DVD-R and DVD-RW
DVD-R was the first DVD recording format released that was compatible with standalone DVD Players.
DVD-R is a non-rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 93% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD-RW is a rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 80% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD-R and DVD-RW supports single side 4.37 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double sided 8.75 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-10).
DVD+R and DVD+RW
DVD+R is a non-rewritable format and it is compatible with about 89% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD+RW is a rewritable format and is compatible with about 79% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD+R and DVD+RW supports single side 4.37 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double side 8.75 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-10).
DVD-R and DVD-RW
DVD-R was the first DVD recording format released that was compatible with standalone DVD Players.
DVD-R is a non-rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 93% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD-RW is a rewriteable format and it is compatible with about 80% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD-R and DVD-RW supports single side 4.37 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double sided 8.75 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-10).
DVD+R and DVD+RW
DVD+R is a non-rewritable format and it is compatible with about 89% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD+RW is a rewritable format and is compatible with about 79% of all DVD Players and most DVD-ROMs.
DVD+R and DVD+RW supports single side 4.37 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-5) and double side 8.75 computer GB* DVDs(called DVD-10).
DVD-R and DVD+R are different competing standards for recordable DVDs. DVD-R is more compatible with older devices such as DVD-ROMs and DVD players, but DVD+R is superior on a technical level. Both of them hold 4.37GB (or thereabouts) per disc.
Then there's DVD+R DL (dual-layer), which is a higher-capacity (and significantly more expensive) version of the DVD+R spec. It holds roughly 2 times the amount of data per disc--close to 9GB per disc.
Almost all DVD burners these days can do at least DVD+/-R and probably DVD+/-RW (which are also different from the plain +/-R specs) as well. So, it probably doesn't matter what media you buy so far as it being +/-R. But it's a good idea to check your burner to see what disc types it takes, just so you don't wind up with a bunch of useless discs.
DoDahDaze; that clears it up some. What started this is I recieved a gift card from Best Buy in the amount of 40.00 dollars. I picked up their sales paper looking for a gift in that price range or something I could use .We had just puchased a computer with dual DVDs on it one of them DVD + /- RW w/dbl layer write capability. I found these DVDs for sale at what seem like a good buy ;but Best Buy had them at 100 pack DVD + R discs or 100 pack DVD - R discs ; I didn't know there was 2 different kind until then. Hey if you have read this for ; how much difference is the speeds of 16x, through 48x which you see on the drive speeds ? Do you need to match the speeds like have a 16 x DVD-Rom Drive + running with a dual 16x DVD +/- RW so you can make a copy of what you are running on the DVD- Rom drive+, without saving it to your computer?I'm assuming the 48x is faster ; but is it enough faster to make any difference? Thanks for the help.
The speed is important to match. You need to match how fast your DVD drive can write to the speed of the disk you place into it. Yes there is a significant difference between 4X and 48X.
I would suggest you take a look at this site for a quick tutorial about all of the DVD options.