lightning101

Just noticed Scan are selling these.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=116575



Sony’s new Double Layer DVD recording brings new capability to your PC. With the ability to store up to 4 hours of high quality MPEG-2 video (or up to 8 hours of MPEG-1 video) or up to 8.5GB of information on a single sided disc with 2 recordable layers. DVD+R DL discs are write once discs of the DVD “+” format, and once recorded they are playable in standard consumer DVD players* and computer DVD-ROM drives. What’s more, the new Double Layer drives from Sony record the popular DVD+R and DVD+RW 4.7GB standard discs and CD-R/RW discs too! Sony has packed all this technology into easy to install retail upgrade solutions for your Windows 2000 or XP PC with award winning Nero™ software suite and accessories to get you up and going quickly and easily.

*DVD+R DL and DVD+R/+RW discs recorded on this drive will playback in most consumer DVD players and computer DVD-ROM drives.

• Store up to 8.5GB of data on 1 single sided, double layer DVD disc

• Burn up to 4 hours of MPEG-2 Video or 8 hours of MPEG-1 Video on Double Layer DVD disc

• Backwards compatible with existing DVD Players/DVD-ROM drives

• Record on both 4.7GB DVD Media or 8.5 GB Double Layer DVD Media.

• Store up to 7days worth of music on 1 double layer DVD disc

• Comes with Black Bezel kit so you can match your drive with your PC

• Bundled with award winning Nero software suite

hedgehog

Interesting stuff. Not as expensive as I'd expected either, though I've no idea where you'd get disks from.

I think that many people will await the arrival of the Blue Ray disks as they are said to give nearly 30Gig per disk. I'd dread to think how long it would take to write a 30G disk but for lots of people it would allow them to back up hard disks or even music collections.

However, 8Gig would certainly be handy.

DJ Dunk

iTrader: (5)

Blimey, that is cheap.

Gizmo555

If you can get the media

Scooby Dooby Blue

Media expected to cost in the region of £5-6 per disk!

class_A

Mmmm DVD-9 backup goodness Ideal for archiving those home made feature films!

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

DL only @ 2.4x write speed though. That will take forever to burn a full 9gigs :/ Ima wait for newer drives to come out which offer at least 4x then 8x for DL discs. For now I will stick to 8X dvd-r burning in under 10mins, and dvd2one

kernel

I see the capacity of the dual layer disc is only 8.5 GB, not 9.4 as in 2x a single layer disc. Does this mean a second generation of dual layer drives will appear that support 2 full layers or do commercially produced dual layer discs not have 2 equal sized layers?

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

I thought that was down to FAT allocation. IE a 4.7gb dvdr is only actually 4.4gb. Does the same not apply with dvd-9 discs?

Scooby Dooby Blue

I would imagine that there will be a more complex lead-in and finalisation on a dual layer disk than the single layered disks.
IIRC the maximum that can be burned on a 4.7gb dvdr is 4.59(excluding lead in/out)

I can't think of an instance where i've encountered a DVD9 with an image greater than 8.xgb anyway so backing up your retail DVD9 home movies, without compression won't be a problem anyway.

Current price on the dual layer disks is $12


Paul

kernel

And now this, and a more reasonable price

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?LG-DVDDUAL

krazy

nec 2510 for £68?

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...ilterKeywords=


the liteon seems to of gone up quite a bit since they got it in stock?

lightning101

If you want it cheap just change the firmware on your pioneer/TEAC and it can burn dual layer.

Scooby Dooby Blue

That was a myth mate.
It was bandied about that Pioneer demonstrated a 'flashed' 106 burning dual-layer but it transpired that the drive had a different laser fitted too.
It is unlikely that the A08/108 will burn dual-layer either, it's predicted to be a 12/16x burner.
The A09/109 will use dual layer technology but won't be available until nearer the end of the year when:

1) The market for the technology is there
2) The media is affordably priced


Paul

krazy

u can flash the firmware on an nec 2500 and lite-on 812s 2 do double layer thou, although obviously no guarantees etc... but apparantly works

bioforger

iTrader: (1)

Yes! It's no myth (well its burner dependent) I just flashed my NEC2500A with a hacked firmware by some op on CDFreaks forum, and DL burning only bloody works and at 4x as well Now if only the DL media was readily available

Also firmware flashes are worth doing anyway, as they will in most cases recognise aload of new 8x media and be able to burn them at full speed. I have a spindle of Datasafe 8x discs which would only burn at 4x before, now they burn no problem at 8x Sweet.

lightning101

Sorry paul - read this on the pioneer website:



* Demonstration of 2 layer record of DVD-R which used pioneer and A06

The booth of RWPPI

In 2003 October, the pioneer which succeeds in the development of 2 layer record technology of DVD-R does the demonstration which plays back the DVD-R disk of 2 layer which was drawn up with the booth of the same company, with the usual DVD player. In addition, RW products promotion initiative (RWPPI) with the booth, it displayed the drive whose 2 layer entry is possible, demonstrated to playback from entry.

As for the drive which is used for entry "DVR-A06" of the same company. You say that with same ones as the commercial item, by the fact that just the firmware is modified in individual ones, without remodelling mechanism and the like inside, 2 layer record is possible. Furthermore, 2 layer record is not decided yet with the forum, there is no schedule and the like of release of the firmware.

With demonstration the data of 100MB in the layer is written 0 and the layer 1 respectively. At that time, entry to of the layer 0 ending, when you look at the record aspect of the disk, just the data quantity color of the track/truck has changed. After that, entry to of the layer 1 ending, there is no change in the range of the track/truck which changes color. From this, the layer 0 repeating to 1, it is found that you write. Furthermore, recording rate has reached 2 times. With demonstration drawing up 6 chapters. 1 - 3 in layer 0, 4 - 6 layer 1. By the fact that chapter is selected, it can look at the optional layer. Furthermore, as for the DVD-R disk of 2 layer which was drawn up, in the player of the pioneer usual DVD video in the same way viewing possibility. "In the player of the other manufacturer you do not verify to the fact that standard is not decided partly due,, but you say that it can play back with most players without problem,".

Scooby Dooby Blue

Cheers for that lightning. I read a similar article shortly after the demonstration.
I did hear from a very reliable source though that it was not a standard A06/106 laser in the case.

I couldn't understand why on earth Pioneer would want to demonstrate that an affordable/available drive was capable of DL burning with simply a firmware upgrade. Shooting themselves in the foot as far as future sales are concerned from what I could see :-s

Paul

PS That's got to be one of the roughest translations i've seen to date!

greasemonkey

No. 8.5GB is the full capacity of a DVD-9, although, as stated earlier, the usable capacity is slightly lower than this.

Not quite. They do have roughly equal sized layers, but the track density of a dual layer disc is slightly lower than a single layer one, so you end up with a pair of 4.25GB layers.

chrisowe

Went in my local PC World today and they've got the Sony drive on sale for £149.

Not worth buying if you can't get the discs yet though.

lightning101

Update:


www.aria.co.uk

Have an LG Super Multi Drive - with Dual Layer and 12X DVD writing for

£79

stu200

iTrader: (1)

lightning,

I'm guessing you mean http://www.aria.co.uk rather than the Providian Financial Corporation

lightning101

Nope the Providian Financial Corporation sell it cheaper LOL

Fatman

OcUK claim they'll be stocking dual-layer DVD media later this month. They don't have info on pricing yet.