Features of the LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe
Connectivity
The LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe has connectivity via both USB 2.0 and FireWire. The LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe also has a second FireWire port on the back of the housing.
LightScribe
LightScribe is one of the coolest features on the LaCie d2 DVD Burner. LightScribe allows you to burn your discs normally and once the data burn is complete, you can flip the disc over and burn the label as well on LightScribe media. You can burn text and images into the label that are interesting to look at.
Compatible Formats
The LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe can read and write to multiple formats. Burnable media formats for the LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe are DVD+RW & DVD-RW. The LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe can also burn to CD+RW, CD-RW and CDR. The DVD record speed is 16x.
Dimensions
The LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe is a full size drive enclosure at 6.3x 1.7x10.6 inches and it weighs 3.31 pounds.
Included Software
The LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe includes great software as well. Included applications are:
- LaCie LightScribe Labeler
- Easy Media Creator 7
- DVDMax Player
- Toast 6.0 Lite
- Easy CD & DVD Creator 6
- Sure Thing CD&DVD Labeler
LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe in Use
Set Up
Setting up the LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe was very easy and took just a few minutes. After choosing my connection method (FireWire) and plugging in the AC adapter I was ready to install the software. Software installation was quick and required a reboot to complete.
LightScribe
The LightScribe labeling is cool, but not as slick looking as a nice color printed label from my Epson RX700 printer. The labels printed with LightScribe on the LightScribe CD included with the LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe have a grey scale type image burned into them.
The finished product reminds me of lithography or etching in the soft finished image you end up with on the CD. The cool part about this type of label is that the image or text is imbedded into the surface of the disk so it can't smear, smudge or rip. The bad part about that is if you mess up your label, you have to start over from scratch with a new disk and loose your data.
I labeled a CD with a rather complex image of a car on a road and it took about 23 minutes at the best setting to label the CD. Comparatively, my Epson RX700 can print directly to the disk in full color in less than 5 minutes.
Movies, Games & Music
The LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe does a great job with movies, games and music. I noticed no difference in the speed of playback with any media type as compared to my PCs internal DVD drives. LightScribe is Windows XP, 2000 and Mac OS 10.3.9 compatible.
Summary
Overall, the LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe is as good in all ways as any internal CD or DVD drive I have used. It is fast, quiet and has the cool LightScribe feature. As a plus, if you are in need of a new DVD drive and don't want to have to open your computer up or pay someone to install a drive for you, the LaCie d2 DVD Burner with LightScribe is easy to install and simply requires you to plug it in. At an MSRP of around $130 you get a lot of bang for your buck with LightScribe, multi format CD and DVD burning and dual layer DVD burning.
