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A review by Ollydv on Imation Corp. DVD+RW 4.7 GB 4x May 30th, 2005
Author's product rating:
Memory / capacity
Good
Reliability
Good
Ease of use
Very easy
Value For Money
Good
Advantages:
Good quality, nice price, oooh a spindle
Disadvantages:
same as most dvd - rw's
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Ok so yesterday I wrote a review on a CD-R, so I thought that I would move on and review a DVD+RW today.
These aren't the discs I usually use for my DVDs, actually I have only used them once, but I think I will be using them more in the future. They are great. They are a nice price compared to a lot of others, and they are pretty durable.
Reliability… In my CD-R review I mentioned errors while burning CDs, and errors while burning DVDs was pretty much mandatory for me, until I started using these. I have only ever come across 2 errors, and they were my fault anyway for opening the drive in the middle of burning. Before I bought a DVD-RW drive, I used to make VCDs most of the time, as they were quick and easy. But since I have been using these, there is no need for VCDs as the discs give me no trouble at all.
Use… Obviously these are mainly for making DVD movies that you can play on your home DVD player, or DVD drive on a computer. Apart from DVD movies, you can make a data discs, which is great for backing up large amounts of data from your hard drive. E.g.: if you want to reformat your computer but keep all of your music or photos. These are much better for doing this than CD-Rs and -RWs, as you can put roughly 6 or 7 times the amount of data on them as you could a normal CD-R. Because these discs are +RW, make sure they are compatible with your DVD-RW. If you have a DVD-RW, then they wont work, but if you have either a +RW, or a +/- then they will be fine also. These can be re-written up to 1000 times, unlike DVD-R discs which can only be written once. This is good for backing up data before a format of your hard drive, as you can put the data on your fresh install of the Operating System, and then reuse the disc at a later date (lots of times). Also, you have to make sure that your home DVD player is compatible with DVD-RWs and can play them without any hassle.
Burning… To burn a DVD movie to the disc, you will more than likely need to convert the video format of your video file to a compatible format. The DVD formats are usually .vob, .ifo and .bup. And the usual format for a video on your computer is usually .mpg, .avi, .wmv. These can all be converted during the process using Nero Vision Express (I use this sometimes), or WinAvi converter that I also use. If you bought your DVD-RW drive separately, then you would have probably got Nero Burning Rom software with it.
Packaging… The discs come on a grey spindle which is shrink wrapped to keep the discs safe before purchase. The label goes all the way around the spindle with the usual information on that is usually on products. At the front you have the Imation logo, with a DVD disc next to it, and DVD-RW in big letters next to that. Over on the right side of the front part of the label, it says that there is 25 in the pack. The colours that are on the label are red and grey to keep it simple.
Cases… Because these discs are on a spindle they don't come with any cases (which is the only disadvantage of these discs), so you will have to purchase them separately, but that isn't really any big deal. They can be bought at quite a reasonable price in stores such as PCWorld.
Discs… The discs are simply silver and white. The information that is on the disc is the usual for a CD-R or a DVD-R. E.g. the make, speed. I like to stick the labels that you get with blank cassettes on these to mark what data or video I have on it. These make it look neater than scribbling on the disc with a marker pen.
Durability… As I said in the CD-R review, all of my discs are literally scattered around the desk, even though I have a spindle to put them on I still can't be bothered to. These have a few marks on, but nothing that stops them from working to their full potential. The movies all still play really good, and the data stays safe on them.
I pay around £15 for them from a small computer shop near where I live, but I guess they are around the same price from any other computer shop around the country. I recommend these if you are looking for a good quality DVD-RW, but still quite a reasonable price.
Need to store data at home, at work, or for the whole of your business enterprise? Imation has what you need to tackle the challenges of the information age. Imation's knowledge and resources are pointed toward a single goal: to be your preferred source of data storage and information management solutions.
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