DVD-R vs. DVD+R

I have been trying to figure this out and I have seen both products in abundence, but what exactly is the difference between the two? I know that both formats holds the same amount of data and that DVD-R came first but what are the other main differences?

 

Since DVD burners have been able to handle both, none as far as the end user is concerned... they only differ in implementation.

The only thing to keep in mind is that -R media tends to be more compatible with stand-alone DVD players.

 

One other thing to keep in mind is that +R media degrades very quickly. That is to say, after you burn something to a + disc, it will only have a shelf life of a year or two. -R media is supposed to be much more durable and long lasting.

 

That is some very interesting news, I don't think I heard of this problem before. Thanks dragonesse for the tip.

 

No problem. I heard that a very long time ago, I don't know if it's still true or not, but I figure it's something to consider.

 

That was just a myth. It has been discovered that if cd's are exposed to the sun or damaging ozone, they only have a life expectency of 2-5 yrs. Not the 20 yrs as previous thought. It also was discovered the olded Slow Speed CD last longer. The material is harder and doesn't degrade as fast. As with any media if you abuse it it will not last.

 

Well, yeah, they all do degrade over time. The longer I can keep stuff around though, the better.

 

+R is for data, -R is for movies and such because they are more compatible with DVD players.

I prefer using +R anyways because they burn faster.

 

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

Very interesting info. I didn't know all that. I also prefer +, and all + that I recorded were playable in my cheap Quadro DVD.

Cheers,

Ivan

 

I haven't seen any reason to prefer one over the other, and the majority of reasons for one over the other have ceased to exist over the years.

When writing to DVD's first became a thing for home users, several companys grouped together to create standards which that group used. Several types never hit the market. -R was created by pioneer. +r was created by an alliance of companys including Sony, HP and Dell.

-R were creating more as an influence of DVD players, and carries a larger support than +R would in that respect.

+R was created by a group mostly including computer industry giants.

The only real thing that shoulde sway your choice in which to get is: do the products I'll be using this with support this type.

 

I too have wondered about that for a long time. Thank you.
PMZ

 

I have mixed blessings with both. I bought a bunch of cheap dvd-r 16x from best buy that only burn on my Sony fe at 2.4x . At least when i buy +R media burns fast reguardless where as dvd-r seems more limited. I can vouche that compatibility is generally better with -r. I'm just very impatient, 2x is to slow, from now on i'll just buy +r.

 

i chose + after reading this article
http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/113

 

I have DVD+Rs that are over four years old that still work fine. They were burned in my 2.4x Sony DRU-120A. The key is to buy high quality media whether you use + or -. Back in the day, -R was slightly more comapitible, but honestly any DVD player you buy today should play either.

 

So, if I go to Target tomarrow I should buy a little of both? I've only burned Data to DVD+Rs so far. Never tried burning an actuall DVD although I'm planning to. Guess I should visit Sylvannia's webbie and see if I can find what compatible with my old VCR/DVD combo player.

 

I have used DVD-R for video on a combo dvd/vhs machine and it worked fine. I think from everyones comments that the differences are being coming less and less.

 

Mines a cheapy though, although cheapies strangely enough sometimes seem to to better with a wide variety of formats. I'm not confident enough to be sure. But I guess it doesn't hurt to just try it. Worse come to worse. I'll have other uses for the DVDs in either format.

 

My PS2 loves the cheap discs though they don't last long.

 

On a side note, dvdr s made by taiyo yudens are reputed to be the best.
Taiyo yudens can be bought online, or in stores - fuji made in japan ones are taiyo yudens. Have to look for made in japan on spindle label.

ZaZ : I LOVE your avatar. The guy looks just like that comdian (I forget his name).

 

I mean my DVD player incase clarifying is needed. My car likes cheap disks while my burner does not. My desktop won't burn on TDK (DVD or CD) to save it's life.

 

Isnt it the other way around ? That +R can be encoded as dvd - roms ?
See http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/113
"A famous example of such logical incompatibility is the "Book Type" field, which indicates the type of the disc. The first DVD-ROM specification only allowed 0 (i.e. read-only) to be written there, but later each recordable format defined its own value to identify itself ; unfortunately it turned out that some players simply refuse to read a disc with a non-zero value. To handle this problem, the latest DVD+R standard specifically authorizes to write a zero Book Type for compatibility reasons, and nowadays many drive manufacturers have made this bit programmable. But this cannot be done for DVD-R(W), as the Book Type (with several other information in the lead-in) are pre-embossed (i.e. pre-recorded) on blank media."

 

This is quite true. Problem is, the only drives I've seen that allow Book Type setting are Liteons, and the software for it is Windows only.

As far as -R media goes, Taiyo Yuden is arguably the best... which unfortunately also makes it the brand most often forged. Always buy from a reputable dealer. I've also had very good results with Mitsubishi/Verbatim media.

 

TYs are the best no matter what you buy DVDs or CDs. Notebook drives typically do not get much support for bitsetting, but again a DVD player bought in the last few years should not have any issues.

 

I would be careful in believing what is stated in that article. I've not seen information like that stated anywhere else.

As far as ZaZ's avatar, I believe that is a still from a show which covers a fake account of that very comedians life.

 

Bitsetting is quite legitimate, just not terribly relevant.

ZaZ's avatar is from the "The Critic," voiced by Jon Lovitz. More info here.

 

If you are using an old DVD Player, bitsetting may help, but otherwise its not too relavent.

 

Aah yes, Jon Lovitz - thats who I was thinking of..

 

The Critic was a wonderful show, and also great as web episodes. Sorry, very off topic. I think I prefer whichever is cheaper. I know Staples and OfficeMax run some great deals on DVD+-R's.

 

I've played dvd+r's in dozens of desktop DVD players. Haven't found incompatible hardware. At the moment I only have dvd+r burner.