DVD - something you need to know about DVD

DVD, also known as "Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc", is an optical disc storage media format. Its main uses are video and data storage. DVDs are of the same dimensions as compact discs (CDs), but store more than six times as much data.

This page we will introduce some knowledge about DVD and movie DVD, including DVD audio, DVD video, DVD formats, why so many DVD format, Which recordable DVD format to buy, DVD consumer right, and copy protected DVD.

DVD Audio

A data disc is a CD or DVD used to store electronic data, such as the files and applications that reside on your computer's hard drive. Here are some facts you should know about data discs:

Unlike audio CDs, data discs are used to store files that are readable only by a computer. Data discs cannot be played on your home or car stereo ¡ª even if audio files are on the disc.

A data DVD can typically hold up to 4.7 GB of information and can be read with any appropriate DVD drive.

A data CD can hold up to 700 MB of information and can be accessed with any computer equipped with a CD-ROM drive or CD recorder.

A data disc is great for backing up your hard drive or storing important information such as your taxes, reports, and spreadsheets.

Because of its portability, a data disc is very useful for sharing multimedia presentations, graphics, reports, and other business information with colleagues or customers.

You can append information to a data disc created with Easy audio/data CD/DVD burner. If you're using rewritable discs, Easy audio/data CD/DVD burner offers you the choice of appending or erasing and rewriting your disc.

DVD video

DD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video forVmat in Canada, Europe and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder (e.g., a DVD player, or a DVD computer drive with a software DVD player). Commercial DVD movies are encoded using a combination of MPEG-2 compressed video and audio of varying formats (often multi-channel formats as described below). Typically, data rate for DVD movies range from 3 Mbit/s to 9.5 Mbit/s, and the bit rate is usually adaptive.

The DVD-Video specification was created by DVD Forum and can be obtained from DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation for a fee of $ 5000.The specification is not publicly available, because every subscriber must sign a non-disclosure agreement. Certain information in the DVD Book is proprietary and confidential.

Why So Many DVD Formats?

The crucial difference among the standards is based on which standards each manufacturer adheres to. Similar to the old VHS/Beta tape wars when VCRs first hit the markets, different manufacturers support different standards. Often called a format war, both the industry and consumers are still waiting to see which format will emerge as the industry standard.

Which recordable DVD format should I buy?

There are two main formats: "dash" (DVD-R/RW) and "plus" (DVD+R/RW). There's not much difference between them. They both record data and video, and they both read back data and play back video. Both formats are available as recordable drives for computers and as home video recorders. In spite of claims that one format is more compatible with players and drives, both formats are similarly compatible . There are speed differences, but it's a game of leapfrog. One format will come out with faster write speeds, then the other one will match it or surpass it. 16x is the theoretical maximum speed, so the latest drives from both formats are close to the limit.

Modern "combo" drives can write to almost all disc formats (DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD-R, CD-RW). Older drives write only their DVD format, so you may have to get DVD+R/RW discs for a DVD+RW drive and DVD-R/RW discs for a DVD-RW drive.

The DVD+RW format has a few advantages when used in a computer, but if data backup or access speed is important, also consider the DVD-RAM format. DVD-RAM is fast and reliable, and the discs have an optional cartridge to help protect data. Most DVD-RAM drives also write DVD-R/RW discs, and some "super combo" drives write all three formats.

DVD format

DVD+R

DVD+Recordable defines a standard for recordable DVD drives and media defined by the DVDRW Alliance. Often called "plus R", the format is write once (compared to DVD+RW which can be erased and rewritten). The single sided discs can hold 4,700,000,000 bytes (4.38 Gigabytes at 1024 bytes to the kilobyte) with double sided discs holding twice as much. There are no dual layer single sided recordable discs. This format competes with the DVD Forum DVD-R specification.

DVD+R DL

DVD+R DL or called DVD+R9 is a Dual Layer writeable DVD+R. The dual layered discs can hold 7.95 GB or around 8 540 000 000 bytes (called DVD-9) and a double sided dual layered disc 15.9 GB or around 17 080 000 000 bytes (called DVD-18).

DVD+RW

DVD+RW is a ReWriteable media format of the DVD+R standard.

DVD-10

DVD-10 is a double sided single layer DVD which can fit up to 9.4 GB or 8.7 computer GB. Video DVD, DVD-R/W and DVD+R/W supports this format.

DVD-18

DVD-18 is a double sided dual layer DVD which can fit up to 17 GB or 15.9 computer GB which some commercial video DVDs are using today (a DVD-18 is basicly four pressed plastic DVD-5s pressed together, they are not burned). Video DVD supports this format but DVD-R/W and DVD+R/W does not support this format.

DVD-5

DVD-5 is a single sided single layer DVD that stores up to about 4.7 GB = 4 700 000 000 bytes and that is 4.38 computer GigaBytes where 1 kilobyte is 1024 bytes(4 700 000 000B/1024 = about 4 589 843KB/1024 = about 4485MB/1024 = about 4.38GB) . Video DVD, DVD-R/W and DVD+R/W supports this format. Often referred to as "single sided, single layer".

DVD-9

DVD-9 is a single sided dual layer DVD which can fit up to 8.5 GB or 7.95 computer GB which many commercial video DVDs are using today (a DVD-9 is basicly two pressed plastic DVD-5s pressed together, they are not burned). Video DVD supports this format but DVD-R/W and DVD+R/W does not support this format.

DVD-R

DVD-Recordable defines a standard for recordable DVD drives and media defined by the DVD Forum. Often called "minus R", the format is write once (compared to DVD-RW wich can be erased and rewritten). The single sided discs can hold 4,700,000,000 bytes (4.38 Gigabytes at 1024 bytes to the kilobyte) with double sided discs holding twice as much. There are no dual layer single sided recordable discs. This format competes with the DVD+R format.

DVD-R DL

DVD-R DL or called DVD-R9 is a Dual Layer writeable DVD-R. The dual layered discs can hold 7.95 GB or around 8 540 000 000 bytes (called DVD-9) and a double sided dual layered disc 15.9 GB or around 17 080 000 000 bytes (called DVD-18).

DVD-RAM

A recordable format supported by the DVD Forum. It has superior recording features but it is not compatible with most DVD-ROM drives or DVD Video players. It works well when set up like a removable hard disk.

DVD-RW

DVD-RW is a ReWriteable media format of the DVD-R standard.

DVD consumer right

DVDs that have commercial movies and television content recorded on them are subject to copyright. The rise of filesharing and "piracy" has prompted many copyright owners to display notices on DVD packaging or displayed on screen when the content is played that warn consumers of the illegality of certain uses of the DVD.

Such notices do not always offer a reliable summary of DVD owners' rights.

Generally, retail buyers of commercial prerecorded DVDs are free to sell or exchange their property. Arrangements for renting and lending differ more by geography. In the U.S., the right to rent or lend out bought DVDs is protected by the first-sale doctrine under the United States Copyright Act. In Europe, rental and lending rights are more limited, under a 1992 European Directive that gives copyright holders broader powers to restrict the commercial renting and public lending of DVD copies of their work.

Movie DVD Copy- Copy protected DVD

Movie DVD Copy is able to copy protected DVD, thus giving you the consumer right to backup your purchased DVD. Using Movie DVD Copy to clone movie DVD is very easy. Just a few clicks and you wait for the burning process complete. Wants to know how to copy protected movie DVD? Please refer to this page.

Free download Movie DVD Copy