DVD Players: DVD+R or DVD-R

[montgal55]

Hello Everyone:

Just need your opinion on something. . . .

What blank DVD media do you prefer when making DVDs for DVD players?

DVD+R or DVD-R

I was given a large pack of blank DVD+R discs for a Christmas gift. I am thinking about throwing them away because they are, supposedly, have a lower DVD-player compatibility rating.

I have been using DVD-R by Taiyo Yuden only because I hear that particular brand is the best in the world (or one of the best) and that DVD-R has a 80%-93% DVD-player compatibility rating compared to DVD+R with a 79%-89% DVD-player compatibility rating.

What do you think? . . .

Montgal55

[Black Lab]

Some time ago (years) I read that -R was more compatible than +R. I think that players made nowadays can play just about anything.

From videohelp.com:

DVD-R and DVD-RW
DVD-R was the first DVD recording format released that was compatible with standalone DVD Players.
DVD-R is a non-rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 93% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD-RW is a rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 80% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD-R and DVD-RW supports single side 4.37 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double sided 8.75 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-10).
These formats are supported by DVDForum.

DVD+R and DVD+RW
DVD+R is a non-rewritable format and it is compatible with about 89% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD+RW is a rewritable format and is compatible with about 79% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD+R and DVD+RW supports single side 4.37 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double side 8.75 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-10).
These formats are supported by the DVD+RW Alliance.

Again, don't know how recently these numbers were published, but 4% is not a big difference.

[skier-hughes]

I've always used -R's, but I wouldn't throw a pack away because I thought they might not be that good....
Use them for test dvds, or even reburn on on a -R disc if it doesn't work, if you use 89% of htem then that's only 11 discs that you need to reburn.
Or, give them on to someone else

[montgal55]

Thank you Black Lab and Skier-Hughes:

Your input is very valuable.

I think your are right, Skier-hughes, I won't throw the discs away. That was a good idea -- I can use them for testing, especially to see if my aspect ratios stay in place after burning with DVDMF7, testing adjusting bitrate calculations to see if a given video file will fit on a single-layer 4.7GB disc, and testing various features (DVDMF7) I have not explored as of yet.

Again, thank you . . .

Montgal55

[bm707]

For a bit more detailed explanation about disc compatibility, DVD-R is the official DVD format. When it was first introduced, the licensing fees were apparently high enough that a competing format DVD+R was created to avoid paying those licensing fees (actually, +RW was first, but +R followed soon after.) There are three elements in determining the probability that a disc will play:


1. High-quality media, with a good burner. From my experience, the best DVD+R discs are Verbatim, and the best DVD-R discs are Taiyo Yuden. Naturally, you also need a good burner to have a good result. And, you should generally never put labels on discs.

2. Ease of reading a disc. DVD-R actually writes information on a disc a bit differently from the format of a pressed disc, while DVD+R is nearly identical in reflectivity and writing format compared to a pressed disc. So, from a purely technical standpoint, DVD+R discs are actually easier for a DVD player to read than DVD-R discs.

3. How a DVD player reads a disc. This is called the book type. DVD players typically look at a special place on the disc first to determine how to read the disc. Every DVD player supports a book type of DVD-ROM, which is the format of a pressed disc. Most support DVD-R book type, since it is the official format. There are still a few players that don't support the DVD+R book type because it is not the "official" format. However, some burning software and burners will allow you to change the book type when burning a disc. Since a DVD+R disc matches the specifications of a pressed disc, if you change the book type to DVD-ROM, you will have the highest possible compatibility. However, if you don't change the book type, then DVD-R will have slightly higher compatibility than DVD+R.


So, for maximum compatibility, always use good discs, always use a good burner, and when burning DVD+R discs, always set the book type to DVD-ROM.

[GregK]

3. How a DVD player reads a disc. This is called the book type. DVD players typically look at a special place on the disc first to determine how to read the disc. Every DVD player supports a book type of DVD-ROM, which is the format of a pressed disc. Most support DVD-R book type, since it is the official format. There are still a few players that don't support the DVD+R book type because it is not the "official" format. However, some burning software and burners will allow you to change the book type when burning a disc. Since a DVD+R disc matches the specifications of a pressed disc, if you change the book type to DVD-ROM, you will have the highest possible compatibility. However, if you don't change the book type, then DVD-R will have slightly higher compatibility than DVD+R.


So, for maximum compatibility, always use good discs, always use a good burner, and when burning DVD+R discs, always set the book type to DVD-ROM.

I've never used anything but DVD+R, and have never had any problems with it (I use Verbatim brand)....and those tidbits were interesting. Didn't know that.

[sjj1805]

Throw blank discs away


Don't forget you can use DVD discs for things other than films.
They can be used as data storage.

[GregK]

Throw blank discs away


Don't forget you can use DVD discs for things other than films.
They can be used as data storage.

"Throw blank discs away?"

Yes, I do also use them for data storage.

Like I said: I've never had any problems with +R media (I also only use +RW). I should also mention that one reason I kept with +R media is my previous computer (my first high-speed PC) would only take +R/+RW blank media in the burning drive, so I simply decided to stick with that. After amassing a collection of almost 3,000 titles, I'm not about to change.

[tchur]

My experience was with our first DVD player that didn't recognise DVD -R as a DVD. I switched to DVD +R and have had no further trouble, though we have since bought a newer player.

Tim.