Simple questions need answering

[wowthatshuge]

What is the actual differance between a DVD-R and a DVD+r and what are the benefits/disadvantages of both. I have a KLH 1220 DVD player and i just puchased a pioneer A03 with a USB 2.0 connection. Is there reaaly a differance in th media used. Which is probably the best media. Are there programs that do everything for you, or do you lose quility with these all in one programs. Is it better to have several differant tools and do everything speratley. I currently have only a cd burner and have been experimenting with that. I have succesfully burned a copy of of OCeans 11 but the quality isnt as good, there are no menu's and i cant forward chapters. Also, when using one of the rippers, it said it could not unlock. What is this exactly. To my understanding, it has to do with ASPI thing, and i download the proper programs for that and installed them following the guides. Should i just forget about all that since i am getting a dvd burner, or will this be needed for when i start to use that. I just rescently saw 9.7 GB blank DVD media, and reading the guides and stuff, it said that these do not exist. IS this true? Should i purchase these discs, or stay with the regular and do the compression. Super newbie here and answers to these questions would be awesome. Thanks for your time who ever is reading this right now!!

[andkiich]

1) Read all the guides/articles here and do some forum searches. There is already a wealth of knowledge regarding most of the topics that you are seeking answers for.

2) There is a difference in media, normally in 2 parts. A) will it physically work with my burner, and B) will it work on my target devices. Some of the answers can be found here, but it is always best to experiment on your own and see what does and does not work for you. One of the best pieces of advice is to get yourself some DVD+-RW discs and experiment.

3) There are programs that do everything for you, like Ulead VideoStudio, DVDComplete, and some others. While they are good for getting your feet wet and getting some experience, most people outgrow them within weeks of using them, wanting something with more options and such. You'll find that 99% of the time it is best to use the best tool for the best job. That will probably break down to a seperate capture program, a seperate encoding program, a seperate authoring program, and a seperate burning program at the minimum.

4) There are no dual layered DVD-9 discs that a person could buy as these discs are pressed and not burned. There are however 9.4GB double sided discs that are DVD-5 on each side. So, no there is no dual layer 9.4, but there are double sided ones. Since I do not know of an auto flipping DVD player, 2 discs would probably be the way to go. Besides, you'll ahve to get up to flip the disc anyway, unless you have a 5 disc changer.