HP's innovative DVD Movie Writer dc3000 offers an easy route from VHS to DVD, and it's a decent burner to boot.

The TDK 440N Indi DVD is a competent multimode drive that's best for burning movies. Those seeking superior overall performance and a bit more polish should turn to the Sony DRU-500AX.

The competitively priced PX-504A offers cutting-edge speed and excellent compatibility with a variety of media formats.

HP's replacement for the DVD200i is solid, if uninspiring. You get decent performance and features and superior support for a darn good price.

With its easy setup, fast write speeds, and good software package, the DVDRW228 is a good buy for movie mavens.

Although it's fast, this drive's quirky software bundle is a liability. For now, pick the HP DVD200i.

Though the compatibility of DVD+Rs with other hardware is still unproven, the DVD200i is a fast all-in-one optical drive and excellent for both backing up your system and for mastering DVDs.

The Philips DVDRW208 creates video discs that will play on many DVD players. The drive can burn CD-Rs and CD-RWs as well, but because it lacks the newer DVD+R capability, its days are numbered.

While it has some flaws, the Sony DRU110A/C1 is a good value given its newer technology, and it's a fine choice for families or budding video-editing enthusiasts. But it has some stiff competition from the HP DVD-Writer DVD100i.

The DVD100i is an excellent, speedy drive for backup or for authoring DVD movies that will work in newer players. However, it can't match a DVD-R drive for compatibility with older drives and players.