DVD Size: Everything You Need To Know About Capacity And Formats

No matter how alike they look, not all DVDs are the same. Among the most essential aspects in selecting the right DVD for any kind of project is the DVD size or the amount of data it can store. If you are looking for a new DVD to burn, you must wonder how many DVD formats are avalible, what sizes are good for an amount of data, or what type of DVD you should go for.

There are a variety of DVD models available, each with a distinct physical size and storage capacity. As a result, there may be a great deal of uncertainty concerning DVD sizes. For example, you may not be aware of the sort of DVD that can carry a certain amount of information. Dealing with insufficient storage when you are ready-to-burn DVD can be frustrating, but not when you know well aware of DVD storage capacity and formats.

DVD Dimensions

Types and Sizes of DVDs

At this point you may not ask "what is a DVD", but what type of DVDs are there and how do they differ in terms of storage capacity. There are different sizes of DVDs, often classified into three common categories; DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10.

DVD-5

A DVD-5 is a single-layer DVD that can store up to approximately 4.7GB of data on a single disc. In terms of videos, it takes around 120 to 133 minutes of video, depending on compression.

DVD-9

Type DVD-9 consists of two layers; a solid layer and a semi-transparent layer. It can store up to 8.5GB of data on a single side. Depending on the compression, it can store around 240 minutes of video depending. It can hold almost twice the amount of data as a DVD-5 and is often utilised to maintain a higher bitrate or quality than would be possible on a DVD-5.

DVD-10

DVD-10 is a two-sided DVD that can carry up to 9.4GB of data on each side, which makes it a total of 18.8GB. In terms of videos, it makes around 266 minutes of video, depending on compression. Unlike DVD-9 which comes with two layers, a two-sided DVD needs to be flipped to display or burn the data on each side.

How Many DVD Formats Are Available?

The format basically determines the compatibility of the data on the disc to the system or a platform you wish to play it on. Despite the sizes of DVDs, there are various formats, each of which enables a different storage capacity.

Here are some commonly used and preferred DVD formats you must know about before moving onto DVD discs size. The plus and minus in formats refer to the physical formats. DVDs with +R or +RW formats are compatible with commercial DVD-ROM players.

DVD+R and DVD-R:

• These discs can only be recorded once.
• The recorded data becomes permanent on the disc.
• DVD capacity in GB for these discs is up to 4.7GB.

DVD+RW and DVD-RW:

• RW is abbreviated as “re-writable”.
• These discs are re-recordable.
• You can modify data on these DVDs.
• The data can be deleted, and rewritten several times.
• DVD storage capacity for +RW and -RW DVDs is up to 8.54

DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL:

• DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL are both dual-layer discs.
• The writing and rewriting on these DVDs take a little longer because of their dual-layer.
• +R DL and -R DL DVD storage capacity is up to 8.50GB.

Factors Affecting DVD Discs Size

There are a few factors that directly impact the DVD storage capacity, for instance;

• DVD layers; there are single and dual-layer DVDs. Each layer carries a specific amount of data, enhancing the DVD capacity.
• DVD sides; DVD size is increased by the number of sides it has. There are single and dual side DVDs. The dual side is a hi capacity DVD in comparison to the single-sided.

If you are looking for a hi capacity DVD, DVD+R DL comes with high burning speed and up to 8.5GB of data storage capacity. On the other hand, blu-ray DVDs offer a massive amount of DVD capacity in GB.

DVDFab DVD Ripper : All-in-one DVD Converting Tool

Whether you want to have a more secure option to keep your data or you want to digitize your DVDs, you need to convert them into other formats. In order to transfer any of your DVD collections to current devices, you must first cope with the massive file size that is generated throughout the process. Converting various size of DVDs to digital formats require software tools.

Features of DVDFab DVD Ripper 

Unlike other DVD ripping tools, DVDFab DVD Ripper has the capability of converting DVDs to MKV and other formats. Its passthrough video and 5.1 AC3 audio features are a huge plus for movie enthusiasts who want to enjoy lossless visual quality in their home theatre.

• It compresses video size while preserving the quality.
• DVDFab encoder rips any DVD to 1000+ video & audio formats.
• GPU-accelerated DVD ripping speeds up the process by 50x
• Batch DVD to digital file conversion
• Task Queue
• Built-in video editor

How To Rip DVD to Other Formats With DVDFab Ripper

We have created this comprehensive guide to walk you through simple steps to convert your DVD to digital files.

Step 1: Download and Install DVDFab Ripper

You can download DVDFab Ripper and install it on your system. Once you download the file, it automatically detects your system requirements and installs the software.

Step 2: Launch DVDFab Ripper

Once you install the DVD ripper, launch the application and click Ripper module on the main screen. In any case, put the DVD disc you want to rip into the optical drive or navigate to it using the Add button if it is already in the drive and not selected. On the other hand, it's as simple as dragging and dropping an ISO file or a folder from your computer's hard drive onto the workspace. You can use this free DVD ripper for Mac and Windows to rip DVDs on your computer.

Step 3: Choose Profile

To convert DVD to MP4 or any other digital formats, click "Choose Other Profile". In the profile tab, choose "Format", and then "Video" from the drop-down menu.

Step 4: Other Settings

Once you upload your video and choose profiles, DVDFab Ripper 12 allows you full control over various settings, including;

• Selecting audio tracks
• Languages
• Extracting subtitles from DVDs into SRT format
• Adding external subtitles

Step 5: Choose Advanced Settings For Output Video

Advanced Settings and Video Edit allows you to customise the video and audio characteristics to meet your own requirements. In “Advanced Settings” tab, you can customize the following characteristics of the video;

• Bit rate
• Resolution
• Frame rate
• Video codec
• Output size
• Pixels or bits
• Audio codec
• Audio channels

On the other hand, if you have subtitles, you can also adjust the settings for that in advanced settings.

Step 6: Start Ripping

Once all your settings are adjusted, to rip DVDs for free, just press the Start button. You can view the status or progress of the ripping process in detail in the taskbar.

Conclusion

DVDs are a valuable asset for many people and a huge number of people still prefer using DVDs. However, ripping DVDs or having your data backed up properly, you need a video converter tool. Amongst variable choices for DVD rippers available in the market, find the one that offers free DVD ripping with all essential and advanced features. DVDFab ripper 12 convert any sizes of DVD easy and fast. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, and mobile devices and supports all formats. To make the best use of the DVDFab ripper, this guide helps you rip DVDs with ease.