Looking to produce your own DVD movie masterpieces?

How about backing-up all those unprotected files? If the answer"s yes, you"re probably looking for a DVD writer to do the job. But what makes a top notch DVD writer?

To help make sense of the multitude of DVD hardware and standards, this DVD Writer Buying Guide will explain the technology behind DVD writers and take a look at the various types of media. We will take a look at the technology of tomorrow, with previews of what"s in the DVD pipeline.

We"ll also take you through the technical questions you should ask about before buying a DVD writer, and delve into the additional equipment you might need to connect one to your system.

DVD vs. CD

DVD stands for Digital Versatile (or Video) Disc -- a high capacity multimedia storage medium that has the same physical dimensions as a Compact Disc (CD). It can store up to seven times more data than a CD though, thanks to finer grooves, smaller markings and different laser technology. Like CDs, DVDs store data in microscopic grooves (tracks) running in a spiral around the disc. DVD drives use laser beams to scan these grooves: minuscule reflective bumps (called lands) and non-reflective holes (called pits) aligned along the grooves represent the zeros and ones of digital data.