Lightscribe vs. Printing on Disc

[sjmaye]

In the next 4 months I will be buying a new DVD burner. I want a dual layer 16x model that will burn DVD+/- R DL.

I will be burning all my families home movies to DVD. I want to use something other than a sharpie to label the disc. Something that will last a long time.

I am between looking at lightscribe and thermal printing (Casio, I think).

I know many people are poo-pooing on lightscribe, but I like the concept monochrome or not. I don't care about the time to burn the image on the top of the disc. The only problem is that it is not available for DVD-R DL. Anyone know if this is in the works?

As for the thermal printing. The Casio or something like it is in my price range (~$50-$100). I would be putting an image and some text on the top of the disc. Can the Casio do this? Does anyone have experience with thermal printing?

What would your recommendations be?

[waheed]

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=271684&start=30

[sjmaye]

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=271684&start=30

Thanks, Waheed, but I already read that one and many other posts on the subject. I had hoped someone would know about the possibility of lightscribe on DVD-R DL.

If there is no chance I might as well forget the lightscribe and look at thermal or something like the Epson R200.

[waheed]

I do like the ides of lightscribe, but the fact its monochrome and the time it takes puts me off. If this isn't a deciding factor for you, you may consider buying one.

That also brings up the subject of cost. Discs will generally be more expensive for lightscribe as oposed to printing on discs, not to mention limited availability of discs.

Ive not used Printing methods so cant comment on that. I guess using lightscribe would be down to an individual choice.

[QuaiBoy]

The Epson R200 is a great buy at epson.com for $70 shipped. It is reburbished, but it comes as a complete package with new ink and accessories. Epson printers are damn near useless for everything but CD/DVD printing IMO (plus the ink is a ripoff), but if you are doing a good volume of discs it may be worth your while. Hell, you could print in black/white and save a good amount on ink right there. Plus, quality inkjet printable discs are far cheaper than even sub-par Lightscribes.

I have my Canon for printing hi-res pics and a Samsung laser for everything else. No printer can do everything right, but at least if you got the Epson you'd have the option of printing 8.5x11 if you wanted to.

Best of Luck,
-Evan-

[sjmaye]

I contacted HP Presales support asking them when or if DVD-RDL was going to be supported. I got the "deer in the headlights". "Uh, don't know".

Can you tell me who might know?- "No, I really don't know anyone that might know and if they were developing that capability we could not tell you".

So, I go to the manufacturer and they have no clue about their own product. Sort of dissappointing.

I then went to the HP community forums hoping someone there would know- NOT. Can't find them anymore.

I GIVE UP!

I guess I will check out the R200. Any problems with playing these printable discs?

[D.A.R.J.R.]

The hp lightscribe drive is made by benq, if that helps you. You can crossflash it to the dw1625 (as I have done). It does do DVD+RDL, I dont see any use in DVD-RDL. I was in your possition and I went with lightscribe becuase I didnt want to constantly have to buy ink and worry about it smearing and not drying. As others have said lightscribe is a bit slow right now but faster discs are going to be released this fall and they are rumored to be able to be lightscribed with the current drives at the faster speed.

Lightscribe DVDrs are availible almost everywhere, and they dont cost much, if anything more, than printables. I get mine at Walmart

[sjmaye]

The hp lightscribe drive is made by benq, if that helps you. You can crossflash it to the dw1625 (as I have done). It does do DVD+RDL, I dont see any use in DVD-RDL.

You were able to flash a non-lightscribe to enable light-scribe?? Cool. Is there DVD+RDL lightscribe media available?

My issue with wanting DVD-RDL is that I need dual layer and my DVD player is one of those few that do not accept DVD+R format. I am also working on a project that I will be sending out about 10 DVDs to unknown players. I feel certain there are very few players that do not accept DVD-R.

A couple of questions:

Do you think if your BenQ would ever do DVD-R or -R DL that it might also just be a flash upgrade?

Could you tell me your write speeds for the various media? I am especially interested in DL write speeds and if you make many coasters.

[e404pnf]

The hp lightscribe drive is made by benq, if that helps you. You can crossflash it to the dw1625 (as I have done). It does do DVD+RDL, I dont see any use in DVD-RDL.

You were able to flash a non-lightscribe to enable light-scribe??

Think you miss read the post...a HP lightscribe drive was flashed to have the properties of a Benq non-lightscribe drive

[rfielder]

My issue with wanting DVD-RDL is that I need dual layer and my DVD player is one of those few that do not accept DVD+R format. I am also working on a project that I will be sending out about 10 DVDs to unknown players. I feel certain there are very few players that do not accept DVD-R.

When you get a burner, be sure to get one that sets the booktype. That way, the player thinks it is playing a commercial DVD, not a DVD+R or -R.

I use TY +R silver printable discs and an Epson R200. Burning is mostly on my Plextor PX-712 using Nero 6.6.0.latest. So far, I have not had any player refuse the disc, even one that I was told would NOT play +R discs.

My advice on a new DVD-RW drive - look at the Plextor line, either the PX-716, or the new slot load unit.

Plextor drives are expensive, and you may choose not to buy one of those, but I highly reccomend you look at them very closely before making a final decision. Read the literature, check the prices, and check the feedback from users who own and use Plextor drives, as an educational exercise.

I swear by my PX-12 12X Plextor. In fact, it takes less time to burn a DVD than my NEC 3500, which is rated as a 16x burner.

[waheed]

You were able to flash a non-lightscribe to enable light-scribe?? Cool. Is there DVD+RDL lightscribe media available?

Lightscribe is limited to the hardware. You cannot enable lightscribe through any firmware or software. The drive must be physically capabale for lightscribe.

[dun4cheap]

The lightscribe technology is really nothing new. Yamaha introduced it quite a few years ago. It was called disc tattoo. It was more of a novelty item due to the fact you were limited to printing space which was unused disc space. With lightscribe they are now making printing surfaces on top which was also planned for the yamaha. The biggest problem was really never the printing space limitation it was the fact that the printed image was always hard to make out. So unless the lightscribe technology has greatly improved then I am afraid it will fall to the waist side and just be another novelty item.

[D.A.R.J.R.]

dun4cheap - DiscT@2 was totally different . With lightscribe you can "make it out"

sjmaye & e404pnf - You both misunderstood my post. My hp 640c was flashed to the benq dw1625. They are both lightscribe drives. They both do booktype setting.

rfielder - Plextor drives are nice drives, I own 2 of them the 708a and the 716a. I dont really recommend them anymore. I have tried the benq and there isnt much of a difference in the qualty of burns infact my dw1625 has done some burns better than the px716a. For the extra price it just isnt worth it. Plus they no longer support open source software.

[e404pnf]

sjmaye & e404pnf - You both misunderstood my post. My hp 640c was flashed to the benq dw1625. They are both lightscribe drives. They both do booktype setting.

thanks

[sjmaye]

sjmaye & e404pnf - You both misunderstood my post. My hp 640c was flashed to the benq dw1625. They are both lightscribe drives. They both do booktype setting.

thanks

OK now I am really confused.

I have never really heard of booktype setting. If I piece your information together here I could use of of these lightscribe DVD+RDLs and use booktype setting to "trick" any DVD player to think it is playing a commercial DVD (such as a DVD movie that bought)?

Sounds like problem solved, yes?

[waheed]

Booktype, also know as bitsetting:

https://www.videohelp.com/glossary?all#BitSetting

It will increase compatibility with various dvd players by setting the booktype to DVD-ROM rather than DVD+RL. But thats not to say its guaranteed to work on every dvd player.

[sjmaye]

Booktype, also know as bitsetting:

https://www.videohelp.com/glossary?all#BitSetting

It will increase compatibility with various dvd players by setting the booktype to DVD-ROM rather than DVD+RL. But thats not to say its guaranteed to work on every dvd player.

Yeah, but it is worth a shot. Thanks for the link I will read further.

[waheed]

If your dvd drive supports bitsettng, then yes, its always worth setting the booktype to DVD-ROM.

[sjmaye]

Discs will generally be more expensive for lightscribe as oposed to printing on discs, not to mention limited availability of discs.

I had assumed that I could use standard cd/dvd media if I did not want to lightscribe the topside. D.A.R.J.R. or anyone else- Is this true?

[waheed]

You can use standard cd/dvd media with lightscribe burners.

[nwo]

You can use standard cd/dvd media with lightscribe burners.

Yes, but you can't burn a image on them.

[sjmaye]

Yes, but you can't burn a image on them.

Please, pretend I know nothing about this. Can you explain?

[psx_pirate]

what NWO means is that you can't use the disks to lightscribe an image on them .... you can still burn a cd/dvd image on the recordable side of non lightscribe disks ... but you need lightscribe disks to be able to use the lightscribe function of the drive

[sjmaye]

Duh! I was thinking a DVD image file. Don't know why I did not think graphic image!

Thanks!