Is DVD Copying Legal?

The answer here is a bit murky. On the one hand, industry heads like DVD manufacturers and movie studios call the copying of DVDs illegal because it infringes upon copyright law. On the other hand, the public cites the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992 as their justification for copying DVDs. This Act states that it is perfectly legal to copy a media source the you have purchased for the purpose of a backup or replacement copy. Currently, the studios and manufacturers are making their DVDs and CDs as hard as possible to record so that they may not be copied. However the DVD burning software industry has found ways to circumvent these extra measures taken by studios. So the answer is: DVD copying is legal if you are owner of the DVD and you make a copy for your own personal use.

How can I make my DVD burn faster?

-Have as few other programs running as possible.
-Don't work on your computer while the DVD copy is being made.
-Using the least amount of compression makes it encode faster. To reduce compression, select the "move only" option for those movies that are unusually long (over 100 minutes)
-If you can upgrade your RAM to at least 512MB (for windows XP) this seems to be the best
-Use high quality blank DVD media so your DVD writer can burn at optimal speed. We recommend google.com to search for Taiyo Yuden DVD-R media.
-If you have a slow/old dvd writer (under 16X write time) consider upgrading. They're pretty cheap and easy to replace. Buy one at Best Buy or WalMart. The added benefit is that you can use your old DVD writer as the source DVD drive, and your new one as the Destination Drive. This way, you don't have to put in the blank half way through the process.

Burn DVDs on One Disc

You can burn an entire movie on one DVD blank disc if you have the right product features. In order to burn a convenient one-disc copy of your favorite movie look for these features in software: Dual Layer Support or Compression. Dual Layer refers to a burning capability that allows you to burn an entire movie on one 9GB disc. Compression refers to a process of condensing DVD data into one disc. Compression can compromise quality, however, so you may want to omit bonus scenes if you only have compression ability and not Dual Layer support. Find DVD burning software that supports both of these features: http://www.consumerfirstreviews.com

Can CD-R writers burn DVDs?

No. DVD utilizes a smaller wavelength of laser to create smaller pits and the tracks are closer together. The DVD laser also focuses more tightly and on a different level. A CD-R made with a CD-R burner may not be readable by a DVD-ROM drive.

Copy TV Show Seasons Onto DVD

The luxury of watching your favorite show without commercials and weekly interruption is finally here! Now that you can by TV shows on DVD you may be wondering how you can copy this media. You may have already tried to copy your favorite season of Friends but were met with an error message or an incomplete disc. What you need to copy these types of DVDs is episodic support. The episodic support feature is available on many DVD copy software programs now. If you need burning software with episodic support check out http://www.consumerfirstreviews.com/ You can compare prices and features of DVD burning software.

What is the difference between DVD-R & DVD+R?

If possible, buy a DVD burner that can burn to BOTH DVD-R and DVD+R recordable media. If your DVD writer only supports one type of DVD media, you will need to know that before you buy DVD recordable media. If possible, buy a DVD player that can play both DVD-R and DVD+R discs. Again, you would need to look at your DVD player owners manual to find out.If you already own a DVD burner and a DVD player (like most of us), find out what your DVD player can play, then use that type of DVD recordable media. Most newer DVD burners support both formats so focus on what your DVD player can handle.So what's the difference you ask? DVD-R and DVD+R are two competing technologies that use different formats. No single company owns either DVD format and both technologies have their advantages.DVD-R/RW was developed by Pioneer. Based on CD-RW technology, it uses a similar pitch of the helix, mark length of the 'burn' for data, and rotation control. DVD-R/RW is supported by the DVD Forum, an industry-wide group of hardware and software developers, and computer peripheral manufacturers. The DVD-R format has been standardized in ECMA-279 by the Forum, but this is a private standard, not an 'industry' ISO standard like the CD-R/RW Red Book or Orange Book standard. DVD+R/RW is also based on CD-RW technology. DVD+R/RW is supported by Sony, Philips, HP, Dell, Ricoh,Yamaha, and others, and has recently been endorsed by Microsoft. DVD+R/RW is not supported by the DVD Forum, but the Forum has no power to set industry standards, so it becomes a market-driven issue.