Have a new dvd recorder. Do I need special discs to record onto or are they the same as the ones for computers

Question

Also the computer dvd+ say they can take 4.7 gig, but how much is that in real time? I am old and silly so please forgive my ignorance, lol! Any help is appreciated

Answer 1

I think some people are confusing CD Burners and DVD Burners.

CD Burner can only burn CD discs. These include CD-R / CD-RW.

DVD Burners can burn CD discs and DVD discs. Depending on the ability of the drive you can use CD-R / CD-RW / DVD-R / DVD+R / DVD-RW / DVD+RW / DVD-RAM.

Movies are best recorded on DVD+ discs since this is a more universal format however these discs ususally cost a bit more than their DVD- counterparts.

DVD-RAM is not a good recording medium since this is best compared to a very slow hard drive rather than a DVD for movies.

This format is mostly found in DVD based data archiving / security camera systems since it acts like a hard drive and can write multiple data/video streams at once. This also allows for Tivo-like features including reading data as it is being written.

Unless you have a Blu-Ray drive there is no reason to buy special discs for your drive.

Answer 2

There are four kinds of recordable DVDs.

DVD+R and DVD-R are designed to be recorded once. It used to make a difference which one you used based upon the brand of DVD burner you had. But today most all DVD writers will work with both so you should simply buy what's on sale.

DVD+RW and DVD-RW are re-writeable; that is, they can be erased and used over and over again - up to a point. They are much more expensive than standard DVDs and lots of people find them unreliable. I tend to agree. DVDs are so cheap today, it doesn't make sense to pay for re-wrietable ones.

How much video you can store on a DVD depends upon the quality at which you write it. Typically two hours is what you can expect to put on a DVD at full quality. If you compress the video, you can get four or even six hours on the DVD, but it's not going to look very good.

By the way, you don't have to only put video on a DVD. They make great backup data storage devices too, and hold over six times what you can store on a CD.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

read the manual,a film is about one gig,

Answer 4

same as you use to copy dvd on a computer

Answer 5

Well, if you wish to re-record over things after you've taped them, you should use RAM discs. However, if you want to keep things once recorded use DVD-R (that's what mine uses anyway) Check in the manual, it should tell you whether you need DVD+R or DVD-R.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

If you look at the front of the machine it shoudl tell you what format this is.  It will either be DVD+ or DVD- (or Both). and might say rewritable after it.

This tells you the type of disk it takes.  If you have this sort already for your computer they will work.  Otherwise go out and buy the correct type (+/-).  

The rewritable part means you an record something and the deleate it, and then record something else (like a VHS).  If it doesnt say this it will only record one thing (even if its only a few seconds) and then lock meaning it is useless.   I recommend going for rewritable.  

Consider buying the disks on ebay or in poundland as they are very expensive and quality doesnt vary that much when using them for home use.  

The length of recording you get from 4.7Gb depends on whther you record in slow play/long play/ultra long play etc.  But you will get at least 3 hours at long play.

Answer 7

I suggest u read ur manual, itll tell you what discs 2 use. I normally use DVD+RW so I re-record stuff. I think a disc of 4.7Gb can record about 2 hours-ish on SP and 6 hours on SLP recording mode.

Answer 8

we just bought a new dvd recorder and had to out and buy disc's for it dont now if same applies to your's mate hope this helped

Answer 9

you need special DVDS not CDS

It should say on the back how much time it is

Answer 10

same discs. new dvd recorders are called multiformat, they accept - and + disks. you can record 2 hours in good compression, you can record up to 6 hours but the video will look very poor.