Can a DVD +R DL be used as a single layer DVD?

[Gerard]

I recently started copying DVD's without shrinking them to single layer size first, but very soon found myself in the posession of a lifetime worth of coasters .

You guessed it, I hadn't read all those suggestions about using Verbatim DL disks yet. Now I do, of course, but I am still stuck with a stack of Traxdata DL disks (which are Riteks). The problem with those disks is that they work fine until the layer break. So I had this idea of just using layer 0, and so essentially use these DL disks as SL disks. I have tried to, but no matter what I do, I end up with 2 half used layers, the second being unreadable.

 

Is there a way to force a DL disk to be burned asif it were a SL disk?

 

Can anybody help me?

[blutach]

No reason why not so long as the disk is closed properly (it will take an eternity to finalise though and you may find it quicker and not awfully expensive to just buy some SL Verbs/TYs).

 

Regards

[LIGHTNING UK!]

The program will prompt you to do exactly that if it determins the image can fit on a single layer of the double layer discs.

 

Just remember that 1 layer of a double layer discs is smaller than the size of a single layer disc.

[Gerard]

The program will prompt you to do exactly that if it determins the image can fit on a single layer of the double layer discs.

 

Just remember that 1 layer of a double layer discs is smaller than the size of a single layer disc.

Yes, ImgBurn prompts alright, but when I continue I still end up with 2 layers used. Or is that because of your second remark, namely that the image is just a bit to big for a single layer of a DL disk?

In other words, if I shrink the files just a little bit more, will ImgBurn write to layer zero only? If so, how much more would I have to shrink the files?

[LIGHTNING UK!]

I think what you're seeing is a different message.

 

Yes, you'd get one about it being able to fit on a single layer disc (if it can), but if the image will also then fit on just the first layer of a double layer disc, you'll get a second prompt asking if you want to split the data between 2 layers or just burn on the 1.

 

So I guess your image is too big for just 1, hence you're not getting that second prompt.

 

Look at the info window on the right of ImgBurn's main window. You should see something like this:

 

DVD?R DL Boundary Information:

L0 Data Zone Capacity: 2,086,912

Changeable: Yes

 

So basically, you have 2086912 sectors to play with on the first layer.

 

Free Sectors: 2,295,104

 

Whereas a normal 4.37GB single layer DVD+R disc has 2295104.

 

So to make it fit on the 1st layer of a double layer disc, you'd need to have an image no larger than:

 

2086912 * 2048 = 4273995776 bytes

/ 1024 = 4173824 KB

/ 1024 = 4076 MB

/ 1024 = 3.98046875 GB

[Gerard]

Ah, I get it! I'm gonna try right away.

 

Thanks LUK

[Gerard]

It worked. The image is now being burned on layer 0 only.

 

Thanks again LUK, I LOVE your programme.