email from americal.com
i thought an email from my favorite burner related vendor might clear up SOME of this:
The recordable DVD biz has exploded and prices have imploded. Now isthe time to get into DVD production. Here's an executive review ofthe important technologies, pricing ranges and tips you need to moveup from CD-R discs to recordable DVD's
WHAT DVD RECORDABLES GIVE YOU OVER CD-R'S
DVD recordables give you up to 30-times more room to store your data,record your movies or music. A fair market comparison makes DVD's aBIG bargain per MB of contents -- an average price for a top qualityCD-R is around 40-cents, which means that you're getting 17.5 MB's for each penny you spend. Today's lower prices for DVD-R discs givesyou a quality DVD-R disc that holds 4,700 MB for only $2.79. That works out to 16.8 MB per penny you spend on a DVD-R -- so now youcan move up to DVD and do it for about what you're paying today forthe old CD-R discs! And, DVD's will only get less expensive from now on, so the picturegets better every day! DVD's are getting more and more affordable.
WHAT ABOUT 30X BURN SPEED?
Recordable DVD's can burn at 2X. Imagine, you're writing the equivalentof 30-CDRs in the hour it takes to fill a full 4.7 GB DVD-R at 2X. That works out to the equivalent of burning a CDR disc in about 2 minutes or so... or burning CDRs at 30X How's that for speed! DVD-R discs, even at 1X or 2X burn speeds, are working at lighteningspeeds, roughly equivalent to burning CD-R discs at 30X
WHAT YOU NEED TO GET STARTED
There are two popular, well rated burners in the recordable DVD biz.
Pioneer's Combo DVD-R/W CD-R/W Writer DVR-104
This is the recently upgraded version of their DVR-A03, just a bit fasterand a bit smaller to fit into smaller PC cases. It's an internal ATAPIEIDE drive. That's a mouthful of abbreviations that means that it willwork in almost all present day PC Windows desktop computers (not the little notebook laptop sizes, sorry). It also works fine in the biggerMac G4 computers, but Mac users will need their own software. Notice thatthe title line above mentions a string of DVD and CD media. That's itsmain ADVANTAGE -- it actually burns all 4 most popular kinds of recordablediscs, including DVD-R and DVD-RW as well as CD-R and CD-RW. Furthermoreit PLAYS just about every kind of CD and DVD you can think of, includingvideos, movies, game software, audio and music discs, Kodak Photo CDs, and so on. LIMITATIONS: Doesn't play or burn any kind of "DVD-RAM" disc.These DVD-R and DVD-RW discs can play on well over 95% of DVD playersnow being sold in the stores around the country - a BIG advantage for sure!
Panasonic's DVD-R/RAM Writer LF-D311
If speed is what you need, this little Panasonic beuty is your baby.Editing speed that is. If you're editing your own video productions,DVD-RAM discs are your DVD media of choice -- in-and-out-wise, DVD-RAMdiscs run at several times the speed of DVD-R discs. And, these discslet you put down a scene or two at a time with something called "randomaccess" over many sessions. You can use them something like a spare harddrive disc, editing files stored on them one at a time, any way you want.By contrast, the DVD-R or DVD-RW disc format force you to put down thewhole video in one piece, one long file copied to the burned disc at once.However, since DVD-RAM discs don't PLAY in DVD players like DVD-R and RWdiscs do, you'll need to burn a DVD-R disc with your final edited work forpublic distribution. DVD-RAM is for editing and data storage, not forDVD distribution. So when you've finish your video or movie, you merelycopy the final edited DVD-RAM over to your HD, then you go back to DVD-R...put a blank DVD-R disc in this Panasonic drive and burn a DVD-R disc thatcan play in almost all the DVD players in the market. (A few types of olderand cheaper DVD players will not play recordable DVD-R or DVD-RW discs.)It burns general type 4.7GB DVD-R discs and all the different formats ofDVD-RAM discs, old and new (from 2.6GB, 5.2GB, 4.7GB and 9.4GB).LIMITATIONS: This machine won't record or burn any kind of CD-R or CD-RW disc. If you want to work with recordable CDs, you'll need to keep yourold CD-R drive around. Also, if you want to product re-writable DVD-RWsinstead of DVD-Rs, this is not your burner- it won't write to thatformat.
SUMMARY: If you produce video movies and need to edit them back and forthina work group or between several people, and don't need DVD-RW and CD-Rdiscs,this is your baby -- Faster, cheaper, just the right tool for the job.Comes with a full suite of software and the mounting hardware you'll need.
THE OTHER DVD BURNERS
For specialty purposes there are a few other types of DVD burners. Theseburners add up to less than a couple percent of the market these days.High end recording studios who produce "master audio CDs" for recordmanufacturing purposes need an "Authoring" type DVD Writer that burns"Authoring" type DVD-R discs. These special burners cost around $4,000and provide no advantages for the average consumer or small business.The audio or video recorded is no better in quality. The differencesrelate to technical "mastering" features needed by the record companies.
NEWER "PLUS" DVD WRITERS These machines are an intermediary kind of drivethat are moving toward a kind of "random access" type DVD recordable disc that can be PLAYED on most DVD players. This format will giveboth the advantages of the playability of DVD-R discs and the editabilityof DVD-RAM discs. LIMITATION: The new plus +RW format discs cannot yetbe played on many DVD players, although that will change over the nextcouple of years as manufacturers add the +RW logic to their players.Also, the +RW discs now available cost about 6-to-7 times the cost ofDVD-R discs, and 2-to-3 times the costs of today's regular plain DVD-RWdiscs. Unless you need precisely this kind of drive for the newest mediadevelopment purposes, you probably need to stick with either the Pioneer104 or Panasonic LF-D311 above.
DVD MEDIA CHOICES:
GOLD Pro-Grade DVD-Rs, 4.7GB Gen. Purpose
Features a genuine gold metal reflector layer for the longest lasting storage times. Gold does not degrade due to environmental chemical hazards, heat and UV light like other metals. PROS: Creates the longest lasting recordings for data storage, archiving and portable uses. Compatible with the great majority of DVD burners, and DVD players that are DVD-R capable. CONS: More expensive than silver other discs due to the cost of the gold.
SILVER Standard-Grade DVD-Rs, 4.7GB Gen. Purpose
Reliable, economical general purpose DVD-R discs for everyday use. Features a stabilized silver-alloy that produces durable data storage discs and perfect, high fidelity audio or video reproductions. PROS: Achieves excellent quality recordings at the lowest possible costs. Compatible with the great majority of DVD burners, and DVD players that are DVD-R capable. CONS: Slightly more susceptible to chemical hazards, heat and strong UV exposure than the GOLD Pro-Grade discs.
ERASEABLE DVD-RW "Rewritables", 4.7GB Gen. Purpose
Great for day-to-day data storage and editing, where you need to record new versions of your videos, make software upgrades, backups, and so on. Can be fully re-recorded up to 1,000 times! PROS: Lets you use the same disc many hundreds of times for backups and editing, for about the cost of only 3 DVD-R discs, gives you the equivalent of 1,000 discs. Compatible with most DVD burners that burn general type DVD-Rs and some high end DVD players. CONS: Not compatible with as many DVD players as DVD-R discs and costs about 3 times as much as a single DVD-R disc, so it's not a good bet for distribution of your recordings or software upgrades.
DVD-RAM "Random Access" Editing DVD's 5.2, 4.7 & 9.4 GB
Expect these discs to cost much more than DVD-R and DVD-RW discs, but if you need their terrific editing "random access" advantages then they're darn well worth it! Of course, you'll need the DVD-RAM burners to write and play them, since they don't work in DVD players or regular "general type" DVD-R burners like the Pioneer A03 or 104 models.
CD-R MEDIA:
TRUSILVER "colorless" CD-Rs, 80-min 1X-16X speed
Features stabilized silver alloy reflector layer on a blank top, over a special clear recording layer material that is "invisible". With absolutely no color on their bottoms, TruSilvers look just like the music or software CD-ROMs that you buy in the stores. PROS: Gives your finished discs that professional touch that you may be looking for. CONS: May not burn on 1-2% of CD burners whose lasers have been tuned for blue or green dye CD-Rs. Will not burn at speeds faster than 16X.
FAST 24X Improved Silver CD-Rs, 80-min 1X-24X speed
Uses the "improved" phthalocyanine recording dye (light-greenish tint). Features stabilized silver alloy reflector layer on a blank top. PROS: This dye type is more resistant to heat and UV light exposure, making the disc more able to withstand environmental hazards in auto interiors, portable uses and so on. Many CD burner lasers have been specially tuned to write to these discs. Will record at today's fastest write speeds. Excellent compatibility with CD burners and players. Discs should last longer in tough environments than colorless or blue dyed discs would. CONS: Some people don't like the slight color of the bottom dye.
