Converting Cd Writer To Dvd Writer.

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Chrisuk

New member
Hi,

I was going to go out and buy a new drive for my home computer so i can copy dvds because the one i have is only a cd copier. But a work colleague told me that there is software or an application that i can buy/download instead to convert the cd writer to copy both cds and dvds..... is this true? and if it is would you recommend it or should i just buy a dvd drive to copy them.

thanks
Chris

p.s. if there is software to convert somewhere on the net can someone send me a link. :)
 
rebootjim

rebootjim

Member
There IS software that claims to do this. It does, in a roundabout way.
What this software does, is re-encode the dvd to an extremely low bitrate, and burn a "mini-dvd" onto a normal cdr. The result is unbelieveably poor, and unwatchable, even if you have a dvd player that can play such disks.
BEWARE, this is a HUGE scam, that's been around for about a year, and they are charging way too much for software that is also available free.
If you have Nero 6 Ultra, then you already have the software to do this, but I have only seen one standalone dvd player capable of playing mini-dvd.
Of course, if you really don't care about quality, and are only going to play the disk on your computer, then you could try it, but there are MUCH better methods of archiving a video for computer viewing only.
 
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Chrisuk

New member
Thanks for the replies. I thought this was gonna be the case.
I think id rather shell out the £60 or so on a dvd drive than risk getting not very good software. I was only wanting to know this as a 'quick fix' cause i cant afford to get a new drive til next month and was eager to try it out straight away.

Ill go looking for a drive now..... and probably be back here when i dunno how to work it :) .

Chris
 
woody

woody

1
Chris...give us a list of drives before you buy.They are not created equal.The members might be able to save you some headaches.
 
VIPER_1069

VIPER_1069

1
NOTE here altho REBOOT jim is correct in what he says about MINI DVDS on normal cds you DO still need a normal DVD ROM drive to read the dvd into the hard drive but for the current prices of burners its worth gettin one :)

as you can burn normal cdrs with them anyhow :)


The other alternative is if you do have a DVD ROM DRIVE you can convert the disks to SVCD OR VCD and burn to cdrs if your home player supports these formats following chickenmans guides in the tutorials section altho for a good quality backup it tends to spread to 3 maby 4 disks :(

i vote go for the dvd burner its an investment :)
 
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LTR12101B

1
Dual layer marches on - you can now find dual layer drives at prices not much above the previous model.

Dual layer media is currently scarce and expensive, but there may be a time you'll be glad of that double capacity, and with the drives not commanding much of a premium, it's probably a feature worth having, even if you don't rush to buy the first dual layer media you can find.
 
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LTR12101B

1
http://www.xscomputertechnology.freeserve.co.uk/item876.htm - Dual layer, NEC 2510 £66 (XSCT - the forum sponsor)

The Pioneer is probably a better drive, particularly in -R media tolerance - the NEC's can be a littlle bit fussy, while the Pioneer's can often burn media that other drives would not be happy with.

It certainly shows, the price of an 8x8 single layer (and more so, an 8x4 - 8x on +R, 4x on -R) is under severe and increasing pressure.
NB. A few 8x4 models have an 8x8 update available.

That Artec, in this notation, is a 12x8 - but where you would find 12x capable media (or selected 4x/8x that does it) is unknown.
 
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Chrisuk

New member
Excuse my ignorance, but what does dual layer and +r/-r mean? Ive never heard of these things.

Basically I want to backup my DVD's.

Chris

Edited by The-poacher dubious request!!
 
The-poacher

The-poacher

1
Dual Layer is exactly that the DVD is on 2 layers (of movie etc) one on top of the other (most modern commercial DVD's are like that) These are known as DVD 9 (they have nearly 9 GB of Movie/data on them)

A Single layer Blank DVD can take about 4.3 GB. (So to get a commercial DVD onto single layer requires either Compression or removing material to get it to fit.) this is commonly known as a DVD 5

DVD-R & DVD+R are 2 different kinds of blank DVD <> most burners now burn both <> I prefer -R

The Choice of burner is down to U but for what U want U may as well get a Dual Layer but I havent got one Im quite happy with a Pioneer 106 & a Sony 500

Backing up your commercial DVD's is not a simple matter of copying them checkout the tutorials on how to do this.
 
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Chrisuk

New member
Just to let you all know i went with the Pioneer 107, it seems to be pretty good on site reviews, ill let u all know how i get on.

Thanks for all the help,
Chris
 
VIPER_1069

VIPER_1069

1
@chrisuk .... WELCOME to the PIONEER USERS CLUB ;)

hehe quite a few of us have them here as they are pretty good burners :)

you will not be dissapointed :)

YOU MAY wanna check out LAZ'S freeware guide for first port of call here

I did and created a great dvd on my first attempt :)
 
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Chrisuk

New member
Hi everyone,

Got my burner over the weekend and was easy to instal, works like a dream.... just one problem.
I converted a movie i downloaded from avi to dvd format. When i play the dvd on my computer its fine, but about an hour into it on my dvd player the sound goes off for the rest of the movie.

Did something go wrong with converting or is it my dvd?

Chris
 
C

Chrisuk

New member
Yes, i used a program called dvdsanta to convert it from avi to dvd if thats any help, should i use a different program?
 
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