Burn DVD Vs. Copy DVD

With the ever-increasing sizes of video, audio and application files, the only way to store and distribute them is through a DVD. This media also has the advantage of being lightweight, durable and easy to store.

Burning

To burn a DVD means to write files once to a medium like DVD-R or DVD+R, preventing them from being erased and rewritten.

Copying

Copying to a DVD refers to writing files to a rewritable disk like a DVD-RW, which allows them to be erased or changed as needed. The term "burning" is often erroneously used to mean "copying."

Players

Though burning and copying allows files to be accessed by another computer, only burning allows the playing of a multimedia DVD on stand-alone players or home theater systems.

Computers

Both burning and copying are built into Windows Explorer in Vista and Windows 7. You simply specify options and then drag the files to the DVD window. A similar feature exists on Mac OS X.

Programs

If you have an earlier operating system or who prefer more control over the DVD menu layouts, you need a commercial program like Creator for Windows or Toast for the Mac. (See Resources for links.)

References

• Description
• Burn a DVD in Windows Explorer
• Burning with a Mac

Resources

• Roxio Creator
• Roxio Toast

Photo Credit

Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Shannon Ramos