Before Copying DVDs, Know Your Format

In order to achieve a successful copy of your DVD, you must first know what format the original disk is in. This is important because the different formats are different sizes, hence you may need to "tweak" the data of a larger format. The most common are D5 and D9 DVD disk. DVD 5 is a single layer disk that holds about 4.7GB of data, which is about 133 minutes of video. This size disk is available in the -R and +R format. This confuses consumers when they go to buy blank DVD disk and see the -R/+R formats. All this means is that a different manufacturing process was done to make the disk. In technical terms, the + R format is able to achieve better writing because it delivers more information to the drive.

The D9 disk is a single side dual layer media that holds more data. This DVD disk can store about 8.5GB of data, which is about 240 minutes of video. DVD 9 disk are harder to duplicate due to its size. The common method used to make a copy of your DVD in this format, is to shrink or reduce the data from a D 9 disk. This can be done using programs that are on the market and some are free. Shrinking methods are used to convert the D9 format to the D5 format. It sounds confusing, but what you are doing is trimming data from the D9 disk in order to make it fit on a recordable blank D5 disk. D5 disk are the most common found in stores and D9 recordables are more expansive and can take 2-6 hours to duplicate. The shrinking method is best if you just want to copy your DVD movie without all the extra features like cut scenes etc. I will be posting a future tutorial on how to shrink data and use a D5 disk to record your data.