DVD+, DVD-, DVD+/-...which type of drive/media is best?

Looking to get a DVD burner for my desktop, mainly for backup and slideshow creation, but don't know where to start with what type of drive and/or media would be best.

Does anybody have any suggestions, advice, or can point me in the direction of some good articles to read on the subject?

Thanks!

Most modern DVD burners support both formats. Check the reviews on different web sites to get reviews of different models. Most new DVD burns will support dual layer also but at slower speeds than DVD+R or DVR-R.

http://www.videohelp.com and http://www.cdfreaks.com

Both sites are full of reviews from users and reviewers. Like the other fellow stated, most current drives support both +(plus) and -(minus) formats and dual layer so you can have everything covered. Both sites will also help you determine which brand of media you will want to use.

Jason

DavidGr said:

Looking to get a DVD burner for my desktop, mainly for backup and
slideshow creation, but don't know where to start with what type of
drive and/or media would be best.

Does anybody have any suggestions, advice, or can point me in the
direction of some good articles to read on the subject?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

LG do a drive which can handle all formats including dual and RAM.

I am uncertain of which is best for long life but read somewhere that DVD RAM is very good - but slow and expensive.

Richard

Most $40 DVD writers these days support all + - formats, including dual-layer formats, though not all support DVD-RAM or Mt. Ranier.

Although, some are better at ripping (copying music and video) than others, at least with the factory firmware installed.

Media is probably the most important factor, and the sites Jason listed are good for getting info.

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• Eric, http://www.InvisibleRobot.com/

Stick with Verbatim for media or Ritek. As for the grive LG, Samsung are good. Avoid HP and cheapo ones. Minus media is the most compatible with DVD players and a tad cheaper

If you want to do backups I strongly recommend DVD-RAM, its the only format that does hardware error correction during the burn stage, which is why its used in some high-end enterprise systems (some of IBM's large servers use DVD-RAM as a boot disc). You can get the LG Electronics GSA-4163 or 4165 for about $50, and they do everything else too - DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-DL, DVD+DL. DVD-RAM media is a little expensive but you wouldn't be making tonnes of copies, unlike DVD-R where I tend to go through a lot more of them. You can get over 4 gig on a single-sided disc and about 9gig on a double-sided disc (you have to turn it over to use both sides).

For everything else I suggest DVD-R - its more compatible with DVD players and DVD-ROM drives, and media is usually cheapest too.

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Damien

One thing I have learned about DVD burning is how many more problems can happen. One thing for sure, check out the web sites provided by a poster to your question. Of particular concern is the DVDs you choose. I learned the hard way...not all are created equal. These web sites will provide discussions on what DVD manufacturers to avoid.

And, even with good media, I ran into a problem that was just amazing. Because many of these players rotate at such high RPMs, any irregulaties on the DVDs AND CDs can cause read/write problems. Case in point...many of my CDs that I had burned in the past, could not be read by my DVD burner. The reason...I had put those inkjet labels on them...apparently I did not center them properly. So now I just use "appropriate" marking pens to label my DVDs and CDs. Not saying all players have this problem, but it is something to remember.