Why can't CD-RW burners burn DVD discs?

[BrindA17-Kevin]

What makes the DVD-R's incompatible with a CD-RW burner?

[qballcious]

I don't know what makes the DVDR media(discs) incompatable with CDRW burners. Are they?(if the media is empty there are no tracs or data on it..so why wouldn't it work. maybe the CDRW burner's laser isn't powerfull enough to burn the pigment in DVDR media)

But even if you could burn DVDR discs with a CDRW burner you'd still be stuck with a limit of aprox 700MB to 720MB cause the CDRW burners just can't pack the groovepasses or datatracs as close together (physically) as a DVDR burner. (Although the CDRW burners with Mt.Rainier can do 1GB discs)

Why would you wana burn DVD's with a CDRW burner? DVDR media is 10X more expensive as CDR media.

Or did you mean why can't you pack 4.7GB on a DVDR disc with a CDRW burner? Same reason you need a DVD-ROM to read DVD's.

[medievil]

seriously??? Dvd-r's use a completely different dye material, as well as laser frequency and focus width. They are in no way similar to cd-r's, except the are both round and the same diameter.

[Kdiddy]

just another example of someone not bothering to read other information provided on this site BEFORE posting.

[Cornucopia]

also, contrary to what was stated by qballcious above, DVD's that can be recorded to (all 6+ flavors) ALREADY have tracks and grooves. This is what helps guide the laser to keep in line with distance/trackpitch/rotational speed. The laser is just making that "smooth" track a "bumpy" one, so to speak.

They are two completely different beasts, dressed up to look from a distance like brothers.

[vitualis]

Exactly.

DVDs are not CDs. That question is no different to "why can't I record LPs on my CD-RW drive?"

These are different media. DVDs are not CDs. They just both happen to be 12 cm optical media and look similar.

Regards.

[BrindA17-Kevin]

Ok, thanks.