by Ted Belfoure
Recent years have witness the transition of DVDs from high-end consumer
indulgence to its current position as an item as commonplace as the CD. The
higher storage capacity of DVDs for data of all kinds makes this trend an
advantageous one, as this higher capacity means you can do much more, much
better.
The flexibility of the data storage offered by the DVD medium means that
this simple tool can store all kinds of information, including computer files,
music tracks and even video recordings. The ability to create these types of
disk is undoubtedly a wonderful data storage tool, but there are times when
you will want to share the information included on them with friends or
colleagues. To do this, you will need to make copies of your DVD.
It is a simple process, but you’ll need the right software for the job.
Unfortunately, the typical computer software that allows you to create word
processing or other documents doesn’t include integrated DVD burning software,
so in order to duplicate your disks you will need to look at the alternatives.
These include such software as Nero Burning ROM and Roxio Creator suite. These
programs will allow you to copy a DVD, regardless of what type of data is
stored upon it. The software works by first copying the contents of the disk
onto your hard drive. You will then be asked to insert a blank disk into your
computer, to which the special software will transfer all the information
contained on the original. Depending on the speed of your DVD drive’s ability
to read the original disk, and the speed at which the burner can write to the
disk, the whole process can take anywhere between 8 and 20 minutes for a full
4.5 GB disk.
And if you use DVD video creation software this will allow you to
produce multiple copies of the DVD that you have created!
In rare cases you may wish to copy a dual layer video DVD onto a single
layer disk. Since dual layer disks have twice the capacity of a standard disk,
a straight copy is not possible. In order to make a duplicate you will have to
use software to compress the video further and reduce the overall file sizes
in order to squeeze the video onto the disk. DVD Shrink can be used to carry
out this operation. Though the end result may be slightly reduced in quality,
this difference is not considerable.
DVDs represent the next level of all kinds of data storage – are you
ready to take the next step?