I think I can now say with all honesty that Nero handles everything. I can just think of what will happen next, that they will also take care of...

Impressive. I wonder how it works, because the physical laser doesnt move.

It is no doubt an impressive feature. I would love to have nicely labeled CDs and DVDs, instead of having my chicken scratch writing on them in sharpie, but I visited their website (www.lightscribe.com), and the one downside is you have to use special lightscribe discs. I have not found any details as to how much the lightscribe media will cost either.

just checked out the web site. That is so cool. I thought It sould be text only or something, but that is awesome. Lightscribe was invented by HP, and no 'special discs' will be required. THe only thing I can think of is if HP requires there own reg. discs. Your laser chemcially changes the color of the disc, but since its a laser it can do it with persision (sp).

Never mind. You will need a Lightscribe burner, and Lightscribe media :-(.. RETARTED! http://www.lightscribe.com/faq.aspx

you sure you don't need special discs? This is a quote direcly from their FAQ section: What if I make a mistake and try to burn a label on a non-LightScribe disc; will non-LightScribe discs work in a LightScribe drive? Yes. The data side will work. But the software will not send a label image to a non-LightScribe disc, so no label will be burned if it is not a LightScribe disc. I also found this quote: LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling technology is now available in PCs, external USB optical DVD writers, labeling software, and a variety of brand name discs. So maybe not all CDRs can write, but there are no specific lightscribe ones. Who knows, there wasn't much detail about media.

Its $200 for a Lightscribe burner http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=187399&store=pcmall&source=pwbfroogle&adcampaign=email,pwbfroogle And 10 discs (CD-R) for $8 for discs (10% markup frm reg. discs) http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=317817&pfp=srch1

LightScribe is kind of like Dual-Layer. Soon it will be avaiable on all drives for $50. And their are special discs a la dual layer. It wont be exclusive to HP just like dual layer wasnt exclusive with Sony although they invented it.

did they invent it, or simply bring it to recordable media(im not trying to argue, i really dont know) does anyone know how fast it will work?... is it will it inscribe like different colors? or what

The quote makes it sound like you can just use your existing drive. Companies like to play word games. You can probably get cheaper media made by other manufacturers is what I think they mean by "a variety of brand name discs." I also wondered about color. It seems that it can only do black and white. They make it sound like black and white is just plain beautiful and astounding.

yeah, I was quite disappointed to learn you need a special drive. They definately gave the perception that you can use any regular drive, and you need special media. It only does grayscale, no color.

I first noticed this burner with it last week. http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10548 There is a small datasheet giving a mock up of a disc image. It is isn't that much more expensive to have Lightscribe then it seems like a good alternative to a pen..

I have noticed this on their website though "How long can I keep a LightScribe disc before labeling it? Our tests indicate that when discs are exposed to indoor lighting, they will last up to nine months with no image degradation once the disc is labeled. If unlabeled discs are stored in a stack or paper sleeve, and kept away from direct sunlight and extreme heat, they will last much longer before labeling." Hard to fully understand the english here, as the question asks about unlabeled disc, but the answer talks of labled discs. Does it mean "they will last up to nine months with no image degradation once the disc is labeled" that after 9 months the label starts to fade? Or is it simply saying that you can leave it 9 months until labeling, then after that it won't work?

Sounds like the latter to me... I think this is interesting, but it's not really that big a deal. It's not "black and white" either. They said grey-scale; it's really black and "not black". Whatever color your cd is, that is the other color shown, so you probably wouldn't want to use this feature on a cd with a black face. :P Charcoal your cds today! (Right.)

everyone is asking about the price on hp.com it lists a price since you can buy products direct from them it says coming soon but has a price of $129 USD and it also says *LightScribe media required. LightScribe creates a gray-scale image similar to a black-and-white photograph. 5-pack $8.99 USD The length of scribe time also depends on the setting you use: Best, Normal, or Draft. Draft has the shortest duration, while Best takes the longest. If you’re running out the door and need a quick label, Draft works just fine. For enhanced visuals, use Normal or Best. Hewlett-Packard (HP) has selected Lite-On IT and BenQ to be OEMs for its 16x DVD Dual burners equipped with LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling technology (software), with Lite-On IT responsible for external models for retail sale and BenQ for internal models for installation in PCs.

Don't go by the price of media on HP's site. It is super inflated. I get all my media from supermediastore.com. I just ordered a 100 spindle of Verbatim 8x DVDs for about $60 with a $30 rebate! (Single Layered) It's not much more than what I pay for printable DVDs. I also picked up the drive from HP for $129. (Although I paid extra to have it next day aired so I could play with it quicker.)

I just saw the HP640i for $99.49 today at Walmart. I did not buy the drive because Walmart did not have any of the media for it.

The media is kind of expensive anyway, for CDR that is. I just wonder why new media always gets Verbatim and then no other company for a long time makes any of it.

Hi peeps, as an alternative you can try www.alpharocdigital.com. These guys can do almost anything when it comes to cd printing and their prices are comparable to lightscribe cdrs. ellisd, please let us know how your hp drive prints on DVDs. I would consider getting one down the line for DVD printing depending on the feedback from lightscribe users.

i'm not sure how the hp version of this drive is. but i have an external lacie burner.. all the same specs as the one mentioned in this article. the one i have is external and has firewire and usb. of course being on mac. i use firewire. granted the media is a bit much. but it is for sure worth it. good price on drive.. this is the one i use: http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/detail~dpno~544797.asp good price on media http://www.macmall.com/macmall/shop/detail~dpno~198274.asp i'm using these for my own personal back ups. like anything... since more computers.. more manaf. start making these drives.. then the media will be available more and of course they will be competing to bring down prices. so quit your whining and moaning. and have you seen the results on these? if you know how to do it.. they look really good. ie.: the image you want to burn.. if its in color, bring it into photoshop or any picture editing software and turn it into grayscale or black & white. then just darken the image. i just did that with a cd of mine. and it looks really good. so before you start clowning on something.. test it out for yourself

Don't bother with lite scribe it wont do color. Epson makes a printer that will print directly to a printable CD that you can get at Sam's Wholesale for just a little more than a regular cd. I have one and it works beautifully with no problems useing the regular Epson ink. Good luck lpk