I need help choosing the right DVD & BR discs to buy, I'm new to burning.

[bal1985]

I have a ASUS BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-ray Burner. What are the differences between DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-DL (DVD-9), BD-R, BD-RE, BD-R DL, BD-RE DL & so on? Which should I be using? I want to be able to burn movies, DVDs (800mb-5gb) & Blu-rays(10gb-50gb). However I have no idea what discs/media I need to purcahse, I'm looking at Amazon as I'm about to have a heart attack, LOL. I don't know what any of these abbreviations mean (+RW, -R, -RE, etc.).

Can you guys recommend some cheap DVD & Blu-ray media? For DVD, is 4.7GB the highest? If not what is the highest it goes. Also, I'm looking for some BR discs, the 25 & 50GB (this is the largest it goes?) ones. I want to be able to burn any Blu-ray format.

I've been looking at Amazon but I don't know what BD-R, BD-RE, etc. are. I basically just want to be able to burn any BR (MKV, ISO, etc. & no matter the size) and some DVDs as well. I'll be burning videos, so I need help getting the right media.

Thanks for the help guys, it's very much appreciated.

[Kerry56]

DVD recordable media can be divided into three main categories, discs that are used to record something once, discs that can be recorded, then erased and used again and DVD-RAM, which is a separate type of re-recordable media which uses a slightly different strategy on data storage, and is more similar to hard drives or floppy drives in its structure. Now this is a gross simplification and there are things I'm leaving out, but this should give you a start.

If you are going to backup DVD movies to discs, I'd suggest using either DVD +R discs or DVD -R. Many would say that the -R discs are slightly more compatible with DVD players. It is far more important to select good quality discs, so do NOT go for ultra cheap ones. Just to be safe, I'd say buy Verbatim -R 16x discs that have an AZO designation on the cakebox. You should be able to see that in the online pictures at Amazon. Here is a link to the ones I'm talking about.

Another good choice would be Taiyo Yuden 16 or 8x discs, which can also be found at Amazon and many other sites for the time being, but they have stopped production of TY discs and they will eventually disappear from the market.

Don't use RW discs except for testing. They don't retain data as well over time. If you do want a temporary disc, get the Verbatim +RW version.

Now, all I've been talking about so far are single layer discs. DVD's also come in two layer varieties and it is very important to only buy Verbatim +R DL discs. They are the only widely available DL DVD's worth using. Here is the link for them.

Why single layer and double layer? Capacity. The single layer discs are nominally 4.7GB, but really only hold 4.35gb or so. The double layer discs are nominally 8.5GB, but only hold about 7.9GB of data.

On to Blu-ray. They also come in single and double layer varieties, (and triple layer) and there are some that are re-recordable. Again, avoid the re-recordable BD-RE version unless you need one or two for testing purposes. There are also some Blu-ray that use dyes in the recording layer, like DVD's. They have a designation called LTH, and I don't use them, but some people around here like them.

I'd suggest using single layer Blu-ray whenever possible, but if you do get double layer, stick to a select few brands. I recommend Verbatim, FTI/Falcon and Panasonic for Blu-ray. Verbatim is easy to find, but their double layer discs are not as good a quality. Panasonic are top notch, but very hard to find in the US. FTI/Falcon can be found online. One easy place to find them in the US is MediaMegaMall, but they are found on Amazon in the UK.

Links: Verbatim single layer BD-R

FTI/Falcon BD-R under the SmartBlu brand

[Kerry56]

And one more note. Most commercial DVD's are pressed onto double layer discs and when copying them directly, with no compression, you'll need double layer recordable discs. There are many programs that are available to compress to fit the smaller, 4.35Gb size needed for single layer DVD's.

The same problem exists for Blu-ray. The vast majority of commercial movies are released on double layer discs. You need to compress to fit one of these onto a 25GB disc (which holds about 23G). Double layer Blu-ray tend to be expensive, but if it is important to you not to compress your movies, then you will need the DL BD-R for most commercial releases.

When burning media files, like mp4, or mkv, they will be burned as data. As long as they fit the capacity of your discs you'll be fine.

I recommend burning with ImgBurn, and use moderate speeds at all times. This is generally half of the rated speed of the discs if you want a very rough, shorthand method to determine this.

[lordsmurf]

Read up at www.nomorecoasters.com
That's a primer that will tell you everything you need to know.

[bal1985]

DVD recordable media can be divided into three main categories, discs that are used to record something once, discs that can be recorded, then erased and used again and DVD-RAM, which is a separate type of re-recordable media which uses a slightly different strategy on data storage, and is more similar to hard drives or floppy drives in its structure. Now this is a gross simplification and there are things I'm leaving out, but this should give you a start.

If you are going to backup DVD movies to discs, I'd suggest using either DVD +R discs or DVD -R. Many would say that the -R discs are slightly more compatible with DVD players. It is far more important to select good quality discs, so do NOT go for ultra cheap ones. Just to be safe, I'd say buy Verbatim -R 16x discs that have an AZO designation on the cakebox. You should be able to see that in the online pictures at Amazon. Here is a link to the ones I'm talking about.

Another good choice would be Taiyo Yuden 16 or 8x discs, which can also be found at Amazon and many other sites for the time being, but they have stopped production of TY discs and they will eventually disappear from the market.

Don't use RW discs except for testing. They don't retain data as well over time. If you do want a temporary disc, get the Verbatim +RW version.

Now, all I've been talking about so far are single layer discs. DVD's also come in two layer varieties and it is very important to only buy Verbatim +R DL discs. They are the only widely available DL DVD's worth using. Here is the link for them.

Why single layer and double layer? Capacity. The single layer discs are nominally 4.7GB, but really only hold 4.35gb or so. The double layer discs are nominally 8.5GB, but only hold about 7.9GB of data.

On to Blu-ray. They also come in single and double layer varieties, (and triple layer) and there are some that are re-recordable. Again, avoid the re-recordable BD-RE version unless you need one or two for testing purposes. There are also some Blu-ray that use dyes in the recording layer, like DVD's. They have a designation called LTH, and I don't use them, but some people around here like them.

I'd suggest using single layer Blu-ray whenever possible, but if you do get double layer, stick to a select few brands. I recommend Verbatim, FTI/Falcon and Panasonic for Blu-ray. Verbatim is easy to find, but their double layer discs are not as good a quality. Panasonic are top notch, but very hard to find in the US. FTI/Falcon can be found online. One easy place to find them in the US is MediaMegaMall, but they are found on Amazon in the UK.

Links: Verbatim single layer BD-R

FTI/Falcon BD-R under the SmartBlu brand

Can I order the Verbatim 50 set? It seems like I'd be saving more $$ by going that route. Or did you recommend the 25 set for a reason?

[Kerry56]

Can I order the Verbatim 50 set? It seems like I'd be saving more $$ by going that route. Or did you recommend the 25 set for a reason?

Those were just examples of good media. If you'd rather have the larger cakebox go for it. Just make sure the Verbatim DVD's have AZO on the label and the Verbatim Blu-ray have M*A*B*L on the label. These indicate different things, but are a quick way of verifying that you are purchasing the right ones.

AZO is the type of dye used in the DVD.

M*A*B*L indicates that it is an HTL Blu-ray disc, using an inorganic recording layer.

[SameSelf]

....M*A*B*L indicates that it is an HTL Blu-ray disc, using an inorganic recording layer.

I thought all BD-R DL were HTL. Can you confirm?

[lordsmurf]

....M*A*B*L indicates that it is an HTL Blu-ray disc, using an inorganic recording layer.

I thought all BD-R DL were HTL. Can you confirm?

No, they are not. Some are HTL, some are LTH.