DVD-R OR DVD+R

[cemjack]

Just purchased the Sony 510UL external and the TDK IndiDVD internal. Both of these support the +R and -R format.
3 questions:

(1) which drive do people prefer/which is better. The internal TDK was MUCH cheaper than the Sony

(2) Which type of media is best -R or +R and why. Which has broader support with DVD players.

(3) Where is the best place to buy the blank media?

Thanks in advance.

[tazdevl]

LOL going a bit overboard on the burners no?

TDK is a rebadged NEC1300 if we're talking the 440N. NEC isn't well known for updating firmware to take care of issues regularly. On the upside, TDK does a better job with firmware updates than NEC. However, the Sony has better overall media compatibility.

The 510A has better specs overall aside from CD Read speed, which in reality is totally inconsequential... TDK 40X, Sony 32X.

-R/+R... depends on who you talk to. I have the internal Sony 510A and have tried several different kinds of media. What I've found is that if you want great quality burns @ 4X with good compatibility with DVD drives, get Ritek 4X -R discs. Cheapest places I've found are http://www.rima.com, http://www.allmediaoutlet.com, http://www.meritline.com.

You can also try looking in the Hot Deals section of the CDRLabs forums.

This is a good site to find cheap deals on media, find out who manufactures it (many companies just rebrand media made by someone else) and read comments from people that have actually used the media (can be very worthwhile).
http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdmedia.php

Nice thing about having a dual format burner is that if one format doesn't work, you can always head out, get some media and try burning the files/data in the other.

[cemjack]

Thanks for the info.

Do you ever use the +RW or -RW discs? If so, which one. The cost seems only slightly higher.

[BurninMan921]

I've used the older +R/RW TDK drive, and it worked great. Haven't used the dual drives yet, but will be getting one soon. It would be nice if Plextor came out with one, though (I've got the PX-504A now).

I try to avoid +RW media (I'm an impaitent little bastard, and 2.4x just kinda sucks) usless I have to use it (for example, a test burn created with an "unproven" authoring program).

As for the +/- debate, well....I do mostly data discs and the + seemed to be a bit better than -, but now they're pretty much equal. It'll mostly depend on what you DVD players like/don't like. Haven't yet found one that doesn't play the +R discs, and only one (standalone) that wouldn't play +RW. The PS2's don't like +RW. Any RW will be less compatiable, though.

The best choice? Depends on how much you want to spend. If you go to Best Buy or other large electronics store, the two are about the same price. Online, you can get -R discs cheaper (try www.meritline.com). You pay for speed, though. 4x and 2x DVD-R's are more costly than 1x.
My local stores now have 4x +R discs for the same price as 2.4x discs (~$2/disc), so that's all I'll be using in the near future, even if I get a dual burner (which is on the shopping list).

Can't remember if Best Buy or any similar stores have the 4x -R discs. Anyone else know?

[tazdevl]

I haven't seen any 4X -R in stock at any major stores. FYI rima.com has the cheapest prices I've seen for quanities less than 100.

Regarding +RW/-RW, I just use Fuji +RW which burns @ 2.4X. Picked it up @ Best Buy. I use it to backup some files and my MP3 collection when I add anything to it.

There isn't any 4X +RW media on the market. When it does come out, I'm definitely buying some. Ritek has had their media certified for a while, just a matter of time until we see it.

One thing to remember, +RW is a bit different than -RW. -RW you can wipe the disc clean and write again, +RW you just rewrite over what is already there.

As BurninMan mentioned, I also am too impatient most of the time to use RW discs since the max speed they burn @ is 2.4X which is about 29 mins per disc vs 15 mins @ 4X.

[vandy2000]

Don't know if this is any useful info. My cheap apex dvd player played a movie that was burned with DVD+R format with no problem, but it won't play or load the DVD-R format.

[Inertia]

vandy2000,

What model is your Apex DVD player? If it's the popular older AD 600A it won't normally play DV-R, but the player firmware (not the mainboard firmware used for hidden menu & macrovision) may be flash upgradable to allow playback of DVD-R(W).

If you have a Apex AD 600A, see Apex AD 600A DVD +/- Compatibility
and UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE ON YOUR DVD-ROM DRIVE.