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What DVD Should You Use?

DVD is the abbreviation of Digital Video Disc. DVD R/RW is commonly used format, which HD DVD and Blu-ray DVD are becoming popular.

Each kind of DVD has their own strongpoint compared with other kinds of DVD.

  • DVD+R/RW
    • DVD+R is the recordable format and can be recorded only once. Once the data are written on it, they are permanent and you can’t write other data any more.
    DVD+RW is the rewritable DVD format and you can use the disc to burn repeatedly by erasing the existing data.

  • DVD-R/RW

    • DVD-R is similar to DVD+R and cannot be rewritten.
    DVD-RW is similar to DVD+RW. The data on DVD-RW can be erased numerous times.

  • DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL

    • DL means Dual Layer. The standard DVD can hold 4,7GB files and actually 4.37 GB in maximum, but Dual Layer DVD can hold 9.95GB (DVD 9) or 15.9GB (DVD 18) data. However, only a few of slideshow makers support burning Dual Layer disc.

  • HD DVD

    • HD DVD stands for High Definition Digital Video Disc and it is a digital optical media format which is being developed as one standard for high-definition DVD. HD DVD is divided into R and RW disc as well. Both single layer and dual layer are available. The main difference between DVD and HD DVD is the different video solution they support. Videos on standard DVD is 720 by 576/480, while on HD DVD it is 1920x1080 or 1280x720. HD DVD is promoted by Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo, and, most recently, Microsoft, HP, and Intel.

  • Blu-ray DVD

    • It is quite similar to HD DVD, but has more information capacity per layer, 25 instead of 15 gigabytes, but may initially be more expensive to produce

By using slideshow software to create Photo DVD Maker Pro, many people have problems with burning disc or playing burned disc. The problem may be possible caused by the incorrect DVD format you use.

You may see various DVD discs on the market like DVD-R/ RW, DVD+R/RW. DVD-RAM, DVD+R DL, HD DVD and Blu-ray DVD, but which format you should use when you want to burn photos, videos or other data on the disc and play on your DVD player.(see differences of each DVD format) The following are something you may consider before you make the decision.

  1. What kind of DVD does your DVD player support?

    2. This is the most important issue you should confirm before you burn the disc. Not all DVD formats is supported by your DVD player. DVD-R/DVD-RWand DVD+R/DVD+RW are compatible with many standalone DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs while DVD-RAM has less DVD Player and DVD-ROM compatibility but better recording features. DVD-R in particularly is more compatible with standalone DVD players.

    If you are not sure what format your DVD players supports, check the specification booklet of your player to find out what format it supports.

  2. What kind of DVD does your DVD writer support?

    3. Each DVD writer supports specified DVD discs. Some may support DVD-R but not DVD-RW, so make sure the disc you use is compatible with both your DVD player and DVD writer.

  3. What kind of DVD does the slideshow software support?

    4. It is possible that your DVD writer support DVD-R DL, while your slideshow software does not support. Basically, the popular slideshow software on the market supports DVD-R/DVD-RW and DVD+R/DVD+RW. A few of them can also support DVD DL (Dual Layer) disc, such as Ulead PictureShow. 

After you confirm above three questions, you can determine what DVD to use.