Comments

john-beale wrote on 2/19/2008, 2:49 PM
I don't think there is a "CGW" model but the LG GGW-H20L is the one I've been considering. Currently $400 at Best Buy.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8490661&st=ggw&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1186003684169

not to be confused with the GGC-H20L which is a reader and does not burn Blu-Ray.
See also: CDFreaks high-def forum: http://club.cdfreaks.com/f142/

What I'm most curious about is compatibility and longevity between different burners, media, and players. That took a while to be sorted out when DVD-R was new, and it looks like the same thing for those burning BD-R right now. It's all very new and I have yet to see a single comparative report about what works well with what, let alone what may still work in a year or two.
Jeff9329 wrote on 2/19/2008, 5:08 PM
Yes it is the GGW-H20L. It's currently $352 at Mwave.

Waiting would be a smart choice for sorting out bugs and gaining burn speed. However, I doubt any future models will also read HD-DVD discs. So if you want or need HD-DVD reading, this is the one to buy.

About your questions:

1. Longevity - not sure what longevity you are talking about, hardware, firmware or media.
2. Compatability - compatability of the BD-R & BD -RE single & dual layer media should be fine (once you figure out what works and check CDFreaks), because of DVD lessons learned. Still, some coasters will be made. Im sure many firmware updates and custom firmware will be available. I still have to modify my DVD burners firmware pretty often too.
john-beale wrote on 2/19/2008, 5:46 PM
what I mean by longevity is, how long should I expect a BD-R disc to last on a shelf before I can't read it anymore? One year, 5 years, more? Early on, I think people had very high expectations of DVD-R, eg. 100 years or more. But some of the early media faded away very quickly, and I think the cheapest stuff still doesn't last.

I've also read that blu-ray discs are much more sensitive to very small scratches, that would not affect readability on a DVD. I don't have a burner yet so I haven't tested anything myself, but of course the individual data pits are much smaller. So it seems logical to assume the BD-R media is more "fragile" than DVD-R generally, and may become unreadable more easily due to wear or heat or humidity or air pollution or just the passage of time.

I have no data to answer any of these questions; as I say, I haven't seen any real studies published on this yet. Looking forward to learning more about it.
Coursedesign wrote on 2/19/2008, 10:28 PM
I've also read that blu-ray discs are much more sensitive to very small scratches, that would not affect readability on a DVD.

That was early media, a long time ago.
craftech wrote on 2/20/2008, 3:03 AM
Why do you need the Blu-Ray burner to "read" HD DVD discs? A stand alone player can read them and they are cheap right now and likely to get even cheaper. What are you planning to do?

John
Laurence wrote on 2/20/2008, 5:26 AM
Well, I'm interested in ripping my HD DVDs to DivX or some format that will play in my PS3. I have no real interest in keeping an archaic player and a bunch of dated movies indefinately.
Jeff9329 wrote on 2/20/2008, 10:03 AM
I have been following a DVD media longevity thread on DPReview.

Currently, no one knows how long the media will last, even DVD hasn't really been around that long. All burned optical discs are essentially the same construction though; plastic-dye-plastic and another dye-plastic in dual layer. So in some respects, all optical discs are mechanically similar.

The dual layer discs are especially prone to failure due to delamination. If a dual layer disc is flexed, this can also damage the dye layer because of differential flex.

Since a BD disc has half size markings on the burned dye layer versus the standard DVD, it makes sense that it would be more susceptable to damage.

I don't think anyone can be sure about the media longevity yet, other than it will be similar to all optical burned media. I would be more concerned about what will read it in 20 years.

Remember the IOmega Zip drive for backup?