I just discovered that double layer DVDs have significantly dropped in price since I last checked (that was about three years ago). When I originally bought my first DVD burner (the Sony DRU-710a), double layer writable DVDs cost about ten times the single layer discs. Now, Ritek Ridata (a very reliable brand) double layer DVD-R discs cost about $1.60 per disc when you buy them in packs of 100.

For those that don’t know, single layer DVDs hold about 4.7GB of data on one side. Double (or dual) layer DVDs can write/read from a second layer within the DVD to store up to 9.4GB of data on one side of the disc. Each layer’s data is completely separate, but from a user’s perspective it all appears as usable space on the disc. Many commercial DVDs are dual-layered to fit all of the movie and extra content.

Anyway, that is a very reasonable price for twice the storage capacity per disk than a regular single layer DVD-R. For comparison, the current price for a 100-pack of Ritek Ridata DVD-R is about $0.30 per disc (now – I bought a pack a year ago and it cost closer to $0.60 per disc).

This means that for anyone looking to produce and distribute original video content without paying for DVD pressing services, double layer discs are now a viable and potentially profitable option. The only real stumbling block left is professional looking DVD labels.