DVD Question [Archive] - Zeropaid Forums

CCSDUDE

March 30th, 2003, 02:49 PM

Taken from www.theonlybob.com (which was taken from another site....lol)

What's the difference between the various DVD recordable formats, and what should I buy?

Currently there are many writeable and rewriteable formats on the market and it can be confusing to the average consumer. These formats include:

DVD-RAM
DVD-R
DVD-RW
+R
+RW

DVD-RAM

DVD-RAM is a format originally aimed primarily as a data solution, but it is now becoming popular as a video format used by some brands of standalone (non-PC) DVD recorders. Early PC-based DVD-RAM recorders used 2.6 GB discs (or double-sided 5.2 GB discs), but current drives also use 4.7 GB discs (or double-sided 9.4 GB discs). DVD-RAM discs are traditionally housed within cartridges which cannot be opened, so that the media is well-protected. Newer Type II and Type IV cartridges can be opened however, an important feature for those who wish to read these discs in DVD-RAM compatible DVD-ROM drives or standalone DVD players. In addition, some DVD-RAM discs are now sold without cartridges.

DVD-RAM is a sanctioned format of the DVD Forum, a consortium of companies involved in the development of DVD standards. DVD-RAM is a very robust data storage solution, theoretically allowing greater than 100000 rewrites per disc. In addition to support of the usual DVD UDF formats, DVD-RAM also allows fully integrated OS-level random read/write access similar to a hard drive, in both Windows XP (with FAT32) and Mac OS X (with FAT32 or HFS+), as well as on-the-fly write verification. The main drawback of the DVD-RAM format is its limited read compatibility by DVD-ROM drives and standalone DVD players. DVD-RAM read support with these units is increasing however.

DVD-R and DVD-RW

DVD-R and DVD-RW are also both sanctioned formats of the DVD Forum. Both formats generally use 4.7 GB discs, although some DVD-R drives use 3.95 GB discs.
DVD-R is a write-once recordable format which allows excellent compatibility with both standalone DVD players and DVD-ROM drives. There are two main types of DVD-R discs: DVD-R for General Use and DVD-R for Authoring. Most consumer DVD-R burners use the cheaper General Use discs, while many higher end professional burners use Authoring discs. The correct media type appropriate for the recorder must be used when burning a DVD-R. However, once written, the discs should be able to be read in either drive type. (General Use DVD-R is designed to prevent backup of encrypted commercial DVDs.)

DVD-RW media uses rewriteable discs which are rated for more than 1000 rewrites in ideal situations. The majority of standalone DVD players will play video recorded on DVD-RW discs, but the compatibility is not as high as with DVD-R.

Current DVD-RW recorders also record to DVD-R. However, the reverse is not always true. Some DVD-R recorders are not capable of writing to DVD-RW discs (although some may be able to read DVD-RW discs burned with other drives).

DVD-RW and DVD-R have heavy penetration into the multimedia market as well as the general consumer market. For instance, the Apple SuperDrive, found in higher end Mac computers used in multimedia creation, is simply a DVD-R/DVD-RW (and CD-R/CD-RW) capable burner.

+R and +RW

These two formats are backed by the DVD+RW Alliance. While these formats are not sanctioned by the DVD Forum, several members of the DVD+RW Alliance are also members of the DVD Forum. Technically, “DVD” is not to be used in the names for these formats, since they are not approved by the DVD Forum. However, in reality, these discs are very similar to DVD-R and DVD-RW in design, usage, and compatibility.

+RW, like DVD-RW, is a rewriteable 4.7 GB format, and overall it has similar functionality to DVD-RW. One potential future advantage of the +RW format is the optional Mount Rainier drag-and-drop file access support (also known as +MRW) planned for future versions of Windows. However, current drives do not support Mount Rainier on +RW. The level of compatibility of +RW discs in standalone DVD players is similar to that of DVD-RW. The rewritability of +RW is also said to be similar to that of DVD-RW.

+R is a format that was introduced to consumers in early 2002. It must be noted, however, that first generation +RW recorders do not support +R recording, and likely cannot be upgraded to do so. If one wishes to have +R burning functionality, one must purchase a recent drive specifically designed to do so. +R discs currently are somewhat more expensive than DVD-R discs, but prices will likely drop with time. Compatibility of +R discs in standalone DVD players is similar to that of DVD-R.

Can I have it all?

Combinations of several of the formats are possible with some drives. Recorders that conform to the DVD Forum’s new DVD Multi Recorder standard will record to DVD-RAM, DVD-R, and DVD-RW. Other recorders also record to both +R/+RW and DVD-R/DVD-RW. In addition to the various DVD formats, many drives will record to CD-R and CD-RW. However, as of November 2002, no single recorder is able to record to all of the DVD Forum and DVD+RW Alliance formats.

So what should I buy then?

This is a very difficult question. The choice largely depends on one's usage environment and preferences.

DVD-RAM discs cannot be used in most standalone DVD players and DVD-ROM drives, and this has historically made this format less attractive for the average home user. However, the integrated OS-level drag-and-drop read/write data support of DVD-RAM makes it very attractive for some users, especially now that most current DVD-RAM burners also support DVD-R burning for video applications. DVD-RAM capable PC drives will also be ideal for those whom already own DVD-RAM based camcorders or standalone DVD-RAM recorders.

DVD-R/DVD-RW drives currently have the highest market penetration, both with PCs and Macs. As previously mentioned, DVD-R enjoys high compatibility with standalone DVD players. In addition, the low cost of DVD-RW is attractive to many for backup purposes (with the use of third party software and/or drivers). Furthermore, most standalone DVD players will read DVD-RW as well, although the compatibility rate is significantly lower than with DVD-R.

+R and +RW are beginning to gain market share, and these discs appear to have similar compatibility on standalone DVD players as compared to DVD-R are DVD-RW, respectively. Current functionality with these drives is similar to DVD-R and DVD-RW drives, both for data and for video applications, and recent experience suggests that +R/+RW drives are equally reliable.

And of course, as mentioned earlier, newer multiformat drives exist (albeit often at higher cost).

What about external DVD recorders?

DVD recorders exist in SCSI and IDE formats. Most external DVD recordable drives are essentially IDE drives with USB 2 or Firewire 1394a bridges and custom housing. These drives can be purchased as complete drives, but one may purchase a standard IDE DVD burner for use in a third party USB 2 or Firewire enclosure. Besides ease of installation, an external drive offers the ability to use a single drive with multiple computers.

Compatibility of external drives is not guaranteed with all software, however.

Can I record DVDs on my laptop?

Yes! Generally, to record DVD on a laptop one would need to use an external drive, connected to a Firewire or USB 2 port on the laptop. This port can be either built-in or on an add-in PCMCIA adapter card. Also, new laptops have appeared which include DVD burners as the primary optical drive.