DVD Video - Should I use +R or -R

[Spinman]

Just purchased a +/- DVD burner and plan on playing around a bit with it over the weekend.

The clerk in the store stated that current generation DVD players can handle either version of the Media (+r/-r) and that it didn't matter which discs I used.

Unfortunately - I don't have a stand alone player to test out this theory. I play all my DVD's on my computer.

Would I be better to use one or another media for mainstream player compatability?

**************

[CoffeeFiend]

There was a big debate about + or - for compatibility, but there is no straight answer. -R was more popular at first, now +R has more appeal because of faster burning speeds (and DL already in stores). Juse like you said, you don't have a set top yet, and if you ever buy one, then it will support both anyways... It doesn't really matter. Just buy whatever you can get at decent prices by the spindle... I just bought 100 -R's for 40$ USD and they work fine.

[prathapml]

OK, let's get a wide-angle view of the situation:

The +R standard is newer, and is supported by many japanese/korean/US manufacturers. But it is not supported on as many as half of the players being sold in the rest of the world. Older DVD-ROM drives (on computers) below 2x speed don't support the +R format either - and early DVD adopters and second-hand buyers will have many of these. When you are making your DVD, burning onto a "-R" is your best bet to make sure that it will play on all DVD players, from New York to Timbuctoo.

[Spinman]

Thank you both for your replies -

Appreciate the history of -R, that was what I vaguely remembered.

I think I'll start out with that format when I am buring disks for use on other hardware applications...

I'm always a late adopter - I realize the DL is out now, but with limited and relatively expensive media - this gives me a chance to experiment at a lower cost - before I hand down the 4.7g drive to someone else...

[Spinman]

Another related question.

I burned a 4.6g video over the weekend - that just fit onto the 4.7g DVD-R disk.

The burn seemed to go w/o any problems.

**********************

I did note that the Imation Disks I was using did not have any speed referenced on the packaging and that the only burn speed presented by the Roxio program was a max of 2x (instead of the 8x max it is rated for). Should I assume that the lower burn speed is a result of non-certified media? I checked the drive mfg web site - and did not recognize any of the disk manufacturers products - it was almost as if it is in code...

***********************

When I played the DVD I just burned back on my computer - it seemed to take a while for the disk to load - constant flashing of the drive access light - but eventually WMP opened and the movie began to play. About 75% - 80% of the way into the movie - suddenly the entire computer froze - requiring me to stop WMP via the task manager. Each time I tried - it happened again. If I jumped to a late chapter in the movie - I experience freeze-up.

I am assuming that the longer load times and the end-of-disk freeze-up are related. Does this make sense?

Because of the media certification concern - would burning at 1x help eliviate the playback problem?

Thought I'd ask for some opinions b4 I just start burning disks needlessly.

Thanks!

[bizfanatic]

woh... i just read abt this stuff at another forum... can't rem which one though..

anyway... think the DVD+R one... you can adjust the bit settings if your player can't read it... so... more flexibility??