Which DVD Recordable Format Will Win?

kila_m writes: "Their is a format war going on between two recordable formats 'DVD-R' and 'DVD+R.' Both formats do virtually the same thing i.e. are readable in most DVD-ROM drives - but a '-' disk is not recordable in a '+' drive and vice-versa. We have a review of the Pioneer DVR-A04 - the worlds best-selling DVD writer and based on the '-' format. I would like get an view of what recordable format Slashdot readers prefer or think is going to win."

Comments

Incorrect - they're much the same

[Namarrgon]

You're confusing DVD+R with DVD+RW. DVD+R is very similar in compatibility with DVD-R, perhaps a touch better.

DVD+RW has much lower compatibility than DVD-R or DVD+R - as does DVD-RW. Both rewritable formats use a recording surface with a lower reflectivity than the write-once formats, confusing some older DVD players into thinking the disc is dual layer instead of single.

Earlier DVD+RW drives were dismissed as less compatible solely because they were unable to burn write-once discs, unlike the competing DVD-R/RW drives. Second generation drives such as the HP dvd200i will happily burn write-once and rewritable media, same as the DVD-R/RW drives.

The reality is, although DVD+R/RW has a theoretical edge in compatibility due to its lossless linking feature, both formats are actually very similar in results. Just be sure not to get the older drives that can't do DVD+R.

Re:Incorrect - they're much the same

[Namarrgon]

Now all DVD+R has to deal with is overpriced burners and expensive media

It's true they are a little more expensive - though I've seen 2nd-gen Ricoh drives for $284 on pricewatch, and DVD+R discs for under $3 from www.shop4tech.com. I wouldn't really call that overpriced.

But frankly, I'm happy to pay a little extra. The DVD+R/RW drives are simply superior. I couldn't bear to wait an hour and a half to burn a rewritable disc - but that's what you're stuck with if you buy a DVR-A04. My 200i will do it in under 40 minutes, and the next-gen DVD+R drives will do it in under 25. Add that to the other advantages, and I'm a happy camper :-)

Yes, you can

[Namarrgon]

You can't fit a whole movie on a home recorded DVD?R anyway.

Sure you can. Maybe not the movie, multiple soundtracks AND featurettes, trailers, interviews etc, all at the original quality, but just the movie is no trouble.

The bitrate for DVD-compliant MPEG2 video is between 2 Mb/s and 8 Mb/s, but most pre-recorded movies vary around 3-5 Mb/s. That gives you between 119 and 199 minutes - more than enough for most movies.

Alternatively, you can encode your movies in a tighter format like DivX. I've seen remarkably good quality from a 90 minute movie squeezed onto a single CD, let alone a DVD. You can fit 6 of those movies onto a single DVD, and play them back on your computer any time.

I personally use mine for recording TV shows that I can't find on DVD yet, like Family Guy. I can fit 6 episodes in standard MPEG2 format, and the quality is as good as I recorded it at.

Re:DVD+RW?

[Namarrgon]

All *2nd-generation* DVD+RW drives will write to DVD+R discs, and AFAIK all current DVD-RW drives will write to DVD-R discs too. Note that 1st-gen DVD+RW drives (e.g. HP 100i) will not write to DVD+R discs.

Neither standard will write to the other's media, of course. However, both standards will happily read each other's media.