Bd-r vs dvd

[Flapperdame16]

With a rise of the burned blu-ray discs , with lines like Lionsgate and the Sony Choice collection, is it just better to hang onto your pressed DVDs? I myself have not jumped on any BD-R releases, but I was just wondering, what is actually better in the long run?

[slimdude]

DVD-R cannot record high definition content so, BD-R is better. The maximum resolution DVD-Rs are capable of recording is 480p, when BD-R is 1080p.

[akaun6899]

I only have one BD-R as of now, the Sony Choice Collection release of Eight Crazy Nights. I've watched it twice, and both times, it worked fine for me. The AV quality was essentially the same as a pressed Blu-ray release, though the BD-R lacks a main menu and languages other than English--to turn on subtitles and view bonus features, you have to select the pop-up menu. However, I still have my DVD just in case.

[DukeTogo84]

BD-R's are 1080p so it has that over DVD's. I only have 4 BD-R's in my collection and they still work fine and look great. I've had regular DVD's and Blu-ray just "die" on me before, so there is that as well.

[Jay H.]

BD-R discs will last longer than we will, and they have 1080p resolution. They are absolutely better than pressed DVDs.

[Flapperdame16]

Thanks for all the fast replies! I am not as tech savvy as I would like to be so I really appreciate the feedback!

[Moviefan2k4]

I've heard that BD-R discs fall victim to rot a lot more than professionally pressed discs, so that might be a problem if you're looking to buy a lot of BD-R titles.

[RadRen]

Functionally a BD-R should be no different from a pressed BD, although they may be missing AACS copy protection which does not really matter to a regular user.
Both pressed and burnt regular BDs can be 25 or 50GB in size.

[kevin87]

Choice Collection actually stopped and now Sony does pressed MOD releases like Universal does... but it seems Paramount is re-releasing catalog titles originally on pressed BD as BD-R now. Some of what Sony re-released on BD-R has been licensed out and is now on pressed BD from other studios.

BD-R isn't any worse than a normal pressed BD in terms of quality, but the packaging looks worse than what most people can print at home... and they're not endorsed by the Blu-ray Association, which is why they can't legally used the BD logo on the discs, case, or artwork. They also can have playback issues in some players, and won't play in a Playstation.

I'd never buy a BD-R, to me they are too cheaply made to pay such a high price for, it's like an official bootleg... but I also won't buy a DVD either. So it comes down to "official" or HD. I'd sooner see if Vudu supports Disc to Digital for a title and pay $5 than buy a BD-R.

Also, it's better to hang on to DVDs for titles you want all bonus features for anyway, because not all of those even get ported over to official BD releases.

[CrowKiller]

If it makes anyone feel better, I still have cheapo scratched up cdrs from around the year 2000 and they still work without issues.

[Flapperdame16]

One of my fave Aussie TV shows A Place to Call Home was put out on BD-R- I have all 6 seasons of the DVDs- and never considered getting the BD-Rs due to longevity as its a tv show I will watch again. But I agree with many points- a burned disc is a bootleg in a sense- and personally can't justify paying a high price for something of that type. For show, I will stick with my DVDs. So far nothing I've had my eye on as been released as a BD-R, I just hope say something like Roman Holiday doesnt go that route w the Paramount news

[CrowKiller]

Yeah... this displeasure for bdr, dvdr, etc is the "I could do that myself" mentality. Where else pressing a blu or DVD is out of our reach and feels more official and legit.

[tangerinewolf]

Originally Posted by CrowKiller

If it makes anyone feel better, I still have cheapo scratched up cdrs from around the year 2000 and they still work without issues.

It doesn't make me feel better! I've purchased many CD-Rs and DVD-Rs in the early 2000's and beyond and most of them have developed playback issues within ten years. So why should I trust BD-Rs?

[kevin87]

Originally Posted by Flapperdame16

One of my fave Aussie TV shows A Place to Call Home was put out on BD-R- I have all 6 seasons of the DVDs- and never considered getting the BD-Rs due to longevity as its a tv show I will watch again. But I agree with many points- a burned disc is a bootleg in a sense- and personally can't justify paying a high price for something of that type. For show, I will stick with my DVDs. So far nothing I've had my eye on as been released as a BD-R, I just hope say something like Roman Holiday goes that route w the Paramount news

Acorn is weird like that, they have some BD-R and some pressed BD, and alternate depending on the title seemingly from week to week... Delicious season 1 through 3 were on BD-R but the week after, A Discovery of Witches came out on pressed BD. Patrick Melrose on BD on June 18th, Agatha Raising season 2 on BD-R the week after.... but Manhunt season 1 was on BD the same day. I figure it had to do with viewing stats on their streaming service for each series that decides if goes pressed or burned.

BD-R and pressed MOD are basically the same to make, but supposedly using BD-R just allows them to order a smaller amount from the company (usually Allied Vaughn) who does MOD stuff than what they'd have to order as pressed discs. I don't know how much of a difference the cost for each method itself is, but when a BD-R is priced higher than a pressed MOD BD, then something's off with their reasoning.

[CrowKiller]

Originally Posted by tangerinewolf

It doesn't make me feel better! I've purchased many CD-Rs and DVD-Rs in the early 2000's and beyond and most of them have developed playback issues within ten years. So why should I trust BD-Rs?

I've never had issues. At least with the ones I've pulled out and tried. I've also burned them at the slowest speed possible. Maybe that helps?

[TripleHBK]

I've never encountered a CD-R or DVD-R that failed due to it being a burned disc. The same goes for BD-R. Of the Cd-R's and DVD-R's that failed it was due to poor handling/scratches or due to the application of sticker labels that with enough time seem to eat away at the data layer of CD-R's.

I've said it before but, I can handle buying a BD-R if it's of an otherwise unreleased product and is priced accordingly ($15 or less). When the price goes up into the mid to upper $20 range however I find that incredibly tacky for what the product is. Crowkiller absolutely hit the nail on the head with his "I can do it myself" comment. For a product that can be replicated at home with relative ease, the cost of a retail product needs to reflect this and as such should be priced lower than your average general (pressed) editions.

I won't lie though... seeing films like Footloose and The Ring relegated to BD-R is particularly troubling for me. I hope it's merely a market test and one that fails badly. It's one thing to support a random indie film that very few folks have heard of that gets a BD-R release. It's something else entirely to see films that had a profound impact on pop culture relegated to this kind of release.

[Leeon0]

Originally Posted by Flapperdame16

With a rise of the burned blu-ray discs , with lines like Lionsgate and the Sony Choice collection, is it just better to hang onto your pressed DVDs? I myself have not jumped on any BD-R releases, but I was just wondering, what is actually better in the long run?

Any way you slice it, a BD-R is an inferior product. It costs less to manufacture, is more fragile than a pressed disc, and is more prone to failure. Yet you're charged a truckload of money for it. Bad enough we movie collectors are a disrespected lot, getting wrong aspect ratios tossed at us not infrequently and disgraceful storage cases for our Blu-ray discs. To demand a Jackson note (and sometimes more) for a BD-R is obscene.

Oftentimes you can get the title you're looking for as an import, which will be a pressed disc and less expensive than the BD-R. Case in point: the UK import of Lady Macbeth, a pressed disc, is currently selling for $8.62. The LionsGate BD-R is $23! If no import is available, I'd say hang on to your DVD. It's not 1080p, but at least you won't be giving in to the horseshit, which, in my opinion, is the less palatable option.

[RadRen]

Personally I've been very wary of buying DVD-R or BD-R releases after I received this DVD-R release new from Amazon:

In case you can't tell, Warner Archive somehow neglected to burn the 4th disc! Thankfully this was from Amazon which is pretty good about international returns but it does make me think twice about buying these types of discs since shipping them from the US is very expensive for me due to import charges.

[Vilya]

With the exception of a handful of early Philips brand DVD-R media, I have had no recordable discs fail on me in the 15 years that I have been using them, even longer when including CD-R media.

Some brands of recordable disc media are better than others. I use what I feel is a good brand and I record at the slowest speed every time. I store them properly and well away from bright lights. I have no complaints with recordable disc media and I still burn CDs, DVDs, and BDs to this day.

None of my purchased, and "burned", MOD discs have failed. Not a single one. I have no problem buying either type of MOD disc; I want the movies that I buy to be presented in the highest quality possible and if all that is offered is a MOD disc, I will buy it rather than settle for a lower quality presentation.

[Slob]

Originally Posted by CrowKiller

If it makes anyone feel better, I still have cheapo scratched up cdrs from around the year 2000 and they still work without issues.

As an experiment I once buried a cd-r disc in the backyard. I left it out there 2 years. Through rain and snow, below zero temps to 100+. Dug it up, washed all the dirt and crap off under faucet, dried with dish towel, stuck it in and it played perfectly.

Multiple factors come into play with the lifespan and quality of burned DVD-Rs.
Quality of the blank media
Quality and compatibility of the burning software
Quality and compatibility of the burner
Quality and compatibility of the player.
The more universal the compatibility of all factors the more likely you will experience zero problems.

The slower the burn speed the better. 8x is the minimum to maintain equal quality. Blank media is designed with a maximum speed. 8x, 16x, 32x, etc. Sometimes a stack of blanks may have discs that have a max burn speed slower than advertised. A few 8x mixed in with the 16x. The discs are fine but if you burn at a higher speed, you'll get a successful burn but have playback issues.

Handling and storage. Never touch the surface. A finger print/smudge can ruin a DVD-R. Never get them wet. Never expose to heat or sunlight. Do not put them on a shelf near the heat register. Not a good idea to invest in DVD-R if you don't have air conditioning in the summer. Do not store in basement if basement is more damp/humid than rest of house.