Slashdot Mirror
Dell Throws In For The +R/+RW Standard
srothroc writes "Dell has been selling DVD+R burners for a while, but now they're tossing them in on free deals with some decent everyday consumer systems. I wonder if this increased support from one of two companies to pull a profit on PCs is going to tip the scale towards the +R format... If not, what's going to happen to the Dell users who have all of these +R drives if it turns out that -R wins out in the long run?"
Dell threw in a free DVD+RW upgrade on my Inspiron 600m laptop that I bought this June.
More to the point, I believe the concern is about obtaining +R media should -R win the 'battle' I have used many removeable storage devices in the past, and when the 'newer-better-faster' item comes out, the media becomes scarce and expensive (should you even be able to get it at all.)
--- You are unique, just like everyone else...
I don't see why they don't just do what Apple does. Slap in a DVD-/+RW drive and just don't tell anyone. Add support to the OS and again, tell no one. Then when someone complains it's not there tell them but make sure they tell no one.
If you have a mac running panther you can see if your DVD drive supports whatever format by typing drutil info in the terminal. OS X does not support packet writing, sadly.
P.S. drutil stands for DiscRecording Utility
I have yet to encounter someone who NEEDS one of these yet. A lot want one but no one has a need yet.
DVD burners make backing up your files a lot easier. Before I got my DVD burner, I would literally have to burn around 18-20 CDs to back things up. This took an unbelievably long time. Now, since I can just burn a couple of DVDs, it takes a hell of a lot less time to back up.
I'm so tired of hearing this compatibility argument. What's the difference? Like 2% of the market? I have a +R burner and my laptop, computer, playstation 2, dvd player, friend's dvd player, can all play the discs. The dvd+rw is a much better format for doing video editing. What I'm getting at is that most of the people complaining about their discs being compatible never had a problem but somehow think they would. Almost every new dvd player on the market can play both formats.
However, I don't feel either format will win outright, because almost all the drives for sale now are dual format. I just bought a dual format burner last night because it was cheaper and faster than my old burner.
I think you have it backwords. At least where I live the prices are always cheaper for minus Rs. As far ar compatibility I've never used a -R but I have a DVD+R(W) and the dvds I've made work on every recorder I've tried them in from a cheap APEX, PS2, and JVCs to higher end Progressive scan Denon and Onkyo units. About 15 or so different units.
here are some links for you doubters of the
dvd+r superiority:
http://www.dvdrw.com/press/duallayer.htm
http://news.designtechnica.com/article1883.html
Phillips shows Dual Layer is possible
and quite nicely backward compatibility
with dvd+r readers.
http://www.dvdrw.com/press/16x_dvdplusr.htm
Phillips is able to burn at 16 speed
a dvd+r media... We already have 8x +r
burners... Where is -R? oh, you like to wait?
http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8742
Sony to release dual layer burner in April
http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/129
Another article about Dual Layer and
dvd-r and dvd+r... Sure, dvd-r team announced
dual layer media, but so far, only announced.
Phillips and Sony and Verbatim are delivering.
If you do, you won't for long.
VHS tapes stored in a typical house might last 10-30 years before they degrade beyond use. See this Google find.
Moving old family videos to DVD is a very reasonable home use for a DVD burner. No, no one NEEDS to save their old VHS tapes. But if people WANT to save their old VHS tapes then they NEED a DVD burner to do it at home.
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
Will we ever have one standard to rule them all?
If you're going to quote figures from a site, you might as well get it right. According to DVDrHelp here, -Rs have about 92% compatability, while +Rs have about 86% compatability. Hardly a huge difference. Both RW formats sit at 75% compatability.
Well too bad for those who will get stuck with those +RW drives. I predict the demise of +RW in favor of -RW. Why? Well, first of all -RW has greater compatibility. Of course, this is not enough. You must also consider the looming blue laser DVD format rolling out. As with everything, there are two standards-
The Blu-Ray standard is being put forth by Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita Electric Industrial (aka Panasonic), Pioneer, Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and Thomson Multimedia. Blu-Ray will write and rewrite 27GB per side using a 405nm laser.
NEC and Toshiba put forth their own standard, Advanced Optical Disc,which the DVD Forum has chosen over Blu-Ray. These hold 20GB per side.
I am seeing a lot of conflicting information about whether those numbers are for single layer or not. The people reporting these numbers don't seem to know that a single side has two layers, so I'm reading that AOD can hold anywhere from 20 to 40GB per side. However the consensus seems to be that AOD holds less data than Blu-Ray can, but the advantage of AOD lies in the fact that DVD manufacturers don't have to retool their plants for AOD like they would for Blu-Ray. This is probably one of the larger reasons AOD was accepted by the DVD Forum.
Ok, now after all this babble about next gen DVD, what does this have to do with the subject at hand?
NEITHER of these standards is compatible with DVD+R, and both are backwards compatible with DVD-R. So where are you going to put your data?
-R
Who mods uninformed shit like this up? +R just recently got 8x burners (in the past month or so, IIRC, if not more recent). -R will be getting them in less than two weeks (Pioneer DVR-A07).
As far as dual layer DVD+R goes, yet more misinformation. What I've read is that around 70-80% of set top DVD players will be able to play dual layer DVD+R media. I have not heard figures on the forthcoming dual layer DVD-R media and drives, but I can only imagine similar if not better results.
Please keep your misinformation to yourself in the future, AC.
All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
DVD-R has stupid stuff like "authoring" vs "general" and so on.
http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#4.3
DVD-R (which is pronounced "dash R" not "minus R") uses organic dye technology, like CD-R, and is compatible with most DVD drives and players. First-generation capacity was 3.95 billion bytes, later extended to 4.7 billion bytes. Matching the 4.7G capacity of DVD-ROM was crucial for desktop DVD production. In early 2000 the format was split into an "authoring" version and a "general" version. The general version, intended for home use, writes with a cheaper 650-nm laser, the same as DVD-RAM. DVD-R(A) is intended for professional development and uses a 635-nm laser. DVD-R(A) discs are not writable in DVD-R(G) recorders, and vice-versa, but both kinds of discs are readable in most DVD players and drives. The main differences, in addition to recording wavelength, are that DVD-R(G) uses decrementing pre-pit addresses, a pre-stamped (version 1.0) or pre-recorded (version 1.1) control area, CPRM (see 1.11), and allows double-sided discs. A third version for "special authoring," allowing protected movie content to be recorded on DVD-R media, was considered but will probably not happen.
About 75% of the people here on /. are ignorant; they think that the +R or -R means the drives can only be read in the corresponding type of drive; which is untrue. Once written, the disks are for all practical purposes, the same.