Currently, the most popular DVD is the 4.7 GB variant (which actually only holds 4.38 GB of data). However, even with vast amounts of storage space, I am still confronted with the eternal conflict between length and quality. The first of the many funeral tapes is about 2 hours long, and in Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5, the export of such project requires about 4.7 GBs under standard NTSC 4:3 interlace. Furthermore, if I wanted to add progressive scan with Dolby Digital Surround Sound, it would require over 7 GB of usable space.

There of course are compression settings that will allow me to fit a tape on a 4.7 GB DVD, but obvious trade off is quality. If this were a DVD about when my friend puked up a copious amount of brew on his 21st birthday I would gladly knockdown the quality a few notches and fit the 6 hours of video on a 4.7 GB DVD. However, this situation is quite different and I want to preserve these more important memories in perfect quality. Thus, progressive scan with Dolby Digital is the way to go!

So now, I have to split everything in twos. I have to split the project into two subprojects, and I have to continuously check on the progress of the encoding and burning of the first subproject to know when I can start on the second subproject. When a minor complication is experienced in this progress it is significantly multiplied in difficult, and tends to end up equaling a huge pain in the ass.

The only solution that I can surmise is that of newer technology. I turn to the newly public Google to aid in my quest.

After a little research I discover something known as Dual Format which allows a writeable DVD to hold up to 8.5 GBs of space… or so the companies claim. Basically, in this newer DVD disc, there are two layers of super-secret dye, separated by some really important stuff (that I’m not going to waste time trying to explain to you), allowing information at different depths to be read by a variable laser length. Of course, these special discs require special drives – doesn’t everything?

So how’s the pricing you wonder? The Sony DRU-700A is retailed at around $199 and is “eBayed” from $100 to $170, the NEC ND-2510A OEM goes for $79, and the Liteon LDW-401S is practically dirt cheap at $63. Those are some good deals (trust me on this, as my nickname ‘round these parts is the “Dumpster Diver”) on some great drives! I feel like an idiot for spending $130 on my TDK DVD burner. Go ahead fellow geeks, laugh away... I will have the final triumph!

Before you go typing your credit card information away, remember we must first look at the price of the media. Investing in a burner is a lot like investing in a printer, before you buy the printer you have to first look at the price tag of the ink. And apparently, demand for the 8.5 GB DVD +R is much higher than the supply. A pack of 25 disc cost about $250! That’s ten-goddamn-dollars per disc. Perhaps, you with your stable job, a house, and wife with 2.5 children, can afford such fine living. However, a typical college student cannot because he is trying to get by without dipping into his beer and porn fund – the two essential aspects to living.

If history has taught us anything other than that Russell Crowe makes a fine Roman, it’s that technology will lose its value dramatically in relatively short periods of time. A blank brand name CD runs for about $0.07 or $0.10 USD now after rebate, the 4.7 GB DVD media has dropped to about $0.35 to $0.50, and the price for the 8.5 GB DVD media will one day fall as well.

So ultimately, I am stuck with this pain in my ass, but in a few months or so, if I am ever confronted by such a request again, I will have a better solution than the 2 disc method and the certainty of Ulcerative Colitis that comes with using it. For the rest of you that don’t have any special need for a dual layer DVD burner at this point, I’d suggest waiting a few months before purchasing. You’ll most certainly save yourself some money on the device, and hopefully a lot more on the discs that must be purchased along with them.

DVD Links:

- Sony DRU-700A
- NEC ND-2510A
- Tom's Hardware Guide Mass Storage

- Minh Nguyen