Slashdot article - DVD-R more compatible

[disturbed1]

i accually don't care either -- i am glad they are both around as nothing worse than having only one choice ..

here are some quotes though from Panasonic :

DVD-R media is recognized as being compatible with most existing DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives. Ability to play back DVD-R discs is dependent on the condition of the recording and the disc itself.

During the first three months of 2003, DVD-RAM/-R-format recorders captured 70.2 percent of the U.S. DVD consumer recorder market, according to The NPD Group

Where did you find the Panasonic quote?

I had remembered that statement, and posted in another thread, but couldn't find the source, so I retracted my statement.

Isn't that for Panasonic DVD recorders (set top and PC), and not just DVD-R in general?

[Cornucopia]

I'm not going to rant and rave like other folks. In the end it will be the burner that can burn the fastest. Right now, +R is in the lead @ 8x with the latest plextor. Furthmore, there was a thread here (forgot which one) that showed as speeds increase it would be more difficult for the -r disks/burners to keep up with the +r (something to do with the frequency while burning), thats why the plextor burns +R @ 8x and -R @ 4x. We all dont want to waste anymore time then we have to, compatibility isnt an issue, speed is. If a disk doesnt work, you can burn a new one in 5 minutes.

Wasn't wanting to add to this again, but I do need to say--To some of us, particularly those of us whose profession this is, compatibility is an issue in addition to speed. We have lots of clients--corporate robots and soccer moms (no slight intended)--who have a life that isn't centered around DVD/VCD and they haven't a clue. For them, it had better work right out of the package.
And speed becomes moot when you are forced to redo something because of incompatibility.

Scott

[Neishaverse]

Who the hell cares at this point? Both formats have been out for a very long time, and most stores (Target, Best Buy, Wal Mart, and even Rite Aid Drug Stores) now carry both formats equally.

The last few times I was at Best Buy the prices for either format were almost the same.

In fact 100 TDK's were only $189 for either format.

I have stuck with -R for going on 4 years and also enjoyed my +R for about a year. Both burn perfectly and play in just about every player I have ever tried them in.

I think this battle is very different then the VHS vs. Beta story.
Rental stores reduced their Beta selections and customers went to VHS for the selection.
If you could only rent or buy DVDs that would play on players that were - or + only, then we might see this battle come to an end quicker.
However we don't have this issue.
As long as major stores and online stores carry both formats, both are going to be here a long time.
Also keep in mind Plextor, Sony, TDK, and others are all making burners in dual-formats, so even the people making the drives know it's a war they can't afford to play favorites with. Support both or loose sales, and they want our money!

Just my $0.02

Barney

[lordsmurf]

I have stuck with -R for going on 4 years

Not to pick a fight, but how did you manage this?

I was an early adopter of the -R General drive in 2001 (January) when it debuted, having ordered mine five months later (May 2001) in a Compaq... in fact waiting 3 months (August 2001) for the system because the Pioneer drives couldn't be made fast enough, and at an added cost of about $700 to the system.

And the -R Authoring isn't even 4 years old from what I've heard and seen, and was as much as $15,000.00 in late 2000.

At the time, software was EXTREMELY limited, and it took me almost a year to easily and comfortably make good quality discs. Only in 2002 did software get decent, at least at the sub-thousand$ range, and large strides in 2003. I knew several others in the same boat as myself. We learned because of each other, and at that date, these forums had no information on DVD formats, just VCD stuff. It was e-mails and guides back and forth, much of which has made it into my current guide, as well as the soon-to-exist site.

The +R wasn't even thought of yet when -R came out. Both discs, if made properly, seem fairly interchangeable, though I have a player that refuses any +R media, and it's a gift from this past Christmas. DVD-R is more compatible because it got a head start and the participation of the DVD Forum. Just the way it goes.

[vitualis]

Let's recap on the main conclusions of the survey:

• Modern drives read just about everything and have near 100% compatibility
• For "non-compatible" drives, you can usually find a media brand that will work anyway
• Very very few drives are truly "non-compatible" with one technology type
• Some burners produce more compatible discs in both tech types
• Compatibility issues are mostly limited to older readers

They found the - technology more compatible than the + technology. More compatible not necessarily better.

What is better depends on your context (e.g., compatibility may be most important, price may be more important, or even peer pressure may be more important... )

Regards.

[tompika]

AMEN

[Neishaverse]

Actually that was a typo, I only got my A03 in the early part of 2001.

Didn't want to start an agrument. My mistake.

Barney