Hello, I use DVD Shrink to backup my DVD's. There are some DVD's that I would prefer to not compress so much (such as series). Can I use Dual Layer disks to solve this problem? If so, is there a guide and what program do I use? I apologize if this question has been asked before and I missed it. I checked in the guides and searched the forums. Any help would be appreciated.
The only reliable disc to use are Verbatim 2.4X made in Singapore. The only reliable burning program to use is ImgBurn. http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=4643
there are other options other than using DVD+R DL media. series disc you can split and put two episodes on each disc (dvd-5) DVD Rebuilder is another option. yeilds almost perfect quality using a DVD-5 SL disc http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=54897 http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=55302 COST DVD+R DL DVD-9 blank media 1.75 each (use Verbatim only as said) DVD-/+R SL DVD-5 blank media 24 cents each. (use Taiyo Yuden,Verbatim or Sony only) Its you're choice!! guides for burning DL media with imgburn, clonedvd also works well http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=1780 http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/622748
the price depends alot on where you live. While the price is more expensive for DL media, you can find them for about $1 quite readily in Canada if you watch the sales at Best Buy, Staples and Future Shops.
Thanks, I have read the guide for Imgburn. I have another question; What program do I use to copy the DVD onto my PC (sorry, I'm a little slow)?
Thanks for your help. I have done everything as stated and still have a problem. The disks play great until a point (the layer change?) and then start to skip. I am using DVDFAB and Imgburn on Verbatim DL DVD's. I have played the disks on several different players and no change. I burned the 1st one at 2.4x and made a second one at 1x, no change. Can anyone help?
could be the burner have you checked for a firmware update forthe drive/burner i wouldn't burn slower than 2.4x and no faster than 4x to 6x
One other thing you might do that could help is to falsify the identity of the discs by changing their book type from recordable to "DVD-ROM." This is a change to the book type code at the beginning of the disc that tells the DVD player/drive what the disc is. Some older DVD players cannot understand that a disc can be both recordable and double layer because their firmware was written before DVD+R/-R DL media were available. Claiming that the disc is a stamped movie DVD with two layers will allow the player to accept the disc. The layer break is where the problems occur. At the change, the optical pickup head must stop, refocus to the inner layer that has much less signal output, then reverse direction. Some players are much better at this than others, and price does not seem to be a factor in this capability. A full DL disc that uses nearly 8 GB of information (the "8.5 GB" is calculated using 1,000 as a multiplier/divider instead of the binary 1,024 multiplier/divider used by computers) puts the layer break at the edge of the disc, and that is the very place that shows the most mechanical problems in laying the layers down and removing the molding plates. The outside edge is the least flat and uniform part of the disc, whether single layer or double layer. Reducing the recorded data to an amount less than 8GB (binary) shifts the layer break closer to the inside of the disc where there is a greater liklihood of flatness. Both layers must have the same amount of data on them, so reducing the amount of data reduces the amount recorded on both halves and shifts the break inward. The only other solutions would be to buy a newer DL drive because the first ones were poor compared to the most recent versions or to try to play the discs in a store's DVD players and buy one that works with them.
