What do you think of DVD+RW DL?

[daehkcid]

Now that they'll be out in Spring 2004, do you think DVD-5 are dying? Imagine full DVD-9 backups.. No more need for DVDShrink!

Hmm.. i doubt it..

[bigman2]

Certain firms have trouble making decent single layer DVDR discs, can you imagine what problems they will have trying to get everything correct for a dual layer disc.

[Richk50]

Don't forget the price. They'll probably cost $7 a piece.

[bigman2]

In many cases it will be cheaper to buy another copy of the original than make a dual layer back up.

[rpboy]

I wonder why people keep mentioning that the price is gonna be high? No pricing has been mentioned by any of the companies yet. And while DVD recordable prices were initially high, they dropped extremely quickly. I mean, really, consumer DVD recordable technology has been out for what, 2 years? And blank DVD media can be picked up for as low as 60 cents for generic brands.

Judging by the fact that 8x media is already available for under $2 each, I'm pretty hopeful that dual layer media will have similar aggressive pricing in the wake of its release. $7 a disc? Maybe for a rip-off name brand, but I'll stick with Ritek and other quality manufacturers whose pricing is more reasonable.

I for one would gladly pay a little premium for dual layer media for some backups, though. Because regardless of the transcoding technology, there are some titles that won't shrink to a single DVDR with acceptable quality. And since splitting to two discs ups the cost, dual layer media could be an attractive offer.

As for DVD Shrink, there will still be uses for it, even with dual layer media. You could combine flippers to one dual layer disc without having to compress the video. You can reauthor titles to put two or three movies on one dual layer disc (with or without compression). People will always find a use for good software. :)

[JustinH]

the price will be high at first, then come way down, when the market gets flooded with different companies.

Just like dvd-r media, the cheapest stuff I have seen now is 59 cents a disc.

I'm not saying to use the cheapest stuff, i'm just saying what it cost.
JH

[mikegun]

hi,

in german c't magazine they wrote that a DL media should be cheaper than two dvd-5.

regards,

mikegun

[flaystus]

Right after the inital announcment of DVD+R DL a media rep said quite openly that it would start at almost exactly twice the cost of a DVDR5. Look beyond disc cost, which if the above is true will not be that bad once Ritek or Ricoh decides to push a disc forward, and the biggest question is this. If its true that both layers must have the exact same ammount of data onthem, then its going to take a whole new breed of copy tools to make things happen. I think we'll see alot of all in one tools at that point.

Once the bugs are worked out its good times.

[mikegun]

hi,

with DL burners and media you just need a ripper and a new/updated burning soft.

regards,

mikegun

[jamesp]

Surely that is the role of the Burning software, not the copying software. As far as i understood it, the finalisation process will make sure that both layers have exactly the same amount of data.

Jim

Originally posted by flaystus
[B}If its true that both layers must have the exact same ammount of data onthem, then its going to take a whole new breed of copy tools to make things happen. I think we'll see alot of all in one tools at that point.[/B]

[Maras]

They said that only firmware update is needed for DVD+R DL. Do you thing that we should expect new firmware for DVD+R burners ? Do you think that companies will release new firmware instead of new burners ?

Greets,
Maras

[ron spencer]

What about set-top players (ie. the standalone ones everyone has by their TV). Are the dual layer burnable DVDs going to 100% compatible with the set-top players?

[rpboy]

Originally posted by Maras
They said that only firmware update is needed for DVD+R DL. Do you thing that we should expect new firmware for DVD+R burners ? Do you think that companies will release new firmware instead of new burners ?

No.

Some companies may release new firmware, though its already been said that the laser that powers current DVD recorders will probably not be 100% compatible with dual layer media. So while it might work, it might not work well or with all media.

Plus, there is not much incentive for companies to release firmware that adds that feature as the company won't get any additional profit for those drives. It makes more sense financially (as well as technically) to release new drives.

[rpboy]

Originally posted by ron spencer
What about set-top players (ie. the standalone ones everyone has by their TV). Are the dual layer burnable DVDs going to 100% compatible with the set-top players?

I believe the initial comments on DVD+R DL have been that they should be as compatible as DVD+R currently is.

Not sure what Pioneer and the DVD Forum's compatibility claims for dual layer DVD-R are.

[ron spencer]

I guess that means that virtually noone can use them then. Most set-tops to date cannot read +r from what I gather.

[rpboy]

Originally posted by ron spencer
I guess that means that virtually noone can use them then. Most set-tops to date cannot read +r from what I gather.

That's not true.

While initial reports indicated DVD-R was more compatible, it seems as if DVD+R is about the same now, especially with the fact that many DVD+R/RW recorders now feature bitsetting tools which make the format more compatible with some DVD players.

From my experience, most low-cost DVD players from China which make their way here via Apex, Polaroid, Koss, AMW, CyberHome, etc. work well with DVD+R videos that I have written with my Sony DRU-500A writer. I recently bought 3 set top DVD players as gifts and I checked them all; all read both DVD-R and DVD+R without problem.

[ron spencer]

agreed...about the same now. But for those who have bought stuff just a few years ago, likely not. I have a Toshiba 4800 and a Daytek and Polariod...none play +r. I suspect that most will not buy into the dual layer if they need to buy another DVD (at the start anyway). Most stores I go into now say -r blanks sell MUCH better as they are more compatible with players already sold.

[rpboy]

Originally posted by ron spencer
agreed...about the same now. But for those who have bought stuff just a few years ago, likely not. I have a Toshiba 4800 and a Daytek and Polariod...none play +r.

That's strange. Looking at the DVDRHelp web site, seems like lots of people have no problems with DVD+R compatibility on the Toshiba SD4800. Heck, even +RW.

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDname=Toshiba+4800&Search=Search&orderby=Name

[djan]

Programs such DVDShrink and ReJig will not die as soon because we'll always need them to make some great things. Like said rpboy, you'll be able to put many movies on one Dual DVD and make some compilations. :)

[dragongodz]

compatability will be a BIG factor. with sales of new dvd standalones slowing, basically because of market saturation, the format needs to be able to play on a large percentage of current and already sold players. if it doesnt and people have to buy new standalones aswell uptake will only have a short burst and then slow right down.