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Understanding DVD Formats
A lot of consumers are still wary of purchasing DVD recorders, and for good reason. There are many competing formats on the market, and possibly more on the way.

I talk to people that are interested in purchasing a DVD recorder, but are fearful that the format they settle on may become obsolete in a year or two. The benefits of recording to DVD over CD-R are such that, if you have a few bucks, I still encourage people to go for it. In my estimation, the trick is to look for a drive that has flexibility in the formats it can work with. Here is a quick guide to current DVD Formats:
DVD-ROM has a storage capacity of 4.7GB, can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers, but cannot be written to by the user.

DVD-R can record on 4.7GB and 9.4GB DVD-R discs, can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers, but can only be written to once by the user.

DVD-RAM is available in capacities up to 9.4GB, is re-writable many times, but can only be accessed in a DVD-RAM drive, and cannot be used in set top DVD players or computers equipped with DVD-ROM drives.

DVD-RW can be written to up to 1,000 times, can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers, but may not play back on some older or entry-level DVD systems.

DVD+R can record on 4.7GB DVD+R discs, can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers equipped with DVD-ROM drives.

DVD+RW can record on 4.7GB DVD+RW discs, can be accessed in set top DVD players and computers equipped with DVD-ROM drives, but may not play back on some older or entry-level DVD systems. For more info on this subject, check out this excellent resource.

05 May 2003  |   permalink