Dvd-r/dvd+r

[c2kvette]

Whats the difference between these?

 

[donigian]

I believe there's another thread out that contains the answer to your question, but I'll give it a shot.

They are two competing formats that accomplish pretty much the same things.

The DVD Forum http://www.dvdforum.org/ is the standard maker for the DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM discs. I believe that standard is a little older than the DVD+R format. The DVD Forum is comprised of 212 companies including AOL-Time Warner, Sony, Apple, Toshiba, Nikon, NEC, Motorola, Iomega, and IBM.

The DVD+RW Alliance http://www.dvdrw.com/ is the standard bearer for the DVD+R and DVD+RW standards. The DVD+Alliance has 50+ members including Microsoft, Dell, HP, Philips Electronics, Sony, and Yamaha.

According to the DVD+RW Alliance,

Both formats are technically very similar. Both are equally compatible with DVD players. Both are similar in price for drives and media. Both support single side 4.7 GB DVDs and double side 9.4 GB DVDs.

"Neither group can claim major technical advantages over the other that would make consumers buy one format compared to another," said Wolfgang Schlichting, an industry analyst with technology intelligence company IDC. "This has nothing to do with one format being faster to burn or having more storage capacity than another."

In terms of compatibility with DVD players, both formats are neck and neck in acceptance. According to industry watcher DVDRhelp.com. -R is compatible with about 88% of all DVD players and DVD-ROM drives on the market, while -RW is compatible with about 69%. +R is compatible with about 84% of all DVD players and DVD-ROMs, with +RW being compatible with about 70%. The level of compliance with consumer DVD players is in stark contrast to the situation a little over a year ago when -R dominated the DVD landscape and very few consumer DVD players supported +R.

In terms of the price for drives and media, the gap between drives with one format or both is narrowing very quickly. At present, drives with only one format are retailing for US$250 to US$300 dollars. Dual drives, such as the Sony model, are retailing for around US$375. Analysts believe dual format drives will come down to below US$300 by the end of the year, if not sooner. Drives sold by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Pioneer and Sony to PC makers like Apple, HP and Dell are sold in great numbers and therefore at cheaper prices anywhere from US$125 to US$190, analysts told The Mac Observer. OEM pricing is expected to come down substantially as well.

As for media, -R DVDs are the cheapest at around US$1 each, while +R media is a little more expensive at around US$1.50 to US$2 each. "That gap in media pricing is narrowing even more rapidly than drives prices," said Baker. "Honestly, the difference in pricing is becoming less and less of an issue almost by the month."

Hope that helps.