Windows Talk: Must Know Tips for DVD Disc Burning in Windows 7

By Rob Boirun for Windows Talk

When it comes to burning DVD discs on Windows 7 it is important to note that the type of disc you create and what type of blank DVD you use is important for the desired outcome. In this article I will identify many reasons for burning a DVD and what the best format to use is and what type of blank DVD you should be using for each type of project.

But first a short introduction to the different DVD formats you may or may not be familiar with. There are two standards when it comes to DVD formats: DVD- and DVD+. DVD- (dash) was developed by Pioneer in the late 1990′s, while DVD+ was developed by the DVD+RW alliance which includes Sony, HP, Ricoh, Yamaha, and others. Just note that all DVD burners now produced support both formats, which makes it easy for the consumer.

File, Formats, and Discs

With all the different types of multi-media files now available including data, audio, and video it is important to burn a DVD disc correctly. I will list common file types, the disc format they should be created in, and the type of blank disc to use for best results.

  • Home Videos (from a camcorder or downloaded video) should be created with an Authoring software such as Windows DVD Maker in a DVD-Video project and it’s recommended to use DVD-R media.
  • Digital Photo files can either be backed up using a standard DVD burning software at a data project or be created as a digital photo slideshow by using a compatible software using DVD-R media.
  • Recorded TV shows from Windows Media Center should be Authored with Windows DVD Maker in a DVD-Video project and burned to DVD-R media.
  • Music or audio files can be burned to blank CD-R discs using Windows Media Player. However there are two ways to go about this: First you can create a standard Audio CD which usually holds 74 minutes of music by creating an audio project or you can burn mp3 files as a data project to get more music on a disc. (Just make sure you have a mp3 disc player for proper playback)
  • Disc Image Files or ISO files require Windows Disc Image Burner to burn the format correctly on either a blank CD-R or DVD-R disc (Just depends on the file size)
  • Article Continued Here

    This excerpt is shared with permission from Windows Talk.

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