In the past I have had video footage on more than one occasion mysteriously go missing from recorded & finalised dual-layered discs (Verbatim brand), which were recorded using my standalone DVD recorder.

Therefore I would like to get others' opinions on: Whether switching to a different brand of dual-layered discs will change anything; and whether or not dual-layered discs are as reliable as single-layered discs.

Re: Disc reliability

Just had similar surprise with mine but checked Function/Disk Management and found different sections where the machine had separated the total recording and when I hit Play, without having taken the disk out beforehand, it would only play the last recorded section.

Read your manual for checking what your machine is doing in regard to recording and work from there.

Allan

I agree with Allan here. The main issues with dual-layer discs is that they sometimes take longer to read/write to and from and that some disc drives are unable to read/write to and from them.

Dual-layered DVD branding matters just as much as single-layered DVD branding. Some brands will inevitably be better than others, but they are fundamentally the same. The improvements come from better quality control, better manufacturing, etc.

In terms of reliability, I'd say that single-layered discs are more compatible with more players and recorders. This means that you have a wider variety of devices to choose from when making a purchase. But you have to remember that Dual-layered DVD tech has been around for a long time, so the tech is quite standard and reliable.