Please explain dual-layer limitations.

[alienx]

Hi,

I am a newbie at DVD copying. I've had limited success using the DVD Wizard Pro product and the freeware that they point you to (DVD Decrypter, IfoEdit, Vobrator, and DVD shrink (maybe)). My first mistake was getting ripped off by paying for freeware..oh well.

I have been able to copy some of my dvd5 discs to +r discs and am happy with the results. I have only been able to copy one dvd9 disc to a single +r disc. This is because it took about 24 hours. and the resulting image looked decent but the audio is screwed up (kind of like it went mono on me). So I haven't really felt like experimenting to see if I could fix that problem...

Well it turns out that virtually every other DVD I own and want to copy is well over 4.3 gigs. So I haven't really tried to go and shrink and cop any of them. This brings me to me question. Why aren't consumers able to burn dual layer discs??? Is it that there are no dual layer burners available, or maybe it's a software or media issue.

Basically, I was excited to jump into this DVD burning thing but now I'm frustrated with what you can actually accomplish without spending a full day or two, and sacrificing image quality in the process.

Any insight??

Thanks.

[tgpo]

Moved to DVD to DVDR forum.

[FulciLives]

Dual layer DVD burners will be out later this year. Philips looks to be the first out with a DVD+R DL (Double Layer) burner but Pioneer should also have a DVD-R DL burner out by the very end of the year.

So you might as well just wait ...

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[joe bananas]

If you cant wait - give dvdshrink a go.

whole process takes around 2 hours, audio is untouched and theres many usefull options to fit a dvd9 to dvdr, with losing much (if any) picture quality.

Re-author is the answer.

[ripit]

I wouldn't give up yet. I am new to this too. I have had plenty of problems and I have spent endless hours reading through this and other forums as well as gudes etc. All I do for the most part is direct backups with all content left the same. Once you learn how to do it and get things set up right it gets realy easy. Personally I use any dvd and nero recode but unless I am mistaken you can just use smart ripper and dvd shrink if you want to go freeware. Rip the entire contents of the disk to a folder using smart ripper (you may have to play the movie for a minute with windvd so that smartripper can axcess all the files). Click files (not movie or backup) and click all and rip it. Dvd shrink will see that folder as a dvd. Do a full disk backup of the folder and you have your dvd. Read through the guides and dont just read one guide, search for and read several if you can find them. You can backup your disks and worry about more complex ways of doing it later as you learn.
I have only been at it a little over a month and with any dvd and nero, after some recent firmware changes, from the time I insert the movie in one drive and a blank disk into my burner, two minutes later I walk away from the computer, come back 55 min later and my 7.6gig dvd-9 has been copied onto a dvd-5.
Obviouslly there are plenty of other things you can do but to get you started, this is easy and will allow you to backup.
By the way, do yourself a favor and go get a small pack of dvd rw disks. The fall into the process just like a dvd r would and you can experiment without fears of expensive coasters untill you get it down.