All About DVDs

With the wide variety of DVD types, speeds, disks and burners available these days, it is understandable that people are bewildered by the choices available to them. What is dual-layer? What do the speeds like 8x or 16x mean? What is the difference between +R and -R? Fear not, for we have the answers to these and all of your other DVD questions!

With the amount of information available about DVDs, it doesn't make sense for me to write about everything because this story would be the size of a book. Instead, I'll point you to a couple of excellent resources on the web that should answer all of your DVD questions.

DVD Demystified

DVD Demystified's FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page has an incredible list of questions and answers about DVDs. The list covers DVDs in general, including ones about stand-alone DVD players.

The great thing about this site is that it is constantly updated. There is a Recent Changes section, but it isn't listed in the index. To get to Recent Changes, click on [0] Where can I get the DVD FAQ? and scroll up. You'll see all the latest changes (new questions and answers) which are spread throughout the FAQ. The latest entry at the top of the list as of this article is the amusing "Format unification talks still underway". As consumers, we could only hope for one single, easy DVD format!

Here are a few of my top picks from the FAQ:

[1.18] What is a dual-layer disc? Will it work in all players?
[1.27] Why does playback sometimes freeze for a second?
[3.12] How long do DVDs last?
[4.2] What are the features and speeds of DVD drives?
[4.3.6] Which recordable DVD format should I buy?

DVD Demystified's FAQ list is a great resource for most of your DVD questions.

digitalFAQ

digitalFAQ is a site that covers more than just DVD questions. It also has more detailed information on related digital media, such as video editing, DVD copying, and buyer guides.

If you've ever gone into any major electronics retailer to buy blank DVDs and wondered which of the many brands you should pick, check out their Blank Media and Quality FAQ. It describes the major brands, who makes them, and the relative quality. I just learned that my stack of 200 new BenQ DVDs are 4th Class Media, "Pathetic garbage media, landfill material"!! This page alone could save you considerable headache.

I've had many people ask me about converting their old VHS videotapes to DVD. This process is called "capturing", because you are playing a VHS video stream and "capturing" it onto DVD. They have a good section on capturing.

The one downside to digitalFAQ is that I had problems loading some pages.

These sites are a good start for learning about DVDs. Where can you find more information? Check the FAQ of course!