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| Posted by | Jan Willem |
| Posted on | 11/04/03 17:40 |
What is important when looking for a DVD recorder?
As a consumer you prefer to get the best product for the lowest price. When you are buying a DVD recorder you will need to know the issues related to buying a DVD recorder. One of the main issues will be compatibility. If you buy a DVD recorder and the discs do not play in the devices you intended, you will be disappointed. Another issue is that it has the functionality you want. We have tried to determine if there are any differences on the hardware level that makes one of the formats superior to the other. When looking at the technical details you will notice that they do not differ a whole lot, many issues seem to be software related. So issues that remain are compatibility and price.
When looking at some of the research performed by independent companies, there isn't really one format that is much more compatible than the other, DVD-R and DVD+R are compatible with about 90% of the devices while DVD-RW and DVD+RW are compatible with about 70%. If you buy either a DVD plus or a DVD minus recorder you also have the option to try DVD recordable media of several manufacturers/brands and it is likely you will find one combination that will play in your DVD player. Although compatibility is an issue, it seems to be improving a lot lately and the chance that you'll find a combination of DVD media, a DVD recorder and a DVD player that works is very, very high. Both formats are in general compatible with each other. However be warned, if a device claims it reads both DVD+RW and DVD-RW it might not work with the media you bought. In case it doesn't, try different media.
So it's all about the Benjamins (money)?
At the moment it seems that only price makes a real difference when buying a DVD recorder but another issue is availability. From our perspective DVD plus has a better marketing machine and is more offensive in putting their format on the market as having more functionality. DVD minus seems to be more defensive and has to battle everything DVD plus is saying. However most technical advances marketed by DVD plus seem to be software based and there is no reason for DVD minus to not implement the features that are currently marketed by DVD plus. According to both spokesmen the current market situation is pretty stable and numbers are 50/50, so none of the formats is currently clearly ahead. However it must be said that DVD plus has entered the market after DVD minus.
Another important factor is that Taiwanese and South Korean companies are not supporting one of the formats, they support both. Companies like LG, Lite-On, Samsung and Benq are key players on the market and LG and Lite-On have already announced to be releasing dual format recorders for less then 200 EURO/Dollar. At this moment DVD plus media and recorders are more expensive than DVD minus equipment, and according to both spokesmen this has nothing to do with a structural problem. The production of both media types is technically about the same and there is no reason for DVD plus to be more expensive other then less production. Once both formats have about the same output of recordable discs, it is expected that the prices of both will also be about the same.
As for Microsoft supporting the DVD plus format, this might be seen as an important issue, however this is only a small step. Technically it is relatively simple to implement support for both formats.
The market decides.
If we need to give an advice on what format to buy we will go with the same approach as the South Korean and Taiwanese companies, the market decides. It is important to know that DVD plus is supported by Dell and HP, both are number one and number two of the PC building market. They have a large market share, and they are key factors in promoting the DVD formats. The largest share of the PC market is in their hands (meaning most consumers who buy a new PC, buys from them) and it is likely that their support will give the DVD plus format a large boost. HP has already announced it will start to ship DVD plus drives as standard equipment in their PC's. If Dell will also follow this trend it won't take long before DVD plus recorders can be found in many homes.
This will raise the demand of DVD plus recordable discs and make them cheaper. Once the media is cheaper there will likely be a larger demand for DVD plus recorders and media, possibly making them cheaper again, creating a larger demand again, etc. This scenario is very likely and therefore if we have to pick one format as a winner, we would pick DVD plus.
Does
this mean DVD minus will leave the market? We don't think so. There is no reason
to believe that DVD minus is less superior than DVD plus and there are already
millions of happy owners of DVD minus drives. We also expect that development of
DVD minus drives will continue. (according to Pioneer the maximum writing speed will be about 16 speed). We however expect that the price of media and drives will make the difference.
So our conclusion
Although dual format recorders might not be the real solution from a consumers perspective we would advice to buy one. The dual format recorder allows you to buy the cheapest media and if you are lucky you will be able to find both DVD minus and DVD plus media that works with your DVD player.
LG and Lite-On both announced that they will sell dual format drives for about 200 EURO/Dollar. In the CD recordable era they have build up the reputation of making quality drives for a very good price. Knowing this there is no reason to pick one format, as the price for a one format and a dual format will likely to be very close. There is however one problem: Availability! At this moment (April 2003) only Sony is able to ship dual format recorders and they are still pretty expensive.
In case you can't wait and want to buy a DVD recorder you will need to chose between DVD plus and DVD minus. If you want our advice, we think a DVD plus recorder will currently be the best choice for the long term.
We however
want to add that in case you have a DVD minus, or plan to buy one, this is still
not a bad choice, but likely not the best.
Backgrounds
Otherwise it is misleading, a reader may very well go out and buy a DVD+ recorder to find that what he/she has recorded in + can't be played by their DVD- player.
I myself bought a Pioneer A05, becasue my current DVD theatre system only supports minus as does all older gen players.
To me the compatibility thing seems to be a myth.
The only time I run into problems is with PC DVD Roms.
Also how about mentioning recording speeds +R does do at least 2.4x wher you can be stuck with 1x with DVD-R (though not much anymore)
+/- R but neither +/- RW so I went and bought a cheap new Sony DVD player for 80.00 and it plays ALL ! Problem solved !!
The only problem I got was an older DVD-Rom player who didn't like DVD+R's [NEC in this case].
I use both -R/RW and +R/RW. I like the +RW the best because it is the fastest, formats in seconds, 2.4x instead of 1x [If you dont pay attention to the version of the -RW].
For -R and +R, I don't have a preference to either, the cheapest that work are fine....
With regard to -r 1x writing i think you will find that with the new firmware releases most -r writers now write at 2x and some even at 4x
Your conclusion was ...... NO CONCLUSION at all.
Very bad. There is only one writer, the Sony which records both formats, so what you have said is, you don't see any reason not to buy a Sony. Good advertisement.
The other DVD writers are vaporware, they don't EXIST !!
Whether you burn in -R and +R format, it should play on all DVD players.
So blow some money and only buy the Sony, great conclusions. You must get demos at cdfreaks.
Here is my question can I burn on a DVD-R
Or am I only able to use DVD+R Which have been working but there is more sales on the DVD-R then the plus . I can more then likely play them both on my player which is made to play all burned DVD's and CD's thank you .
Here is my question can I burn on a DVD-R
Or am I only able to use DVD+R Which have been working but there is more sales on the DVD-R then the plus . I can more then likely play them both on my player which is made to play all burned DVD's and CD's thank you .
but as of yet no-one has successfully done so. The above case is the only one I know of, other DVD+R(W) drives will always be limited to recording DVD+R(W) media only.
thnak you very much once again. (cd+r cd -r) if anyone can help send to
Martypellow@tesco.net
What is the format "the big boys" use?
Certainly there must be a format used to produce professional DVDs, movies and TV shows on disc. The ones that play in EVERYONE'S player? WHY don't they use THAT format (whatever it is) in home recorders, and bring the format war to a grinding halt?
Hi all, I'm really confused about this whole deal! I've got a JVC DR-MV5 which records to DVD-R and DVD-RW, but can play back all formats including Dual Layer movies.
When I record from my Satellite Receiver to a DVD-R and then try to play that DVD-R on any other DVD player, it doesn't play! I've also tried dozens of times putting part-filled as well as filled-to-capacity DVD-Rs, which were also recorded on the JVC into my PC. Under "Properties" in "My Computer" it says the disc has 0 bytes used as well as 0 bytes free!! I can't seem to make DVD-Rs to watch in another room or on my PC!! My PC has a multi drive supporting multi format read and write and I've tried my DVD-Rs on a few different DVD players with no luck.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated as I've been stuck on this for a year now
Thank you very much in advance!
I am still confused
Recordable DVDs, +R, -R, or any other kind, are specifically designed to be created by a lazer beam in your DVD recorder.
Commercially produced DVDs are created using a manufacturing process that involves creating a glass master, then using that master to create bulk copies. This process physically cannot be done by a dvd recorder's lazer beam using the same materials. Google DVD replication to learn more, and contrast it with duplication.
Investing in the equipment to produce these at home is not a realistic proposition for most people.
There are DVD replication companies who can take your home-produced DVD and use it to produce commercial dvds, but this is cost effective really only if you are producing a 100 or more of the same DVD. (Many service providers offer a minimum run of 500, a few will do much smaller quantities but at a much higher unit cost).
You most likely haven't "Finalised" your discs, you need to do this in order to make them playable in other players other than your JVC machine.
If you don't "finalise" the disc then you can only watch your disc in your JVC machine or pewrhaps other JVC recorders. Refer to your user manual as to how you can "finalise" your discs.
(But the manual isn't very comprehensive, some error messages that show on screen are not mentioned in the manual)
But my problem is, I have written a home movie to DVD using Sothink software which should make it readable on any DVD player. I used DVD-R as my dad's JVC DR-MV5 says it accepts this kind of disc. The player seems to recognise the disc (DVD-R lights up) but it won't play it. I was told to write to the DVD-R at slow speed, as apparently the DR-MV5 cannot read it if it was written at 8x (as my computer writes it if the disc allows), so I wrote the DVD again at 2x speed, but my dad's DVD player still won't play it. Other DVD players do. Any suggestions welcome. I live in Ireland, my dad lives in England, when I visit i try this & that & get frustrated! I don't even have a TV at home. I just use the PC.
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