DVD -R vs. DVD +R What is the difference?

We are going to be purchasing a DVD Recorder this week, and we are new to this process. Could someone please tell us the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R. We want to purchase one of the 100 Paks from Costco, but don't know which one we should buy, or what the differences are?

The DVD Recorder we are purchasing is not a computer periphial product, it is a GoVideo VCR/DVD Recorder.

Thank you.

 

Thanks for the question! Scanning through the following link I learned a bit myself.

There are many followup links on the pages for even more info.

DVD info

If you do a yahoo search for 'difference between dvd+r and dvd-r' you will find MANY other resources. The above is the first I clicked on.

 

Topnotch--It is a bit of a format fight between two different bunches of manufacturers.
http://www.videohelp.com/dvd
Today you can usually buy players and recorders that will handle both, but be sure that is the case. Otherwise you will have to use +disks only in +equipment, etc.

 

For a Govideo standalone all you need to know is if it supports +R as well as -R. For example, LiteOn has come out with a few models--the older ones only supported one format. Now the have a "Write-All" which supports all.

As for a brand, you can't tell in advance--some recorders like certain brands and not others. You have to do a quality test on a computer to see if it's written well.

Other than that, a little about the formats:

The -R format is the original DVD format that can have the DVD "logo" on it. This is the same format that's used for the pressed DVDs with the movies on them. The +R format is not licensed to have the DVD logo on it, that's why theres the RW logo on it.

Technically the +R format is somewhat superior for data storage--more error correction capability, etc. But this is not important if you have good write quality. However it's possible that some standalone DVD players may like the -R format more. These can be picky regarding quality at bitsetting.

I'd be worried about writing DVDs on a standalone and not knowing what the quality is with the brand I'm using. A way to verify is to use a LiteOn computer DVD drive and testing the resulting quality with K-Probe. Or using a drive that supports the Nero tools. BTW, for computer use, always verify your data after you write--use something like WinSFV. If you didn't verify, it's as good as gone. When you find a brand that works well, it doesn't matter if it's -R or +R--as long as the error scans are nice and you've verified your data.

Be wary of no-name, offbrand media. While they can work on some DVD recorders that like them, the quality isn't too hot, and if you use the wrong recorder you'll get coasters all the time, or marginally readable data. Also be wary of CMC Magnetics--very inconsistent quality even in the same batch. Taiyo Yuden is pretty good... Or Ritek/Ridata, Ricoh is good too.

Tek.

 

Thanks Everyone!

Thanks for all for the comments and suggestions. Sometimes these simple things are the most complicated. We ask a sales person at Best Buy, and his suggestion was to buy both and try them and see which one worked...

We just want to make sure that whatever we are buying is compatible with our unit, and friends and families.

Thanks again for the advice!