Group test: what's the best DVD drive?

5. Pioneer BDR-206MBK

• Reviewed on: 16 December 10
• RRP: £190 inc VAT
• Rating:

One of the difficulties of reviewing this Pioneer BDR-206MBK is that the prices are still very much in the air. At the time of writing, early adopters may be expected to pay around £190. We should expect this price to drop quickly (early prices in the USA have it at around the $150 mark), but it's clearly not going to be a cheap drive. It will be worth considering for those who need to write huge amounts of data for archival storage. For general Blu-ray use, though, the LG BH10LS30 looks likely to be very much cheaper and considerably faster for everyday burning.

4. Samsung BD-C8900

• Reviewed on: 19 January 11
• RRP: £426 inc. VAT
• Rating:

All in all, the Samsung BD-C8900 is an excellent 3D Blu-ray player with good PVR functionality. While a little on the steep side, it's one of the only ways to record 3D television - which is sure to appear more frequently in the future.

3. LG BH10LS30

• Reviewed on: 24 August 10
• RRP: £68.65 inc VAT
• Rating:

The LG BH10LS30 is a very serviceable product that, for a relatively modest £100, offers writing facilities that outstrip those of previously tested models.

2. Lite-On eNAU608

• Reviewed on: 1 February 11
• RRP: £43.09 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Lite-On eNAU608 is as versatile and handsome a portable DVD burner as you can find, but it's not the model to go for if high-speed performance is a must.

1. LG BX580

• Reviewed on: 7 December 10
• RRP: £175 inc VAT
• Rating:

The LG BX580 offers exceptional image quality, full multimedia capabilities and very good internet content.