Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 3530

When will there be a standard for the"DVD-R" format?

Any know when the electronics manufacturers are going to decide on a standards for DVD-R (I know there's also a competing DVD+R format) ? Is there an international standards body working on this?

I want 1 compatible format to work with and for prices for DVD-RW drives to drop -- in the next few years.

POST #1 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2002
Location:
Posts: 206

From what I understand about the DVD format issue, there are TWO governing bodies. Both are made up by manufactures and media companies. Hence the DVD-R (Mainly Pioneer tech), and DVD+R(Mainly Sony tech).

There are good reasons for these groups to be fighting. The victor will be able to collect royalties on every piece of media created for decades to come (Philips still makes a fortune on cassette royalties).

POST #2 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 7870

Get a DRU-500A, it does both. No worries.

I will tell you that DVD-R discs pretty much work on any player made in the last two years. (and even on some ancient ones more than 5 years old)

__________________
Walk down to the railroad track and ride a rusty train
With a million other faces I shoot through the city veins
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye old friend
You wanted to be free
And somewhere beyond the bitter end is where I wanna be

POST #3 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 1821

It doesn't matter. This is not like Beta vs. VHS or any of the other format wars because DVD-R,-RW,+R,+RW are all designed to produce discs that play in all players. Now why you would choose one over the other is how well they accomplish this task and how fast they can reliably write CDs.

The DVD writing war of the +'s and the -'s is not a big deal IMO.

__________________
1 Philips DirecTiVo (126 hours) & 1 Hughes HDVR2
Read the HDTiVo FAQ! & follow the SBC DirecTV drama
My Aquarium

POST #4 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 3530

There was a Fresh Gear episode a few weeks ago that stated that DVD+R discs are more compatible with DVD players than DVD-R discs. Any comments on this?

Which one is cheaper ( $/GB ) ??

POST #5 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Nov 2000
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 3104

-R is cheaper now, +R seems to be about as or a little more compatible, depending on the test you look at. +RW seems vastly superior to -RW.

__________________
Brett

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

POST #6 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Somewhere in Texas
Posts: 5057

Like Zak said, get the Sony. Soon, I imagine, all DVD Burners will follow Sony's lead and support all formats.

IMO, you'd be crazy to buy any drive that didn't support all formats, especially considering that the Sony is available and is a really good performer.

__________________
ybrew
:(
The greatest of evils is our indifference to evil.

POST #7 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Land Of Flakes, Fruits, and Nuts
Posts: 1734

So far I've been pretty happy with the Sony DRU500A that we picked up over the holidays. DVD-Rs are very compatible and cheap. DVD-RWs are not quite as compatible and take longer to burn than DVD+RWs. Have yet to try any DVD+Rs.

Like I said in another thread, LiteOn is slated to come out with their DVD burner at the end of this quarter or the beginning of the next quarter. It will be -/+ compatible and the target price is $200 (or less). Given LiteOn's track record for CDRs, I think this burner is the one to watch for.

POST #8 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location: DC Suburbs
Posts: 4375

I can tell you that they are pretty flaky from a compatibility standpoint. I make DVD-R's on my iMac and the record of what can play them is pretty abismal. I can play them on both my home machines. Panasonic and Pioneer but can not play them on my Dell laptop and none of the people I made copies for were able to play them in either a computer(2 people) or on their home machines(2 people) very disappointing.

It seems a lot like the early days of 1.44MB floppies and the very early CD-R machines. Quite annoying.

IJLT

__________________
IJLT

POST #9 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Land Of Flakes, Fruits, and Nuts
Posts: 1734

That's a bit of a surprise. My 3-year old Toshiba SD2109, which doesn't play anything (no CDR/CDRW or VCD/SVCD), can play DVD-R. And every PC and Mac I've tried can play DVD-R.

POST #10 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: May 2000
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 8017

The argument will go back and forth, but the standards will tell. There is a reason DVD-R is so popular for authoring. It's because that's what all the early players did. Even at that, it was like 80% compatible.

Today, +R (or something) is trying to attack the normal -R standard. But if It were my bet... (or my job) I would write a -R.

-John

__________________
Monday, June 13th, TC-Con '05 - Just Vegas, baby!

POST #11 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Nov 2002
Location: west coast
Posts: 425

+R discs wont work in the PS2 or Xbox,

POST #12 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Sep 2002
Location: Evanston, IL
Posts: 221

where are the sony dru500a's available now?

__________________
Sony T-60 (150 hours)
Phillips 7000 (35 Hours)
HDTIVO - Quite possibly the coolest toy there is
Go easy, I have a bad case of Gear Acquisition Addiction

POST #13 | Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged