of reading HD-DVDs but that format is obsolete now. This relatively newer technology appears to be the future of high...
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I installed this drive in my media center with an HDMI output. This is a device capable of writing Bluray-R and RW discs, both single and double layered ones. Also works equally fine with standard DVDs. It was easy to install and came with a great software. It is also capable of reading HD-DVDs but that format is obsolete now. This relatively newer technology appears to be the future of high definition video.

By HPALS - Feb 24, 2008

LG Electronics GGW-H20L Black Dual Layer BD-RE/HD DVD-ROM Writer

Strengths: Excellent product,Nice design, fast speed of recording and reading.Read Blu-ray and HD-DVD.

Weakness: Not yet

It's very clear to watch on TV (LCD Toshiba 32 inch) but it's 720p not super clear that I expected.That's OK. The drive is fast and reads every disk I've put in it. Burns standard CDs and DVDs too. I'm very pleased.
The LG warranty is 1 limited parts and labor.

By AXT - Apr 15, 2008