DVD-R vs. CD-R???

kerim · 02-07-2003, 11:03 AM

I have a 500Mhz dual USB iBook running 10.2.3. I am sick and tired of trying to backup my drive to the SLOW built-in 4x CD-R drive. I use a firewire backup most of the time, but I need something I can store off-site and which would allow for incremental backups.

What I need to know is: Am I better off getting a 42x CD-R Firewire drive, or some kind of a DVD-R firewire drive?

So far I have only found this article:

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,109167,00.asp

Which says that:

Quote:


	But burning DVDs at 4X is every bit as fast as, if not faster than, 52X maximum CD-R recording, which varies from 16X to 52X depending on the laser's position on the disc. (Note that 1X for DVDs means 1.385-MBps throughput, while 1X for CDs means 150 KBps.)

So I know the DVD-R drive might cost me $100+ more than the CD-R, and that the media is more expensive, but I'd be willing to accept all that if I knew that it would work for me.

What worries me most is Software. I see that Retrospect does not support DVD-RAM (same as DVD-R?) in 10.2.3:
http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCRE...KBASE&id=27801

It seems that Toast Titanium and Disk Burner both support DVD-R - but I take it I couldn't use iDVD. That doesn't matter because that isn't for backup anyway - but are there any alternatives if I want to make a DVD slide-show with my drive?

I see that DVD-R holds "4.7GB per side" - so I suppose I could backup all of the 16GB of data on my 20GB HD onto just two DVD's which would be great - but without Retrospect or something it seem like a bit of a pain.

I'm rambling at this point - but I just wanted any advice or anyone who uses DVD-R for backup to share their experiences. Tips on good deals/drive would be good as well. It seem very difficult to find something that you know will be compatible with Retrospect and Toast!!!

mclbruce · 02-07-2003, 06:45 PM

Have you considered a Firewire HD? There are many small, bus powered units that are easily transportable. Carbon Copy Cloner will make a bootable copy of your HD to the FireWire HD.

I like the OWC drives myself :-)

There are also portable drives that automatically back up your HD:

http://cmsproducts.com/products_backup.htm

kerim · 02-07-2003, 07:29 PM

Thanks. I have a couple of FW HDrives - I need something that I can make permanent incremental backups with. I'd like to leave backups somewhere other than my home. This way I will be safe in case of fire, etc. Also, having historical backups has saved me in many an emergency. Too often it is easy to backup after a problem has occured, but before you notice how damaging it is. Either CD-R or DVD-R. Does anyone has experience using DVD-R for backup...

pairaka · 02-08-2003, 11:11 AM

I've used DVD-RAM (it's different from DVD-R, which is used to burn DVDs that can be played in a DVD player). DVD-RAM is probably what you're looking for: It becomes just another drive in your computer that you mount, just like a CD-ROM. You just drag and drop files to it like a HD.

My experience is limited, though; just the setup I had at the print shop I worked at. We kept our customer files on DVD-RAM. It worked rather well, except the drawback was that we could *only* use 5.2 GB disks in the drive. Apparently, they're specific for the drive.

Wish I could be of more help...

-- Pairaka

kerim · 02-10-2003, 09:41 PM

This MacFixit Forum has more discussion on the topic:

http://www.macfixitforums.com/php/sh...w=&sb=&o=&vc=1

It is all very confusing. Turns out that there is both DVD-R and DVD+R where the +/- are actually different formats!!!

I hope someone figures it all out soon...

02-07-2003, 06:45 PM	#2
mclbruce Hall of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 3,870	firewire HD? Have you considered a Firewire HD? There are many small, bus powered units that are easily transportable. Carbon Copy Cloner will make a bootable copy of your HD to the FireWire HD. I like the OWC drives myself :-) There are also portable drives that automatically back up your HD: http://cmsproducts.com/products_backup.htm

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02-07-2003, 07:29 PM	#3
kerim Major Leaguer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 311	Thanks. I have a couple of FW HDrives - I need something that I can make permanent incremental backups with. I'd like to leave backups somewhere other than my home. This way I will be safe in case of fire, etc. Also, having historical backups has saved me in many an emergency. Too often it is easy to backup after a problem has occured, but before you notice how damaging it is. Either CD-R or DVD-R. Does anyone has experience using DVD-R for backup...

02-08-2003, 11:11 AM	#4
pairaka Triple-A Player Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 52	I've used DVD-RAM (it's different from DVD-R, which is used to burn DVDs that can be played in a DVD player). DVD-RAM is probably what you're looking for: It becomes just another drive in your computer that you mount, just like a CD-ROM. You just drag and drop files to it like a HD. My experience is limited, though; just the setup I had at the print shop I worked at. We kept our customer files on DVD-RAM. It worked rather well, except the drawback was that we could only use 5.2 GB disks in the drive. Apparently, they're specific for the drive. Wish I could be of more help... -- Pairaka

02-10-2003, 09:41 PM	#5
kerim Major Leaguer Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 311	This MacFixit Forum has more discussion on the topic: http://www.macfixitforums.com/php/sh...w=&sb=&o=&vc=1 It is all very confusing. Turns out that there is both DVD-R and DVD+R where the +/- are actually different formats!!! I hope someone figures it all out soon...