TiVo Community Forums Archives - -DVD-RW vs. +DVD-RW

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-DVD-RW vs. +DVD-RW
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Posted by: dylanemcgregor

I know I've seen mention here many times of a site that compares the different strengths and weaknesses of the competing DVD standards. I've got a friend who wants to read up, but I've searched here a fair ammount and can't seem to find it. I think Stevel has mentioned it a few times. Any ideas?

-Dylan

Posted by: Redleg

Probably www.dvdrhelp.com?

Posted by: SparkleMotion

Personally, I've found that the DVD+R discs tend to be more compatible with my friends' standalone players. The DVD-R discs don't play well at all on their players by comparison.

YMMV, of course, depending on the age and model of the player(s) you're making discs for. I can use both myself, but it makes it hard to share stuff if it won't play for them.

Posted by: dylanemcgregor

That looks like the one...or at least is close enough for what I need. Thanks! :)

-Dylan

Posted by: TivoGeezer

Here is a good place to determine the compatibility of your model of DVD player with recordable CD and DVD formats.

Posted by: Bryanmc

I always have to throw in my individual experience.

I've distributed around 500 DVDs in the past year, all DVD-R. Haven't heard of one compatibility issue.

Posted by: dylanemcgregor

These are mostly going to be data DVD's for backup purposes only. Occasionally they might want to make one to give out to a client, but that's not the reason they are getting a writer. She really just wanted to make sure that she would get the right types of blank discs. She had heard a horror story from a friend who had bought 100 DVD+RW only to find out that he couldn't write to them with the burner in his G4. She wanted to make sure that that didn't happen to her and thought she would use the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the different types of formats.

-Dylan

Posted by: meridian

Check the DVD recorder Forum at AVS

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/foru...?s=&forumid=106

I have also found that +R/RWs play back on virtually everything, while -Rs sometimes don't.

Posted by: SparkleMotion

If it's just data storage, then -R discs should be fine.

It's in standalone players that I've had probs with the -Rs and video playback. But data works differently since error-correction doesn't rely on real-time, so I use the handful of -Rs I have for data.

(I only have a few rewritable ones (RW) of both formats (+ - ). They are too costly for my purposes.)

Posted by: BrettStah

The one DVD player I found that wouldn't play a burned DVD choked on ALL types (-R, -RW, +R, +RW). However, once I found out about changing the "book type" setting (do a google search) of a disc when it's being burned, I'm able to successfully play DVDs on it.

It sounds like dylanemcgregor is actually more concerned about compatibility with the actual DVD burner, though. Nowadays, it probably doesn't make sense to buy anything other than a dual-format burner... that way you can switch back and forth, if necessary, between the various disc types. www.newegg.com has a good reputation, and it's where I bought by dual-format DVD burner. A friend said he just got the current NEC dual-format burner (8x speed) for a little over $100.