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Posted

I researched this on the web but didn't find a satisfactory answer so I hope someone technical will share their knowledge. Please no guessing.

I have about 100G of music that I want to write to 4.7G DVDs.

I want to maximize the available space on the DVD.

Can I safely write up to the maximum 4.7G allocated or is it preferable to use a bit less like 4.5G or 4.6G for flawless reading of the DVD afterwards?

To determine the size I checked the properties for a file/folder and there are 2 lines showing sizes,

Size 2.32 GB (2,498,093,908 bytes)

Size on disk 2.32 GB (2,495,973,689 bytes)

Can I assume I need to use "size on disk" although both lines are usually close enough that it makes no difference ?

Do I use the 2.32G or the larger number 2.5G?

Why is there 170M difference between the 2 above numbers

I thought the difference might be the possible last cluster for each file that may not be fully used but the folder has 11 sub folders and 119 files and since the NTFS cluster size is 4096, the unused space should be no more than approx 119 files x 4096 bytes.

Can those with more knowledgeable minds weigh in?

Thanks

Posted

I've never been able to get more than 4.2-4.3 Gb on a DVD, but as I'm only paying 20 Baht or so per disc, I've never worried.

I've burned hundreds of DVDs and mp3 CDs, never been able to use the full amount stated, gave up trying to figure out why.

I would suggest however, that you consider using a program such as Media Monkey (free on internet), to equalize the files before you burn them. There is nothing worse than a disc that is quiet in parts then suddenly GETS VERY LOUD before going quiet again.

This programs equalizer does however alter the original file, so if you try it, make sure you copy the files to another folder before equalizing them. I've always been happy with the results, but everybodys different , it may not suit you.

Posted (edited)

In brief, you can read up the technical detail (it was called the 'Red Book' when I learnt about CD encoding in great details but that was the distant past) relating to the amount of data that a particular DVD / format will hold. The thing that can confuse is counting bits or bytes, different things.

Making a bit of a jump in an answer to you and not really wanting to explain space for title tracks, directory listing, CRC fields and sector headers etc and so forth. You as a person will not be looking at the disk surface (with a varible focus eye to see through to the different layers and mark (burn a pit) a 1 or 0 as required to create the 0-1 or 1-0 change that then decodes as bitstream coming off the laser sensor when read, that's the hardware's job. Not too much of a cop out to say you will be using software to burn the disk so allow that to worry about exactly how much data to put onto each DVD.

Personally for making library disks for myself I force the burn at the slowest speed possible, I believe I get more reliable disks this way. Also for important stuff try to burn at least two copies using DVDs of different brands, if one brand has a bad batch I don't want the master and backup to be of the same type.

In practical terms there is no benifit in allowing extra space on a DVD in the hope the music will sound better or the disk will be more reliable. Focus on clean storage and not scratching the disk surface. (Storage on the spool that the disks are sold on can lead to circular scratches on the disk, and they don't like fingerprints either.)

HTH

---------------------edit---------------------------

Also meant to say, when DVDs are sold some makers will follow the long history with the computer (and others) industry of 'bigging up' their product over the rest of the market place.* By stating that brand X can store 4,700,000 Wombats of data in their advert it appears better than brand Y that states their DVD can store 4,000,000 Wombat's worth of your MP3 files. So X is better ?

X is clever in their advert by not pointing out that each disk burnt required 200,000 Wombats of data storage space to write the disk's directory information and another 50,000 Wombats of data to store the header and footer information for each separate MP3 file.

Consider the whole blank disk idea like a paper notebook bought in a store. You want to use the notebook to keep a written record of all the telephone numbers that are important to you. You take the book home and the first thing you do is take a rule & pencil then draw parallel lines across each page (the paper is blank remember). Then you number each page inthe bottom corner. The first three pages, you set aside for a directory of the rest of the book. So if the book was purchased with the idea that it has 100 page surfaces each 5cm by 8cm and completely clear for your use, after you have started to prepare it to take your data in a format that you can effectively use you have 'lost' 3% of that empty space to formating infomation, directory, page numbers, lines etc.

* [rant] Bigging up marketing - look at the small 9 volt powered speakers sold in computer shops, the label says 140 Watts of Maxium Power. Depends how use 'measure' (calculate) the power. These things only produce .5 watts of RMS power at best, and it's distorted etc. [/rant]

Edited by Cuban
Posted
Can I safely write up to the maximum 4.7G allocated or is it preferable to use a bit less like 4.5G or 4.6G for flawless reading of the DVD afterwards?

To determine the size I checked the properties for a file/folder and there are 2 lines showing sizes,

Size 2.32 GB (2,498,093,908 bytes)

Size on disk 2.32 GB (2,495,973,689 bytes)

Can I assume I need to use "size on disk" although both lines are usually close enough that it makes no difference ?

Do I use the 2.32G or the larger number 2.5G?

Why is there 170M difference between the 2 above numbers

I thought the difference might be the possible last cluster for each file that may not be fully used but the folder has 11 sub folders and 119 files and since the NTFS cluster size is 4096, the unused space should be no more than approx 119 files x 4096 bytes.

Can those with more knowledgeable minds weigh in?

Thanks

Thanks for the info on DVDs.

Can anyone reply the above part of my question regarding determining size?

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