First time posting here, what's up everyone. And before someone gets on my case (hopefully not!), I'm writing this post with the 2 minutes I have free at my job, or else I'd try to use search to answer some of my questions!
So I decided today that I wanted to put my whole Entourage collection onto DVDs. I was at Best Buy, and I went to the blank DVD section to see my options.
Here's what I ran into:
I saw 3 different brands of DVD-R, each with 25 discs, 4.7GB, and I believe 16x(?), yet one was $7.99, one $11.99, and one $15.99. I tried reading all the labels to find a difference, but I really couldn't. What's going on there? And they were all literally next to each other on the shelf.
My ultimate question is, what DVDs should I go with? The most I can get from a DVD blank is 2 hours, correct? So if I have 5 seasons worth of episodes on my computer, I'd probably go with the 50 pack, no?
The prices depend on which brand either Best Buy or the brand owner wants to push at a specific time. The actual discs may be identical to each other, because they come from the same factory, or they may be very different in terms of performance and quality. Price is no definite indication of either performance or quality, but it is often a hint.
The sensible choice is the disc that offers the best quality recordings for your particular drive at the most affordable price and availability. For that you will have to do some checking of different brands and/or of different MID codes (the manufacturing code that tells you what factory or at least whose stamper was used to produce the disc) after you have recorded the discs on your drive using the recording software you plan to use. In general, Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden offer the most compatible DVD+/-R discs (for CD-Rs, there is much less difference in quality); but both tend to be somewhat more expensive. Verbatim media are not available in as many places as other brands, and Taiyo Yuden does not sell its own brand--they manufacture for other brands.
If you find a disc that works consistently well on your drive--check with some scanning software--you can rely on that disc as long as the MID code remains the same and you check regularly.
As for recording time, the amount you put on a single disc is in inverse proportion to the quality. The more you put on, the worse it will look. An hour's worth ("XP Quality") is the best, but "SP Quality" for two hours is at an acceptable compromise for time. Trying to stuff more time than that involves compromises with increasing digital artifacts and reduced quality.
Taiyo Yuden(which you can only buy online) or Verbatim are you're best choice. Sony is good also if you can find the MIT .you can use compression software like clonedvd,dvd shrink or DVD Rebuilder so you don't nessecery need 50 blank DVDs. if you have no idea how to backup you're DVDs and it sounds like you don't read here
From bestbuy I only buy sony's (16x + or -) both are very good, the other ones are verbatims 16x (+) the verbatims (-) were giving me problems. These are the only "off the shelf" that are reliable for backing up videos.
It's best to buy them when they are on sale, usually a 50 pack for $13.00 (when on sale). They have a sale usually every month.
