DVD Dual vs DVD Super Multi?

Can anyone explain what the difference is between the DVD Writers Acer names on its notebooks, as in "DVD Dual" and "DVD Super Multi"? I have seen some of the Acer notebooks mentioning DVD Dual and some DVD Super Multi. Anyone over here knows the difference between the two?

 

Greets.
DVD SuperMulti is a DVD-Dual with support for DVD-RAM.

 

mmmm.... ok but whats DVD RAM?

 

DVD Ram is just a type of media, just like VHS & Beta are types of media for VCRs. DVD-Ram was one of the first types of DVD media released into the market. This media would be written & erased, but needed a drive to support it. When it was first released, it was inside a cartridge, which generally looked like a large floppy disk. It had a slide that opens to reveal the DVD media, just like a floppy disk. The newer DVD-Ram media is not no longer in a cartridge, but is loose just like a DVD disc.

Then you have DVD-R/RW & DVD+R/RW. This is what they mean by "DVD Dual". The difference is in the - and +, again just like Beta & VHS. 2 different types of media fighting for supremacy, just like how VHS beat out Beta.

This was the media type that was released after DVD-Ram and is probably the most widely supported media for players (some newer players may have problems with the media as some users have reported). The - media is normally written to from A to B in a staright line (linear). So if you record video onto the disc and want to erase the last few minutes of the video, you'd have to re-record the whole video stream again without the last few minutes. This was a bit of a pain. That's when they released the + media. This was designed to be like DVD-Ram while still being compatible with DVD-R/RW players. It works in the same way, but allows for ramdom recording of data. If you didn't want the last few minutes of the video, you can overwite it without haveing to re-record the whole video stream. This was a major improvement, but cause compatibility problems with older players.

I hope this cleared up everything for you. If not, you can easily do a search in Google and type in "what is DVD ram" and it'll show you exactly what it means. Same goes for DVD-R & DVD+R.

-Vb-

 

So, which one is better?

 

Yea which one is better, and what are the drwbacks of the Acer DVD Dual? Which media does the DVD DUAL play and Write(Burn), and which ones does it not?

 

Oops sorry. DVD Dual means that the drive can burn both media types (both + and - media). Some drives only burn 1 type.

DVD Super Multi is a drive that will support DVD -, + and RAM media.

Personally, I think compatibility is better for the - media since more players support this media type (out before + media and more standardized vs RAM media). I have heard from some users that some players they experienced won't work with - media and only with +. It's really a hit & miss when it comes to new players.

If you're going to be doing a lot of video editing/recording (on a DVD Recorder for your TV, not a burner on a PC), then plus media may be the better choice as I previously explained why. But overall, either + or - media will generally do the same job. DVD-RAM is probably the least supported media type currently. Also, it's probably one of the more expensive, from what I remember seeing.

For looking for a DVD burner for your PC, the more formats it supports, the better off you'll be. Since you'll be able to burn any to all media types in the market.

-Vb-

 

my dvd writer, which i guess under venombite's classification is a super-multi as it can write to both -/+ and dvd-ram, writes to - faster than it does to +, the factory speeds are something like 4x and 2.4x, if i'm not mistaken. are there any notebooks yet able write dual layer discs (dvd 9s)?

todd

 

Toddy,

Actually, the Dual Layer DVD writers are starting to become pretty popular. Many companies are starting to use these drives. I know Dell has this option & I believe HP is starting to use them as well.

If you want, you can probably get one for your notebook as well. There's a shop in the US (www.UltraDrives.com) that sells a Toshiba model for $135US. I don't know of any Canadian shops that sells just the drive for notebooks.

-Vb-