My advice to someone buying a DVD burner for the first time: Read the forums over at
dvdrhelp.com to see what brands are given the most credibility by users. In my experience, LiteOn/Optorite/Sony/Pioneer are the more dependable brands. I'm currently using the Lite-On 851s and Lite-On 811s (w/ updated firmware) and the results have been great. I would like to add that if you choose to go with the Sony/Pioneer over the LiteOn/Optorite, you might be paying a little more for the same features. You get the point. Good luck.