Rewritable DL ???

[fredfillis]

Normally I burn my home video to RW media and test it before I burn the real deal.

I've upgraded my video camera / NLE and now have better files (bigger too) and I want to put them on DL media. However, I still want to test before my final burn so that means, in theory, I need some rewriteable DL media.

Does such a beast exists?

If not, any suggestions on how I can verify that my home movie DVD will look / perform as intended without having to risk wasting expensive write once DL media?

[jman98]

No such media exists. It was very difficult to get write once DL media working and my understanding is that the media still has a lot of manufacturing problems in that a decent number of discs get rejected at the plant without ever making it out for sale. This is why DL media is still expensive. I've heard rumors of DL RW media, but various companies claim that such discs are "almost impossible" to produce. Keep in mind that they said that about burnable DL media too, so they probably really are just "difficult but not impossible" to create and produce. The real question is if there is enough of a demand for this kind of media to justify the costs of producing it and manufacturing it.

[Jim44]

If not, any suggestions on how I can verify that my home movie DVD will look / perform as intended without having to risk wasting expensive write once DL media?

I don't have a ton of experience with DL media, but I have done a bunch of reading, and there's 2 things to do to help increase your success with DL media:
- Use ImgBurn to burn the authored files; in "Build" mode it'll give you choices to select the layer break, there's info here and at the ImgBurn forums (esp. some very good Guides) on how to best make this selection. It can also set the booktype, which may be necessary for some players.
- Use ONLY Verbatim DVD+R DL media. Period.

The handful of DL DVDs I've done were done following the above, and I've had no problems.

Hope that helps,
Jim

[jman98]

I got curious and did a little research. It appears that both DVD+RWL DL and DVD-RW DL discs were announced to debut sometime in 2006. They STILL aren't available. It also appears that to make the discs work, they had to use some technology that is completely incompatible with current DVD burners, which means if the discs ever come out, you'll have to buy a new burner for them.

One article I found suggested that the incompatibility with current DVD burners and the emergence of BluRay and HD-DVD may make this type of disc pointless. The fact that you still can't buy them over a year after they were supposed to be available is not a good sign.

[fredfillis]

jman, that is the same info I'd found. Sounds like we will never see RW DL disks. I guess at some point I'll upgrade all my burners, players and family / friends to Bluray.

Right after I win the lottery!

This makes me wonder whether there is any real future in recordable media for home use. Seems to me a better option long term to have content stored on a hard drive and have that available to various points in the home over wireless / ethernet. Could but a lot of storage for the price of replacing all my burners / players etc.

[redwudz]

JVC makes a DVD DL RW, but it seems to be rare if you can even find it. List price is a little over $10 a disc.

It's called: JVC DVD-RW 8.5GB 2x Dual Layer Rewritable Recordable DVD Disc (Pack of 2) Mfr# VDWDL85GU2

[fredfillis]

Hey redwudz, nice find

If I can track those down (and if I can confirm my burners / players will work) that might be a cost effective solution, kind of.

Thanks!

[jman98]

It appears that at this time, such discs are still not available. I was unable to find even one retailer who had them available. Note that redwudz' post contains no links, so I doubt he knows anyone who has them either.

Keep in mind as we discussed earlier that it's been claimed that you'll need a new drive to burn them and if true, that will add to the cost.

[BoilerUp]

Is this it? Looks like it's not even available yet.

[Seeker47]

.
- Use ONLY Verbatim DVD+R DL media. Period.

That's the conventional wisdom, and my experience suggests that it's true. (I am still curious about the Fuji DL, though. But not curious enough to buy it. ) In particular, avoid the Ritek / Ridatas. It's cheaper, but it's CRAP, and IT SUX !

[Seeker47]

It appears that at this time, such discs are still not available. I was unable to find even one retailer who had them available.

Keep in mind as we discussed earlier that it's been claimed that you'll need a new drive to burn them and if true, that will add to the cost.

For what little it may be worth, I've purchased other JVC discs at Fry's, so we at least know they carry the brand.

[Jinx_Dojo]

I'd like to add my name to the pool of users wishing DVD+/-RW DL were available. I know with Bluray/HDDVD coming out now, they might be pushed into obsolescence, but I think there is still room/time for them to have some use. I know I would buy some.

[redwudz]

I have a feeling DVD DL RW is vaporware. That's been almost 2 years since the early announcements came out. It's hard to find much of anything about them. Even JVC just lists a technical paper about the possibility of the product. No where on the net can I find any company that actually seems to have them in stock.

[AlanHK]

They exist all right.

You can buy them here in Hong Kong for about US$5.

I've never used them myself, at that price -- 5 times a SL RW, 20 times a blank SL -- it wasn't attractive. Also, the burn speed was pretty slow.

I'll try to note some details next time I'm in a computer mall.