Burn 8.5 gig dvd+r

[jyeh74]

I've been using dvd shrink to burn my movies on my ritek dvd-r (4.7 gig)
If I buy a 8.5 gig double layer dvd-r, so that I can capure 100% of the quality without shrinking, do I need to buy a new dvd copier or can it be done with the same one (non DL) I have ?

[CrayonEater]

You don't say anything about your source. If your source is on a DVD-9, then you will need a DVD+R DL to make an exact copy- that is, keeping everything with no quality loss. But lots of source material is on DVD-5, so you may not have to use a DL. You might even be able to split DVD-9 material among two DVD-5s if you want to retain quality but not buy DLs.

FYI, forget Ritek. Only get Verbatims, and only get DVD+R DL if you are going to do DL. DVD-R DL is hard to find and it is thought that there are lots of compatibility problems, mainly because very few software packages deal with them. DVD+R DL, on the other hand, is well-established. Verbatims are always on sale somewhere so there is no need to mess with Ritek or -R DL formats. See Microcenter.

[steveryan]

If your DVD writer isn't dual layer you will have to buy another one that will burn to DL.

[jyeh74]

crayoneater, i think my source is dvd-9. It is a authentic dvd movie. I think all those are dvd-9.
So you say dvd+r is better than dvd-r for dual layer.

What about for single layer? I heard dvd-r is better than dvd+r for single layer because its more compatible.

[ZippyP.]

I heard dvd-r is better than dvd+r for single layer because its more compatible.

-R may have been slightly more compatible at one time, but it is not the case any more. Any units made in the last several years will play both types.

And to repeat:

If your DVD writer isn't dual layer you will have to buy another one that will burn to DL.

You can't burn to dual layer without a dual layer drive. Kinda makes sense.