Whats the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R?

Answer 1

DVD-R/RW was developed by Pioneer based on CD-RW technology. It uses a similar pitch of the helix, mark length of the 'burn' for data, and rotation control. DVD-R/RW is supported by the "DVD Forum", an industry-wide group of hardware and software developers, and computer peripheral manufacturers.

The DVD-R format has been standardized in ECMA-279 by the Forum, but this is a private standard, not an 'industry' ISO standard like the CD-R/RW Red Book or Orange Book standard.

DVD+R/RW is also based on CD-RW technology. DVD+R/RW is supported by Sony, Philips, HP, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha, and others, and has recently been endorsed by Microsoft. DVD+R/RW is not supported by the DVD Forum, but the Forum has no power to set industry standards, so it becomes a market-driven issue.

Answer 2

Hi cavetroy,

The DVD+R and DVD-R are competing formats much like the old VHS and Beta formats in video tapes. Today most drives are Hybrid and handle both formats. They are usually labeled DVD+/-R

The market for recordable DVD technology shows little sign of settling down in favor of either the plus or dash formats, which is mostly the result of the increasing numbers of dual-format devices that can record to both formats; it has become very difficult to find new devices that can only record to one of the formats. However, because the DVD-R format has been in use since 1997, it has had a five-year lead on DVD+R. As such, older or cheaper DVD players (up to 2004 vintage) are more likely to favor the DVD-R standard exclusively, and when creating DVD’s for distribution (where the playing unit is unknown or older) the DVD-R format would normally be preferable.

My personal experience has led me towards using the +R. It is slightly better at error handling so more tolerant of dirty or damaged media and also more tolerant to the subtle differences between players.

Norm

Answer 3

Without getting technical, there are two disc types. One is the -R and the other is the +R.

Think of it this way, you have the PC and the Mac. Both use disk or cds, but they have their own formats. Well the same is true with the -R and +R discs. Their formats are slightly different.

But the KEY difference between them is how you prepare them for playing in non-recorders. With the -R, you'll need to finalize the disc. This prevents it from being recorded on anymore and allows it to be played in non-recorders.

While there are a few other technical differences, this is the main one that most people need to know. The -R is the oldest format and so most of the older players use this type of disc. Newer ones can generally handle either or.

Same goes for the -/+RW. These allow you to record and erase programs. The R's only allow you to record once. R = record once; RW = record, erase, and re-record.

Answer 4

Hiya, when DVDs were first being developed, there was no industry standard so multiple companies were competing to develop what they hoped would be the dominant form of the future.

The DVD-R/RW standard was developed by Pioneer, and is used primarily by Apple and Pioneer. These "minus" discs can only be written to in one layer on the discs surface. In addition, this format is supported by the DVD forum, but is in no way an industry standard. DVD-R/RW discs are cheaper than the "plus" format.

The DVD+R/RW format is supported by Philips, Dell, Sony, HP, and Mcft. These discs can be written to in multiple layers, giving them slightly better and more disc storage than the "minus" format. Because of this additional capacity, they are slightly more expensive than "minus" discs.


When buying a DVD recorder or a P.C look at DVD burners that support both formats, while this may be slightly more expensive, it will allow you to use any type of DVD disc to burn to, and you'll be protected from any industry shifts to one format or the other .

Answer 5

Both formats are WORM (Write Once Read Many), it is just a different way of accessing the data on the disk.

DVD-R is more compatible with general DVD players.

Answer 6

Prior poster (Kevin K) was lengthy, but (as far as I can tell) correct. They are two different formats. Most DVD recorders/burners record in one of those two formats. Many, but not all, DVD players read both formats.

Answer 7

cavetroy,

in laymans terms, if you want to record a widescreen film then use the -format as the + does not support this.

R+read only, therefore once recored then you CANNOT record over it.
RW is Re-Writtable.

wg

Answer 8

- reads the dvd and + writes to cd's

Answer 9

DVD-R....you can record on, delete and then record on again
DVD+R....record once...when the disc is full, finalise and keep