[Shocker]

Ok well here is what I know about burning DVD's. First off, all that stuff about DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD RW, etc. put simply is that it is just a different format for the dvd's to burn to. When DVD's first came out, different companies began to compete with each other to come up with the best dvd's, and as such different formats emerged. While there is no specific standard for DVDs, what you need to be aware of is 1) what type of dvd standard is your burner capable of writing to, most current burners can write to a number of different standards but not others (mine will do DVD+R and DVD-R for example, and can also DVD+R DL but not DVD-R DL). 2) you also need to know which standard your dvd player supports, and again, current players can read many of the most popular standards.

Without getting too complicated or detailed, the dvd's that are RW are able to be erased and written on again, and therefore use a completely different writting process and are made with different materials that single layer and DL discs. With my burner I can copy a DVD between 15-20 minutes with little or no compression when just writting the movie part, so there is no loss in quality of the movie itself. Using a DL dvd, I am able to make an exact copy of the movie with no compression, so no loss of quality, and I can keep extras and such. However, because your burner has to switch between layers on a DL disc, it takes much longer and writes slower than a single layer disc, so on mine it takes about an hour for a DL.

Single layer discs I use are just bargin bin Memorex and so far no costers for me, and DL discs I use are Verbatim that can be written at speeds up to 8x but I go slower to avoid errors. I bought my Verbatim discs at supermediastore.com and got 20 discs for about $47 including shipping so that is only like 2.35 - 2.40 per disc. Watch for deals cause they usually have coupons and discounts you can get.

Also, the programs I use make it burning dvd's really easy. I use AnyDVD for decoding the original and 1 click DVD copy. Together they cost a bit, but both are incredibly simple to use and also give you free trials to try them out. AnyDVD also gives you free upgrades for life, so if the movie industry comes out with a new protection for their dvds, you can be sure to have the most up to date software to get past that.