Dl media....

Live forum: http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=66110

topbillin1

07-07-2007 14:52:58

What dvd tpye do you guys use to back up dvds? Or movies you get from other places to burn to dvds?

I got some movies but I want to know if they'll fit on a standard dvd-r. Movies that are close to 3 hours long.

dmorris68

07-07-2007 17:58:19

Most anything can fit on a single layer DVD if you compress it enough and strip all but the main movie, but if you want original quality and/or original menus and special features, you'll need dual layer media for anything but the shortest movies.

I prefer +R to -R, it's a more robust standard. Nowadays most equipment will be equally compatible, not like the old days when a lot of players didn't like +R, so that's what I'd recommend.

Taiyo Yuden makes the best CD/DVD media you can buy, but they don't make DL yet. Verbatim is generally the best DL. I'd stay away from Ritek G05 DL's (commonly sold as Office Depot brand +R DL as well as other brands), as they tend to be really spotty.

tylerc

07-07-2007 19:18:01

Use DVD Shrink to back up your movies assuming you are on Windows, otherwise use Mac the Ripper to rip the DVD, then use Toast with fit-to-disc compression to burn the DVD, that's what I use since I'm on Mac OS X.

As far as media, I have never had a problem with TDK DVD+Rs, and for DL it's definitely Verbatim or bust.

topbillin1

08-07-2007 00:11:48

Does Dvd+r work in most dvd players like dvd-r does? Also those movies you get online from places, would they be good to burn to +r as well? As for as dL goes, is it safe to say that it's not needed right now except for longer running movies?

dmorris68

08-07-2007 12:23:13

[quotead95f00564="topbillin1"]Does Dvd+r work in most dvd players like dvd-r does? Also those movies you get online from places, would they be good to burn to +r as well? As for as dL goes, is it safe to say that it's not needed right now except for longer running movies?[/quotead95f00564]
As I said +R works in all modern equipment.

A DVD movie is a DVD movie, it doesn't matter where they come from. All burn the same to +R or -R. Virtually all DVD movies are CSS encrypted which requires "illegal" ripping software (like the aforementioned DVD Shrink) , and some DVD's have additional copy protection (such as ARccOS) that require even more specialized software to rip properly. DVD Shrink won't rip ARccOS titles, you need to use something like AnyDVD or RipIt4Me. I use RipIt4Me for all of my movie rips since it's free and integrates with DVD Decryptor and DVD Shrink, but it was recently shutdown and is no longer being developed, so who know how much longer it will work with everything. But once ripped and de-protected, all will burn the same to either +R or -R.

Your bigger concern is general reliability with crappy media. People think all media is made the same and it isn't. Not only is some media (Japanese-made Taiyo Yuden or Matsushita Chemical) just much higher quality than others (CMC, the most common Taiwanese media that covers most retail brands), but some burners and firmware favor some media over others. If you want to know the best media for your burner and firmware, and aren't willing or able to get Taiyo Yuden or Matsushita Chemical Japanese-made media, consult the hardware review sections of sites like CDFreaks.com and VideoHelp.com. Users post ratings of most burners with the most popular brands of media.

Unless you care about a fully intact, pristine copy of the original movie, you should not need DL. Most folks only care about the main movie which will almost always fit on a SL disc (however a 3 hour title may not). The special features, menus, additional languages or soundtracks, etc. can be stripped out by DVD Shrink, CloneDVD, and some other DVD ripping software, saving space. And both will recompress the movie as needed to fit on a SL, which in most cases doesn't impact quality too badly unless it requires a lot of extra compression.

manOFice

08-07-2007 12:37:29

I use +R all the way