I was looking online to buy some cheap DVDs and there is this company that is offering DVDs for 5.00 each w/ free shipping. I wanted to take advantage of it, but they use DVD5's. When I searched about DVD-5's online, I read that it doesn't have as much room on it. What kind of DVDs do they sell at the video store? Are they DVD5's? DVD9's? Is the quality the same for DVD-5's and the DVDs that they sell at stores? Just wanted to know..
Most folks here pay less than 50 cents each for blank DVD-5s. $5.00 each is not a very good deal.
A DVD-5 indicates the size of the disc. This disc holds about 4.3 Gb of data and is the standard disc used for 95% of movie backups. the typical blank disc seen at the video store will also be a DVD-5 and hold the same amount of data. Do not be mislead by the 4.7 Gb capacity you see on DVD labels. Discs labeled so are DVD-5s with the 4.3 Gb capacity. So to answer your quality question, yes the quality is the same as far as capacity is concerned.
Another type of blank DVD is the double layer DVD-9 which holds about 8.5Gb of data. This may be the "good deal" you have been offered. This DVD media requires a dual layer burner and a bit of expertise to use.
Quality media is an important subject and we here at Afterdawn have a forum that discusses DVD media.
Thanks for replying so quickly. Oh, I should've been more clear about the DVDs I was looking at b/c they aren't blank DVDs. It's a website that sells DVD movies. So, wouldn't 5.00 per DVD movie be a good deal? That's why I thought there was something wrong with the quality b/c the movie is so cheap.
These look like the copies that I make. They probably work about the same.
As far as quality goes, most people can't tell the difference. There generally does have to be some loss of quality as extra compression is usually needed to get the movie to fit on the smaller capacity disc. Some folks here at Afterdawn use some specific techniques to create very high quality DVD-5s. I don't know if this method is being used here or not.
I could not see anything at the site to indicate if these movies are legal or not. My first impression is that someone got themselves a DVD duplicator and is making copies of movies and then simply selling them. I kinda doubt if they are legal, authorized distributors of these movies. Buyer Beware!
I'm going to agree with Fasfrank. Seems a little shady to me as well. Here's some of the F.A.Q's:
Q5: Do your DVDs come with the inserts or booklets that are normally contained within the DVD case?
A: No. We only provide the cover art and the disc. There are no inserts or booklets.
Q2: Do your DVDs come in a standard DVD case?
A: No. We now use custom-made DVD Sleeve Packs (plastic) that actually protect the contents better than the standard case does.
It may be to reduce cost and make them cheaper for the buyer, but I think it's someones "get-rich-quick" scheme. You could always buy one and check it out , but you won't catch me giving them my CC number!
Okay, I seriously thought it was pretty shady too, but do you know a legit place where I can get cheap DVDs besides waiting for the sales @ the stores? I don't have a DVD burner like you guys and I doubt I could get it anytime soon. Yeah, I'm a little scared about giving them my credit card number too. - Jen
If you don't want to trust shady online shops (and I don't blame you), I'd check out the 'previously viewed' DVD racks at the major chains or at a place like Fry's Electronics.
They are generally a lot cheaper than buying 'new' and I've never noticed any quality difference.
Major drawback is that you won't find the latest releases there, but you do save quite a bit of money if you are willing to wait.
