DVD-R standard?

[M4LFUNCT10N]

So, what's the lowdown on DVD-R right now? I keep thinking about the PC I'm going to build, and well, I just keep adding stuff to it! I'm thinking that an AIW 9800 Pro NEEDS a DVD burner. Then I could save my shows to DVD.

[DiscoDave]

DVD-R is still a little more compatable with dvd settop boxes than DVD+R, but DVD+R is much faster for random access storage (ie, for backups).

If you're going to get one, get a dual format. :rup:

[M4LFUNCT10N]

That's what I was planning on. $104 for dual format 8x drive.

[DiscoDave]

I hear the Sony and Plextor units are good. :rup:

[ghrogels]

ooooooooo, dude, on TechTV the other day, they were talking about plextor and how their 8x drives burn DVDs like crap. ie, you'll end up with a whole bunch of 5$ costers.

they suggestord going with maybe a different brand or a slower drive, untill the technology gets better

[DiscoDave]

Really?

:shrug: That'll be the first bad thing I've heard about Plextor.

[Stumanji]

This thread makes my brain hurt... I need a coloring book.

[ghrogels]

Originally posted by DiscoDave
Really?

:shrug: That'll be the first bad thing I've heard about Plextor.

maybe the guy just got a bad drive/didn't know wtf he was doing?

isn't there like epinions and nexttag to tell you this kind of stuff?

[DiscoDave]

Originally posted by ghrog
isn't there like epinions and nexttag to tell you this kind of stuff?
Yea...but I'm FAAAR too lazy.

I would suggest before buying any new cutting edge type technology (and dvd-burners qualify, imo) the buyer run a quick google web and newsgroup search just to see what people are saying about the hardware.

[Excessive]

Slow and steady wins the race. If I buy a DVD burner soon I will go for reliability over speed.

[ghrogels]

Originally posted by Excessive
Slow and steady wins the race. If I buy a DVD burner soon I will go for reliability over speed.
QFE

exactly dude, also (am not quite sure) its probably loads cheaper for the slow and steady drive that doesn't turn into a coster factory.

and i bet in like 1~2 years DVD+-RW drives will be ridiculusly cheap; just like how CD-RW drives prices fell

hell, they already are!
70$ cheapest one on pricewatch.com

[TOOGAM]

Sony has announced that they're making a dual-layer burner. I think it's expected in a year. DVD-R is most standard. From what I've read, DVD+R is a ridiculous change in the standard (storing pits on the walls that make grooves, instead of in the holes that are the grooves between the walls) just so the people backing DVD+R (Sony and Phillips I think) can make more money off something proprietary. Expect the Playstation series to follow DVD+R, not DVD-R. There's supposedly some slight advantages to DVD+R when frequently re-writing to the disc (this matches what is noted above, where DiscoDave says it is better with random access).

Drives that support both DVD+R and DVD-R are quite common and not much more pricey at all. If you're going to buy a single-layer DVD burner, I would find one that supports both types of media. This way you can certainly read DVD's written by others, and can use whatever media you find cheapest on any given day. If you're going to make a DVD, increasing the number of more-compatible DVD-R's in the world is the nicer thing to do.

[Tha[\]atos]

sony is comeing out with a dual layor dvd burner. I would sugest that you wait until then to buy a dvd burner for 3 reasons.
1) a general drop in price with the introduction of the new technologie
2) the new technologie is expected to be inexpensive (around $250)
3) sony's dvd+r dl (their dual layor drives) will be dvd+r/-r burners as well so you get the best of all worlds.

more info about sony's drives here (http://http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/4532)

[Verbal]

I have a really nice TDK that I am super happy with. Relatively fast, too.