difference between dvd-r and dvd-rw?

[snafubaby]

Hello. I am wondering if there is a difference between dvd-r and dvd-rw, aside from being able to rewrite to dvd-rw's. Is the data burned differently between the two? How about this question, which i am beginning to really wonder about:

Is a dvd-rw more fragile compared to a dvd-r, as far as scratches go?

I have a scratch on a couple dvd-rw's that i have tried 3 different disc repair processes with, and they still cannot be fixed. I am going to buy the Simotech repair system, which is almost guaranteed to fix scratches (as long as they didn't go thru to the label side of the disc, of course). It's over a whopping $120.00(US) for one, but will come in handy!

[samijubal]

The only disc repair systems that actually work are the expensive commercial ones. It'd be a lot cheaper just to buy new RWs. If you keep scratching them, I do to, look at the Verbatim VideoGuard discs. There's probably some place around you that will resurface discs for around $2-3 each.

[Krispy Kritter]

The RW discs tend to scratch a little easier and they are prone to failure, at least in my experience. I've always used them as big "floppy discs" myself. Anything I put on them is always just temporary. It is something to be saved, it goes onto a -R disc.

[jman98]

DVD-RW uses a different type of dye from DVD-R. This is why it is rewritable. This ability to be rewritten also means that over time DVD-RW discs will break down. If you burn data to a DVD-RW disc and leave it untouched for, say, 5 years, you may not be able to recover the data from it. A good quality DVD-R disc properly stored should still be readable in 5 years. DVD-RW discs are prone to failure and my experience is that they won't last as long as they are claimed (10000 or so writes I believe). Note that there are also DVD+R and DVD+RW discs and what I said above is just as true for them.

There is a marked difference between DVD media brands and all brands are not the same. Look at
http;//www.nomorecoasters.com
for some info on DVD disc differences. It's worth noting that many people consider Taiyo Yuden to be the premier manufacturer of burnable media and they don't make rewritable DVDs at all. I think that says a lot about what they think of the format. Most of us consider that Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim make the best media. For rewritable DVDs, you should go with Verbatim. For DVD-R, either one is fine.

Never heard of resurfacing discs. I'm not sure that's even possible. I know nothing about the Simotech system, but are you going to be OK with paying that kind of money if it doesn't work? I'd advise trying to find some reviews to be sure it really works before spending that kind of money.

[Midzuki]

The recording layer in DVD-RW and DVD+RW is not an organic dye, but a special phase change metal alloy, often GeSbTe. The alloy can be switched back and forth between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase, changing the reflectivity, depending on the power of the laser beam. Data can thus be written, erased and re-written.

{ source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dvd-rw }

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[snafubaby]

DVD-RW uses a different type of dye from DVD-R. This is why it is rewritable. This ability to be rewritten also means that over time DVD-RW discs will break down. If you burn data to a DVD-RW disc and leave it untouched for, say, 5 years, you may not be able to recover the data from it. A good quality DVD-R disc properly stored should still be readable in 5 years. DVD-RW discs are prone to failure and my experience is that they won't last as long as they are claimed (10000 or so writes I believe). Note that there are also DVD+R and DVD+RW discs and what I said above is just as true for them.

There is a marked difference between DVD media brands and all brands are not the same. Look at
http;//www.nomorecoasters.com
for some info on DVD disc differences. It's worth noting that many people consider Taiyo Yuden to be the premier manufacturer of burnable media and they don't make rewritable DVDs at all. I think that says a lot about what they think of the format. Most of us consider that Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim make the best media. For rewritable DVDs, you should go with Verbatim. For DVD-R, either one is fine.

Never heard of resurfacing discs. I'm not sure that's even possible. I know nothing about the Simotech system, but are you going to be OK with paying that kind of money if it doesn't work? I'd advise trying to find some reviews to be sure it really works before spending that kind of money.

hi again. thanks for the info. yes, the Simotech system has gotten nothing but 5 star reviews on the sites i've seen reviews for it, like amazon.com for example. It will fix deeply gouged media, as long as the scratch doesn't go through to the label side, of course. A girl demonstrating the device, on youtube, purposely damaged a disc, and then threw it in a dvd player to show us it wouldn't play. Then, she fixed it with Simotech, and threw it back in the same dvd player, and it played fine. I have about 10 discs total that aren't readable in my burner drive. A few dvd-rw's, and the rest dvd-r's. I stored a lot of data on those discs, and would like to be able to access them again, so i'll spend the money for the Simotech. After buying about 4 different repair kits over the past 5 years, this looks like the one that will finally repair a disc.

[lordsmurf]

DVD-RW does not use dye at all. It uses phase change crystals. The crystals age like any other, and eventually cannot be altered to a virginal state for re-writing.

The easiest way to see a RW disc dying is by looking for craters in the material. Flip the disc over and use a magnifying glass under good light and look for anomalies.

You need to use a repair service, not a do-it-yourself kit.

[samijubal]

It would be far cheaper to take the discs somewhere and have them resurfaced. It isn't very expensive and the discs look like new after they are done. There's a place by me that does disc resurfacing for $3 and I think I saw another place advertising $2 awhile back. Those home surfacers suck, all they do is scratch the hell out of the disc.

[lordsmurf]

It would be far cheaper to take the discs somewhere and have them resurfaced. It isn't very expensive and the discs look like new after they are done. There's a place by me that does disc resurfacing for $3 and I think I saw another place advertising $2 awhile back. Those home surfacers suck, all they do is scratch the hell out of the disc.

A lot of the mom-and-pop rental places are doing this now. I had two discs redone recently. I'd suggest making copies of resurfaced discs, to DL media, just in case, once fixed.

[redwudz]

samijubal said:

Those home surfacers suck, all they do is scratch the hell out of the disc.

I had a disc from Netflix a while back that wouldn't play. I checked the surface and it had a 'frosted' appearance, like it had been sanded. I don't know what one of their customers used on it, but they destroyed it.

I'd pick your most problematic disc and get it commercially resurfaced as suggested. If it cures the problem, consider having the rest of them done as needed.

[Djinn252]

Personally, I wouldn't "rely" on rewritables. I use them frequently for watching movies (or recorded televisions programs) that I have no intention of keeping. I burn them, watch them, and then use the same disk to burn new shows. If it dies, I'm not going to lose anything even remotely important.

[dadrab]

I know this is going to sound extremely "old school" but I've buffed out quite a few CD scratches with good old Crest toothpaste and a clean cloth diaper. Rinse under warm tap water.

Never tried it on a DVD, but it won't hurt. The abrasive in toothpaste is extremely fine and won't scratch. You can also try a little baking soda.