Info on purchasing DVD-R/W, please

[dananddeb]

Hubby and I are in the market for a DVD-R/W so we can start making copies of our original DVD's for a close friend. We are interested in an External DVD-R/W, and are curious what would be the best brand to purchase. Also, I'm assuming that the original DVD movies have copy protection, so what is the best software to burn 1-1 copies? I've always used CloneCD to burn CD's, but not sure what to use for DVD's.

Thanks much - ANY and ALL help/info is greatly appreciated!

:D
Deb

[Jesterrace]

like a number of people here I recommend the Pioneer 107/A07 (107 is just the drive itself and the other is the retail version with software and cables). Honestly I would go for the 107D OEM version. The majority of the software you would want is either 1. Downloadable legal freeware 2. Pay Software that wouldn't come with the retail version anyways. There is a firmware upgrade option for it that allows you to burn just about any 4x media at 8x (take a look at the cost of 8x media and you will realize how much this can save you). The other reason why I suggest the Pioneer is that it seems to have the fewest media issues of the drives that I have seen. The NEC and Lite-On are probably the other two writers that you will see recommended the most but they seem to have issues with certain media. Not saying that they are bad writers I just think that the Pioneer offers more overall flexibility for the money. A number of people here (including myself) recommend Ritek DVD-R media. Great compatibility and a reasonable price and the Pioneers get along with them very well. The Pioneer 107D will run you $125 shipped from www.newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com/) if you are in the US or you can find it at a reasonable price at www.blankdiscshop.co.uk (http://www.blankdiscshop.co.uk/) if you are in the UK. In terms of software there is no such thing as a complete 1:1 solution. Most of us recommend a combination of DVD Shrink and DVD Decrypter (both are free). The problem is that a number of movies are too big (at the moment) to fit on a DVD-R disc. So you will have to compress, rip out the extras, ect. in order to get it to fit. You are correct that virtually all commercial DVDs are encrypted. DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink will both decrypt though.

[PhilEnfield]

Also ....many folk are having issues with external DVD Writers ... just have a look through the forum to see why.

I would recommend the Pioneer 107D also, but as an internal drive. If you are thinking of an external one, simply because it's easier to hook up .... this may prove to be a BIG mistake.

[Jesterrace]

Whoops. Didn't see the part about it being external. I still recommend the drive though. ;)

[dananddeb]

Thanks to everyone who responded! After reading responses and studying the forum, we've decided to go with an Internal burner, the Pioneer 107D. Our local Best Buy has it in stock, but there, it's called DVR-A07USPK - from what we understand, it's the same thing.

Like I said, we only want to make DVD-R copies of our DVD collection for a friend and we want to make sure we get the best possible copies. From what I've read, because of the size, we won't be able to copy the whole thing - just the movie (no special features, etc). That's OK, but we wanna make sure we're doing it right.

I've printed out Lazza's DVD Shrink 2.3 tutorial about how to make easy DVD backups. I've downloaded all the necessary software (DVD Shrink, DVD Decrypter, Img Tool,and Daemon Tools). Following his instructions, are all those steps REALLY necessary to make a DVD-R? Seems like a lot of work! LOL

Also, from what everyone says, the Ritek DVD-R's are the way to go. Apparently, we're gonna have to order them online - none of our stores in town seem to carry them. (I'm in Daytona Beach, FL)

What particular brand of the Riteks does everyone recommend? We want the best quality, not cheap silvers that are gonna mess up over time.

Once again, I appreciate everyone's time and help. As you can see, we've never done the DVD thing before. I thought I was a pro when it came to copying PC games, etc.,but now I feel like a beginner again! LOL

:D
Deb

[Jesterrace]

Part of the problem is that Lazza's DVD Shrink tutorial is a bit outdated (no offense Lazza). The latest version of DVD Shrink is MUCH easier to use. The current version is V3.1.7. If you have D/L the latest versions of DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink all you will need to do is customize your options (remove what you don't want from the disc, ect.) and then go to the backup option. Once in there select the output option (gives you two different options) and set it for the ISO option. It will then automatically link up with DVD Decrypter after DVD Shrink is finished and burn it for you in ISO mode. Once this is setup it will do it for you each time. The only other thing you really need to know about is the Deep Analysis option. This is your best friend when it comes to backups that require high levels of compression (85% of original quality or less IMHO). Just make sure the box is selected before backing up the disc. It will take longer (depends quite a bit on your machine) but on movies that require higher levels of compression it makes a significant difference in the quality. In terms of Ritek DVD-R you are correct that you will not find them in most stores. My recommendation is the frosted top Ridatas (like the unbranded Riteks they come straight from Ritek themselves) which is what most sites are carrying now. You can find them at reasonable prices from www.newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com/) www.rima.com (http://www.rima.com/) www.meritline.com (http://www.meritline.com/)

[Billy_Black]

Shrink stuff here:

http://www.dvdshrink.info/guides.php

http://www.mrbass.org/dvdshrink/

[sandan]

Jesterace......Why do you recommend dvd-r media? I am relatively new to dvd burning and have only tried dvd+r. It was a toss up when I chose the + or - and have no special reason I took the +. Are there advantages to the -. Thanks .......

[Billy_Black]

Well -R's seem to play in more players which may not be a big deal if +R's work in yours. My Sampo plays them all but my new JVC will only play -R's and RW's.

What particular brand of the Riteks does everyone recommend? We want the best quality, not cheap silvers...
Well I've bought RitekG03's (2X) and G04's (4X) from both NewEgg and Meritline they usually say RIDATA on the hub (but they may not), they are very cheap looking matte silver discs with rather bumpy/crude edges. From Meritline you can also get shiny silver G04's (they ID as G04's but don't say RIDATA on the hub). They are all I ever use... love 'em. But that's not to say that other media may match up better with your particular burner. One size does not fit all. That's were Nero CD/DVD Speed Transfer Rate test comes in. Test one of your burns and see how it looks. You want it to look like this:

http://mars.walagata.com/w/mysticx/RitekG04s.jpg

As opposed to this:


http://mars.walagata.com/w/mysticx/RG04X.jpg

By the way those are both GO4's the last example was before a firmware update. Moral of the story update your firmware.

[Jesterrace]

Jesterace......Why do you recommend dvd-r media? I am relatively new to dvd burning and have only tried dvd+r. It was a toss up when I chose the + or - and have no special reason I took the +. Are there advantages to the -. Thanks .......
As mentioned above -Rs are cheaper and tend to be a little bit more compatible across a wider range of DVD Players. If you are into gaming consoles at all then you will definitely want -R. Unless you have a newer version of PS2 then it is hit and miss with +R and on the XBOX if you have the Samsung drive then you definitely want -R. Bottom line is that it is almost unheard of to hear of an application where a quality -R disc won't work but a quality +R disc will. On the flipside it isn't that uncommon for people to have trouble getting +R discs to work but a quality -R disc works just fine. I remember when I was looking for a burner that the guy at the store told me that +R was the better format and it was the way to go. The special on the Cendyne 105 (Pioneer 105) over a year ago was what swayed me to the -R side as no other 4x burner came close to the $180 AR pricetag at the time. After getting involved with forums on the internet I quickly realized that my impulse buy was one of the smartest moves I have ever made. Almost everyone agreed that -R was the better choice for best overall compatibility across all applications. That and of course the media is cheaper. I paid 90 cents a disc for my 4x frosted top Ridatas from newegg last time around and I have used the Unbranded Ritek/Ridata for almost a year and have yet to find a Gamesystem/DVD Player that they will not work in. With that said most DVD Player will read a quality -R or +R disc so it shouldn't be a big deal.

[handyguy]

"As mentioned above -Rs are cheaper"

I was in office depot the other day & -r media was more expensive. boy, how times change.

[Jesterrace]

That is if you buy from stores. No thanks. Brand name medias change thier dyes out frequently and are more expensive.