Difference between DVD -R and +R Discs?

[hukarez]

Can anyone enlighten me more on the two types of DVD media out there? From what I'm told, certain DVD players can only play certain media types, and some can play both.

But I'm curious as to the exact differences (aside from the nifty - and + tags) these two types have between each other.

[Draft Dodger]

I don't think there's much physical difference at all.

At any rate, it's mostly moot as most of the current generation of burners and players can handle both types of media. It's not going to be like the old beta/VHS days where only one or the other will work.

[vex]

Can anyone enlighten me more on the two types of DVD media out there? From what I'm told, certain DVD players can only play certain media types, and some can play both.

But I'm curious as to the exact differences (aside from the nifty - and + tags) these two types have between each other.



Any DVD player you get nowadays is going to be +/-, so no worries.

[Suicane75]

+ is rerecordable, - is not.
And the + format is becoming more and more the industry standard.

[hukarez]

Ah, I see. I guess I brought this up, since most of my buddies have old model DVD players and were telling me of some compatibility issues. So is it safe to say then, that +R media is sort of like CD-RWs, but DVD style?

[AgustusM]

+ is rerecordable, - is not.


Sorry this is not correct. +R and -R are both record once and +RW and -RW are both re-recordable

Here is a fairly straight forward explanation of the differences:

DVD Formats Explained
When DVD technology first appeared in households, users were simply popping DVD discs into their DVD players to watch movies - an option to the then-conventional VCR. But just as compact disc technology evolved so that users could record and erase and re-record data onto compact discs, the same is now true of DVDs. But with so many different formats -- DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM -- how do users know which DVD format is compatible with their existing systems, and why are there so many different formats for DVDs? The following information sheds some light on DVD's different flavors, the differences between them and the incompatibility issues that the differing technologies have sprouted.
The crucial difference among the standards is based on which manufacturers adhere to which standards. Similar to the old VHS/Beta tape wars when VCRs first hit the markets, different manufacturers support different standards.


DVD+R and DVD+RW

DVD+R and DVD+RW formats are supported by Philips, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha and others.
DVD+R is a recordable DVD format similar to CD-R. A DVD+R can only record data once and then the data becomes permanent on the disc. The disc can not be recorded onto a second time.

DVD+RW is a re-recordable format similar to CD-RW. The data on a DVD+RW disc can be erased and recorded over numerous times without damaging the medium.

DVDs created by a +R/+RW device can be read by most commercial DVD-ROM players.



DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM

These formats are supported by Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung and Sharp. These formats are also supported by the DVD Forum.
DVD-R is a recordable DVD format similar to CD-R and DVD+R. A DVD-R can only record data once and then the data becomes permanent on the disc. The disc can not be recorded onto a second time. There also are two additional standards for DVD-R disks: DVD-RG for general use, and DVD-RA for authoring, which is used for mastering DVD video or data and is not typically available to the general public.

DVD-RW is a re-recordable format similar to CD-RW or DVD+RW. The data on a DVD-RW disc can be erased and recorded over numerous times without damaging the medium.

DVDs created by a -R/-RW device can be read by most commercial DVD-ROM players.

DVD-RAM discs can be recorded and erased repeatedly but are only compatible with devices manufactured by the companies that support the DVD-RAM format. DVD-RAM discs are typically housed in cartridges.



DVD-ROM

DVD-ROM was the first DVD standard to hit the market and is a read-only format. The video or game content is burned onto the DVD once and the DVD will run on any DVD-ROM-equipped device.

Source: http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/2003/DVDFormatsExplained.asp

[Suicane75]

My bad. Agustus is right.

[AgustusM]

absolutely no negative intentions Suicane - when I re-read my post I saw how it could have come across that way - and I certainly didn't mean that - just trying to get the correct info out there.

I was not trying to show anyone up and I had to look it up, and regardless of what my wife says I do not always have to be right, but that didn't sound right to me.

[hukarez]

Nevertheless, all my inquiries have been answered! :D

[Raiders Army]

This is the website to get DVD information:

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/

[Suicane75]

absolutely no negative intentions Suicane - when I re-read my post I saw how it could have come across that way - and I certainly didn't mean that - just trying to get the correct info out there.

I was not trying to show anyone up and I had to look it up, and regardless of what my wife says I do not always have to be right, but that didn't sound right to me.

Non taken at all. In fact im sorry if my post came across like i was accusing you of something. I was just reinterating that you were right, I dont know why i thought that + was the only re-recordable but i did. As I side note, when I bought my new comp in December It seemed that most of the new 8x DVD-R's available were all + only. After reading what you posted I guess i'll have to go back and recheck. It's never to bad to have too much information. :)

[AgustusM]

hey raiders - nice site - tons of great info

[Mac Howard]

A lot of people are going to be very diappointed when they get their DVD recorder and find the discs it produces cannot be read by their current DVD player :rolleyes:

[Raiders Army]

Mine does it quite well. I have no problems whatsoever.

[Mac Howard]

I'm not saying it's impossible, Raiders Army, but you do have to be careful. With so many formats it is very easy to find yourself with a recorder producing disks that your player will not recognise. It is important, if you already have a player, to determine what it will play and buy a recorder that produces a compatible disk. Best if it is multi-format but these can be more expensive.

I passed my early player on to my daughter when I bought a new recorder and it just doesn't want to know about the discs the recorder produces (I no longer have the specs for the player). My standing, technology-wise, with her is not very good at this time :(