Now you can store almost 4 hours of video, hundreds of MP3 files, and gigs of original music, photos, or data, and burning your media will be faster and easier than before. The recorder also performs burns on rewritable media at 8x for DVD+RW and 6x for DVD-RW and up to 40x for CD-R and 24x for CD-RW. With the DVD "plus" format, you'll enjoy full compatibility with most DVD-Video players and DVD-ROM drives.

DVD+RW discs require no finalizing: you can record, eject, and play them with minimal fuss, thanks to "background formatting." This feature, which lowers total burning time, is an advantage over the "dash" formats. Other DVD+RW advantages include on-disc content editing and multisession writing. It's perfect for making your own DVD movies and transferring home videotapes to DVD.

The GSA-5163D's 2 MB buffer uses SuperLink buffer-underrun error protection to ensure accurate burns every time. Supplied software consists of Ahead's Nero Express (CD/DVD recording software), Nero BackItUp (back-up software), Ahead's InCD (UDF packet-writing software), Cyberlink PowerProducer Gold2 (DVD authoring tool), and Cyberlink PowerDVD (DVD playback software). Burn fast, burn right with the LG GSA-5163D.

What's in the Box
DVD drive, software CDs, a USB 2.0 cable, an IEEE 1394 (6-pin-to-4-pin) cable, a user's manual, an AC power adapter, and warranty information.

Customer Reviews Average rating - 4.5

Rating - 5 Date: 2006-03-24
Content: This drive is great, trouble free right out of the box, great performance, and totally compatible with OSX 10.4 and iLife.

Recomended for any mac user.
Summary: Trouble free and great performer for MacOS X

Rating - 4 Date: 2006-03-09
Content: Tech support for NERO is horrible but tech support for the actual product is great. It wouldn't work on my desktop but it works beautifully on my lap top. Go figure...
Summary: So far so good...

Rating - 5 Date: 2006-03-03
Content: I have to agree with all the reviewers who have praised the solidity and performance of this burner. The only reason I'm adding a review is that one person said it worked with a USB 1.1 port. I found the opposite -- it wouldn't work at all until I added a USB 2 port to both my systems (cost about $16 each) and after that it was fat and happy.

After about a month of ownership, swapping it back and forth between my Windows ME and Windows XP systems, I haven't encountered any problems either writing or reading. I can recommend this burner without reservation, and the price was certainly right.
Summary: Solid performer

Rating - 5 Date: 2006-03-01
Content: The speed is great and the software bundle is also useful. It also functions as a reader, but I have primarily used it as a writer.
Summary: Good DVD Writer

Rating - 5 Date: 2006-02-24
Content: The external CD burner worked perfect right out of the box. I've used it to burn music and video with great results. It's faster than my computers internal burner which is several year old and only burners music CD. One complaint, it ships with Nero software which is easy to use but it's not the full version of Nero. There are some functions I would like to use but would have to pay for the full version.
Summary: Great right out of the box