The Differences Between DVD-R & DVD+R
DVDs revolutionized the computer and movie industries. These small discs, identical in appearance to CDs, hold several times more information than their predecessors. When shopping for blank DVD media you will often find two different types side-by-side on the shelf: DVD-R and DVD+R. Is there any difference between the two formats?
History
The DVD-R (pronounced DVD "dash" R) standard was developed by Pioneer. It is the older of the two formats and is officially approved by the DVD Forum standards group. Sony, Mitsubishi, Time Warner and Hitachi founded this standards group.
The DVD+R (pronounced DVD "plus" R) standard is supported by the DVD+RW Alliance. This alliance is supported by Dell, JP, Yamaha, Sony and Phillips.
Note that Sony supports both organizations.
Similarities
Both DVD+R and DVD-R are recordable DVD formats that only support being written to once.
Capacity
Single-layer DVD-R discs hold more data than a single-layer DVD+R. DVD-R will hold up to 4,707,319,808 bytes of data while a DVD+R will only hold up to 4,700,372,992 bytes.
Dual-layer DVD+R (DVD+R DL) discs hold more data than Dual-layer DVD-R (DVD-R DL) discs. DVD+R DL discs hold 8,547,991,552 bytes of data while DVD-R DL discs hold 8,543,666,176 bytes of data.
Speed
DVD-R has a top available speed that is higher than DVD+R, but both formats have the same data rate. Top speed for DVD+R is 16x and the top speed for DVD-R is 20x; but if you were to run both formats at the same speed (16x in this example) the data rate for both would be identical, in this case 21.12 MB/s.
Compatibility
In 2009, DVD+R discs are compatible with approximately 89% of DVD players on the market. DVD-R discs are compatible with approximately 93% of DVD players on the market. Both formats are compatible with most DVD-ROMs on the market. Some older DVD players may only be compatible with DVD-R discs.
Conclusion
Unless you have an older DVD player that will not play the DVD+R format, either one should meet your needs. To ensure compatibility with any discs you decide to purchase, take care to purchase a DVD+/-R drive which will handle both formats with ease.
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