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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?"
Dude, you're getting screwed.
True story.
Just like there were two CD-R and CD-RW "standards" that were argued over, a third standard emerged to replace them both. I imagine this is probably what is going to happen here.
Funny how history repeats itself like that.
[insert witty comment here]
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?
Fuck 'em. My friend never got reimbursed for his choice of a Bernoulli drive, and that was a lot more than 100 bucks down the drain.
Sometimes you bet on the wrong horse. It happens.
--saint
DVDs will forever READ both +R and -R. If -R were to win right now, in 1-2 years you wouldn't be able to buy DVD+R discs. That means you'd have to buy a new drive. That's not unreasonable for 1-2 years.
If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor - Albert Einstein
As unfortunate as that is. +R media tends to be slightly cheaper for some reason, but -R is the more compatible of the two formats. Regardless there are lots of dual-format drives being made and sold at quite reasonable prices these days, so there is no real danger that +R will disappear any time soon, though it probably should.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
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 get the feeling the world will move on to the next major jump in burning capacity, and probably another format war, rather than actually settle on +R or -R. Unless the industry as a whole decides on one format or the other, and decides to leave a whole section of consumers out in the cold, neither format will "win."
Someday, you're going to die. Get over it.
I can't believe this. Someone links to a Dell ad for a free DVD burner, and now all of a sudden, "it's a shift in the industry". What the fuck, April Fool's isn't for another few months!
This is minor. The real question is which DVD-HD format will become the standard. It looks like we're going to have 2 incompatible formats introduced the US, with a 3rd format introduced in China.
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
dvd+r is the winner my friends.
You already can do dvd+r at 8 speed. I still await
8speed dvd-r.
And around April expect dvd+rDL, that will be dual
layers at over 8gb, that also will be READABLE by
anything that can read dvd+r.
And further, its rumored that some of better dvd+r
8 speed drives will be able to burn dvd+rDL with a
firmware update (afterall, thats what Philips
research team did for their tests).
enjoy living in your dvd-r world...
Dell threw in a free DVD+RW upgrade on my Inspiron 600m laptop that I bought this June.
:)
I bet they also threw in the free chewing gum that they use to keep their display hinges attached.
All single-format recorders, such as +RW drives, are effectively end-of-line items, so Dell can buy up inventories at knock-down prices. If they could have got -RW at a buck cheaper, they'd have gone that way, there is no other reason! Jolyon
Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
It really doesn't. There are enough shipped DVD-R and DVD+R drives out there in the world now that you'll be able to buy media for the foreseeable computing future for either. There are enough of each out there now that your current burned DVD's will be readable forever, or at least as long at 5 inch polycarbonate disks are in use. Even the VHS/Beta battle that started 30 years ago and was, for all intents and purposes, over 20 years ago (see http://www.urbanlegends.com/products/beta_vs_vhs.h tml ) doesn't keep me from buying new blank Beta videotapes. They aren't available at Walgreen's, but can be had at larger electronics stores still. The same will be true of DVD-R and DVD+R.
Can you imagine the computing landscape 30 years from now? VHS hasn't changed in that many years, but 30 years ago in the computing field is ancient, ancient history - punched cards, hard-sectored 8 inch 256KB floppies, removable disk packs, and memory capacities that didn't need to be abbreviated to be readable. The likelihood that you'll care about your DVD?Rs at that point is pretty darned low. /frank
And the worms ate into his brain.
Well, I have a spot for the obsolete +R drives between my DC2120 tape drive and my zip drive.
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?
1. Ship incompatible hardware for free.
2. Sell the compatible hardware for inflated prices.
3. Profit!
Seriously, Dell sells systems cheaply, but they heavily inflate their prices for components. If they can get people to enjoy the idea of burning DVDs by giving them DVD+R drives, they'll make lots of money when those customers realize that they really need to get DVD-R drives.
Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
First off, why people don't buy and use more of those multistandard units... it's beyond me. You know, those drives guaranteed to support all formats: -R, -RW, +R, +RW... They're really nice.
:-(
I have a Sony DRU-510 burner, it supports every conceivable format, and works very well.
Second, many units (DVD readers, not writers) that claim that they support only one standard (only -R/RW or only +R/RW) actually do work with the other standard. I don't have exact numbers, but it seems to me that the vast majority of the new drives support de facto all standards. Just try it, you might be suprised.
Then, -R/RW has the advantage of a slightly larger compatibility. There's a lot of slightly older units that, for the majority, support only the "minus" disks.
Every single device that i own and has DVD capabilities is multistandard (knows both "plus" and "minus" disks), however all DVDs that i create for my own purposes are -R, just because of this slightly larger compatibility.
Finally, i wish i had a magic of sorts, to get together all those morons who are responsible for inflicting standard wars on us poor customers. Then i'll only ask to give me, for twenty minutes, a machine gun with lots of ammo. It has to be a model which withstands very long shooting sessions without melting or jamming. After twenty minutes, i'll call you to show you what machine-gun-generated meat pulp looks like.
I'm really pissed off on these stupid issues.
Dell, which has been providing DVD+ drives, is now providing DVD+ drives....I wonder if the fact that Dell isn't doing anything different in regards to DVD+ drives will mean anything in regards to DVD+ drives.
One can only hope that any change in the meaning of this non-change will foster a change that may mean no change. Life as we know it could hang in the balance. Please keep us posted on further effects of anything.
No, it'll be whichever one I buy that will lose (Happened with Beta, SyQuest 270, you name it). And since I've got a dual format DVD+/-R/RW you should all be worried...
Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
HD-DVD IS the standard as proclaimed by the DVD Forum anyway. When HD-DVD is sold in the U.S. and Europe it will be HD-DVD you see in the stores - nothing else. This is what the movie manufacturers agreed on through the DVD Forum.
My prediction is that Blu-Ray will find its niche in backup applications and video production houses. This is due to it's greater production expense (dual head for compatibility as opposed to HD's single lensing) and better media longevity (sealed discs).
Remember Betacam Vs. VHS? It's the same thing all over again. Betacam is STILL the standard in production houses all over the world but it was VHS that ruled the home front.
As for China's weird-ass format, guess what? No one really cares but the Asian markets and media/players/recorders will be made specifically for those markets as needed. Shocking, I know, I know. Proof? The Asian markets have been ignored by Americans before now. Take a look at the popularity of VCD players over there and you'll see what I mean. How many dedicated VCD players have you seen sold/marketed here?
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
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?
You wait the two years that it'll take to make them obsolete and then you buy a $19.99 drive (after rebates).
It's just the same as buying a $19.99 CD-RW now when they were $100 a couple of years ago. Prices drop. Does it really matter what you get for free now as you won't be paying current prices for a drive in two years time?