We’ve examined the issue of DVD disc quality in a few recent posts. But did you know that the DVD burner you use is just as important as the actual DVD media? Just like DVD discs, DVD drives vary widely in quality. (This is especially true in 2011; the golden age of DVD drives peaked years ago.) You can buy a DVD burner now for $20–but does that mean you will get good burns out of it?

In 2011, the best DVD drives are currently those manufactured by Pioneer, Sony Optiarc, and Samsung. Pioneer, in particular, is a long-time favorite of media enthusiasts, largely because they used the well-regarded NEC chipset in their drives for many years. In 2009, Pioneer switched to the Mediatek chipset–a slightly lower-quality option–and began outsourcing their drive manufacturing. Nevertheless, even with the Mediatek chipset, Pioneer is still the most reliable, well-respected drive available.

Sony Optiarc, however, is arguably right on Pioneer’s heels. Sony still uses the NEC chipset in its Optiarc drives, which produce excellent burn quality. (However, be careful: Optiarc drives can sometimes be rebadged LiteOns, so do your research on the model number before purchasing.) And finally, Samsung drives have long been regarded as decent options as well. They use the Mediatek chipset, and can often be packaged under the Toshiba name as well as Samsung.

So what problems can you expect to encounter with a drive other than one of these? Most notably, you will find that a bad drive will fail to burn correctly on a regular basis. In addition, “bad” drives often fail when using well-rated DVD media, such as Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden discs. They seem to function better with crappy DVD discs, but don’t be fooled: you will run into more problems with these discs in terms of playback compatibility or longevity.

Two of the worst drives are Hitachi LG and Matsushita. LG drives almost always use either a Renesas or Panasonic chipset–neither one is recommended. There is reason why, if a drive is built into a bargain computer or laptop, it’s usually an LG! Matsushita drives are often found in laptops too, particularly in Macs. On a personal note, the Matsushita drive in my 15″ MacBook Pro no longer reads any discs, after little usage–so I would definitely second this assessment.

And one final note: avoid so-called “slimline” drives. These types of drives are generally slower than full-size drives, and have a higher failure rate, even when using good media.

If you want good burns, you need good media and a good drive. Both are important factors in DVD production. You can’t buy a Pioneer burner and use Memorex media and think you’re getting a high-quality burned disc. Alternately, you can’t purchase Taiyo Yuden discs and use them accurately by burning with a cheap LG drive. Do your research when purchasing your equipment and supplies, and you’ll never go wrong.