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New DVD Burners To Double Capacity

Posted by simoniker on from the more-data-more-problems dept.

clester writes "CNN reports that new dual-layer DVD-burning drives will be released very soon by Philips and Sony that will double the capacity of DVD drives, making a complete copy of your dual-layer DVDs theoretically possible. It will use dual layer technology that will hold up to 8.5GB, and will cost around $230 for an internal and $330 for external, burning all 8.5GB in approximately 45 minutes."

11 of 420 comments (clear)

  1. Quite a low introductory price! by michael+path · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is a very low price for the technology to be released at. At those prices, we'll probably see a large number of early adopters. It makes me wonder what we'll see it for next year.

    Considering I spent $250 on an external USB2 DVD+R/RW drive just last year, I can already regret my purchase.

    1. Re:Quite a low introductory price! by MoonBuggy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It is a good price, but I think it's because it's not really new tech. DVDs compared to CDs are new technology, and DVD burners were very expensive at first. Dual layer DVDs compared to single layer are updated technology and therefore do not need a high entry price.

    2. Re:Quite a low introductory price! by S.Lemmon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's why in "IT land" the point isn't to wait for the next hot new thing, but to go out and buy whatever the previous hot new thing was.

      It doesn't matter if it's CPUs, Video Cards, or DVD recorders. Early Adopter pay a premium for often unstable products that at best give them a few months worth of bragging rights. After that, Joe next door will be paying half the cost you did for a revision of the product that actually works far better.

      Heck, with all the media incompatibility problems still hounding single layer DVDs, I wouldn't put too much faith in the first dual layer recorders. Not to mention, with DVD media now under a dollar a disc, six buck for something that only holds twice as much doesn't seem like such a great deal.

  2. Media Reliability? by Cyclopedian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's cool that dual-layer DVD burners are coming out, but I have concerns about the reliability of dual-layered dvd(+|-)r media.

    Would adding an extra data layer be much more complex than just having a single layer? I haven't been happy with some of the reliability of some of the single layer DVD-R media I've bought.

    -Cyc

    --
    /.'s 10 Millionth
  3. News at noon: MPAA files suit by nurb432 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hopefully I'm joking, but don't be surprised if they don't file a suit to block sales of the devices in the US.

    Now that you could copy an entire 'real' DVD at once.. with no compression, they might start to panic. Since they obviously buy into the ' pirates are eating us alive syndrome'

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  4. Hardware legal, software banned ?! by agslashdot · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Robert Moore, Founder and President of 321 Studios. "There is no difference between making a copy of a music CD for personal use and making a backup of a DVD movie for personal use."

    DVDXCopy was presumably one of the biggest consumer application for these DVD recorders. People made backups of their existing DVD collection using that software, and why shouldn't they ?

    But 321Studios was found guilty of violating the DMCA, and today we have the hardware to make copies legally available, getting cheaper & faster, while the software remains illegal.

  5. Bootable DVD for the XBOX? by MathFox · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I guess you should be able to create bootable DVD's for the XBOX with those burners. Anybody wants to try a Linux DVD image?

    --
    extern warranty;
    main()
    {
    (void)warranty;
    }
  6. New tech, same problems by saintp · · Score: 4, Insightful
    This is lovely:
    They will be marketed only for Windows PCs, but the external one should work on Macintosh computers with the proper third-party software.
    I suppose Linux is right out. You gotta love desktop dominance. And, of course:
    The Sony and Philips drives will use somewhat different discs. Sony calls its variant DVD-R DL. The Philips equivalent is DVD+R DL.
    Standards!?!? We don't need no stinkin' standards! This is basically everything wrong with current peripherals, writ large. Give me a Linux-compatible DVD writer and a standard DVD format (+ or -, I don't care; leave that to the wonks), and that will be something to care about.
    --
    Another one bites the dust
  7. Re:Are these the same dual layer discs used today? by Gramie2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Presumably you are thinking about dual-layer pressed (i.e. commercial) DVDs, that aren't burned at all, but physically made from a master.

  8. Re:Linux support? by Ondo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Better than Windows (well, at least in my opinion). And by that I mean you don't need to purchase any tools to make DVDs.

    You can burn DVDs, make menus, etc., all with open source tools.

    That's not an advantage of Linux - you can do the same thing on Windows, with the same tools.

  9. The speed does not matter by way2trivial · · Score: 3, Insightful

    it's the effort required of the CPU that matters
    I have a external harddrive that can connect via USB 2.0 or firewire, and a DVD external with the same options... on usb2.0 heavy read/write traffic puts a 4-10% (once 16%) processor load on my 2.53 p4, firewire puts maybe 1% load....

    --
    every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random