Building and burning dual layer DVD

April 13, 2004

EMediaLive
has published an article that contains some general information about
dual/double layer (DL) burning and it explains how DL burning will be
implemented in various authoring and burning applications. While the DL
DVD+R technology should be available within a couple of months EMediaLive
has also asked Pioneer where DL DVD-R stands:

"As we've learned in the
past, it's hard to pin down an exact date," says Pioneer senior VP for
advanced product development Andy Parsons. "We have presented our
dual-layer spec technology to the DVD Forum, and hope a spec will be ready
sometime in the second half of this year. We are motivated to get the spec
ratified as quickly as possible, as there is clearly strong interest in
the technology."

…

There is a lesser known
problem that will affect both dual-layer DVD-R and DVD+R DL in their
efforts to mimic replicated DVD-9. "All replicated dual-layer media are
supposed to have both layers equally 'recorded,' as this is what players
expect to see optically," Parsons says. "So to make dual-layer appear as
similar to replicated media as possible in players, we're thinking that
discs may also need to be equally recorded across both layers before
playback is attempted. This isn't an issue if you use the majority of the
available data space on both layers, but we know from experience this
won't always happen.

"If
you saw our recording demonstration at CES, you may have noticed that we
were alternating back and forth between layers on a parallel track path
(PTP) disc so we could avoid having to fill up the second layer with dummy
data. With opposite track path (OTP) media, it's possible that longer
finalization times could be needed. Again, things like this are what make
dual-layer media so different from single-layer, so we need to understand
how most people (and products) will want to use them. Another question is
whether we should offer both PTP and OTP discs'”imagine that scenario at a
retail store."

You
can read the complete four-page long article at EmediaLive.com here.

Source: EMediaLive.com