DVD+R/RW or DVD-R/RW ?

reeljim wrote on 12/9/2002, 9:45 PM

I can't seem to get the vcdhelp site to come up...so I thought I'd throw this out to you guys...purchased my first DVD burner today (CenDyne DVD-R/RW). After looking for blank discs, I found there were more +R/RW's on the shelf than the -R/RW's. Any reason? Is the + going to be the way of the future? If so, I need to return this drive and start shopping again.

Thanks for the input.

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 12/9/2002, 10:23 PM

The DVD +R/RW is the newest, so it probably is getting more shelf space. Both formats are good. Seems like browser wars all over again. There are two groups of companies each supporting their own "standard" with neither geting any offical nod from any oversight group as far as I know. Remember betamax verses VHS?

Paul_Holmes wrote on 12/9/2002, 10:54 PM

DVD-R may be more compatible (it's at least as compatible as DVD+R), but there are some conveniences associated with +R like being able to add files to a +R after one burn, whereas with -R the disc is sealed after the intial burn. My opinion is that companies like Best Buy think +R is an easier sell because it has a few more features than -R. I bought -R last September after the Best Buy salesman told me the company had determined you couldn't burn DVD movies on it, so I just went home and did it anyways. It plays on all the machines I've tried it on except the cheapest. I haven't tried it on 3 or 4 year old players, though.

Paul_Holmes wrote on 12/9/2002, 10:59 PM

Don't worry, -R had a big headstart over +R and there are thousands of users out there. The big companies think +R is an easier sell because it has a few more features (like being able to add files to an already burned +R). Some say -R is more compatible with older players and from everything I've seen -R is probably just a tiny bit more compatible than +R overall. You might want to return your drive for this reason however: Pioneer has just come out with their 4X DVD burner (-R). I'd return the Cendyne and buy the Pioneer (about $300). Then you can burn a full DVD movie in about 15 minutes instead of half an hour. I believe you can find it at Merits, a realiable internet dealer, or Americal, another place I buy from.

riredale wrote on 12/10/2002, 1:38 AM

I suspect the +/- war will gradually become less relevant as DVD players evolve to play everything. Somewhere I saw that the (-) format sells 75% of the total burnable disks. I currrently have the Pioneer -04 burner (2X) and I would not hesitate to get the new -05 burner (4X). No doubt six months from now a 4X burner in the (+) format will also be available.

statas wrote on 12/10/2002, 2:34 AM

i'm planning on getting the sony dru-500 which burns both + and -.

Grazie wrote on 12/10/2002, 3:33 AM

Is my recent observation relevant?

Philips are selling a combined "+" AND "-" burning piece of exo-pc kit.

Is it a case of, "The other guy blinked!" ?

Grazie

Ron Lucas wrote on 12/10/2002, 9:14 AM

I have both a Pioneer A04 (-R) and the HP 200i (+R). All of my clients get the -R format since my investigation has me believing that -R is the most compatible. However, I ran into a client that could not play my -R, so I tried a +R and it worked great.

My point is that having the ability to burn both -R and +R expands my DVD burning compatibilty a little.

Ron

vonhosen wrote on 12/10/2002, 10:57 AM

I do the same sort of thing. Sony DRU-120A for +R/+RW & a Panasonic LFD-311 for RAM/-R. (The RAM is great for archving , supposedly has longer life discs & can do 100,000 re-writes as opposed to about 1,000 for -/+RW)

If I was buying now I'd get a Sony DRU-500A to cover both formats

efiebke wrote on 12/10/2002, 12:29 PM

Vonhosen wrote: "If I was buying now I'd get a Sony DRU-500A to cover both formats"

Thank you for mentioning that product! I was going to ask which DVD burner burns in both formats. You answered even before I asked! How much does it cost? (Oh, I'll just check a few online stores. . . )

Cheers! :)

Ted Fiebke, RN
www.toolivenurse.com

HeeHee wrote on 12/10/2002, 4:47 PM

You will probably find that the DRU-500a is on back order. I have been trying to get one for a while now. The last I heard is that they are back ordered from Sony until the 16th. BTW - Sony does not actually make the DRU-500A, they just put their name on it. Sony has their own version that will be available soon in the DW-U10A.

Jamz wrote on 12/10/2002, 10:52 PM

Who actually makes this drive?

shogo wrote on 12/10/2002, 11:40 PM

Hay guys might want to check these links out. I bought an HPdvd 200i an burn with +R discs and have tested them on many DVD players from my brothers $40 APEX DVD player up to a $700 dollar panasonic and never had a problem, not saying that DVD -R isn't any good but I tend to think +R is the way to go.H ere is a couple of articles that may shed some light on it.
http://www.dvdplusrw.org/faq/faq_general.html
"+R was designed to be 100% compatible with all existing DVD drives from the start."
and here
http://cdrom2go.com/optical_media/which-dvd.htm
"DVD+R is a format that only was introduced to the public very recently (early 2002). DVD+R is a write-once 4.7 GB format which promises to dramatically increase the compatibility with standalone DVD-Video players and DVD-ROM drives. Whether that claim is fulfilled remains to be seen, but initial reports have been very positive. It must be noted, however, that 1st generation DVD+RW drives do not support DVD+R burning, and it is likely that most cannot be upgraded to do so either. If one wishes to have DVD+R burning functionality, one must purchase a newer drive specifically designed to do so. DVD+R discs currently are somewhat more expensive than DVD-R discs, but prices will likely drop with time. Burners that write to these discs is the HPDVD100i and the DVD-Writer DVD200i drive"