I've been reading and reading about this, and I cant find a straight answer...Which is better for backing up DVD movies?
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 information, see: DVD FAQ SmallBusinessComputing.com's Buyer's Guide for DVD Writers DVD Forum the choice is yours ultimately, either is fine as far as i can see.You might just buy a burner that supports both ranges
either or is fine as my buddy andmerr stated, but, MAKE SURE YOU GET some GOOD QUALITY dvds...that is MORE important than whichever format you choose to go with... Taiyo Yuden & Verbatim are the 2 i would STRONGLY suggest you use... docTY~
I have a LITE-ON DVDRW SOHW-1693S with KSOB firmware I believe it supports both...So guess I'll stick with what has worked...thanks! P.S. I'm getting Taiyo Yuden media right now! It's rated the highest from what I've read on this forum...
@ J-Savage, wow, looks like if you run into any problems down the road AFTER you receive your TYs (Taiyo Yudens), i can directly help you should the need arise~ i have that identical drive with identical firmware as you~ dated 10/14/05, so, i am very familiar with it myself...good luck~ docTY~
i noticed doc that you didnt mention ritek ridata which are quite a good disc and my personal fav: princo's
@andmerr LOL, when someone is starting out, i always recommend my TOP 2 choices in media...while i TOTALLY agree with you that Ritek Ridata are GOOD QUALITY discs, my #3 in fact, with the ever increasing argument that Ritek has/is not keeping up with their quality control as of late, that is the only reason i didn't bring it up~ also, my experience with Ritek Ridata has been VERY favorable for me, but i only have about 500 under my belt using them...my experience with both Taiyo Yuden as well as Verbatim FAR EXCEEDS that of what i've done w/ Ritek~ so, based on MY USER EXPERIENCE, i am more knowledgeable about TY and Verbs than i ever will be with Ritek Co. but, as per ur comment w/ the Princos, no comment LOL~ docTY
@kivory666 Thanks I appreciate that...I've made around 30 DVD back up's on it so far and not a problem what so ever...I have DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter down pretty good...Started using AnyDVD not to long ago love that lil program! I've used CloneDVD and DVDFab but DVD Shrink is my favorite so far...
it's good to just try out various programs to see which best suits YOUR needs...i use all of the aforementioned programs too, but, most of the time i use dvdshrink w/ anydvd in the background for MOST of my backups~ the picture quality is ACCEPTABLE in my eyes for most of my dvds, also, i don't have a lot of "free time" on my hands or else i would be using DVD RB/CCE (which in MY opinion is hands down the BEST quality video you can obtain with a program out there, but i just don't have the time it takes to leave it on overnight to do it's job) and when the movie is REALLY large, i use ONLY dvd decrypter ISO READ---ISO WRITE for DL backups, no compression needed~ naturally, you will need a DL disc to do this, it's much more expensive than a single layer disc, but, with NO COMPRESSION, it's a true 1:1 copy w/ all the extras/director commentaries/outakes, etc. included~ docTY~
Yeah It'll be nice when DL media is more affordable and they will be in time...I also use DVD Shrink with AnyDVD in the background 99.9% of the time and I just rip the main movie. I havent had it go below 90% yet with just 5.1 audio...
@ andmerr i'm really sorry to hear that FAKE TYs are SOOOOOOOO rampant down there in Aus., while it's a fairly big problem up here in U.S. for those that DO NOT KNOW any better regarding media, from what you tell me it's WORSE down there? i believe you...that does really suck~ well, i would stick to the Ritek Ridatas down there if i were you...unless you INSIST on your Princos which up here i will just have to LAUGH~! hysterically, i might add~ i have some Princos from "back in the days" when they were the most affordable discs on the market @ $1.50 U.S. dollars EACH, NONE (all 100 of them) work anymore my computers won't even read them, let alone TRY to extract anything from them..so, personal experience, i would never use Princo's again..dat's just me and my 2 cents docTY~
i knew you were going to say that but i was surprised that you didnt offer to sell them to me...............lol
u want to buy some AUTHENTIC TYs from me? i would be more than happy to oblige, send me a PM if you are really serious...i can never tell if you are being serious or not, but, i have PLENTY if you need some down there...don't know how much the shipping will be, but, i can definitely hook you up~ docTY~
Back to the RITEK media. It seems that Maxell these days (which are now made by CMC, previously Ritek) is going down the tubes as far as quality. I found an older pack of maxells and checked out the results compared to the latest ones. The "GOOD" discs came in a spindle with a grey bottom and a product code ending with /RT. The rest were black bottomed spindles and had a code of MDM. I got rid of all the extra media and went with Sony MIJ DVD+R. I only have this spindle which is as good as Soy DVD-R discs. Well, for the PIF scans anyway Here are the results of the good disc: And the latest ones which I consider worse.
DVD+R for me, hands down..!! Check out my picture for proof, and or reference. I've just burned "War Of The Worlds" 30 minutes ago, using 16X Verbatim DVD+R "Advanced Azo," but burned at 4X. Since most of y'all already seen enough of my TYs and Maxells tests with Nero CD-DVD Speed, now it's the Verb's turn.
