Woefully bad article. Never been to this website before, but after reading this, I don't think I'll be back.

>there were no physical differences between a –R/-RW
>and a +R/+RW format

Yes, there are. For a deep technical explanation of differences, this article might be interesting:

http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/113

http://www.dvdplusrw.org/Article.asp?mid=0&sid=3&a...

And considering that there are "no physical differences," I'd love to see you write DVD-R media in a single format DVD+R drive. :)

Oh, and DVD-R discs hold slightly more than DVD+R discs.

Unless you mean they both look like CDs. Then yeah, that's true. Well, they have a different color dye underneath. But maybe that's just too nitpicky...

>This situation is quite similar to the time the
>market was deciding between VHS and Beta almost two
>decades ago.

Except that there no dual format (Beta and VHS) recorders back then. And the tapes weren't the same size. And the tapes couldn't be played back in common machines. Otherwise, quite similar.

>Due to the amount of time that DVD-R/RW has been out,
>many more stand alone DVD player are likely to
>support them.

Well that, and the fact that DVD-R media is recorded in a constant physical groove like a CD-R or pressed CD. Unlike the DVD+R which uses a wobbled groove.

>The new format is DVD+R/RW, which happens to be based
>on CD-RW technology.

Interesting since the DVD+RW Alliance white paper on the physical format of the media specifically comments on how addressing features of CD-RW were not used in DVD+RW format. The only thing offhand that jumps out as really being in common is that they both use the UDF file system.

>Currently most DVD+R media are capable of writing at
>a maximum of 8x where as DVD-R is still at a 4x
>specification.

Actually, most DVD+R media is rated only for 4x. Because of the lack of 8x media available, 8x burners were released with the ability to write some (definitely not most) 4x media at 8x. As well the DVD forum has released their specs for 8x DVD-R writing:

http://www.dvdforum.org/tech-dvdbook.htm

Until manufacturers ramp up production, 8x +R and -R media will be in short supply. Currently only Taiyo Yuden (-R and +R) and Ritek (+R) 8x media is available.

Anyway, I could go on. If people really want to learn more about DVD recordable technology, then I would suggest a lot of other sites:

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/

http://www.cdrlabs.com/

http://www.cdfreaks.com/

man, that sucks - can't even add line breaks. oh well, why am i surprised?

Since you won't be back, does it really matter?

no, actually mate, he's right on all counts, you've just dumbed down your article to the point where it's pretty much wrong all the time. This is either because you are wrong and this becomes obvious through your article, or you know better, you just wrote garbage and got caught out by someone in the know.

Better luck next time

Well my dad's bigger than your dad.

I cannot believe how childish many of the posted comments are. It seems like there are too many self styled gurus with little in the way of manners and way too much time on their hands in their empty and otherwise meaningless lives. A better grasp of syntax, grammar, spelling and command of the English language would not go amiss in the posted critiques either.

I recently purchased an external DVD drive compatible with both DVD-R/RW and DVD-R/RW as well as several CD formats. Add to this the ability to write to 8x R media of both types and support for DVD+R DL 2.4X means I really need to get a handle on what is best for my intended use - both PC and Mac. I found this overview to give me sufficient information to make my media choices without innundating my brain with technoclutter. I want to use my drive - not perform an autopsy on it!

Thank you Karl for writing an informative overview (and I do not believe that you ever maintained that this was the definitve technical article), which provided the insight I need to make a qualified decision. At least some of us appreciate your time and effort. As for the rest of you - get a life!!

Can't agree more. as a working photographer, I don't have the time to plough through huge great articles on the various DVD formats. The article here helped me to make an informed decision about which DVD media to use to prepare my proof discs for my customers. My new writer will write every format, and as a result of reading this, I now know the basics of when to use which type of disc. Many thanks.

I searched the internet to find the differences between the two formats and found the answer in your article. I enjoyed reading the article because it was written in plain English so even a non-technical person like myself could understand. Many thanks.

not as much information as i had hoped. gives you only a brief description of what it is. And i have a MEMOREX Dual Format DVD+/-RW Burner that burns DVD+R's at 16X.

A useful article - although many sites go into (more) detail about the differences between the formats, few actually suggest which format to use in which context, but this one does, so thanks for that :o)

I had used the DVD+ format to making A wedding DVD for my daughter. The DVD+ didn't play on everyone's DVD players so I had to convert it to a DVD- format for those that didn't except the DVD+. I had also found that my PHILIPS DVD player would play both. Why? Kathy

You know what really pisses me off about DVD burning? Everybody seems to think that it all falls down to +/-R/RW. Most new computers that have a DVD burner can burn all formats, and many have CD burners combined. But nobody ever (seriously ever in my whole life) mentions or has mentioned DVD 5, 9, 10, 14, or 18. No package of blank DVDs ever mentions this, no computer manufacturer, no recordable drive manufacturer, no writeable media manufacturer; no one has ever mentioned that certain drives, for some reason need specific DVD number formats. I have an HP with a multi-DVD/CD burner drive. Now, according to all I've ever heard and all anyone ever says, that means I can buy any package of blank DVDs and it will work. Alas, I did that and my computer told me I need to enter a DVD 9. I tried to look this up on the internet and found about two links out of however many billion the internet can normally provide about anything that even mentions what these numbers mean. I also tried to look up on my computer and the HP website any information I could about my burner and what I really am supposed to use for it. The part that pisses me off the most is the fact that blank DVDs don't reveal any information about this. Looking at a package of DVD-Rs, you think they're supposed to work because you're DVD drive supports DVD-R, but you can't tell if you're looking at a package of DVD 5s or 9s or whatever; nor can you look up what number you need for your DVD drive.

Saad :Ontario, Canada.
Thank you for your nice explaination. It was very useful and simple. I enjoyed reading every single word. Cleared all my previous doughts about these different types of formats. Great job.

I recently purchased a DVD of an old movie. However, when I try to play it at home none of the DVD players I have will recognize the disk. Is there any way I can tell which format was used, i.e., is there any physical difference between the several formats available? Can I convert the disk I have to another format? How?
Chuck, Galena, Ohio

In spite of the nitpickers, your article answered the question that I had -- Which format to use for a home DVD to pass on to friends. Another site gave me all the details, but no answers. THanks for your straight forward article.