How Can I Copy A DVD Onto A Single Disc?

One of the best things about the DVD as a storage media is that you are able to copy even large files such as movies onto a single disc. Previously, before the DVD became commonplace, the storage media of choice for movies was the Video CD, or VCD. VCDs were very much like DVDs, except that they did not have nearly as much storage space as DVDs. The typical CD is able to store approximately 700 megabytes of digital information. The DVD, on the other hand, is able to store roughly 4700 megabytes of information - more than six times as much as the CD.

The effect of this is that, when producers were using VCDs, a single movie typically required two VCDs for storage. In comparison, the same movies only require a single DVD for storage. This was a great step forward for the entertainment industry, as it halved the number of discs that they needed to produce.

Another factor that comes into play when considering the size of the storage media being used is video compression. Video compression determines the size of the file being stored, and also has a direct impact on the quality of the video. A video file that has been highly compressed becomes small, and is easily stored with much less storage space. The downside to this, however, is that the image quality of the video suffers, becoming distorted and losing much of its clarity.

With the right DVD copy software, you will definitely be able to copy your DVDs onto a single blank DVD. You merely need to pay attention to the presence or absence of video compression in the DVD copy software. Software such as 1Click DVD Copy 5, 1CliCK DVD Copy Pro, and DVD Cloner VI all have the ability to compress video, and therefore fit any movie onto a single DVD. If you choose to purchase DVD Wizard Pro, however, then you will not have the ability to compress video files. If the original movie exceeds the space available on a single DVD, then you will have to burn the file onto two DVDs.

If you have DVD copy software that is able to burn movie files onto a single DVD, you need not worry about the process being complicated. During the copying process, you will find the option to compress the video file and burn it to a single DVD if the original file is too large for a single disc. If you wish, you could also use the help sections included in most DVD software to find out more about video compression. That way, you will be able to decide exactly how much compression you wish to use on the video files, and have more control over the whole burning process.

In summary, being able to copy original DVDs to a single blank DVD is a very useful feature, as it cuts down on the number of DVDs you need in order to backup your entire collection of DVDs. This can be very important if you have a large collection of original DVDs.