BurnWorld's Guide to Creating Your Own DVDs
Follow these simple steps and you'll be Burning, Backing
Up, Copying, and Making DVD's in no time.
Most of us have been exposed to DVD burning already.
Probably most of us already have a DVD burner in our
PC's or Mac's. But do most of us have a clue on how to
get the most benefit from it? It should be as simple
as buying DVD media and popping it in the burner and
burn the disc right? No so fast, there are a few different
DVD formats that you should be aware of. DVD+, DVD-,
and DVD-RAM. Which is better? Well that's a tossup. Personally
I use all 3 formats. As long as your DVD player can support
playback of all formats then you will be fine. The most
common formats are DVD+ and DVD-. DVD-RAM is mainly used
for data backup and for DVR's with burners built in.
Quick Note: DVD+R, DVD-R are write once formats. This
can not be erased.
DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM are all rewriteable formats.
Write, erase, and write again.
We will try not to make this to confusing by offering
recommendations and telling what we use personally.
Selecting The DVD Media (Blank Discs)
Don't just go out and buy the cheapest brand of DVD
media. There are quality differences. We have a guide on
some tests done using DVD Burners and many brands of
DVD Media to test the quality in each. It's a bit technical
but interesting read if your into that. But overall it
was found that Verbatim was the best brand to use, either
DVD+R/RW or DVD-R/RW.
If you are Burning DVD Videos it is best to stick to
DVD+R or DVD-R since they will be the most reliable for
DVD playback on standalone DVD Players.
If you are Burning to DVD for data backup or for
Video Editing it is recommended to use DVD+RW, DVD-RW,
or DVD-RAM because these formats are rewriteable. For
more security for backup you can use DVD+R or DVD-R.
This way the backed up files can not be overwritten.
Ok, what is the X Rating on the Burners and Media?
To sum up quickly: X = Speed. The higher the X the
higher the write speed. So if you have a 16x rated DVD
Burner it would be best to use 16X rated DVD media for
the fastest burn speeds. However you can use 12x, 8x,
4x, or 2x speed media, just note that the burner will
only burn at those speeds. Also note that if you have
a 4x rated DVD burner and you try using 16X media, a
firmware update may be
required which can be download from the manufacutes websites,
before the disc will be recgonized by the drive.
Importing Audio and Video
Importing audio and video is a relatively easy process
with the right equipment. You can accomplish this by
using an audio visual input box connected to your PC's
USB 2.0 port. Alternatively, you can use a TV tuner card
or graphics card that has A/V inputs. We recommend that
you work with S-Video to attain the best visual clarity.
And FireWire will enable you to make a digital connection
between a DV camcorder and your PC. We have another guide
just on VHS capture, but most of the hardware mentnioned
can capture from and source.
DVD Copying
Ok probably the most popular task of your DVD burner.
We have a review chart of the top DVD
Copying software here. We like 1Click
DVD Copy for
this task. It offeres the best encoder/decoder on the
market today.
DVD Authoring
Ok now the fun begins. You have a camcorder and want
to make your own home DVD movies with it. This is where
a DVD Authoring app comes in. We have reviewed
a few here. If this is new for you then we like AutoProducer from
Muvee. It's easy of use and many features makes it a
must have. However if you want more control and want
to make more professional movies then we like DVDit from
Roxio.
Maximizing Performance While Burning
Most PC's and Mac's today are powerful enough to handle
burning and continuing to work with other apps at the
same time. Also all DVD burners have a buffer underrun
cache built in to keep the data stream flowing smoothly
during the burning process. However for best results
and for slower machines, it would be best to let the
burn finish before working on anything else.
Have Fun
Making your own DVD whether it's for backup, movies,
copies, etc... can be fun. If you have the right tools
(software, hardware) it can be an easy experience. We
hope this guide helps you out.
