I understand the answer to this could be in current issue of CV but it wont be available here (Sydney) for some time
I am trying to decide on either the Pioneer AO4 (dvd-r/rw) or the SonyDRU-120A (dvd+r/rw)
Which format can produce a dvd that will play in the widest variety of set top players?
Any imput appreciated
Graham Eather
Hi Graham
DVD-R/RW seems to be the best bet for max compatabity with set-top players. If you search through this forum you'll find much previous discussion. Also there's an excellent article here:
http://www.dv.com/
HTH
Dave
I think I would be so bold as to suggest "-R" is the obvious front runner by miles - no question.
And furthermore - I challenge ANYBODY out there to recommend "+R" .... and I don't think ANYONE will do so.....
I've recently taken delivery of a new Dell PC which has a DVD writer as standard. It's a Phillips DVD+RW. Dell have adopted the DVD+R standard. Downside is that it doesn't write to DVD+R but I've read that the 2nd generation of these drives due out very soon will do so. So having been blessed with a DVD+RW because it came with the Pc and for no other reason, I went into the local TV shop with a disk and asked the guy to see which DVD player would be compatible. The first one he tried was a Pioneer DV545 and this played my DVD+RW disc perfectly. The box said DVD-R compatible so it seems that DVD-R & +R new players might play both without a hitch. Perhaps this forum might start a log of compatibility for both. I can start off with the Pioneer DV545.
I know almost all the postings on here relate to DVD-R but would be nice to see some +R postings for those of us who have gone a different route for whatever reason.
Tony
The new Philips dvd R+/RW+ writer model DVDR 985 has an ilink input.So hopefuly soon we should get some reports of R+ compatability.
Ray Maher
Hi
DVD-R and +R are virtually the same technology. However there are differences in compatibility. +R is less compatible than DVD-R when written to according to the DVD specs which would mean it writes the correct flag to the disc to identify it as a +R write-once disc. DVD-R always flags itself as a DVD-R disc, and because of the time it has been in the market, and the push of the DVD Forum and manufacturers support, players recognise these discs. This is why you can buy a player with support for DVD-R and have some guarantee it will work.
Most +RW/+R recorders cheat, and write a DVD-ROM flag to the +R discs. So a DVD player recognises the disc as a DVD-ROM. As the DVD Forum does not approve +R they can do this. This allows players that would have refused to play +R as they do not recognise the flag to have an attempt at playing the disc.
This is not without some issues. DVD-ROMs can be read at higher speeds than write-once discs, so a player may start to play it too fast, causing intermittent problems or odd behaviour. This also means compatibility is always going to be a hit and miss affair. Even where a DVD Player is sold as supporting +R (non are at the moment), it will not even know it is playing one if it has the wrong flag on the +R disc, and will calibrate itself incorrectly, so the best performance is not guaranteed.
Sony, a founder member of +RW Alliance, in a press report, has indicated that it intends not to support +R at all in its own manufactured set-top recorders. (They have been selling DVD-RW/DVD-R recorders in Asia but these have been OEM'd from Pioneer.) In Asia their own made set-top recorders are only likely to support DVD-RW and DVD-R. In Europe/America it could be possible that the recorders support +RW, DVD-RW, and DVD-R, but again no +R support. Sony is also pushing DVD-RW and DVD-R in its range of computers, which is odd considering they are one of the main founders of the +RW Alliance. Could it be +RW/+R days are already numbered?
See this thread for more info: [url] [url="http://www.dv-info.net/cgi-bin/ib/ikonboard.cgi?s=3d1ef1405076ffff;act=ST;f=5;t=22[/url]"]http://www.dv-info.net/cgi-bin/ib/ikonboard.cgi?s=3d1ef1405076ffff;act=ST;f=5;t=22[/url][/url]
Regards
Philip