Dual-layer DVD's...update??

[digitalfreaknyc]

So has anyone else been joining in on the bandwagon for these things? Can you choose where the layer change is yet? Has the price gone down? Just curious to know if anyone has been actually utilizing this.

[X]

What bandwagon?

I seem to do very well with single layer for backups and 2 hours of good quality video from my own recordings is fine with me.

[digitalfreaknyc]

Originally Posted by X

What bandwagon?

I seem to do very well with single layer for backups and 2 hours of good quality video from my own recordings is fine with me.

K that's great for you but not what I'm looking for.

Does anyone have experience actually using them?

[ianholm]

I've got a DL burner, but I can't even begin to play with them while the blank discs are still $5+ a pop. I don't want any of those coasters.

[twikoff]

yep.. same here.
have a DL pioneer drive
but am not paying those prices for a blank

[Mopower]

I"m not buying a burner or the discs until they get 30 cents a piece. Waste of money when you can use single layer discs.

[Lateralus]

Yup, I have used them sometimes they work sometimes they don't

I had to upgrade my firmware with 3rd party upgrades to get it to burn dual-layer disks, and then I had up upgrade my Nero as well.

When the disks finally did burn, my first burn worked Ok on all my DVD players while the second one did not??? Same burner, buring software and same type of disks. --- explain that one to me.

Of my disks that do work I had no trouble watching my videos till it got to the second layer and it just froze, it froze to the point where I had to actually unplug the DVD player.

Stick with single sided disks for the foreseeable future!

My disks were Ritek and my burner is a NEC

[matome]

I'm still waiting for the prices to come down as well, which doesn't really seem to be happening.

[cultshock]

Yep, as everyone else is saying, the price of blank discs is to expensive to go through the trial and error process of trying to burn the things, and right now they seem to be too error prone. By the time that the discs get cheap and the bugs are all worked out, you'll probably be able to buy a Blu-Ray drive for your computer.

[Chew]

Originally Posted by cultshock

Yep, as everyone else is saying, the price of blank discs is to expensive to go through the trial and error process of trying to burn the things, and right now they seem to be too error prone. By the time that the discs get cheap and the bugs are all worked out, you'll probably be able to buy a Blu-Ray drive for your computer.

You are correct sir!

Dual-Layered (DL) DVD writers may be affordable, but the question of concern is the media prices. The price per DL media averages out to $10.00, which is shockingly high. We talked to manufacturers at this year’s CES about prices and what they thought about DL media in general. The replies we received were far from positive and disappointing. According to a few blank media providers, DL standard may not have a bright future ahead of it. The reason is the upcoming Blu-Ray and HD DVD standards that are supported by world’s top most corporations.

Due to the aforementioned standards, DL simply appears to be redundant and more of a filler in the industry until Blu-Ray and HD DVD emerge in mass quantities. As far as prices are concerned, you can probably expect them to drop $6.00 to $4.00 per disc, but not much lower than that. Of course, prices are dependant on customer demand, but that was the general price figures we received during our meetings.

Verbatim seems to be enjoying the sales revenue with their DL media at high prices. Industry insiders reported that Verbatim was one of the first ones to completely focus their attention on DL media and hire an Asian firm for their CD-R and CD-RW media. Due to this, Verbatim was the first one to bring DL media into the market at such high prices and if the availability remains scarce, Verbatim is going to see their profits skyrocket this year. Many have reported that Verbatim’s goal with high priced DL media was to bring in as much in sales revenue as possible. When we asked manufacturers about the delay in their DL media, they reported that generating DL media in mass quantities is far more complicated than regular CD-R and CD-RW discs, and it requires quite a bit of financial resources in the production stage. The failure rate of DL disc in production is also one of the highest among all media variations, which also explains higher prices for these products.

Manufacturers also informed us that CD-R and CD-RW has significant life span in the industry. They expect the market for the aforementioned media to be fairly stable for the next two years, if not more. Regular DVD media also holds stable market shares and should drop in prices even more this year.

Currently, manufacturers are waiting for the next move from Blu-Ray and HD DVD media, and how they challenge the production costs and general market trend throughout 2005. Only then they will be able to determine the final price points for DL discs.

In summary, don’t expect DL prices to reach regular DVD disc prices this year. The popularity of the DL standard will definitely rise in 2005, but not to specific strengths. On the other hand, regular DVD media should also drop in prices significantly this year. High-quality DL writers will soon enter the market in vast quantities and features, which should give you a good enough choice for your selection. Until then, all we can do is wait for Blu-Ray and HD DVD to better predict the future of portable storage market.

Link

[cultshock]

I really do see the DL discs as merely a stopgap (and an apparently short lived one at that) between DVDRs and Blu-Ray/HD-DVDs. I really have no desire to invest in a new burner and expensive media that will be obsolete in no time. My single layer burner will serve me perfectly fine until I upgrade to a Blu-Ray/HD-DVD burner in 1 or 2 years (I might want to wait to see how the format war is going by then)

[kiddk1]

I was at staples the other day, the 3 pack of DL discs was 34.98. What a rip, until they come down to dvd+/- R prices, I will stick with single layer.