Need tips on DVD+R

Newbie Forum
#1

Hi

I am a rookie when it comes to burning on DVD’s. We own only 1 DVD burner and it’s hooked to my TV, it’s a memorex MVDR2102.
(After you are done laughing please keep reading LOL!)
Last time my local compusa was closing down, I bought 3 X 100 DVD+R 4.7GB 4x of the compusa brand. They were like $4 each.
We have been burning TV stuff on them that we don’t want to keep, we watch once and we throw the disc away.
I am halfway through the first spindle and I got 1 or maybe only 2 coasters, it’s not too bad for such cheap blank discs.

Now the questions?

1)What is the difference between 4x or 16x on the DVD+R’s?
Is that speed related? Why should I care if I burn a movie on a 4x instead of a 16x DVD+R?

  1. I want to start burning movies directly from my movie channels to DVD+R’s but to keep this time, I want to buy the cases and print the covers and add to my collection(Save some dough).
    I am horrified since I just read here several times that cheap DVD+R’s will not hold the data past 1 year.Is this true?
    How come I have VHS tapes that were recorded 20 years ago and still play fine in my VCR ? But not cheaper DVD+R?

  2. Please recommend some media to burn for the long run.

Thanks a lot

Patrick

#2

Welcome to the forum :bigsmile:

[QUOTE=Killingjoke;1954748]1)What is the difference between 4x or 16x on the DVD+R’s?
Is that speed related? Why should I care if I burn a movie on a 4x instead of a 16x DVD+R?[/quote]
The main difference is in the dye used to build the data layer. In high speed certified media the disc can be written faster. Usually best results are obtained burning around the certified speed. For example, 4x media should be burned at 4x or 2x, 8x media should be burned at 8x or 4x, and 16x media should be burned at 16x or 12x.

These, however, are not absolute rules, and there is a huge variability in media quality. Some 4x discs can be burned also at 16x with good results, but most of times (not always) high speed certified discs give better results when burned at high speed.

[QUOTE=Killingjoke;1954748]2) I am horrified since I just read here several times that cheap DVD+R’s will not hold the data past 1 year.Is this true?
How come I have VHS tapes that were recorded 20 years ago and still play fine in my VCR ? But not cheaper DVD+R?[/quote]
Too bad this is true, and some people reported that some media become unreadable after few months.

VHS tapes are made with a different technology, and this explain the huge difference in time longevity.

[QUOTE=Killingjoke;1954748]3) Please recommend some media to burn for the long run.[/QUOTE]
The better media available in the market currently are Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim. As a general rule, any made in Japan disc is excellent.

Bear in mind, however, that also the way a disc is stored influence its durability in time. Avoiding dirty and scratching or direct sunlight exposure certainly improve durability in time.

Also avoiding sticky labels on discs improve their duration, because these usually warps discs unbalancing them and making them unreadable very fast.

#3

[QUOTE=geno888;1954765]Welcome to the forum :bigsmile:

The main difference is in the dye used to build the data layer. In high speed certified media the disc can be written faster. Usually best results are obtained burning around the certified speed. For example, 4x media should be burned at 4x or 2x, 8x media should be burned at 8x or 4x, and 16x media should be burned at 16x or 12x.

These, however, are not absolute rules, and there is a huge variability in media quality. Some 4x discs can be burned also at 16x with good results, but most of times (not always) high speed certified discs give better results when burned at high speed.

Too bad this is true, and some people reported that some media become unreadable after few months.

VHS tapes are made with a different technology, and this explain the huge difference in time longevity.

The better media available in the market currently are Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim. As a general rule, any made in Japan disc is excellent.

Bear in mind, however, that also the way a disc is stored influence its durability in time. Avoiding dirty and scratching or direct sunlight exposure certainly improve durability in time.

Also avoiding sticky labels on discs improve their duration, because these usually warps discs unbalancing them and making them unreadable very fast.[/QUOTE]

:disagree::disagree:I disagree with the cd/dvd labels making disk unreadable. I have disk with inkjet labels that are 7 years old that work and play just fine!:iagree::iagree:

#4

[quote=THE C.;1954946]I disagree with the cd/dvd labels making disk unreadable. I have disk with inkjet labels that are 7 years old that work and play just fine![/quote]That’s nice for you but using paper labels is not something that many CD Freaks members would actually recommend.

The topic, plus numerous examples of sticky disc labels causing problems, can be found here:

http://club.cdfreaks.com/f33/sticky-paper-labels-dvd-r-discs-beware-173236/

#5

Indeed, I was referring to sticky labels :slight_smile:

Printing on discs it’s actually something I’d really like to do, but at the moment my wallet is growling, and I can’t buy a proper printer :doh:

#6

[quote=geno888;1954765]Welcome to the forum :bigsmile:

Geno888

Thanks so much for the help and the welcome.

Patrick