DVD-BURNER Qs... help please

[aragorn24]

Hi, i want to buy a dvd-burner but y have some questions about what could i do with one....
1) I would like to copy movies (personal use of course).....but does a two hour film with dts or dolby 5.1 fit in a dvd-R: 4,5 gb, 8,5 gb or none?

2) Is there any program that can burn dvds in that way (only video and one soundtrack)

3) are all formats compatible with normal dvd-players?

4) what does the +/- means?

Thank you very much

 

[Khayman]

1) A standard DVD movie will not fit on to a standard DVD r because most DVD movies are dual layer and DVD r's are mostly single layer (there are dual layer ones but they are expensive atm) but see 2)

2) There are programs, such as DVD shrink, which can take a movie DVD strip out any unwanted stuff (Menus, other audio tracks etc) and then compress (if needed) the movie to fit onto a single layer DVD. You do lose some quality when compressing but small amount of compression is often not noticeable

3) Most DVD players will play most DVD formats, but it depends on the exact make and model of your DVD player

4) DVD-R was the first DVD recording format released and it is compatible with about 93% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. The format is supported by DVDForum.

DVD+R is compatible with about 89% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. This format is supported by the DVD+RW Alliance.

There are other formats, but these two are the most common and are supported by the vast majority of DVD players and burners. There is no real difference between the 2 in terms of quality or storage

 

[LeeJend]

3) The older the DVD player the less likely it will play a burned DVD. Price of the player is unrelated to it working with burned DVDs. I have a $50 newer model, POS Taiwanese, no name, DVD player that plays anything I burn. My expensive JVC is new, but was an old design, discontinued model, and it is really finicky rejecting half of my burns. Neither player cares whether the disk is +R, -R, or +RW (I never bought any -RW to try).

When in doubt burn CD's or DVD's for entertainment systems at a slow speed. The marginal players will read them better.

 

[Jozhik]

1) Most double-layer DVD's can be copied to single-layer DVD's using Nero Recode, you can leave out sound-files and subtitles to save space, as you prefer. I usually copy as fully as possible (no use viewing a back-up if ya miss stuff), but leaving out DTS sound-tracks saves considerable space, and without Digital Surround Systems it's not really needed. Also you can leave out extra stuff, like trailers and such.

2) See answer one ;-)

3) No! Many brands my b-i-l tries don't work on his JVC player, yet my Hiteker (cheaper brand) reads just about everything. Trial and error to find brands that work for yours (you can pre-check at http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php)

4) (source: DVD Discs: +R Versus -R; The Subtle Differences - by Joanna Gurnitsky) There appears to be no physical, and little functional, difference between the DVD-R/-RW discs and the DVD+R/+RW discs. The DVD-R ("dash” R) and -RW media are officially approved by the group called DVD Forum, and the DVD+R ("plus” R) and +RW are not. The DVD+R/+RW media are supported by the DVD+RW Alliance.

The main difference seems to lie in the DVDs' built-in defects management, the way they can be formatted and, of course, their price.

/ According to some articles I've read myself, DVD-R does not support double-layer. But then, buying a double-layer DVD for a backup is still too expensive, sometimes it is even cheaper to just buy 2 originals /

 

[vivid_vibe]

1) Most double-layer DVD's can be copied to single-layer DVD's using Nero Recode, you can leave out sound-files and subtitles to save space, as you prefer. I usually copy as fully as possible (no use viewing a back-up if ya miss stuff), but leaving out DTS sound-tracks saves considerable space, and without Digital Surround Systems it's not really needed. Also you can leave out extra stuff, like trailers and such.

2) See answer one ;-)

3) No! Many brands my b-i-l tries don't work on his JVC player, yet my Hiteker (cheaper brand) reads just about everything. Trial and error to find brands that work for yours (you can pre-check at http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php)

4) (source: DVD Discs: +R Versus -R; The Subtle Differences - by Joanna Gurnitsky) There appears to be no physical, and little functional, difference between the DVD-R/-RW discs and the DVD+R/+RW discs. The DVD-R ("dash” R) and -RW media are officially approved by the group called DVD Forum, and the DVD+R ("plus” R) and +RW are not. The DVD+R/+RW media are supported by the DVD+RW Alliance.

The main difference seems to lie in the DVDs' built-in defects management, the way they can be formatted and, of course, their price.

/ According to some articles I've read myself, DVD-R does not support double-layer. But then, buying a double-layer DVD for a backup is still too expensive, sometimes it is even cheaper to just buy 2 originals /

Good advice, pal.

 

[Jozhik]

Good advice, pal.

Thanks To quote Eek "It never hurts to help" :yowch:

 

[Khayman]

yeah, good advice. Someone should have said it sooner

 

[Jozhik]

yeah, good advice. Someone should have said it sooner