DVD+R or DVD-R ?

[JustSomeDude]

When I first got into DVD burning 6-7 years ago, it seemed that DVD-R was the most compatible. However, now it seems that DVD+R is the more widely stocked media and the "default" media of choice.

What's the big difference between the two? Is one better than the other, and what should I be using for general data storage? Is there a different choice if my intent is to play back a movie on a standard DVD set top box?

[~Barn~]

This may be helpful. (http://netforbeginners.about.com/cs/multimedia/a/DVD_explained.htm)

In a nutshell DVD-R was the most compatible, earliest, of the 2. Older DVD players were more capable of reading DVD-R/RW than DVD+R/RW, and thus why it was so prominent in the early days.

The shift in hardware tech, that has made more (and better) use of the subtle difference in the two, has caused the same shift that you are seeing now with DVD "plus" being more available and stocked. :up:

[TT5.0]

DVD-R is the original format made and approved by the DVD Forum or DVD Consortium. It is the official writable DVD format.

DVD+R was made by a bunch of companies that got together to make a writable DVD format. The DVD Forum/Consortium did not want to approve this format initially, but I think they have finally.

It's really just another format war that ended up with us having two very similar formats to accomplish the same thing.