HP 640VI Lightscribe 16X Dual/Double DVD-RW

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Product Details

• Item Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007VNGO4
• Item model number: HP640VI
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,791 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 23, 2005

Product Description

From the Manufacturer
The HP640VIinternal DVD writer with double-layer recording capability and LightScribe direct disc labeling lets you preserve, edit and share up to 8.5 GB on one double-layer DVD and burn customized labels directly to LightScribe discs. It records double-layer DVDs at up to 2.4x and single-layer DVD DVD+R at up to 16x.

Features

• Dual-format drive writes to DVD +/- R/RW as well as CD-R/RW
• Full software suite included--edit video, organize photos, create slideshows, back up music and data, create personalized label designs, and more
• LightScribe is easy: just burn your CD or DVD, then flip the disc over and burn a label
• Use text, photos, and even pre-set designs, for beautiful results
• LightScribe labeling at Best setting doing a full label with graphics can take up to 36 minutes. In Draft mode doing a title only would be under 2 minutes.

Write Speeds:

• CD-R: up to 40x (CAV or P-CAV)
• CD-RW up to 24x (Z-CLV)
• DVD+R up to 16x (CAV)
• DVD+R DL 2.4x (CLV)
• DVD+RW up to 4x (CLV)
• DVD-R up to 8x (Z-CLV)
• DVD-RW up to to 4x (CLV)

How LightScribe Works
Thanks to LightScribe Technology those ragtag days of sloppy looking labels are over. Now you can create customized, professional-looking labels using the same laser that burns your data-right inside your CD/DVD drive. LightScribe technology is an integrated system that combines the CD or DVD drive of your LightScribe-enabled computer with specially coated discs and enhanced disc-burning software to produce precise, laser-etched labels. You can design and produce labels to express your creativity and personality! And there's no limit to how for you can go. With LightScribe, the disc itself becomes the label. This amazing technology is the no-hassle way to create elegant labels for all your CDs and DVDs. Simply burn your music mix, digital-video/photo archives, or business applications. Then flip the disc and burn your own unique label. It's as simple as that.

Product Description
Includes: full software suite, IDE cable, LightScribe CD-R media, installation screws, & more. HP 640VI Internal Double Layer Lightscribe DVD Writer - Up until now, inkjet labels and Sharpie markers have been the way many of us label our burned CD & DVD discs. But with Lightscribe technology, you can get closer to professional labeling than ever before. Using special Lightscribe-capable discs, this drives' laser actually etches images and text onto the label side of the CD. This drive also features writing capabilities to Double Layer DVD+R, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, & CD-R/RW media.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great drive, March 23, 2005

By	Madisonville Animal Hospital "Javaman" (Covington, La United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Especially for the money. Easy to install, great software bundle to boot. I simply love the drive. Now, a little skinny on the media. As of now (3-23-05) the dual layer DVD's are about 3-4 bucks a piece. They are convenient, but as of right now, you pay for that. The light scribe technology is also not free. Light scribe cd-r's, which you must use to get the light scribe to write a label, adds about .40 cents per cd-r. Does not sound like a lot, but buy a 100 cd-r's and this adds up!!! The technology is cool, it takes about 20 minutes and you have a really cool (greyscale) label imprinted on the cd. No labels, using sharpies etc. The speed of the drive is fantastic. 16X for a DVD is really flying as of now. You can't beat this drive, just don't get too excited about the technology it uses at this time, you pay for convenience. All that being said, the short falls of the drive are not the actual drive's fault, it will just take some time for the media to drop in price, and it will.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A speedy slow-poke, September 12, 2005

By	D. Schmidt (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased the drive because I was interested in the Lightscribe labeling capabilities but I found a more significant and useful feature was the much faster read times compared to the DVD-ROM drive that it replaced.

As for the Lightscribe features, printing is slow, the media is expensive and the label has low contrast text and graphics.

The lowest contrast (least legible) print setting for a simple two-line text label takes about 5 minutes to print. A high contrast (most legible) text and graphic label can take up to 30 minutes to print.

Based on various prices and brands, the Lightscribe feature adds about $0.50 per disk to the cost of media, both CD-R and DVD+R (there are no DVD-R's yet available).

The printable side of a Lightscribe disc is a dull bronze color. The text and graphics produced are darker shades of bronze depending on the print quality level selected. It never reaches a true black.

This labeling technology is still in its very early stages but has great promise.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Burner is Junk is and the HP support for this product is laughable!, August 20, 2005

By	Grant E. Krull "www.flexiblephotography.com" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is of the HP DVD640e (same as the i - only external) Bought the burner 4 days ago - and I loved it!!! Burnt 8 discs in row and was completely amazed at the lightscribe! (it is slow and could be better - but hey it's new!)....... AND THEN on the third day.... disc failure one after another and the error message so helpful (try another brand of disc, make sure the disc is clean, etc!) Are they kidding? I tried creating iso's and then burning that - I did the "C" firmware upgrade - I tried different software - I reinstalled software...... FINALLY I called HP, they have a special tel number for these burners - I was told to install the "B" firmware upgrade (I hadn't as it was a very involved upgrade and the description of what it was supposed to fix had nothing to do with my problem) I tried installing that version and IT WASN'T FOR MY BURNER!!!!
So I did a system restore back to the day the burner worked.... and it WORKED!!! - my joy was short lived... the third disk failed.....
Of course I called HP again - they told me the burner must be bad, I exchanged it last night and today.... FIRST BURN HUNG UP AND NEVER FINISHED!
So in conclusion - awesome technology - when it works. The software that comes with it is rather pitiful. And HP support STINKS!