Verbatim DVD+R DL 8.6 GB 2.4x

...familiar with computers know that Verbatim are pretty much it when it comes to manufacture and distribution. I use their discs in particular for backing up and moving around my music collection, which is fairly big. I usually use the standard 4.7Gb discs for this and will probably continue to be so for reasons you will find out. At first glance the 8.6Gb DL (meaning Dual Layer) discs have one big advantage: You guessed it, the size. So here's the ...
...needed to read the discs. Verbatim also markets an 8x version (very expensive) and there are 16x versions available (very, very expensive) but this would be the main flaw. If they were a lot faster it may be worth shelling out to upgrade your DVD player and paying five times as much for the discs but as it is …

'''Physical Storage'''
The display item is a ten pack spindle so you may want to invest in some individual boxes, and ... more

Most people familiar with computers know that Verbatim are pretty much it when it comes to manufacture and distribution. I use their discs in particular for backing up and moving around my music collection, which is fairly big. I usually use the standard 4.7Gb discs for this and will probably continue to be so for reasons you will find out. At first glance the 8.6Gb DL (meaning Dual Layer) discs have one big advantage: You guessed it, the size. So here's the main considerations and issues to think about before buying them.

Price
The best price on Amazon.co.uk at the time of writing is £7.99 for a pack of 10 on a spindle. Considering you can get 50 regular 4.7Gb DVDs for a similar price it seems a little pointless to invest in them at the moment. I only got hold of a few because my old employer got a free sample and had some compatibility issues, which leads me swiftly on to …

Compatibility
Although most modern DVD drives can read dual-layer DVDs, a very modern super-multi re-writer drive is required. Prices for these vary wildly and of course there are different specs but you can pick one up for around £20 at the bottom of the range, most that are compatible have a DL or +DL in the product title. Unfortunately my CD drive failed this test so I now have 10 plank DVDs that I'm not sure what to do with.

How It Works
Here comes the science bit: We all know that normal DVDs are like old records read by a laser instead of a needle. The new dual-layer DVDs consist of two layers, each of which can be written and read separately. This is because each layer is made of a different medium so the laser can be refocused in order to read each layer.

Speed
As the title suggests these discs are not going to break any records at 2.4x. This is because of the precision and focusing needed to read the discs. Verbatim also markets an 8x version (very expensive) and there are 16x versions available (very, very expensive) but this would be the main flaw. If they were a lot faster it may be worth shelling out to upgrade your DVD player and paying five times as much for the discs but as it is …

Physical Storage
The display item is a ten pack spindle so you may want to invest in some individual boxes, and treat em nice; rewritables damage easily.

Conclusion
They're a undoubtedly a step forward but at the moment having nearly twice as much space just doesn't make up for the extra expense and slothful lack of speed. In time, when they are half the price and twenty times the speed that they are now it might just be worth investing but not yet. Good idea though. 

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