DVD -r/w vs +rw??? Which is the way to go!

[pcdvd123]

I just bought an HP 100 I on Ebay for about $230. I haven't installed it yet. Today I see that the Cendyne AD 104 -r/rw is selling for about $300 and less.
My DvD player is an Apex AD_800.

Which is the better drive and format?

The HP will only use +RW and I haven't seen them for less than $4 ea.
I read that it's faster than most of the 2x-r/rw drives, but the +RW only issue is a big one. The disc cost is a major factor. Will they ever be cheap enough to make me want to keep this drive?

I read that the cendyne is slower than the HP but it looks like the -r/rw discs are cheaper.
(If I buy the cendyne I can always return it)

Can anybody post their opinion or suggestions?? The HP is still in the box and I can sell it on Ebay if needed.

Thanks.

[vitualis]

I suggest that you read the recordable DVD section in the DVD FAQ as a starting point...

http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html

Regards.

[jeepman]

$230 for the 100i, ouch. What happend, got into a bidding war? I got the full retail 200i internal for $284.99 before tax from Circuit City. Is there a way to still get the upgrade program for the 100i? That would be another $99, but you would have +R capability.

I got the Ritek +R disks from www.rima.com for $2.30 each in a 10 pak. They have decent pricing on the +RW's too, but I have two already which is good to do a test run before burning to +R. Maybe there +RW pricing will continue to go down, which could make the drive less expensive in the long run.

[Eug]

Sorry, as the previous poster said, you got fleeced.

Options:

1) Upgrade program - probably not an option
2) Sell it and get a Pioneer DVR-104 for under $250.
3) Sell it and get an HP 200i for under $300.

If you're making DVD for playback in a DVD player, the issue with +RW is not media cost. It's compatibility. You'll get much higher compatibility with the write-once media (DVD-R, +R).