Windows only: Selecting blank media would seem to be a straight forward affair. You discover a certain brand works great for your purposes so you plan to buy more in the future. Simple! The label wrapped around the spindle of DVDs you just purchased doesn’t tell the whole story however. While there are dozens and dozens of DVD brands, there are only a few actual manufacturers. If you’re looking for that perfect burn and want to take another step towards becoming a blank-media connoisseur, DVD Identifier will help you dig beneath the labels and find more detailed information about your media. No need to waste burn time if you know the discs are low quality or won’t be accepted by a finicky console or DVD player. DVD Identifier is freeware, Windows only, and works on CD, DVD, HD DVD, and BLU-RAY media.
DVD Identifier [via gHacks]The internet has made it easier than ever to share media and data with friends, family, and co-workers, but that doesn’t mean burning your own CDs and DVDs is a thing of the past. Blank optical discs are dirt cheap, they work virtually everywhere, and if you bought your computer sometime in the last 5 years, chances are you’ve got the necessary hardware to quickly burn anything you want to a disc in just a few minutes. Now all you need is the right authoring tools. Photo by the trial.
With your BitTorrent addiction in full swing, you’ve filled hard drives with media but can’t seem to figure out how to burn any of the videos you downloaded to a DVD. Sound familiar? It’s a common problem, and there was a time that it didn’t have many simple (or free) solutions. Luckily that’s no longer the case, and today we’re taking a look at two dead simple solutions for burning virtually any video to a DVD you can pop into your DVD player and enjoy.
Windows only: BurnAware Free burns data, audio, and video CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. Since we last mentioned BurnAware, it was bought up by a software company, turned shareware, and has now made the round trip back to freeware—so if you ran into the shareware version when you tried downloading it, BurnAware Free is worth a grab. There are still shareware versions that support advanced features like simultaneous disc writing, but chances are you’ll be happy with the free version. This one could come in particularly handy if and when you actually get a Blu-ray burner on your PC. BurnAware is freeware, Windows only. For other great alternatives, check out previously mentioned ImgBurn or Totally Free Burner.
