Before You Burn

Here are some general notes about storage capacity, compatible hardware and other helpful information you need before burning a DVD or CD.

• CDs hold about 680 mb of data which translates to about 90 minutes of aduo and 10-20 minutes of video
• DVDs hold about 4 gigabytes of data which equals about 1.5-2 hours of high-quality video
• CD-R is the most compatible CD type.
• CD-RW are rewritable, but not as stable.
• DVD-R is most compatible.
• Newer drives are able to read and write all types of CDs and DVDs. In a couple of years, we won't be worried about types.
• Finalize the CD/DVD if you want to make sure you can read it on different computers. You will not be able to add more to it.
• Finalize the just the session if you want to add more to the CD later. You may not be able to read your disc on another machine.

Blu Ray vs. HD: Hot Competition

Hot competition exists between Blu Ray disc DVDs and HD DVDs. While Blu Ray disc movie releases have escalated beyond the HD releases, the competition is heating up. Between April 1 and June 30, 70 total HD titles were released while only 63 Blu Ray titles were released within that period. This competition to release more titles and new releases in both of the cutting-edge format is good news for consumers. You will now be seeing more and more titles in both HD and Blu Ray format. Whether you choose Blu Ray, HD or both, your selection is increasing.


Source:

Visitor News Post, (Jul 2, 2007 ). More HD DVD Movies Released in Q2 Than Blu-ray Disc . Retrieved July 10, 2007, from BurnWorld.com Web site: http://www.burnworld.com/burningnews/hddvd/More_HD_DVD_Movies_Released_in_Q2_Than_Blu-ray_Disc.shtml

DVD/CD Burning Terms

Curious about the DVD/CD burning process. Here are some basic facts to keep you in the know.

Data burned to a CD or DVD is laid out in sessions. These sessions are composed of a lead-in which holds the table of contents for the disc. Next is the lead out. A blank CD or DVD can only acquire 99 tracks per session. Sometimes multiple sessions are required to burn all content to DVD or CD media. In these cases, the lead in contains an "address" or directions that clue the new session in on the previous burn session history.


TOC
The Table of Contents (TOC) is where the layout of the tracks on the disc is held. It is located in the lead in area of the disc of that latest session.

Lead-In
Again, the lead in is the beginning part of the recordable media. It holds the TOC and the directions to the next session or part of the disc.

Lead-Out
The lead-out area is the ending part of the CD session. When the session is closed, the lead-out area is written.

DVD Ripping

Not sure what this means? If you think DVD ripping refers to literal ripping or snapping a DVD in half, you need some more education. DVD Ripping is synonymous with DVD copying- the process of copying a DVD to your hard drive. Once the data from the DVD is on your hard drive you're free to view it through your computer, copy it to a disc or simply store it there for backup.

CD Burning 101

Here are the basics of the CD or DVD burning process if your new to the scene or if you've been duplicating DVDs forever and would like to learn more. The process begins with a recorder that burns or encodes the information onto a disc. The disc may be of a few formats: CD-R, DVD+R or DVD-R. New formats include the Blu Ray Disc and HD DVD-R disc. The recording device heats a layer in the disc using a laser. Though the process is much more complicated and precise, the result of the laser burning phase creates marks that can be read and translated into a movie!

What is Blu Ray?

You've heard about High Definition (HD) television and discs, but have you heard about Blu Ray discs? Blu Ray discs are high-density discs formatted to store high definition data. Basically Blu Ray discs can hold much more data than a typical burnable DVD because Blu Ray discs are burned with a blue-violet laser. Blue rays are characterized by a short wavelength which allows these discs to hold more data. A typical Blu Ray disc can hold about 5 times the data of a regular DVD.

Why won't my DVD fit?

Are you trying to record a backup of your copy of Spiderman to a recordable DVD and it won't fit? Here's why. DVD recordable media can only hold 4.7 GB of data. Most DVDs contain more data than that, though. So what do you do? You can compress the data with your DVD copy software. Basically this means you shrink the data down into a size that your recordable media can handle. Or, you can record the DVD on to multiple discs. The most convenient option is compression. If your DVD copy software does not have compression capabilities you can easily find software that does. DVD copy software is also inexpensive, so you might consider updating your software so you can backup your favorite DVDs.