Latest Trends: DVD Recording Hardware and Software

You are probably already aware that a standard DVD can store up to 4.7GB of data; which is 7 times as much as a normal CD. Due to this storage capacity, DVDs are able to store high quality video (MPEG-2) and audio contents. For the most part of the 90's, DVD movie production was something attainable only by professional movie production studios and was kept out of reach of the average person. Yet, with the introduction of various DVD recordable drives and easy to use video production software, times have changed and now almost anyone can easily make DVD movies at home!

Yet, one thing has still kept the DVD recordable market from reaching its full potential and that is the format war between the -R/RW camp and the +R/RW camp. This war really heated up in the beginning of 2002, when the first DVD+RW burning device was launched from companies like HP (DVD 100i), Philips (DVDRW208) and several others, all part of the DVD+RW Alliance. At the same time, companies like Pioneer and Hitachi were standing behind the DVD-RW standard and had already launched several products onto the market for some time. With two formats available for recording DVD, most consumers were left wondering whether to buy now or wait for a clear winner (like in the old VHS vs. Beta format war).

Today, many of you are still probably asking, "which format is better?". This is a question that is not so easy to answer, but no matter which format you decide to go with, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Using either +R or -R discs (which means you can only write once onto the disc) means that you have very good compatibility with existing DVD drives and players. With +RW or -RW drives the backward compatibility is not as good, but still acceptable. If you are really in doubt over which format to choose, you can always opt for a dual drive (like Sony's DRU-120A ) which writes both formats.

Aside from the format war, the other stumbling block for the growth of the DVD recordable market has been price. In 2002, whether you were looking at a DVD-RW or DVD+RW format drive, almost all were very expensive, and you could hardly get your hands on one without spending around $500 US. But this situation has changed for the better as of 2003 and the average price of a DVD burning device has dropped to around $300. This has helped to pave the way for the DVD recordable drive to begin to replace the standard CD-R/RW drive.

In addition to the positive news of the price front, DVD video production and burning software, like CyberLink's PowerProducer, have made it easier than ever to create DVD movies at home. PowerProducer offers an easy to use graphical wizard styled interface to reduce the learning curve and make DVD movie production more easy and fun. As well, it offers more features than conventional CD burning software, and has the flexibility to burn movies onto disc in various formats (i.e. VCD, DVD, SVCD or MiniDVD).

The Outlook of DVD Recently

The battle between the different standards will surely carry on throughout 2003, but with improved backward compatibility, a drop in the average price of a DVD recordable drive, and the advent of easy to use DVD movie creation software, there is no reason not to enter the exciting world of DVD production. And if you feel concerned about the continued format war, opt for a dual drive and you surely can't go wrong!