Introduction
to DVD Video Recording Formats
Info
provided by CyberLink! 
Looking at the current DVD trend, the two major usage for
recording on DVDs are Data Backups and Video Recording.
With the massive
storage space available on a DVD, it is easy to back up a
great deal of data and is ideal for producing DVD movies,
due to
MPEG-2's large file size. But one problem with DVD burning
is that the process is relatively slow; especially in comparison
to CD burning. As well, because DVDs can hold up to 4.7 GB
worth of data, it is unlikely that the average person will
use up all of that capacity at one time. So this brings us
to the new DVD Video Recording (VR) format. A format which
gives you the flexibility to produce fully editable DVD movies!
What is DVD VR and What can you do with it?
In short, DVD VR is a format that enables you to produce
a DVD movie that can be edited. A DVD produced in VR
format will allow you to add new video contents, change
menu backgrounds, insert chapters, split video clips
and even remove unwanted video segments (as long as you
have enough space available on the disc). And as more
DVD authoring applications are adopting the new VR standard,
like CyberLink's PowerProducer 2
, you will be able to
easily record, edit, and playback your DVD movie creations.
So now, using products like PowerProducer 2, you can
reuse your re-writeable DVDs again and again, and add
as much content as you want. You can transfer 30 minutes
of your travel video onto a re-writeable DVD, and then
a few months later you can add another 10 minutes from
your next trip onto the same disc. Plus, if you want
to change the selection menu to contain a new background
image, music, navigation buttons, etc., it can be done
with ease.
Where can you find VR Technology
Currently, VR technologies are mainly available on high-end
home DVD recorders, where you can record and re-record
TV programs without the need to change to a different
disc. However, with developments in the software industry,
you will be able to use programs like PowerProducer 2
and your DVD burner to perform the similar functions
as those high-end DVD recorders.
Limitations for VR Format
However, VR technology does have some limitations to
be aware of. When you delete a video segment from the
VR disc, it may appear to be deleted from the DVD, but
you cannot instantly add-in new contents in the "deleted" space.
In other words, your DVD's available storage space will
not increase just because you have deleted some contents
from it. To clear more space you need to Defragment your
DVD disc, using programs like Power Producer 2, which
will help you optimize the available disc space.
Another issue with VR technology to make note of is
that there are two different video recording standards
available today: DVD-VR and DVD+VR. With a DVD-VR disc,
created using a DVD-RW burning device, you can only playback
the contents on a DVD-RW compatible device, and not on
a standard home DVD player. However, with DVD+VR format
the discs created can be played on DVD+RW compatible
devices "and" home DVD players.
After reading through this introductory article on DVD
video recording technology, we hope that you are now
more familiar with the options that are out there for
you. Now is a great time to purchase a DVD burner and
utilize it as a video recording device. Just keep in
mind to use a suitable software application, like PowerProducer 2, so you can fully take advantage of VR technology!
