Not all computers came with a DVD burner years ago, but recently the new trend is to have a DVD burner in new computers, similar to cd-rom drives become standard hardware years and years ago. While a DVD burner is not exactly a most-used feature of the personal computer, more and more people are getting into making home movies and getting into illegally copying their DVDs. The first one is a completely legitimate use of the DVD burner in computers; the second use is fraudulent, but none the less becoming more and more common.
The Hardware
In past years, people who wanted to use a DVD burner with their computer added a DVD burner that connected by a USB port to the main hardware of the computer. This was a viable option and worked well as a first version of DVD burners. However, just like anything else in the computer world, eventually, the device should become an interior part of the computer. Now, a lot of computer DVD burners are built right in to the computer tower.
Is There A Difference?
Some folks continue to use the old USB-connected DVD burners because they work just fine, and really there s no hardware difference between an internal and an external DVD burner. On the other hand, having five external pieces of hardware connected to one s computer can clutter up a workstation pretty quickly. An internal computer DVD burner neatens up the computer work area and ensures that everything is always connected since an internal burner does not have to be connected to the computer via USB, it just is internal all the time. This reduces the chances of having a loose connection to the burner and having it work improperly or not at all.
A lot of new computers are now coming with a DVD burner inside the computer as a standard feature. A few years ago, having a CD burner became an almost standard feature on new computers, and now the pendulum is swinging even further into new technology being standard on a new computer.
DVD burners can be used for many things, everything from data disks (which hold more than a CD) to burning home movies and burning illegal copies of commercial DVDs. While some of these uses are more reputable than others, the market is rising all over for more and more DVD burners; controlling the usage is another story altogether.