DVD-R vs. DVD+R DL

[Quaker2001]

Wasn't sure where to post this, so I'll give here a shot..

I've done a lot of DVD recording for the past few years on standalone recorders (mostly from Pioneer with DVD-R media from Taiyo Yuden.. almost never had an issue). Recently I purchased a new dell computer with dual drives, DVD+/-RW and a DVD burner. Going to be using them a lot with the Hauppauge HD PVR I just purchased to save my video to disc. In terms mostly of quality, value, and convenience.. what is the best format and/or brand to go with? I'll probably continue to have plenty of TY DVD-R's on hand for my standalone recorders, but wasn't sure if that's the best option for my computer. I figure I'll do some Blu-Ray burning (on that same note.. anyone want to suggestion a brand/type of BD-R discs, preferrably on the cheaper side since I'm not paying $5 per disc, anything under $3 I'd consider), although until that becomes more cost-effective, at most I'll save that for my more important recordings (usually sports events). Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions.

[MOVIEGEEK]

For SL(4.7GB) -R is fine but for DL(8.5GB) use Verbatim DVD+R DL.
Most people recommend Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim DLP which can be bought online.

[95teetee]

I would only recommend Verbatim for bluray discs (but then, I'd also only recommend them for most discs lol). I recently bought some online for $3.20 Cdn, so you should be able to find them for under $3 each...

[Quaker2001]

I had heard Verbatim was among the best and it seems like they have some of the best prices on BD-R media, so that's probably the way I'm going.

In terms of DVD media, let's all things were relatively equal (and that's a tough sell since most of my TY DVD-R's cost less per GB than any DL discs I've seen) in terms of price between -R, +R, -R DL, and +R DL.. what's the best way to go of the 4 if the primary use is for AVCHD video? Aside from the bigger capacity of DL discs, is there any preference to using those as to splitting recordings over multiple discs? I guess it's almost the same argument with BD-R discs, I'm just in search of the best bang for the buck I can get, especially since even though it's all for personal use, I tend to record and burn in large quantities

[rr6966]

For BD-R's I highly recommend this brand, they work great.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817607024

Their DVD+R DL are also good as well. I burnded quite a few and never had a problem. I'm using a couple different Pioneer burners.

[jman98]

TY makes DVD-R DL discs, but they can't be obtained in the USA. A very small number of European shops import them in bulk units of 100 and they cost almost $300 US to buy without even considering whether or not anyone will agree to ship them overseas (don't count on it). This is why we recommend Verbatim. They are the ONLY reliable DL media that can be bought anywhere.

DVD+R DL is recommended over DVD-R DL for several reasons. +R DL is cheaper, the technology is better (-R DL is a gigantic kludge to get it to work at all), they are easier to burn (-R DL requires special settings that some burners, like Nero, may not do), the capacity is slightly larger, and finally there is better compatibility with existing DVD players. However, some older players may refuse to play any DL media no matter what you do. Some won't play them at all. Others will stop at the layer break. However, newer players usually are OK with DL media regardless of -R or +R DL. DVD-R or DVD+R single layer gives you the best compatibility chance with any random DVD player, but the capacity is smaller. Finally, we honestly don't know what the lifespan of DL media, even the good ones, is going to be. I can't tell you how likely it is, but there is always a chance that in the end even the best DL media will end up having a shorter lifespan than single layer discs due to a different type of dye being required to make DL media work. Or it may be the same or better than single layer media. We just don't know at this time.

For best results, we strongly recommend that you burn ONLY with the free ImgBurn program. Those who don't use ImgBurn and don't use TY or Verbatim discs come here crying about their burns failing.

[wjmeyer]

I've used Memorex BD-R (25GB), usually just less than $3/ea. in a 15 cake, on my 4x LG burner, and playing on my Panasonic BD-50 with no problems. The Memorex DVD+R DL (with blu-ray movies) also work good, with no problems

[Quaker2001]

@jman.. I didn't even know Taiyo Yuden made DL discs. But from my experience, their DVD-Rs are second to none, and I love the fact they're also dirt cheap, usually less than 30 cents a pop. I made the mistake once of buying a 50-pack of Imation discs because they were on sale for $9.99. Definitely regret that decision; out of maybe 15 discs I've used, I've had at least 5 bad burns. I've probably going through over 1000 TY discs and may not have had to junk more than 5 out of all of them.

Good info about the DL discs. So long as TY's are cheap and reliable, I'll probably stick with them unless I can find good quality DL discs that aren't much more expensive per GB and/or might be less compatible that what I'm used to using.