TheJackal
07-13-2004, 10:12 PM
I recently purchased the HP dvd420i 8x DVD+/-RW, and I was plesantly suprised... In this review I will look at both the good, and the bad, both software and hardware wise, Lets get started:
The Bundle:
The drive comes with a nice sized bundle... You get the drive itself, an IDE cable, 4 screws, 2 blank DVDs, a quick installation poster, a Help and Support guide, and 2 CDs containing the following software: Arcsoft ShowBiz 2, Record Now, PowerDVD, MuVee AutoProducer DVD Edition, Sonic Simple Backup, and ArcSoft PhotoBase v4.5
The Good:
As you can see the software bundle is large, this doesn't neccesarily mean that its good, but we will talk about that in the next section. A couple of other nice things to see are 1) The Help and Support guide... This document contains all of the HP support numbers for the drive, as well as instructions on how to get support from HP. 2) The second nice feature is that included on the CD is a video tutorial on how to install the drive. Now Im sure that most people who are reading this, myself included, know how to install their drives, however it is a nice addition.
The Bad:
While there is a ton of included software, most of it, to put it quite simply, really sucks. A lot of the software looks like it was made with someone who has probably never touched a computer before in mind... This is the kind of software that I would expect to see bundled with an eMachine. Of course PowerDVD is good, and Sonic Simple Backup and Record now are OK (not great), but the rest is just junk, including the software that came from HP.
This is where HP really screwed up, The box, and the drive itself are correctly labeled as an HP dvd420i +-RW, however all of the manuals and software that is included, including all of the documentation on the HP website that claims to be for the dvd420i is in reality for the dvd420n +RW. Thus the included disc compatability programs from HP will not recognize -R or -RW media as HP never bothered to make an additonal disc. Compatability program for their 420i drives.
I would also have really liked to see an actual printed manual.
The Hardware:
The drive itself is really nice... There really isn't anything special about the drive itself, its a standard IDE device that comes standard with a black faceplate. I have no problems with the drive itself... It seems really solid, and it is quite quiet during operation.
Rating
7.5 out of 10
The Bundle:
The drive comes with a nice sized bundle... You get the drive itself, an IDE cable, 4 screws, 2 blank DVDs, a quick installation poster, a Help and Support guide, and 2 CDs containing the following software: Arcsoft ShowBiz 2, Record Now, PowerDVD, MuVee AutoProducer DVD Edition, Sonic Simple Backup, and ArcSoft PhotoBase v4.5
The Good:
As you can see the software bundle is large, this doesn't neccesarily mean that its good, but we will talk about that in the next section. A couple of other nice things to see are 1) The Help and Support guide... This document contains all of the HP support numbers for the drive, as well as instructions on how to get support from HP. 2) The second nice feature is that included on the CD is a video tutorial on how to install the drive. Now Im sure that most people who are reading this, myself included, know how to install their drives, however it is a nice addition.
The Bad:
While there is a ton of included software, most of it, to put it quite simply, really sucks. A lot of the software looks like it was made with someone who has probably never touched a computer before in mind... This is the kind of software that I would expect to see bundled with an eMachine. Of course PowerDVD is good, and Sonic Simple Backup and Record now are OK (not great), but the rest is just junk, including the software that came from HP.
This is where HP really screwed up, The box, and the drive itself are correctly labeled as an HP dvd420i +-RW, however all of the manuals and software that is included, including all of the documentation on the HP website that claims to be for the dvd420i is in reality for the dvd420n +RW. Thus the included disc compatability programs from HP will not recognize -R or -RW media as HP never bothered to make an additonal disc. Compatability program for their 420i drives.
I would also have really liked to see an actual printed manual.
The Hardware:
The drive itself is really nice... There really isn't anything special about the drive itself, its a standard IDE device that comes standard with a black faceplate. I have no problems with the drive itself... It seems really solid, and it is quite quiet during operation.
Rating
7.5 out of 10