Item: Samsung SE-S184 18x USB DVD burner - world exclusive
Author: Bob Crabtree

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Samsung SE-S184 - at a glance

Pros

* Great value for money - even though the internal version on which it's based is better value still
* Lets you write to virtually every type of CD and DVD media (except, of course, new-gen, high-def discs)
* USB connectivity makes physical installation a doddle but we'd have preferred to have a FireWire port, too
* Runs quietly while reading and writing - and even the drawer action is smooth and quiet
* Smart looking and practical design
* Didn't suffer a single bad burn throughout our many tests
* Supplied Nero Windows OEM software suite covers virtually ever conceivable option and is easy to use
* The burner also seemed to work happily with Roxio Easy Media Creator 9 suite on another install of XP (once we'd turned on autoplay for optical drives)
* Fast writing and reading - but, like other burners, not anything like as fast as the headline claims
* LightScribe for direct-to-disc label creation (but it's slooow and still only monochrome)
* Automatic firmware updating

Cons

* Silly software-installation front-end that might also scare novices
* Writing and reading speeds not as fast as claimed - but the same is true with other burners
* Said to be Windows-only (though we reckon you'd be able to use it with a Mac and the latest Roxio Toast software)
* Nero BackItUp did not instill us with confidence - we'd recommend biting the bullet and buying dedicated backup software
* Nero download site for software updates likely to leave users of the OEM suite confused

We'll be sorry to see the Samsung go back even though we did identify a few little niggles. This is a burner we'd be happy to live with and think that the same will be true for anyone who buys it.

In combination with the supplied software, the SE-S184 does virtually everything we want from a burner and, with very few exceptions, does everything very well. The fact that the Samsung is a good-looker and quiet in use only endeared it to us more, as did the price.

You can buy it from one of the online resellers that we most trust - SCAN Computers - for a pocket-money price of just £39 and that includes VAT and the Nero suite.

Better, if you are a HEXUS.community regular, it also includes delivery when you buy from SCAN. But, being tight-wads, we'd still point out that the internal variant is better value still, being pitched at a stupidly affordable £21 all up.

A lot of time and effort went into testing the Samsung's writing and reading speeds but even though our tests show that the unit doesn't come close to its claimed speeds, this did not surprise or disappoint us.

Claimed headline speeds for all burners are misleading - largely because the read and write strategies used do not guarantee top performance right across the surface of discs, only towards the outside. We don't like this situation and if you hadn't realised this is the case, then welcome to the real world!

On the plus side (though you might say it's a shortcoming of burners), you also need to know that when we carry out burns for ourselves, rather than for testing purposes, we choose to use speeds at the lower end of the range, not the higher end.

This is to ensure that the final burn is good - especially when creating Video DVDs. We don't produce dozens and dozens of discs so whether or not the burn takes a little while longer really isn't of any consequence.

We struggle to see who wouldn't be left impressed by the Samsung, the more so when realising just how inexpensive it is.

Our preference for external burners - being tight-wads - is a DIY solution, pairing an E-IDE internal burner with the flexibility of our own USB/FireWire case. When we upgrade, all we buy is the new internal burner, and so don't pay a premium for a burner in an external case.

But, though the differential between SE-S184 and the internal variant is large in percentage terms, no one could possibly convince us that £39 isn't a price worth paying for all the features and functionality that the SE-S184 provides.

The bottom line? If you want a burn-everything DVD writer, you'll find that the external Samsung version is likely to do whatever you need - with the same being true for the internal version on which it's based. Which one you choose will depend less on the price differential and rather more how you plan to use the burner.

Go on, treat yourself, you know you deserve it!

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HEXUS Awards

Thoughts or questions about the Samsung SE-S184? Let us know over in this thread in the HEXUS.community.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any of Samsung's representatives choose to do so, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

Update - Jan 17, 2007

Now that we know the price of the SE-S184 and that it's actually available, we've made various changes on pages 1, 2 and 13 to reflect those facts, including the addition of a Good Value award.

HEXUS Forums :: 3 Comments

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Posted by Bob Crabtree - Wed 10 Jan 2007 14:16

Blimey, that review caused some controversy!

Will you all just calm down!

Cough!

:crazy:

Posted by conor.co.uk - Sun 29 Jul 2007 02:20

Hi,

you say its compatible with windows, that does include vista doesnt it?
just to make sure

regards,

conor.

Posted by Bob Crabtree - Thu 02 Aug 2007 19:08

Conor,

Though I'm seriously unimpressed with Vista in it's present state - it's work in progress as far as I am concerned - I can't conceive of a reason why any modern DVD burner wouldn't work under Vista (nor an old one, actually).

The key thing, of course, is whether the supplied DVD-burning software is compatible with Vista - unless you're intending to use some other package.

Assuming that the product still comes with the Nero suite, you're starting point for checking Vista-compatibility is here:
http://www.nero.com/nero6/enu/Support.html