I'm currently thinking about buying a DVD-burner for my computer, but I'm not sure which format to get. I've heard that the DVD-RW format is the most compatible with home DVD players, and I've heard the same thing about DVD+RW drives too. I don't know which one is right. Would anyone care to shed some light on the subject, please? Thanks in advance.

afaik, you get one that covers all the formats. ie. dvd+-r dvd+-rw. at least until they settle on a standard format which in my opinion is turning out to be all them as a group being the standard.

I heard that DVD+ is theoretically better, but with less compatibility. Personally, I prefer it. There's no finalisation in +RW and fast finalisation in +R, it's faster - 8/4x and more flexible (in terms of editing). But then again, it's not very useful if your target equipment can't play it. So -RW isn't really that bad.

Like the previous post, your best bet would be to get dual format (+/-) burner. The Pioneer, Plextor and Sony ones I think are quite nice.

Wonder if they will work in Linux though (with -ROM and -Video burning).

Just like Beta...

Listen,

Could someone, who knows a shit load more about this than me, explain fully, the differences between the formats please.

I've now seen 7 different (well I think I have anyway?) DVD R, DVDRW, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW oh, and DVD RAM

Are they actually different formats ? or is this just a case of the way the advertisers told the printers to put it on the box ???

regards

John

go for DVD+RW. this is the better format. The new dvd players support it... at least mine does

I've got the first answer to this:
They are spelled differently

I really don't know, and am quite curious myself. I was hoping for a good breakdown, but really can't find one that seems to be fairly accurate and not just "they work on dvd players". If you find something, be sure to post it up

Cool

They aren't just spelled differently. They are actually different formats. DVD-R/RW and +R/RW and -RAM are different. It's a bit like VHS vs Betamax. A + burner can't burn - discs and vice versa. RAM burners can't burn +R/RW or -RW unless stated. R discs are the most compatible with existing readers, less so with RW. RAM is NOT compatible with non-RAM capable drives.

I can go on for longer, but try www.dvdrhelp.com or www.dvdplusrw.org for more info.

EDIT: more sites:
www.dvdrw.com
www.dvdwriters.co.uk
www.dvddemystified.com

Thanks for the links, Winno. That's the best info I've seen so far. Looks to me like I'll be getting an external drive that supports both formats for the best compatibility.

I have a DVD+RW & any films I copied have worked in an xbox & 4 different DVD players i tried. I have yet to find a DVD player that wont play them
One thing I have noticed is DVD-RW blank discs are slightly cheaper that the DVD+RW disks.

Well, I had a look at the links that Winno posted, but they don't really explain which is supposed to be the best system for "reproduction", i.e. picture quality - or isn't the difference that great?

Also, which, if any, system is the one that looks like it's the most popular ???

regards

John

I don't think the picture quality is any different, just the compatibility....that was the main reason for me asking the question. I've heard both sides of the argument--that DVD+RW was more compatible with standard DVD players and that DVD-RW was more compatible and I didn't know which was correct. It seems like an external drive with both formats would be a better choice, rather than an internal drive in only one of them, that way it becomes a moot point I guess. Besides, if I get an external drive I could use it with my Mac and my Linux machine too.

Yup, I've had similar thoughts, hence my quest for clarification.

I'm still looking hard though, cause I reckon the external suggestion of yours would be excellent, when there's a machine that does all the +/- r and rw stuff, with dvd ram as well (there wasn't last time I looked)

regards

john

Sometimes I wish they'd decide on one standard for these things...that way no matter what you buy, it'll work. I guess that'd be too easy, huh?

Well, there is one DVD burner that does all formats - the LG. It does DVD-R/RW, +R/RW and -RAM. They call it a "super-multi" drive. Mmm, it's probably not really flash though (from one review). A "multi" drive is one that does -R/RW/RAM, not +R/RW.

In terms of compatibility, here's the listing from the most to least (generally):
-R
+R
-RW
+RW
-RAM

Remember -+R are similiar, and so are -+RW. -RAM is only for -RAM drives.

Now, there's another side: flexibility/capabilities. -RAM is the most flexible - it behaves like a removable hard disk. -RW behaves a bit like CD-RW. You can add data to it, but you can change any (except the last track, or by erasing the whole disk). You also need to finalise before you can play it in readers. +RW is in between. It allows some on-disc editing. You can do partial erasure/overwrites as well adding data. Like -RAM, it does not require finalisation. -+R are like their -+RW counterparts, except that you can't physically erase or change data. +R allows limited hiding, though.

So the pattern here is, the more compatibility, the less flexibility, and vice versa. That could be part of your decision.

And, as for the "quality", there isn't really a lot. We're talking DIGITAL signals here - 1's and 0's. Sure, they can get a little messed up, but can be recovered. Another way to put it is: would there be any difference in the "quality" of data (or audio/video) on a USB stick or CD?