So, I want to burn some home videos onto DVDs for friends and family to watch on their TVs, and am looking for a (in-computer) DVD burner to do that.
But holy cow, there sure are a lot of choices. DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD Multi, DVD Super Multi, and…well, a bunch others. What do they mean? Do they matter for the simple (I would think) application I have in mind? Would I have to worry about region-specific encoding for the DVDs I author? And related to that, would I have to worry about NTSC vs. PAL if I wanted to send these videos to people outside the US?
I assume that whatever DVD burner I choose will also work as a CD burner, yes? I have a PC now, but what’s this SuperDrive thing from Apple?
Thanks.
Jim Taylor’s DVD FAQ
More stuff about the subject than you can shake a memory stick at.
And, yes, a DVD burner will burn CDs.
Start here for the main part of your question. Back up through that lengthy but excellent guide for pretty much any DVD question you might have.
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#4.3
If you send a video to be played outside the US on a PAL formatted TV then yes, you need to encode in the PAL format. I am willing to bet your burning software will give you that choice.
CDs can be burned on DVD burners but the reverse is not true.
Someone else will have to answer about the Apple thing.
There are five formats of consumer recordable DVD: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM. The last three are erasible.
DVD+R is also available in a double-capacity ‘dual layer’ variant.
You can get drives that will read and write all formats: I have an LG GSA-4040B*. Then you don’t have to worry about the issue.
Region coding does not apply to consumer-burned discs. Another thing not to worry about.
If you want to send discs overseas, I believe most disc players in PAL countries will read NTSC discs, because of all the content that comes out of Hollywood here in NTSC-land. So you can go ahead and create your movies in NTSC.
That being said, it is possible to convert your video files from NTSC to PAL. It just takes a while.
One thing to watch for: many older DVD players will not play recordable discs of all formats. For example, my JVC player will play DVD-R and DVD-RW discs but not DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM discs. I have friends whose players will play + discs but not - discs. Blame competing groups of manufacturers for this confusion.
If you are making a disc for a specific person, it is a good idea to ask them what model of DVD player they have and then look it up in the player search at http://www.videohelp.com/ to find out what discs the player can read. Then you will know what disc to burn.
[sub]*It doesn’t write DVD+R DL. But then that wasn’t out when I bought the drive.[/sub]
Oh, and your other two questions…
Every DVD burner I’ve seen will also burn CD-Rs and CD-RWs.
The Apple SuperDrive can burn DVD-R and DVD-RW discs but not DVD+R, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM. See these two documents from Apple:
CD-RW, DVD and SuperDrive Specifications and Usage Information
About Rewriteable DVD Discs
Thanks, guys. I just finished reading the (relevant parts of the) FAQ. It appears that DVD Multi is just DVD-R/RW under a new name, yes? The FAQ doesn’t mention Super Mutlis, but I’d assume that it’s the new name for drives that’ll burn both “+” and “-” discs, right?
So, I want to burn some home videos onto DVDs for friends and family to watch on their TVs, and am looking for a (in-computer) DVD burner to do that.
Are the videos from a digital camcorder or do you have them on tape? If they are on tape, you will need an analog video capture card to get the videos into your computer.
*Do they matter for the simple (I would think) application I have in mind? *
Yes, it matters as has been stated. Not all DVD players will play all formats, so your burner needs to be able to burn the format you and your friends can play.
*Would I have to worry about region-specific encoding for the DVDs I author? *
No. Region encoding only applies to commercially produced disks.
And related to that, would I have to worry about NTSC vs. PAL if I wanted to send these videos to people outside the US?*
Maybe. Your friends would need both a DVD player AND a television that can work with the NTSC format. Ask. If you need to produce PAL, that is done by your authoring software, not the burner.
what’s this SuperDrive thing from Apple?
A not particularly impressive Pioneer DVR-A03 drive by another name.
Besides the DVD burner, you will need decent authoring and burning software. Get the Nero Ultra Edition and be done with it.
Be aware that working with video is the most system intensive application that most people ever encounter. There is no such thing as too much power. If you have an older system with limited RAM, video encoding times can get pretty long.
Something like that, yes. (To be honest, I never paid much attention to the “Multi” designations.)
:: looks at own drive ::
Three logos:
RW: DVD+ReWritable
DVD Multi Recorder
Compact Disc ReWritable Ultra Speed
