4X or 16X DVD burn speed? at DVinfo.net

Glenn Gipson · August 3rd, 2007, 09:28 PM

Which speed will provide me with the widest compatibility with home DVD players? 4x or 16x? Or does it not make a difference? Thanks.

Emre Safak · August 3rd, 2007, 10:08 PM

I use 8X for important projects since 16X makes little difference in overall speed (due to waste at the beginning and end). I have never experienced any problems either way, and reckon the speed is more likely to have long-term impacts, where it pays off to have clean pits and lands.

Glenn Gipson · August 3rd, 2007, 10:10 PM

What about bitrate? What is a safe bitrate to burn my DVDs on for the widest compatibility?

Emre Safak · August 3rd, 2007, 10:46 PM

That really depends on the unit, but lower is safer. I experienced problems before when I tried to hit to MPEG-2 ceiling of 9800kbps.

Eric Darling · August 4th, 2007, 09:08 AM

Safest bitrate is a total muxed ceiling rate below 9 Mbps. If you're doing a CBR encode, you should err toward the higher side (depending on how much material you have, of course). If you're using VBR, the average rate can probably be considerably lower, with the ceiling rate set at a higher number. There are many factors to consider, but those are the rules of thumb. Remember to leave room in your rate for your audio (which should always be compressed to AC3 for maximum capability and efficiency).

August 3rd, 2007, 09:28 PM	#1
Glenn Gipson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Plainfield, New Jersey Posts: 927	4X or 16X DVD burn speed? Which speed will provide me with the widest compatibility with home DVD players? 4x or 16x? Or does it not make a difference? Thanks.

August 3rd, 2007, 10:08 PM	#2
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	I use 8X for important projects since 16X makes little difference in overall speed (due to waste at the beginning and end). I have never experienced any problems either way, and reckon the speed is more likely to have long-term impacts, where it pays off to have clean pits and lands.

August 3rd, 2007, 10:10 PM	#3
Glenn Gipson Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Plainfield, New Jersey Posts: 927	What about bitrate? What is a safe bitrate to burn my DVDs on for the widest compatibility?

August 3rd, 2007, 10:46 PM	#4
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	That really depends on the unit, but lower is safer. I experienced problems before when I tried to hit to MPEG-2 ceiling of 9800kbps.

August 4th, 2007, 09:08 AM	#5
Eric Darling Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 463	Safest bitrate is a total muxed ceiling rate below 9 Mbps. If you're doing a CBR encode, you should err toward the higher side (depending on how much material you have, of course). If you're using VBR, the average rate can probably be considerably lower, with the ceiling rate set at a higher number. There are many factors to consider, but those are the rules of thumb. Remember to leave room in your rate for your audio (which should always be compressed to AC3 for maximum capability and efficiency).