DVD+RW/+R

[ntractv]

Ok all you helpful souls out there, I need your assistance. I just purchased (on impulse) a Memorex DVD+RW/+R Internal Drive and the specs are as follows:

DVD Performance: 2.4X RW DVD+R, 2.4X RW DVD+ReWritable, 8X DVD ROM.

CD Performance: 12X CD Recordable, 10 X CD ReWritable, 32X Multiread

Paid $249 from Staples

Am I OK or is there a system faster for relatively the price range that I should go for before I unbox and install?

[Jacob]

I'm not sure about the price.

I got my Panasonic DVR-A05 for around $280 (that was a pretty good price at the time). The difference is mine handles DVD-R and you got a DVD+R drive (Yes, there is a difference!).

I've heard really good things about the Sony DRU-500 (or something like that). It can burn both DVD+R and DVD-R formats.

DVD-R format media generally is cheaper to get and my burner can burn at 4x rather than 2.4x :D

Some links you might like to check out:
www.afterdawn.com

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/

http://www.cdrwcentral.com/

Honestly, I'd return the Memorex. For that price you can get the Pionneer DVR-A05 that I have or the Sony product. The afterdawn site listed above has forums like these that you could search for issues with each :D

[Jason Dunn]

The most important issue is whether or not your current DVD player is compatible with -R, +R, or the RW flavours of each. Granted, even if it's not, DVD players are pretty cheap to replace.

The Sony drive is a good bet for it's dual compatibility, but in general I trust the Pioneer drives more than I'd trust the Sony drive (I have a Pioneer A04).

[ntractv]

What is the difference/advantages between DVD-RW/DVD+RW?

[Jacob]

What is the difference/advantages between DVD-RW/DVD+RW?

It's primarily just a difference in format. There's simply a tech fight going on between companies over which format should be the standard. I think Pioneer and the DVD consortium are pushing the -R format, but there are some biggies in the +R side to: Microsoft and HP to name two.

I found the media for -R to be cheaper and most players will support it (this somewhat depends on the media itself rather than the format oddly).

[ntractv]

OK, bear with me here. Be kind to me because I'm trying to learn all this stuff, so what does DVD-R mean versus DVD+R. + (plus) vs. - (minus) sounds like mixing apples and oranges to me. What does the DVD-RW format do that the DVD+RW doesn't and vice versa. Please forgive my ignorance on this, but, I'm tired of buying devices and peripharals that I think are compatible and will work flawlessly regardless.

I AM A NOVICE TO TRYING TO LEARN, FORGIVE ME

[Jacob]

Don't worry - you're automatically forgiven!

I know EXACTLY what you're going through. You're reminding me of what I went through when I bought my burner: :crazyeyes:

It's kinda like VHS and Beta. The difference is, Beta was a better format - it actually looked better than VHS.

HOWEVER - From what I know, there is NO difference in DVD image quality between the two.

The -R format is more likely to be supported by older DVD players. New DVD players will support both though.

Also, media is cheaper on the -R format.

It's kind of a toss up of who will win the format fight. I know MS is going to be including support for burning to +R format in future version of their OS (kinda like how XP supports burning to CD).

I would really recommend you take a look at the
www.afterdawn.com forums. Searching and reading through the stuff there did help me with this. They also discuss specific issues with specific burners.

I bought the pioneer A05 because I knew some people who had(and still have) the A04 and I heard and read good reviews for it and that they fixed some issues that were in the A04.

One thing you must remember - +R/RW writers ONLY write +R/RW media and -R/RW writers ONLY write -R/RW media unless very explicitly specified (such as the more recent Sony models). There are people who buy the wrong media all the time and then wonder why they won't burn!

One site that I thought was usefull was Apple's compatibility site. It turns out their "Super drive" that writes DVDs is simply a Pionneer A04 (I think now an A05..). Their DVD player compatibility list is at:

http://www.apple.com/dvd/compatibility/

This will tell you whether a DVD written by the A04/A05 will work in your DVD player or not.

I don't know of other compatibility sites though :(

I HOPE this helped somewhat...

[ntractv]

Helped emmensily. But from what you and other have stated, with MS supporting the +RW format (they alway get there way in the end), sounds like I'd be better of with the +RW format. But, I will research the forums that you and others have suggested. Thanks for taking the time to help me to you all.

[masaki]

I bought the Sony DVD-+RW DRU-500A for CAD$590 (GST included) about 2 weeks ago and I love it.

I find that DVD-R is more compatible on DVD players than DVD+R. I burned a movie (directed by me! ...well...sort of) onto a DVD-R and DVD+R and took it to several stores here in Calgary and tested them on DVD players there. I didn't find one DVD player that couldn't play the DVD-R but the DVD+R is not as compatible.

Anyway, I like the Sony DVD burner. I flashed the firmware to 2.0e http://sony.storagesupport.com/dvdrw/dru500adwn.htm and DVD-+R can now burn at 4X.

[masaki]

Some interesting reads about DVD burning.

http://www.sony.net/Products/dvdmedia/str/index.html

[luebster]

If you plan to only read/play your DVDs on your PC, then it really doesn't matter which format you choose.

However, if you plan to use the discs in a stand-alone DVD player, you need to determine which format your stand-alone supports. As was stated before, most new DVD players support both formats, but older ones, like mine, only support DVD-R or worse, neither 8O

At any rate, if you are making DVDs that will be given to family members or friends and you are not sure which format their DVD player supports, get the Sony which currently supports all known formats. If the DVD doesn't play on their machine, you can burn it to the other format.

[ntractv]

I found this link while googling:

http://www.dvdrw.com/faq.html

Sounds like the new players being manufactured will support DVD+RW/+R

[Jacob]

I found this link while googling:

http://www.dvdrw.com/faq.html

Sounds like the new players being manufactured will support DVD+RW/+R

Yup, but they will also support DVD-RW/-R :D