DVD +R vs DVD -R media

[Humble1]

I have read on this board that experienced people use DVD +RW as a step to assure that the DVD is what they want and them go to DVD -R for the final version. This leads to the question why not use the DVD +R? That is what I do and I have had no problems when playing the DVD +R on my VHS/DVD combo player. Am I missing something?

Thanks

[THoff]

For anything that needs to play on other people's standalone DVD players, I always use DVD-R media, simply because it was the first popular consumer-recordable DVD format (DVD-RAM preceeded it, but isn't nearly as popular or compatible). As such, DVD-R is most likely to be supported by standalone players, and testing on a wide variety of devices has confirmed this.

[Ken Berry]

I also don't think it was meant to be a rule that you first test your burn on a +RW disc but then burn the final on a -R disc. I, for instance, always do a test burn on a -RW disc, then the final on a -R disc. It's really horses for courses: if it works, use it. But be aware that some stand-alone players may only play, or at least prefer to play one type or another. And some don't like RW discs at all, whether they are + or -. There is, indeed, a widely held view (though doubtless not universal by a long shot) that the cheaper Chinese and Korean stand-alone players are more likely to play just about any disc put into them than some much more expensive brand-name players which are much more choosy.

[daniel]

amen, this guy has a really recent and not-so-cheap So*y (Japan) player an expensive Th*mson/RC* (US sold, but malaysian-made) and a rather old and cheap S*msung (Korea) and guess which ones are touchy?
Including about the DVD region...can't be changed at all...
Others allow at least 5 changes or are zone-free.

And one of the three doesn't hiccup when changing DVD layer. Any idea?

Oh yeah! the more recent play DivX too... Big deal!

[Humble1]

Very Interesting! Everything seems very complicated in the world of capturing, editing and recording DVDs.

Next question.

When you go down to your local video store and rent a DVD what type ( +R or -R) are you getting? Is there software out there that will tell you which type a DVD disc is? My DVD drive just deals with what ever is inserted if it is from a compatible manufacturer.

Thanks

[THoff]

Commercial DVDs aren't DVD-R or DVD+R, they are pressed disks, or DVD-ROMs.

Recordable disks use dyes that undergo a phase change that alters their optical properties when exposed to a laser during the write phase. This in turn determines how much light is reflected off the (usually aluminum) reflective layer and then sensed by the pickup lens during the read phase.