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I'd like to know if it's possible to burn a video DVD (not just a regular CDFS DVD with video files in it; I mean a DVD that you can play the video of using regular DVD players), without the possibility of people in possession of the DVD being able to track the DVD back to me or to the burner that burned it. There is a similar question about CDs; does this extend to DVDs? For DVDs, is the fingerprint more thorough than just a burner-specific ID? Is there a (possibly physical) way to remove it?

Additionally, should I take any extra steps regarding the video file itself (removing authorship/creation date metadata, etc.)?

Community
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Privacy please
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    Yes the finger print is like a cd or the information a printer leaves on a peice of paper it printed. Why are you worried about being tracked exactly? All the tracking information would do is proved you created the media. They wont be able to "find" you if your not already on their radar. don't do illegal things if your worried about being tracked. – Ramhound Mar 05 '12 at 13:12
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    Speaking of fingerprints, be careful not to leave any on the physical disk. Yknow, from your actual fingers. – AviD Mar 08 '12 at 23:53
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    @Ramhound There is a value to privacy even to people who are not doing illegal things. Somebody publishing whistle-blower information, or somebody speaking out against an abusive regime, or reporting on criminal gangs, etc., are not committing crimes but still might not want to have their identity known. – Mark Beadles Mar 26 '12 at 14:41
  • @MarkBeadles - This is the reason I asked the question. Like I said, you would have to be already on their radar, in order to be caught. Most of those actions you describe CAN be illegal, in certain situations. Certainly publishing whistle-blower information can be if you don't go throught he correct channels. – Ramhound Mar 27 '12 at 17:25

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DVD-R discs include the serial number of the drive used to burn them. There is a program called DVD Info Pro that is able to read that part of the disc and extract the drive's model and serial number. To do so, select "Read burn info from DVD-R/RW media".

Commercially pressed discs don't seem to contain any such information. I was unable to find any information about whether DVD*+*R discs record any serial numbers.

I don't believe any personally identifying metadata is kept when converting to video DVD formats. Someone may however be able to tell what software was used to encode and burn it, either because it records the application ID in the DVD's media information, or just by looking at encoding methods specific to that program and it's typical settings.

There is also usually some small engraved writing at the center of the disk which can identify the manufacturer of the blanks and the batch it came from, which may or may not be enough to track down where the discs were sold.

Grant
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  • Useful information. I'd be interested if you ever found out if DVD+R contains this information. – forest Dec 11 '17 at 05:40