About the Different Types of General DVD Media
There are several types of DVD media available that DVD Studio Pro can use. The type
you should use depends on your requirements. For example,
• If playback compatibility is a primary concern: Burning discs that can be played back on
most set-top DVD players is often a high priority. Several variables affect this, including
the media type, the brand of media, and the DVD player itself. In general, newer DVD
players can play a wider variety of media types; however, there are exceptions to this.
You should always test your burned DVDs on a variety of DVD players to verify
compatibility.
• If rewritable media is more efficient for you: Using rewritable DVD media can be very
useful when you want to burn a test disc of a project to verify various aspects of it. For
example, you might want to burn a disc just to verify that a menu or script works
correctly on a set-top DVD player or to see the video quality of a clip on a variety of
external monitors. Being able to make a change to the project and then reuse the disc
to burn it saves having to use a new disc each time.
• If you need to burn a dual-layer project: Being able to burn a dual-layer project to a DVD
disc can be very useful. You should be aware, though, that there are big differences
between DVD+R double-layer and DVD-R dual-layer media.
Following is some general information on the types of media you are able to choose
from.
DVD-R and DVD+R
These are “write-once” discs that tend to be the most widely compatible with DVD players.
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Chapter 1
Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro
DVD-RW and DVD+RW
These rewritable discs can be erased and reused multiple times. While they cost a bit
more than “write-once” discs, the ability to use them multiple times to verify various
aspects of your project as you work on it can be very useful. However, rewritable discs
tend to not be as compatible with DVD players as “write-once” discs.
When you use DVD-RW and DVD+RW media, DVD Studio Pro first checks to see if the disc
contains any files. If it is empty, the format proceeds. If there are files on the disc, an alert
appears warning you that the disc will be erased if the format continues—you can then
continue or cancel the format process.
DVD+R Double-Layer
You can use DVD+R double-layer media, often referred to as DVD+R DL, for burning your
dual-layer projects. With DVD+R double-layer media, DVD Studio Pro places the layer
break point and sets the switch point to be nonseamless as specified in your project.
DVD+R double-layer discs require you to use the Opposite Track Path (OTP) direction
setting when burning the disc. This means that the first layer must be larger than the
second layer. See
Setting the Dual-Layer Direction
for more information.
While DVD+R double-layer discs allow you to burn your dual-layer projects, they tend to
have more compatibility issues than the other types of DVD media.
DVD-R Dual-Layer
If your system contains a DVD drive that can write to the new DVD-R dual-layer media,
you can burn your DVD project to it with DVD Studio Pro. However, there are several
issues:
• Because currently DVD Studio Pro has no way to identify DVD-R dual-layer media as
having two layers, burning a dual-layer project to it results in the appearance of an
alert message telling you that the DVD media may have insufficient room to hold the
project. This message is based on the assumption that the disc is single layer. Both
layers of the disc will be written to as needed, however, when you click Continue.
• If you are burning a dual-layer project, the break point you set will not affect where
the layer break actually occurs. Instead, the first layer is written to until filled, at which
point the drive switches to writing to the second layer.
• The switch between layers is a seamless layer change not supported by some DVD
players, which may stop playing the disc when the switch point is reached.
Important:
Do not use DVD-R dual-layer media unless these issues do not impact your
project.