heres some reading material for you: DVD Formats Explained When DVD technology first appeared in households, users were simply popping DVD discs into their DVD players to watch movies - an option to the then-conventional VCR. But just as compact disc technology evolved so that users could record and erase and re-record data onto compact discs, the same is now true of DVDs. But with so many different formats -- DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM -- how do users know which DVD format is compatible with their existing systems, and why are there so many different formats for DVDs? The following information sheds some light on DVD's different flavors, the differences between them and the incompatibility issues that the differing technologies have sprouted. The crucial difference among the standards is based on which manufacturers adhere to which standards. Similar to the old VHS/Beta tape wars when VCRs first hit the markets, different manufacturers support different standards. DVD+R and DVD+RW DVD+R and DVD+RW formats are supported by Philips, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha and others. DVD+R is a recordable DVD format similar to CD-R. A DVD+R can only record data once and then the data becomes permanent on the disc. The disc can not be recorded onto a second time. DVD+RW is a re-recordable format similar to CD-RW. The data on a DVD+RW disc can be erased and recorded over numerous times without damaging the medium. DVDs created by a +R/+RW device can be read by most commercial DVD-ROM players. DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM These formats are supported by Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung and Sharp. These formats are also supported by the DVD Forum. DVD-R is a recordable DVD format similar to CD-R and DVD+R. A DVD-R can only record data once and then the data becomes permanent on the disc. The disc can not be recorded onto a second time. There also are two additional standards for DVD-R disks: DVD-RG for general use, and DVD-RA for authoring, which is used for mastering DVD video or data and is not typically available to the general public. DVD-RW is a re-recordable format similar to CD-RW or DVD+RW. The data on a DVD-RW disc can be erased and recorded over numerous times without damaging the medium. DVDs created by a -R/-RW device can be read by most commercial DVD-ROM players. DVD-RAM discs can be recorded and erased repeatedly but are only compatible with devices manufactured by the companies that support the DVD-RAM format. DVD-RAM discs are typically housed in cartridges. DVD-ROM DVD-ROM was the first DVD standard to hit the market and is a read-only format. The video or game content is burned onto the DVD once and the DVD will run on any DVD-ROM-equipped device. for more info on this subject check the link out below: http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html
thanks for all the info..I guess I should have been more brief............is there a differnce between the minus's and the plus's???
If you take a look at the link provided, you will get your answer. In short the plus & dash formats are just different formats. In the old days there was compatibility issues, but if you get a multi format burner & multi-format standalone you should not have too many problems. Unfortunately nothing is guaranteed when you burn dvds, it is a lot of trial & error. With a bit of perserverance you will get the results you want. By the way if you buy cheap media you are usually asking for trouble. Ritek & verbatim seem to have a good record. I use imation 4x+RW media, datawrite & packard bell & have had few problems. I tend to have stuck with the plus format as it seems to suit my system. You have to experiment. I would also recommend getting RW media, it cuts out the chance of coasters!
what is a DVD9? I have both DVD-Rs and DVD+Rs, and when I try to burn a DVD, my computer prompts me to insert a DVD9.
Capacities of DVD: For reference, a CD-ROM holds about 650 megabytes, which is 0.64 gigabytes or 0.68 billion bytes. In the list below, SS/DS means single-sided/double-sided, SL/DL/ML means single-layer/dual-layer/mixed-layer (mixed means single layer on one side, dual layer on the other side), gig means gigabytes (2^30), BB means billions of bytes (10^9). See note about giga vs. billion in section 7.2. DVD-5 (12 cm, SS/SL) 4.37 gig (4.70 BB) of data, over 2 hours of video [bold]DVD-9 (12 cm, SS/DL) 7.95 gig (8.54 BB), about 4 hours[/bold] DVD-10 (12 cm, DS/SL) 8.74 gig (9.40 BB), about 4.5 hours DVD-14 (12 cm, DS/ML) 12.32 gig (13.24 BB), about 6.5 hours DVD-18 (12 cm, DS/DL) 15.90 gig (17.08 BB), over 8 hours DVD-1 (8 cm, SS/SL) 1.36 gig (1.46 BB), about half an hour DVD-2 (8 cm, SS/DL) 2.47 gig (2.66 BB), about 1.3 hours DVD-3 (8 cm, DS/SL) 2.72 gig (2.92 BB), about 1.4 hours DVD-4 (8 cm, DS/DL) 4.95 gig (5.32 BB), about 2.5 hours DVD-R 1.0 (12 cm, SS/SL) 3.68 gig (3.95 BB) DVD-R 2.0 (12 cm, SS/SL) 4.37 gig (4.70 BB) DVD-R 2.0 (12 cm, DS/SL) 8.75 gig (9.40 BB) DVD-RW 2.0 (12 cm, SS/SL) 4.37 gig (4.70 BB) DVD-RW 2.0 (12 cm, DS/SL) 8.75 gig (9.40 BB) DVD+R 2.0 (12 cm, SS/SL) 4.37 gig (4.70 BB) DVD+R 2.0 (12 cm, DS/SL) 8.75 gig (9.40 BB) DVD+RW 2.0 (12 cm, SS/SL) 4.37 gig (4.70 BB) DVD+RW 2.0 (12 cm, DS/SL) 8.75 gig (9.40 BB) DVD-RAM 1.0 (12 cm, SS/SL) 2.40 gig (2.58 BB) DVD-RAM 1.0 (12 cm, DS/SL) 4.80 gig (5.16 BB) DVD-RAM 2.0 (12 cm, SS/SL) 4.37 gig (4.70 BB)* DVD-RAM 2.0 (12 cm, DS/SL) 8.75 gig (9.40 BB)* DVD-RAM 2.0 (8 cm, SS/SL) 1.36 gig (1.46 BB)* DVD-RAM 2.0 (8 cm, DS/SL) 2.47 gig (2.65 BB)* CD-ROM (12 cm, SS/SL, 74 minutes) 0.635 gig (0.682 BB) CD-ROM (12 cm, SS/SL, 80 minutes) 0.687 gig (0.737 BB) CD-ROM (8 cm, SS/SL) 0.180 gig (0.194 BB) DDCD-ROM (12 cm, SS/SL) 1.270 gig (1.364 BB) DDCD-ROM (8 cm, SS/SL) 0.360 gig (0.387 BB) * Formatted DVD-RAM discs have slightly less than stated capacity. For example, the contents of a completely full DVD-R will not quite fit on a DVD-RAM. Tip: It takes about two gigabytes to store one hour of average video. The increase in capacity from CD-ROM is due to: 1) smaller pit length (~2.08x), 2) tighter tracks (~2.16x), 3) slightly larger data area (~1.02x), 4) more efficient channel bit modulation (~1.06x), 5) more efficient error correction (~1.32x), 6) less sector overhead (~1.06x). Total increase for a single layer is about 7 times a standard CD-ROM. There's a slightly different explanation at <www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/General/Gain.html>. The capacity of a dual-layer disc is slightly less than double that of a single-layer disc. The laser has to read "through" the outer layer to the inner layer (a distance of 20 to 70 microns). To reduce inter-layer crosstalk, the minimum pit length of both layers is increased from 0.4 um to 0.44 um. To compensate, the reference scanning velocity is slightly faster, 3.84 m/s, as opposed to 3.49 m/s for single layer discs. Longer pits, spaced farther apart, are easier to read correctly and are less susceptible to jitter. The increased length means fewer pits per revolution, which results in reduced capacity per layer. Note: Older versions of Windows that use FAT16 instead of UDF, FAT32, or NTFS to read a DVD may run into problems with the 4 gigabyte volume size limit. FAT16 also has a 2 gigabyte file size limit, while FAT32 has a 4 gigabyte file size limit. (NTFS has a 2 terabyte limit, so we're ok there for a while.)
wow, this is confusing. I really appreciate your quick response!! well, every store I have gone to thus far only has the 4.37 gig... I bought a new computer with their best DVD burner, thinking it would work, and it corrupted the DVD I tried burning... then my whole computer froze forever. Now I don't know what I can burn on the DVD burner, or what good it is... so if mine requires DVD9s, does this mean I spent $60 on DVDs that won't work on my computer? (since I bought the DVD-Rs and DVD+RWs)
you need to look at the specs of your writer. your writer wouldnt only use dvd9s cause that means it is only a dual layer writer. how did it write the first layer then? your single layer dvd5 should be fine. there a lot of things to consider. what are your computer specs, programs you are using and dvd media type? there is a lot of good information around here on this site to read about all programs and media. start there and read up, that all it takes to answer alot of your questions. read up on dvdshrink and dvd decrypter.
thanks for the advice! I read up on that link, and I downloaded dvd shrink and dvd decrypter... I was able to shrink the dvd and save it on my hard drive, but I can't understand the rest, and it seems those websites are sending me in circles, and some of the other links they send me to no longer work. I can't figure out now how to save it onto the dvd. ah the joys of DVD... why can't they make it as simple as the CDs?
well once you have the dvd on your hard drive you should open dvd decrypter. in decrypter go to mode>iso>write. then you should be able to select the source file and the destination drive. pop in blank,click burn and you should be done. longest part is encoding with dvd shrink, but you say you have that down. here is a link to the guide done by Scubapete. It is the guide that got me started way back when, ohhh tear. in the guide he sets up your dvd shrink to automatically open decrypter after it is done encoding. then you pop in your blank and burn. it is a great guide and answers alot of questions. scroll down on first page. once your setup it is as easy as cds. http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2/74599
Nesto13- You are AWESOME!!!!! thank you so much for all your help! I went to the link you suggested, read it... and you're absolutely right! it is now as easy as burning a CD... I was able to successfully burn DVDs.. and I just wanted to say Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!
Hi, I just bought an NEC ND-3520A DVD writer. My recorded discs (just data) are not readable on my MSI DVD-ROM drive. I used DVD-R media, see detailed info below. Any idea what the problem is? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unique Disc Identifier : [DVD-R:TYG02] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disc & Book Type : [DVD-R] - [DVD-R] Manufacturer Name : [Taiyo Yuden Co. Ltd.] Manufacturer ID : [TYG02] Blank Disc Capacity : [2,298,496 Sectors = 4,489.3MB = 4.38GB (4.71GB)] Recording Speeds : [1x , 2x , 4x , 6x , 8x] [6x And Higher Might Not Always Be Detectable] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ DVD Identifier - http://DVD.Identifier.CDfreaks.com ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
intorment, is there a chance ur drive cant read dvd-r. maybe it just cant. i dont know exactly what kinda drive you have.
a little internet research of the model number is all it takes. i am just assuming that your drive is an older one. your problem could be totally different. what is the model number? try the manufactuer's website. the internet is great and everything is contained in a search box. there is also a handy program called dvdinfopro. it gives info on your drive and dvds you use and will test for bad disks. i like it. give it a shot. i use it quite for different things. i am pretty sure its free which is always great. http://www.dvdinfopro.com/
thanks a lot for that, it says my dvdrom can read dvd-r but when i put in the data dvd-r that i burnt into my dvd-rom it just gets hung.. tried with 2 different dvds..
