DVD formats +R or -R?

[- Bob -]

Assuming a recorder handles both formats... is there any practical
difference between +R and -R aside from the trivial capacity
difference ? Is one more reliable that the other? Is one more common -
as in something like "most all DVD devices read +R but few read -R -
or something similar ?

Thanks,

 

[Rod Speed]

Assuming a recorder handles both formats... is there any practical
difference between +R and -R aside from the trivial capacity difference ?

Some of the older DVD players cant always handle both formats.

Is one more reliable that the other?

In theory +R is a more robust format. In practice if the DVD
goes bad, usually the theoretically more robust format you
get with +R doesnt really make any practical difference.

Is one more common - as in something like "most all DVD
devices read +R but few read -R - or something similar ?

The reverse actually, more can read -R than can read +R.

 

[Arno Wagner]

Assuming a recorder handles both formats... is there any practical
difference between +R and -R aside from the trivial capacity
difference ? Is one more reliable that the other?

Both are pretty bad.

Is one more common -
as in something like "most all DVD devices read +R but few read -R -
or something similar ?

I think that for newer devices, not really.

Arno

 

[tomviolin]

is there any practical
difference between +R and -R aside from the trivial capacity
difference ?

There's actually an apparently quite comprehensive database of DVD
players at

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php

where you can search for the particular model number of DVD player and
find out which formats it will play.

In my experience, more recent players will generally play both, but
there's no guarantee either way. My brother had a player that was
newer (but cheaper) than mine. Mine could play both formats, but his
could only play DVD-R.

According to the database, 4288 models can play -R, 3773 can play +R,
and 3420 can play both.

 

[Olin K. McDaniel]

There's actually an apparently quite comprehensive database of DVD
players at

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php

where you can search for the particular model number of DVD player and
find out which formats it will play.

In my experience, more recent players will generally play both, but
there's no guarantee either way. My brother had a player that was
newer (but cheaper) than mine. Mine could play both formats, but his
could only play DVD-R.

According to the database, 4288 models can play -R, 3773 can play +R,
and 3420 can play both.

It's now been well over a year since I found it (and no longer know
its name), but after a Google search I came across a lengthy document
discussing this subject. The most revealing thing was the Original
set of specs. were developed by a consortium including Toshiba and
that was called the DVD-R, which they named DVD dash R, not minus R.
Then roughly a year and half later Sony and their cronies had to muddy
the water (like Beta tapes) and they came up with a different set of
specs, called the DVD+R. That's where all the trouble started. From
then on, we've been forced to check carefully on the box, in the
stores, just which type of disk that device might support. That's
part of why I never buy anything with the Sony label on it anymore.
Just a bunch of power hungry a__holes.

For what it's worth!

 

[Roger Blake]

Then roughly a year and half later Sony and their cronies had to muddy
the water (like Beta tapes) ...

You do realize that Beta tapes came out years *before* VHS, right?

 

[Olin K. McDaniel]

You do realize that Beta tapes came out years *before* VHS, right?

Not really, nor does that really have much to do with the subject
line. For that matter, the original recording tapes were for the
broadcast industry and were much wider than either VHS or Beta. And
as I recall we made the Mylar (Reg T.M.) base for all of them at the
DuPont plants where I was employed. But it still doesn't deny that
Sony and their cronies deliberately tried to muddy the waters with DVD
standards/specs.

Olin McDaniel