Why do you HAVE to have +/- R burner?

[vice86]

They both do the same job...just wondering why people are waiting to buy the dual formats..why would you need to have have the choise to burn - or +....either way its gonna work. Just wondering. I have a 4x burner but still burn 2x...too afraid to burn at 4x in fear of being an unreliable burn.

[orbital517]

I like the dual format burners because I can pick up any dvd media that is on sale............regardless on what format it is.

[vice86]

thats a good point...but most places I've been to have both - and + media on sale at the same time...sometimes not.

[LanEvo7]

The idea is to be prepared for the future and you can basically use whatever media you like to avoid confusion.

My opinion on the subject is you should just buy a -R and +R burner seperately. You can find 4x +R and -R burners for about $150 each, so why go and spend $350 on a Sony Dual burner.

[housepig]

look at it like this -

it's 1981. You can buy a Betamax or a VHS vcr... or you could buy one machine that plays both.

Some of us want to know that if one format wins the war, we're not going to be stuck wtih a useless device...

[rhegedus]

I just wanted maximum choice of media to ensure compatibility with my set-top DVD player.

[TBoneit]

a. So I can buy whatever Brand Name media is on sale...

b. So I can burn whatever of the four supported formats is needed for relatives when i send em copies of home movies on DVD.

c. So I could use whatever the DVD players in the house needed... Turns out they work with all four formats fine.

d. I prefer +R as they seem to finalize quicker than -R format.\

Cheers.

[yautja666]

I have about four DVD players (2 decks, 1 ps2, 1 portable) and only one of those will play the +R format, while the rest *have* to be -R. Considering that most decks only have a finite amount of life in them, it's nice to have the +R option open for using in replacement players in the future (and also just in case -R should lose).

For me, it's all a matter of which format the majority of my machines will play.

[vric]

The idea is to be prepared for the future and you can basically use whatever media you like to avoid confusion.

My opinion on the subject is you should just buy a -R and +R burner seperately. You can find 4x +R and -R burners for about $150 each, so why go and spend $350 on a Sony Dual burner.

this is exactly what I think too !

[VCD GURU]

But why does it have to be dvd+r or dvd-r?

The original DVD's that are sold in shops are neither right?

So why can we make a "DVD"!? not +/-.

Just a simple DVD.

What does it take?

It has to be possible since the once that are professional are not + or -.

Any1 have a clue?

[Donny661]

because a dvd in the store is pressed and dvd-/+r means it is recordable with a consumer dvd recorder. Kind of like the cd-r media; only that there wasn't another format someone came up with and called it cd+r. the dvd at the store can also have two layers while a recordable can only have one.

[thxkid]

I have both and only found 2 players that would not play a format and it was the -R and thats in my new portable also.

[SLICK RICK]

I like having the option to burn + or -. I rather not be restricted to a particular one.

SLICK RICK

[CloudBurst]

Because I wanted an external burner. By the time you buy a burner and an external enclosure and deal with whatever incompatibilities there are between the 2. I just decided to buy the external sony and get all formats to boot. It may have cost a little more but hey it's only money...

[mkelley]

tboneit is right -- it's because you never know what media is going to be on sale. What if you buy a -R player and then wake up one day to find quality +R media on sale for half the price?

And for those who want to buy two -- come on, get real. That's just silly, a waste of precious computer resources. You're going to need to get a DVD-ROM if you want to rip any movies anyway (since no burner will rip at greater than 2x) so you had better have a pretty big tower case to stick them all in (or lots of disk space for plenty of externals). Not to mention the fact you'll be multipying your problems of getting your burner to work properly, correct drivers, etc. etc by two. Why not get a separate printer to print color and one to do b/w? (Hey, some people have both -- but they have more time/money than I'll ever have).

Get the Sony or the upcoming Pioneer and don't worry about it.

[LanEvo7]

Getting two has its advantages. If one breaks, you don't need to throw the whole thing away. Besides you can hack the A05 to bypass the rip speed limit. Getting two different drives is still cheaper than getting a dual burner, so why pay more?

[tjtoed]

Getting two has its advantages. If one breaks, you don't need to throw the whole thing away. Besides you can hack the A05 to bypass the rip speed limit. Getting two different drives is still cheaper than getting a dual burner, so why pay more?

one word - Simplicity.

[LanEvo7]

I am not arguing the good points of having a dual burner, they are all valid. I am just pointing out the advantages of having two different burners.

[oldfart13]

I don't know where in Canada you can get two separate drives that cost less than a single dual format drive. Example:

Futureshop A05 is $400CAD while a similar speed HP (+ only) is also $400CAD. The Sony DRU500A is $575 while the Lite-On dual (at another store I frequent) is $475CAD. Where can I get 2 4X drives in Canada, one being +R/RW and the other -R/RW for $400CAD??

[vric]

I don't know where in Canada you can get two separate drives that cost less than a single dual format drive. Example:

Futureshop A05 is $400CAD while a similar speed HP (+ only) is also $400CAD. The Sony DRU500A is $575 while the Lite-On dual (at another store I frequent) is $475CAD. Where can I get 2 4X drives in Canada, one being +R/RW and the other -R/RW for $400CAD??

LG drive is 239$ Pioneer can be found at 315$ Now..

a NEC +RW drive can be found on ebay at about 120$US (170$Can)
both are same price as Liteon...

Will ppl ever learn that Futureshop don't always have best price ?

[txpharoah]

Why have both -R and +R ?
Well, they each have different uses, they are NOT identical.

In general, the +R was made for data.
And the -R was made for video.

We may not see them used that way, but that's why the specs for each are made the way they are.

It's convenience for the most part.

[Suave74]

For the guy that said there is no drive that rips faster then 2x.. I have A liteon DVD rom that came with my Dell that rips @ just over 7x. I also have a nec dvd+rw. If I had have know that dvd-r are way cheaper then the +r I would have got to duel burner instead of my dvd+rw one, but ol well im stuck with it...

[hotwings]

For the guy that said there is no drive that rips faster then 2x.. I have A liteon DVD rom that came with my Dell that rips @ just over 7x. I also have a nec dvd+rw. If I had have know that dvd-r are way cheaper then the +r I would have got to duel burner instead of my dvd+rw one, but ol well im stuck with it...

I think he meant dvd burners. It is a well known fact that liteon dvd roms are some of the fastest rippers. I have one myself, but my dru00a caps at 2x for ripping.

[mkelley]

For the guy that said there is no drive that rips faster then 2x.. I have A liteon DVD rom that came with my Dell that rips @ just over 7x. I also have a nec dvd+rw. If I had have know that dvd-r are way cheaper then the +r I would have got to duel burner instead of my dvd+rw one, but ol well im stuck with it...

You obviously did not read or perhaps understand my post. I said "no burner rips faster than 2x so you are going to need a DVD-ROM". Like a liteon.

Point being you will need two DVD drives if you are going to rip, and then if you want *another* drive (instead of a dual +/- drive) well, that's a whole lotta drives and drive bays (not to mention losing the simplicity one writer mentioned).

I suspect that once Pioneer releases their dual drive this whole discussion will become moot. Anyone want to give me odds that by this time next year you won't be *able* to buy a single format drive? (At least, one that isn't a DVD-RAM)

[oldfart13]

That NEC ISN't a 4X is it? If not, then it's apples and oranges. I've heard that the NECs have problems anyway. Sure, I can get OLD drives to fit the bill, but new stuff? Nah....

Also, I wanted Canadian prices with Canadian sources. I don't want to pay extra for shipping, duty and taxes. Lotsa prices quoted on this site seem to be from "International Buyers" which usually excludes me when buying this kind of hardware. If I can't return it in town, then I don't want to mess with it. Been burned before...

[Remco]

tboneit is right -- it's because you never know what media is going to be on sale. What if you buy a -R player and then wake up one day to find quality +R media on sale for half the price?

And for those who want to buy two -- come on, get real. That's just silly, a waste of precious computer resources. You're going to need to get a DVD-ROM if you want to rip any movies anyway (since no burner will rip at greater than 2x) so you had better have a pretty big tower case to stick them all in (or lots of disk space for plenty of externals). Not to mention the fact you'll be multipying your problems of getting your burner to work properly, correct drivers, etc. etc by two. Why not get a separate printer to print color and one to do b/w? (Hey, some people have both -- but they have more time/money than I'll ever have).

Get the Sony or the upcoming Pioneer and don't worry about it.

Hey, I'm a consumer myself and logically I want the best price/quality media I can get my hands on. However it's now the principal of the thing and I will only support DVD-R all the way and recommend it to everybody who asks...

See the discussion in these threads :

http://forum.firmware-flash.com/viewtopic.php?t=14429
http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?t=14320

br,
Remco

[Alnath]

In general, the +R was made for data.
And the -R was made for video.

Why are the majority TV DVD recorders the + format then? I was under the impression - was not suitable for video until Pioneer applied a software fix. Where as + was designed to accomodate video from the start, maybe i am wrong.

I have a + burner and i am happy, every disc has worked in every standalone i have tried. If i had bought a - burner i would have been just as happy i suppose. I bought what i bought because the burner was very cheap when compaired to a - drive, that was the only reason.

People that spend all there time dismissing one format over the other need to get out more i reckon. It isnt a VHS Vs Beta war and thanks to dual burners media will be available for both formats for ages because there will not ever be a clear winner now. If there had been a VHS/Beta VCR i dare most people would have rented VHS but recorded Beta.

[LanEvo7]

Who cares they both work the same way. Plus they work in each other's drives, its not like betamax and VHS where it didn't fit into each other.

[henry_nettles]

I have owned a dual format Sony for the last 6 months, and I can offer these observations:

1. For cheap media, you cannot beat DVD-R discs. If low cost of media is a factor, you definitely want DVD-R.

2. When you are trying out new things, attempting to learn how to backup movies, just trying to find out what works, using rewriteable discs is a very nice feature. DVD+RW works MUCH better than DVD-RW.

As far as buying two drives (one + and one -) for the cost of a dual format drive, I think those days are gone. ACCUPC is selling the dual format optorite for $199, with free shipping. See this link

http://www.accupc.com/itemDetail.jsp?pid=DROPDD0203

[SaSi]

1. For cheap media, you cannot beat DVD-R discs. If low cost of media is a factor, you definitely want DVD-R.

2. When you are trying out new things, attempting to learn how to backup movies, just trying to find out what works, using rewriteable discs is a very nice feature. DVD+RW works MUCH better than DVD-RW.

My point exactly. Although I was not planning to, I bought a SONY DRU500A in January. After looking at the models available, I was decided for a Pioneer A05 since December. However, I just could not find any DVD recorder during Christmas. And once I found a store having a bundle of SONYs at a slightly reduced price, I went for it.

I only used DVD+R media once. They were rather expensive compared to -R media and the 0.4 extra speed did not make any real difference. However, recording 300Mb on a +R is almost 4 times faster than a -RW. The reason is that I cannot find any 2X -RW media and that -RW requires lead-out, while +RW doesn't appear to require that. Also, erasing a +RW is a five second task while a -RW requires almost a minute. (This is because +RW media doesn't actually require an erase).

In terms of compatibility, I have seen no difference in the DVD Players that I use, however two DVD-ROM drives, an old BTC on the office PC and a small Panasonic DVD-CD-RW on a notebook that I use don't seem to like the +RWs. Luckily, my main Pioneer 116 DVD-ROM doesn't seem to care. So practically, compatibility is still an issue.

For an extra $50 in the price, I think that a +/- combination is worth it. Just keeps your options open.