+R or -R dual layer DVDs? [2010 iMac]

[patent10021]

I have a 2007 MacBook and since my superdrive is older it tends to be very finicky when it comes to burning images or data onto dual layer DVDs. -Rs don't burn on my superdrive. I always have to buy +Rs and for some reason they are quite difficult to find here in Japan compared with Canada.

My friend just bought a used 2010 iMac and needs to burn a 7GB image file I gave her using Disk Utility. Since she has a new iMac will this even matter now? Can she use any dual layer format? Which is more compatible these days? DL -R? What three brands would you recommend?


Thanks

 

[Makosuke]

At this point, with a modern drive, there really should be no effective difference between the two. I tend personally to buy -R, because WAY back when -R discs were slightly more compatible than +R, but it's mostly force of habit now.

As for brands, the ones you can really trust seems to vary, depending on what factory they're sourcing their discs from (you can use a special program to read the factory code off a disc, if you're really curious--there are only a few in the world), but any big-name brand will probably be ok. All else being equal, I'd buy Verbatim--I think their cheap discs are from the same mid-quality factories as everybody else's, but their higher end stuff is actually better (or used to be), so they're about as close as you can get to a trustworthy brand. Taiyo Yuden used to be top-tier at a reasonable price (not sure about now), but you can only usually get branded discs in bulk from specialty online shops like SuperMediaStore.

Other common North American brands that are probably decent on quality control are Sony, Memorex, and maybe Imation. Maxell used to have a bad reputation, not sure if they're still sketchy or not.