Raj
1.5kW of fun!
Registered: Sep 2002
Location: Queens, New York
Posts: 8729 |
quote:
Originally posted by stevel
Well, you'll get different explanations depending on whom you ask.
Both formats MAY work in your standard DVD player, but the "plus" format was designed specifically to be compatible with video DVD players whereas the "minus" format was designed more as a data format.
Steve, I respectfully disagree. The first ever recordable DVD format was DVD-R for authoring. This was used by the studios to produce proof discs. It's very expensive, but I believe it was compatible with nearly all DVD players. It also used a different wavelength laser than the DVD-R format we know, which is DVD-R general. DVD-R(W) (the minus format) was designed by the DVD Forum. This is, incidentally, why only DVD-RW drives can carry the official DVD logo. DVD-R discs work on nearly all DVD players, except a very few which probably won't even play CD-R's. DVD-RW on the other hand, was completely different. Many DVD players could not play DVD-RW, even though they played DVD-R.
A few companies (Primarily Sony and Philips), formed the DVDRW Alliance. Out of this was born DVD+RW (the plus format). DVD+RW was initially touted as "the compatible rewriteable format". This simply meant that DVD+RW was more compatible with set top players than its minus counterpart, DVD-RW. As a matter of fact, in the early stages, write once DVD+R wasn't even released yet, and drives would only write to $15 DVD+RW discs. The drives were sold by some of the companies as being able to upgrade to write DVD+R discs by means of a firmware upgrade. This never happened, due to technical limitations, and the threat of a class action suit forced Philips to recall DVD+RW drives and replace them with DVD+RW/+R drives.
Furthermore, I believe DVD+R/RW is better for data, since it incorporates defect management, and has been touted as more of a consumer product. (Professionals don't use DVD+R/W format).
Anyway, in actual experience, people have been having mixed results. On all my friends' DVD players, I have had 100% compatibility with DVD-R, when it's recorded on good, name brand media (Sony, TDK, Memorex). Some people reported having compatibility problems with DVD+R as well as DVD-R discs. It's known for a fact that DVD-RW doesn't work on very many players. DVD+RW is slightly more compatible, but it doesn't have as high a compatibility rate as the regular write once media.
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TiVo Community Forum Archive 1 > Main TiVo Forums > DVD TiVo Units
03-25-2003 02:59 PM
DVD+R/RW vs DVD-R/RW - Need Advice
