Roxio's Complete Guide to Choosing the Right CD & DVD Media
posted: September, 22 2004
By Becky Waring
With the myriad of CD and DVD recording formats out there, and new drives that support ALL of them, choosing the right media for your project can be a bewildering task. Especially with DVD media, "coasters" (failed recordings) can become a major expense. As if the numerous formats weren't enough (CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM, and now dual-layer DVD), buyers also have to wade through numerous options in terms of speed ratings, capacities, dye colors, label surfaces, longevity/reliability claims, and more. Where to start?
With Roxio's comprehensive guide to choosing recordable media, of course! Read on for all you need to know to buy with confidence and ensure successful burning.
CD Formats Demystified
There are two basic types of CD recordable discs, CD-R and CD-RW. They can each be recorded in many different data formats, such as CD-Audio, Video CD, MP3 CD, data CD, etc. All the types of projects that Roxio's Easy Easy Media Creator 7 for Windows and Toast 6 Titanium for Mac allow you to create.
For audio CDs, both regular and MP3, stick to standard 74-minute CD-Rs unless you really need 80-minute capacity. They are the most universally compatible in home and car players (CD-RWs often won't play). But avoid the new 90-minute CDs, which can literally damage your drives, unless your hardware specifically supports them. The few extra minutes you get are just not worth the risks and player incompatibility. Also avoid "overburn" on 74 and 80-minute media, for the same reasons, unless you really need it for a specific purpose, and your drive supports it. Easy Media Creator 7 supports overburn.
For Video CDs and Super Video CDs, you can use either CD-Rs or CD-RWs, although CD-RWs often play more reliably in set-top DVD players, which are most often used to play Video CDs. Note that Video CDs (and DVDs) can't be "overburned," due to the rigid specifications of video discs.
For data projects, consider whether you will likely want to reuse the disc or not. If you are archiving photos or other data for the long-term, CD-Rs are preferred. They are both cheaper, and more secure since they can't be erased. If you are backing up a hard disk, or just moving data between machines, CD-RWs will allow you to keep adding and deleting data over time, as well as save money.
DVD-R/RW vs. DVD+R/RW
Choosing DVD media is a much harder task than choosing CDs, due to the plethora of formats. But once you figure out the basics, you can just keep using them. First, a quick primer on the DVD alphabet:
DVD-RAM is the oldest rewritable DVD format, and is available in several capacities (usually 4.7GB or 9.4GB double-sided media). The format's large capacity, superior error correction, and longevity (it can be rewritten more than 100,000 times) make it a good choice for industrial-strength data processing applications. Consumers should avoid this format.
DVD-R/RW discs are the most compatible with older players, largely since DVD-R is the oldest recordable format. Stick with standard 4.7GB capacity, and be sure you buy a speed rated high enough for your drive.
DVD+R/RW are the newest kids on the block, and the available drives are generally faster than their DVD-RW counterparts. Furthermore, they offer timesaving on-the-fly formatting, so you can format a new disc while data is being burned to it. Newer recording software can format DVD-RW on the fly as well, however. Again, stick with standard 4.7GB capacity discs.
Dual-Layer DVD+Rs let you record 8.5GB of data on a single disc, almost double the capacity of single-layer media. They require special dual-layer capable DVD recorders, which are just coming to market.
Recorders come in three basic types, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and versatile combination drives that can write all four. The latest drives also support dual-layer recording. Your choice of media will thus likely depend on the hardware you have. Most rewritable DVD drives can also burn CD-R and CD-RW discs, but at much slower speeds than dedicated CD burners.
All DVD media formats (DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW) can be read in most DVD players. But some more so than others. CDR-Info, a CD/DVD research firm, has done a study on compatibility, and found that DVD-R is the most universally compatible, being read by 96.7% of players, while DVD-RW came second at 87.7%, then DVD+R at 87.3%, and DVD+RW at 87.1%. Relatively few DVD-ROM drives or set-top players can read DVD-RAM. The lesson here is to use DVD-R if your drive supports it and you will be sharing the disc with others. DVD-R is also best for movie discs that will be played in set-top players.
If you are recording data DVDs, any of the formats is fine. If you expect to archive data for the long-term, use DVD-R or DVD+R so that the data can't be altered or erased accidentally. For everyday data transfer and rolling backups, use rewritable media.
Does Speed Matter?
Recordable drives typically state three speeds, such as 24X/8X/4X, for either CDs or DVDs. The first number is usually the read speed, the second number the write speed, and the last number the rewrite speed. Be sure you understand the numbers for your drive, and the differences between the speeds for CDs and DVDs. DVD recorders will have different ratings for CD reading/writing than DVD reading/writing. The rated numbers are maximums, actual recording speed will depend on many things, such as the speed of your system and hard drive, the source of your data, whether file conversion is taking place on the fly (such as MP3 conversion), and the media you use.
Recording media of all types also have speed ratings. So if you have a 24X write CD recorder, you should buy at least 24X-rated CD-Rs. Similarly with DVDs. The latest DVD recorders boast 8X and even 16X write-once speeds. But 16X and dual-layer media can be relatively expensive and hard to find (media availability usually lags behind drive speeds). You can still use lower-rated media in your drive, but be sure to set the recording speed in Easy Media Creator or Toast at or below the rating of the media. Trying to record faster will likely result in coasters or unreliable discs.
Operating System Support
However, Mac OS X does not support packet writing, so CDs and DVDs written in the UDF format used by Roxio's Drag-to-Disc in Windows can't be read by Macs. Drag-to-Disc lets you add and delete files and folders from recordable discs much like floppies.
Another difference is that only the latest Macs running Panther include drives that support DVD+R. However the new Panther support can also be used for DVD+R/RW data recording with third-party drives along Toast.
The most common optical zoom lenses are 2X and 3X. The multiplier is the longest lens setting divided by the widest (i.e. 38 to 120 mm is 3X, 38 to 75 mm is 2X)
Which Band Should I Buy?
In addition to formats and speed ratings, recordable discs come in all sorts of dye colors (gold, silver, blue, green etc.), with varying label surfaces, longevity ratings and reliability ratings. "Data-grade" or "archival" discs are typically manufactured to higher tolerances, and should have fewer overall errors in recording (all optical discs will have recording errors, but built-in error correction compensates for them. Still, the fewer errors, the better.). They will also likely be more universally compatible with various players and drives. Longevity ratings refer to the shelf-life of discs, how long you can store them before they degrade.
For routine data sharing, or music discs you don't expect to keep for a long time, by all means shop by price. For important data, such as backups and family photo or video collections, get the highest quality you can afford in a name brand, and record at slightly slower speeds than maximum. (Recording more slowly results in fewer errors.) If you want to print labels directly onto your discs, or apply stick-on labels, be sure to get printable or blank discs, respectively.
Finally, while compatibility between drives and media has improved dramatically over the years, you may find some brands that just don't seem to work well in your recorder or player. If you get frequent coasters or playback problems, switch brands. And when you find one that works every time, stick with it.