[kingskel]

http://www.mediasupplier.com/dvdram94doub.html


They are 9.4 Gigs, double-sided. My drive is a Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-104.

Probably a dumb question, but my experience w/DVDs is nil.


2. Do I have to turn it over to burn/listen to the other side?

3. If this disc is not applicable, what is the largest/recommended media to burn to?

I'd like to back up a bunch of stuff (files, mp3s, etc.) but want to carry as little discs as possible.

Any info appreciated.

[Camelot]

No, you can't.

That page lists DVD-RAM disks, not DVD-R, so it's a different format.

DVD-RAM disks are enclosed in plastic cases/cartridges, so they won't even fit in your DVD-R drive.

The whole world is in a flux right now with different DVD recording 'standards' including DVD-R, DVD+R DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. Each of which has different levels of (in)compatibility with the others. Someone really needs to kick the industry into order.

[Camelot]

Oh, I forgot your other question - size.

You can only use DVD-R disks in your A103.

All DVD-R disks are 4.7GB, so that's the largest size you can use.

As for brand, assuming you don't want the Apple disks), always go for a branded disk. I've had good results with Maxell and Memorex.

[Eug]

They're right you cannot use those discs.

DVD-RAM disks are enclosed in plastic cases/cartridges, so they won't even fit in your DVD-R drive.

Some DVD-RAM discs have no cartridges. Some DVD-RAM discs come in cartridges that can be opened. However, they still won't work in the Pioneer. They can be read though in some DVD drives from Toshiba, Panasonic, Hitachi, etc.

The whole world is in a flux right now with different DVD recording 'standards' including DVD-R, DVD+R DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM. Each of which has different levels of (in)compatibility with the others. Someone really needs to kick the industry into order.

The formats from the DVD Forum (which controls the official DVD spec) are DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM. Drives that work with all of these are already available, but the Pioneer isn't one of them.

+R and +RW (note the absence of the word "DVD") are the formats of the DVD Alliance (ie. Philips and friends).

You can only use DVD-R disks in your A103.

The A03 (103) supports DVD-R and DVD-RW (although much software doesn't support the latter).

All DVD-R discs are 4.7GB, so that's the largest size you can use.

9.4 GB double-sided discs are already available, and they work fine in the Pioneer. (They are essentially two discs glued together.)

[skalie]

If I could sap a little knowledge out of this thread.....

How do they fit a whole movie onto a dvd if it's only 4.7 gig or so?

When I record dv I only get about 5 minutes per gig, so I guess the dvds are recorded using some sort of compression or a different format?

Does this mean I could record 15 or 20 of dvd quality movie onto to a CD-R of 650 megs?

I'm probably missing something blindingly obvious here.

[kingskel]

Thanks guys. Eug, you said: "9.4 GB double-sided discs are already available, and they work fine in the Pioneer. (They are essentially two discs glued together.)"

Do you know where to get these, by any chance? Amazon only has the Memorex deal. I don't want to get the wrong thing - especially at these prices.

[Eug]

Originally posted by skalie:
If I could sap a little knowledge out of this thread.....

How do they fit a whole movie onto a dvd if it's only 4.7 gig or so?

When I record dv I only get about 5 minutes per gig, so I guess the dvds are recorded using some sort of compression or a different format?

Does this mean I could record 15 or 20 of dvd quality movie onto to a CD-R of 650 megs?

I'm probably missing something blindingly obvious here.

1) MiniDV takes up much more space than compressed MPEG-2 video. I think MiniDV takes up about 3.5 MB/s, vs. 1.4 MB/s for full bitrate DVD. However, some movies are encoded at around half of that 1.4 MB/s bitrate.

2) Many commercial DVDs out there are dual layer discs, which hold about 9 GB. Dual layer discs have a bottom semi-transparent layer. The movie starts there with laser focused on that bottom layer. When the end of the layer is reached, the DVD player refocuses the laser (through the bottom layer) to the top layer.

These dual layer discs do not exist in recordable format. The double-sided DVD-R discs are 4.7 GB x 2, where you need to physically flip the disc over to record on the second side.

Thanks guys. Eug, you said: "9.4 GB double-sided discs are already available, and they work fine in the Pioneer. (They are essentially two discs glued together.)"

Do you know where to get these, by any chance? Amazon only has the Memorex deal. I don't want to get the wrong thing - especially at these prices.

They sell them at Meritline and places like that, but I'm not sure it's worth it, since they aren't any cheaper than buying two 4.7 GB discs of the same quality. Plus it's easier to get your fingerprints all over them and there's no place to write labels on it, since both sides are recording surfaces.