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For data backups, home movies, MP3 discs and more, DVD burning is heating up like a G3 trying to run Final Cut Pro. Drives such as the Sony DRX-710UL set a pace Apple's built-in SuperDrives don't yet match, including double layer (DL) DVD compatibility (2.4x speed), which supplies up to 8.5GB of capacity per disc, rather than the 4.7GB of a single-layer DVD. The Sony drive writes at 16x for DVD+R (SuperDrives are stuck at 8x). The 710UL also writes DVD-R (8x), DVD+/-RW (4x), CD-R (48x) and CD-RW (24x) media.
There are three connection options on the drive: 6-pin (full-size) FW400, 4-pin (mini) FW400 and USB 2.0; cables are included for the latter two. We successfully wrote to DVDs through all three ports (using the included Roxio Toast 6 Lite software), but on a few occasions, our iMac G5 could not read from a DVD with the 710UL connected to USB 2.0. We're not sure why two FW ports are included, but the 6-pin port naturally wrote faster (for example, a 4.26GB 16x DVD+R in 7:35 compared to 8:45). When pitted against the 8x SuperDrive of a G5 PowerMac, the 710UL burned 16x DVDs in about 40 percent less time (for example, a 1.2GB DVD in 3:05 compared to 5:00).
While we were very satisfied with the drive's speed, as Sony's first Mac-compatible DVD drive, the 710UL exhibited a few problems. Among these were its refusal to accept any of the Verbatim and Sony-branded DVD-R discs we tried to burn. (The same discs burned fine in the SuperDrive.) Also, there was a quirk where the drive would eject DVD+R and DVD+R DL discs as unreadable if we inserted them before opening disc-burning software. We had to initiate the job first and then insert the disc when prompted. Also, the inclusion of more hardware ports often increases a drive's cost, and the 710UL is listed at about $30 more than drives with comparable features. Unless there is a need for both FW ports, the 710UL is not the best choice for budget-conscious shoppers.
–MARKKUS ROVITO
DRX-710UL 16X DVD+-RW DOUBLE LAYER: 
Sony | www.sonystyle.com | $230
Pros: DVD+R Double Layer support, fast 16x burning of DVD+Rs, very swift CD burning, included Roxio Toast 6 Lite software, FW400 and USB 2.0 ports.
Cons: More expensive than comparable drives, rejected DVD-R discs, bug in accepting DVD+Rs.
Requires: OS 10.2 or higher, G3 or better, 256MB RAM, 200MB free hard disk space FW400 or USB 2.0 port
macHOME recommends: G4 or better, 10GB free hard disk space, a healthy stash of DVD+R 16x discs and DVD+R DL discs up.
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