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DVD media is important knowledge for you to consider when you*re burning DVD*s for your own use. Your choice of media should be dictated by what kind of hardware you*re using, and your application - in other words, how you*ll be using it. Keep in mind we*re talking Blank Media - what you*ll be recording on.

DVD media comes in formats ranging from DVD-R to DVD+R to DVD +R DL, DVD-RW, DVD +RW, DVD-RAM, as well as others, but those are the most common and widely used. What*s the difference? There is an amazing amount of difference between these different forms of media. For example - DVD-R is a one-use only recordable DVD, meaning you can record to it once only. The DVD-R media is used to master DVD videos and DVD-ROM discs. (In other words the studio puts the master copies of their movies on this type of media.)

DVD-RW (notice the *-* sign) has a *rewritable* format that allows you to rewrite or reuse the disc more than once. It has a capacity of 4.7 GB.

DVD+R (notice the *+* sign) signifies a DVD Recordable format - but it can only be used once and then the data becomes permanent - meaning you can*t record over it a second time.

DVD+R Dual/Double DL Layer - this form of DVD Media has the ability to be *double stacked* so to speak, meaning these discs can hold up to 8.5 GB of data - double the single capacity of 4.7 GB. This increased capacity will allow you to record up to 4 hours of DVD-quality video or 16 hours of VHS or 120 hours of MP3 audio. It also can be used more than once - meaning you can record over and over again.

The next consideration is what is the surface type of the DVD media you*re using. It*s important because it tells you what kind of printer you should be using to process your DVD copies. In this instance, your choices are: Matte Finish, Silver Matte, Shiny Silver, Inkjet Printable, Thermal Printable and Hub Printable and no stack ring Matte Finish.

Matte Finish is simply a dull finish on a pre-coated surface - that doesn*t show or reflect fingerprints; while Silver Matter is the same as Matte Finish - just silver colored. Shiny Silver has a shiny white reflective surface that just looks cool. Inkjet Printable means the DVD can be printed on using any inkjet printer that can load and print CD*s or DVD*s. Thermal Printable means the surface of the DVD can be printed using a high-end thermal printer that heats the data into dots and impresses them on a heat-sensitive surface. Hub Printable means you can print data all the way to the center hub of the disc.

The final consideration when choosing DVD media is the speed of the media. This means the speed up to which the DVD media can be burned. For example - media typically comes in speeds of 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X and 16X - so a DVD with a speed of 8X means that DVD can be burned at all speeds up to 8X - you simply choose the speed you want, depending on your DVD burner and how fast you want to transfer the data.