Differences between DVD-R and DVD+R finally explained!

Now that hard drives are getting larger (and hopefully backed up!) and people are getting increasingly interested in edited video, new strategies have to be developed to backup and store increased amounts of data. DVD is a convenient way to back up that can hold much more than a CD. On just one side, a DVD media disc can hold up to 13 times the information of a standard CD (13 x 700 megabytes).

Common DVD storage capacities are:

• 4.7GB (single sided/single layer)
• 9.4GB (double sided/1 layer)
• 8.5GB (single sided/dual layer)
• 17.1GB (double sided/dual layer)

There are several different formats for recordable DVD’s. There are single layer, dual layer, dvd-r, dvd+r, the list goes on and on...

Several people have asked me the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R. This has always made me wonder. What EXACTLY is the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R??

• I know both are recordable DVD’s.
• I know that both are the same size and look the same.
• I know that for the most part, they are the same in performance on newer machines.

However, what I did not know, until now, are these key differences:

• The DVD-R (pronounced "DVD dash R") and -RW media formats are officially approved by the standards group DVD Forum. The DVD Forum was founded by Mitsubishi, Sony, Hitachi, and Time Warner, so it has tremendous industry support for its technical standards.

• DVD+R ("DVD plus” R) and +RW formats are not approved by the DVD Forum standards group, but are instead supported by the DVD+RW Alliance. The DVD+RW Alliance is supported by Sony, Yamaha, Philips, Dell, and JP, so it also has tremendous industry support for its technical standards. Note that Sony supports both organizations.

The main functional differences between DVD-R and DVD+R are:

• The DVD recorder's built-in defects management,
• The way the recorders format and rewrite DVDs,
• The price.

According to the claims of the DVD Alliance, using a DVD+R/+RW recorder will let you do the following:

Instantly eject without having to wait for finalized formatting.

• Ability to record one DVD disc partially on PC and partially on television.
• Background formatting: while the disc is being formatted, you can simultaneously record on already-formatted portions of the same disc.
• Enhanced ability to edit filenames, movie and song titles, and playlists.

100% compatibility with all other DVD players, while still enjoying these extra recording features.

Further info can be found at http://www.dvdrw.com/why/customer-benefits.htm

Bottom Line – DVD+R is much better!

That’s it for the tech talk. I know return you to your normally scheduled programming.