Update on Dual-Layer discs/burning??? (1 Viewer)

[CraigL]

Hey all,

Just wondering if there's been an update on this practice as of yet. Can you choose where the layer change goes as of yet? Any price update on the discs?

Just curious...

 

[Mike Williams]

As far as I know, you cannot select where the layer change goes. The best price I have found for Dual Layer discs is Verbatims DVD+R DL three pack for $29.99 at Best Buy, or $10 per disc. Still pretty hefty. A guy in the store told me that by the time summer rolls around, they're expected to drop to around $3 or $4 per disc, which is what regular blank DVDs were just a year ago.

 

[Max Leung]

Yeah, the prices for the Verbatim is the same here in Canada, after adjusting for exchange. It's about $13 CDN per DL disc.

Be wary - if you buy a DL burner right now after being enticed by manufacturer promises of "we'll support dual-layer DVD-R (minus-R) discs in a future firmware update" - well, don't expect them to keep their promise. With that said, LG claims their LG4163B DVD burner will be upgradeable to dual-layer DVD-Rs when the standard is in place. But, I didn't buy the burner for that - I'm building a PC for my sister and didn't have a spare burner lying around.

I think the latest practices are still old - get a DVD burner that allows disc "bit-setting" - so that a DVD+R dual layer disc will be flagged as "DVD-ROM" for maximum compatibility. AFAIK, all dual-layer burners support this. HOWEVER, not all of them support bitsetting for single-layer discs - although sometimes a software application can be run to force it, if the burner supports it in the firmware.

I go to www.cdrinfo.com for reviews of the latest burners - although I often have to hit their forums as they don't review everything.

 

[Steve Felix]

Adobe Encore DVD (with the 1.5.1 update) allows you to assign the layer switch to a chapter point if it can't find a place in between timelines or menus.

 

[Nathan_W]

Regarding DVD-R DL, Plextor's PX-716A/UF/SA's newest firmware allows DVD-R DL at 2x and upgraded DVD+R DL to 6x. An upgrade to those speeds later on was also mentioned somewhere.