DVD(+R/W || -R/W)

[Suhit Gupta]

Has anyone been super annoyed when they buy recordable DVDs just to find they aren't compatible with their DVD burner? I have heard from many people that they own a DVD-R burner and buy DVD+R media by mistake because they didn't know that they were actually different. Well, it is time to clarify some of these things. Dvdrhelp.com, I found, explains it best -

DVD-R and DVD-RW
DVD-R/W was the first DVD recording format released that was compatible with standalone DVD Players. DVD-R is a non-rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 92% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. DVD-RW is a rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 76% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. DVD-R/W supports single side 4.7 GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double side 9.4 GB* DVDs(called DVD-10). These formats are supported by DVDForum.

DVD+R and DVD+RW
DVD+R/W has some "better" features than DVD-R/W such as lossless linking and both CAV and CLV writing. DVD+R is a non-rewritable format and it is compatible with about 87% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. DVD+RW is a rewritable format and is compatible with about 76% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs. DVD+R/W supports single side 4.7 GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double side 9.4 GB* DVDs(called DVD-10). These formats are supported by the DVD+RW Alliance.

DVD-RAM
DVD-RAM has the best recording features but it is not compatible with most DVD-ROM drives and DVD-Video players. Think more of it as a removable hard disk. DVD-RAM is usually used in some DVD Recorders. This format is supported by DVDForum.

I hope this clarifies things for some of you, and perhaps even saves you some money/time. I personally use DVD+R/W as that is the burner that came bundled with my Dell (they gave no options at the time).

Any preferences as to which of the above formats you would select?

Suhit

[Janak Parekh]

DVD+R, not because I like it per se, but rather because I just got the Plextor PX-708A at home, which has 8X DVD+R support, even for 4X media, and reliably at that! 8) Besides, since we have DVD+Rs at the office, interoperability is good. :)

--janak

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

While I don't have a DVD burner yet (still have terrible memories about my CD burner purchase), if I do get one, I'll probably get a dual format one and use +R media for maximum compatibility, because my uni's HP burners are +R only. Sigh.

Aren't the 8.4gb versions coming out soon?

[Gary Sheynkman]

In my next pc...ill have a burner that burns EVERY format just to make sure. Cant they all agree on a single format :?:

[`helios]

What the main differences between + and - anyway? I heard that + is a newer and that compatibility is better... anything else?

[ux4484]

DVD+R/+RW for me. I bought my first home DVD player (Apex AD-500) before my PC DVD burner and it couldn't read -R/RW, but read +R/RW's fine. My current rack DVD player/burner plays everything, but only burns +R/RW (which is all my HP burns). I've had more trouble receiving -R's than I've had giving out +R/RW's (for my Apex only). I was under the impression that +R/RW's were much more compatible than your statistics indicate.

At work, we use MO disks (magneto-optical, the precursor of DVD-RAM) which operationally work just like a hard drive, and for general archiving purposes is just the best.

As far as a "standard" goes; anything we buy now will be out the door in just a few years. I'm more concerned of what's consistent/easier for me than what is compatible with everyone else...because I'm just going to have to upgrade media in the future anyways. Better to be more organized now and make the next transition smoother and easier than this one has been instead of spending time burning the same disks in multiple formats.

[Jason Dunn]

Ah, the classic debate.

A year ago, -R was the favourted format because the -RW discs were much more compatible in DVD players than +RW, and when you considered the cost of the media, that was a good thing. But now that media costs have come way down, and +R has compatibility matching or exceeding that of -R, the truth is it really doesn't matter which format you choose. I'd definitely get a combo drive that does both, then it's a moot point. :wink:

[groan]

my drive is a combo drive, but if i want to play teh dvd's in my DVD player (attached to my TV) i was told my DVD modle will only read -R...i should buy a +R and test it out...

[Jason Dunn]

my drive is a combo drive, but if i want to play teh dvd's in my DVD player (attached to my TV) i was told my DVD modle will only read -R...i should buy a +R and test it out...

Yes, absolutely - I'm willing to bet it will work, unless your DVD player is more than two years old...but it can't hurt to try. ;-)

[groan]

no, just a year and a half, so we'll see.
i know -R's work, but i noticed that they are the lesser of the two available in the shops. eventually they won't be very easy to find.

[JTWise]

DVD+R here. Only reason I "choose" it over other formats is that what Dell was offering as a free upgrade to a CD burner when I bought my new system.

I will tell you that the different formats are a pain. I know a few people that use DVDRs and have tried to do bulk DVD purchases to save some $$, but it always seems that they have a drive that only supports DVD-R. :evil:

[Ed Hansberry]

Can't vote. According to Gateway's site, the FMC901X is a "DVD±RW/±R/CD-RW recorder" so it shouldn't matter.

[Janak Parekh]

Can't vote. According to Gateway's site, the FMC901X is a "DVD±RW/±R/CD-RW recorder" so it shouldn't matter.
But... which media do you buy for the unit? ;)

--janak

[Ed Hansberry]

Can't vote. According to Gateway's site, the FMC901X is a "DVD±RW/±R/CD-RW recorder" so it shouldn't matter.
But... which media do you buy for the unit? ;)
Whichever is cheaper.

[dean_shan]

I use DVD-R. I have a Pioneer burning.

[Jerry Raia]

I use - with my dual format sony drives. Seems I make fewer coasters using that format. Dont know why. I just do data, no video.

[Suhit Gupta]

I use - with my dual format sony drives. Seems I make fewer coasters using that format. Dont know why. I just do data, no video.
What software do you use?

Suhit

[Jerry Raia]

Roxio Creator 6.0

[ux4484]

Well, I couldn't resist, OfficeMax has a 8x all formats burner for 69.99 (after rebate) this week, so now I've got a Micro-Advantage everything burner (made by Top-G). Biggest transition was switching from RecordNow(Stomp) to Roxio. Roxio uses a bit more resources than RecordNow, but has much better DVD features.
Best surprise...was that Roxio 6 can see my Dazzle DVD creator as an input sourse for grabbing video (not all my video apps can). It is actually closer to real time on the preview screen than the bundled Dazzle apps... so much so that I now don't need to use a seperate (input) monitor when transferring VHS video. It's a nice little package. I'd been avoiding Roxio since the 5.0 fiasco (where they had 5 different pre-install patches depending on your burner and OS). I'm happy to see they've got it together now.

[Rikostan]

I got a sony buner just for this reason. It will burn all of the main formats, so I don't have to worry about it.
I normally use -Rs though because that is what my normal DVD player will recognize.