[ Outline ] · Standard · Linear+ Difference between DVD +/-/+- recorder

[kingato]

I am about to get a dvd recorder but I am not sure what to get. Ijust want to be able to burn dvds that are compatible with most players outthere.
What is the difference between a + or - dvd recorder?

[Messenger]

Basically the minus (-) format is the most compatible one (at the moment). It will be readable in most standalone DVD players (95%) - even older ones - connected to your home theatre (provided your player can read DVD R's at all). The Plus (+) format is a newer format that is generally only readable by the newer players (they read both + and -).
In one camp, you have the "minus" advocates that use the DVD-R and DVD-RW formats: Pioneer, Toshiba, Panasonic and a couple of other companies. They are also approved by the official standards body of DVD video, the DVD Forum. In the other camp, you have the "plus" advocates that exclusively support the DVD+R and DVD+RW format: Hewlett-Packard, Philips, Ricoh and (until recently) Sony. They also have their own standards group called the DVD+RW Alliance. Many other companies have straddled the fence, claiming that they will support whichever format enjoys market support. Teac, LG Electronics, NEC and many others are following the marketplace and producing DVD-RW or DVD+RW drives of their own.
Some say that the the +R format is of better archival quality, but essentially it comes down to price of media, future compatibility and future-proofing.
Price
The most obvious difference between DVD-RW and DVD+RW drives is the price; DVD+RW drives and media cost slightly more than DVD-RW drives and media. DVD plus drives cost slightly more, as does the DVD+R and DVD+RW media

Compatibility with Set-top Recorders
The best set-top DVD recorders use DVD plus media. So if you plan to get a dedicated set-top DVD recorder, get a DVD+RW drive for your computer so you can share media.

Packet-Writing Format
DVD plus drives and discs are compatible with the Mt. Rainier standard; in principle, this will allow future versions of Microsoft operating systems to write directly to DVD+RW just like a big floppy disc. However, Mr. Rainier support has not been finalized in any operating systems yet, and it's not clear whether DVD-RW drives will also be compatible (or whether they can be made compatible with a firmware upgrade).

RW Speed
DVD plus drives are able to write DVD+RW media at a speed of 2.4X (an "X" is 1.3 megabytes/second), while DVD minus drives are currently limited to 2X speeds with DVD-RW media. If you plan to use a lot of RW media, this slight speed difference may affect your decision.

I suggest ensuring you concentrate on the -R capability to ensure (your family etc.) can watch the DVD movies you produce no matter how old their player is (again, provided it reads DVD R's at all). However, drives that burn to both formats are only slightly more expensive than those that only write to -R.