DVD Demystified!!

There are so many DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) standards flooded in the market these days that choosing which one to buy can be a really confusing ordeal. So, I hope this article helps you in understanding the different types of DVD media that are available, and deciding which one you should buy.

~~~~~ Classified by Media Type ~~~~~

DVD-R and DVD-RW
DVD-R was the first DVD recording format released that was compatible with standalone DVD Players. It is the most compatible DVD standard available. DVD-R and DVD-RW provide 4.37 gigabytes of space. DVD-RW is nothing more than a rewritable version of DVD-R.

DVD+R and DVD+RW
Although less compatible (about 85%) and slightly more expensive than the DVD- standards, the DVD+ standards are better in several minor aspects, and are compatible with all the hardware sold today. Their capacity is the same as their respective DVD- discs.

DVD-RAM
Although one of the least popular standards, this has the best recoding features. Rewriting is especially fast as this DVD variant was designed mainly for computer backups. However, this type of media is highly expensive, that is if you can find it. Also, DVD-RAM recorders are near impossible to find on the market and once again, really expensive. These days, people prefer normal DVD’s or portable hard drives instead of DVD-RAM.

Also, DVD-RAM’s mostly do not play in most DVD drives. There are also DVD-RAM’s that come in special casing, which do not play in anything but a special DVD-RAM drive.

DVD-Video
A DVD-Video disc can be any of the above mentioned discs with a movie burnt
onto it for playback in a DVD player. It’s working is similar to that of a VCD.

MiniDVD
A mini DVD can be any of the above mentioned standards. The only difference is that it’s smaller in size, which is a little over three inches. The average MiniDVD has a capacity of about 700 MB or similar. Other variants of MiniDVD’s include card DVD’s, etc…

~~~~~ Classified by Storage Capacity ~~~~~

DVD-5 (Single Layer, Single Sided) [Printed Capacity = 4.7 GB, Actual Size = 4.39GB]
This is the most commonly available DVD standard. It’s a single layer, single sided disc, that gives you a total space of 4.39 GB.

1 KB = 1024 bytes
4,700,000,000 bytes/1024 = 4,589,843 KB/1024 = 4,482MB/1024 = 4.37GB

The manufacturers use 1 KB = 1000 bytes for conversion and similar for MB’s as well which brings up the printed capacity to 4.7 GB. Thus, I have shown both actual and printed capacity.

DVD-10 (Single Layer, Double Sided) [Printed Size = 9.4GB, Actual Size = 8.75 GB]
This is a single layer, double sided DVD disc, so you get double the size of a DVD-5.

DVD-9 (Dual Layer Single Sided) [Printed Size = 8.5GB, Actual Size = 7.95GB]
‘DL’ stands for Dual Layer and these come in four variants - DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, DVD-RW DL and DVD+RW DL. Now, please note that dual layer is not a disc that can record on both sides. Instead, dual layer DVD’s have two recordable layers on the same side, and the capacity comes to 7.95 GB. This standard is also called DVD-9.

DVD-18 (Dual Layer Double Sided) [Printed Size = 17GB, Actual Size = 15.9GB]
This is the same as the above as the above mentioned DVD-9 standard, with the only difference being that this standard has not only two recordable layers on each side, but also has two sides, therefore having double the capacity of the DVD-9, which amounts to 15.9 GB. As mentioned, this standard is called DVD-18.

It is advised to always use single sided discs, since dual sided discs are more prone to damage.