HP DVD 640i

HP's DVD 640i is one of the first drives on the market to incorporate the company's new 'Lightscribe' technology. Not only can it rewrite in both DVD plus and minus formats but, if you turn the disc upside down on the tray, it lets you burn monochrome labels directly onto compatible discs.

Lightscribe media has a special light-sensitive coating that changes colour when it comes into contact with a laser. The result is silk-screen-style labels of a very high standard, but complex designs can take around 20 minutes to burn. Simple text-only labels can be created in around five minutes.

This is a solid performer with the added bonus of Lightscribe, although it's not really suited to anyone who wants to burn labelled discs in bulk.