Dual-format DVDR burner owners: Which format do you use?

[jase]

The post about which burner you all have got me thinking. A lot of folks have dual-format writers. Just wondering what format you guys use the most.

With the choice, do you pick +R anyway, and why, or do you just use -R because they're the cheapest? Of course, if you're in an area where +R is cheaper, reverse the question.

Just interested in how this one is panning out. A friend of mine runs a large media reselling outfit here in the UK and he tells me that, although drives like the Sony 500 are *very* popular, +R media is outsold by -R by something like 10-1. So something must be amiss here.......

[Ian]

I used whatever I have at the moment. In most cases thats usually DVD+R.

[burninfool]

I have a Sony DRU500A and use -R exclusively now because of DVD player compatibility and price of media.
The -R media shortage is the same here in my area of the US at local computer shops so I order online from www.rima.com or www.allmediaoutlet.com.

[BoGMan1a]

I have started using +R because I find they have the faster media readily available. I just picked up a 25 disc spindle of 4x Memorex +R's for $49.99 and the 50 disc 2.4x Fuji +R's for $60 AMIR at Best Buy. My local Sam's Club always has a 30 pack of +R's for $49.99 while the only "deal" I find readily available on -R's is a 25 disc spindle of Khypermedia's at Office Max for $49.99 ( I bought 2 last week at $24.99/per on sale but had to return them as they were failing to burn properly).

[jase]

It's ironic that. +R is a format essentially designed in Europe (by Philips) yet in Europe, more so than in the US it would seem, +R media is thin on the ground.

-R seems to have +R in a pincer movement with the multitude of cheap Princo, Samsung, Ritek and Prodisc brands virtually monopolising the market (A fair few resellers in the UK actually sell more -RAM discs than +RW, a statistic which knocked me sideways I have to say!!). The cheapest 4x -R media I have seen is priced at 79p/disc ($1.00+tax-ish) vs about £1.70 for +R (over $2.00+tax). Of course, we don't get rebates here Perhaps the US is getting all the discs

You would think that with Philips being a European company that if anything it would be stateside where +R is floundering. Seems not.

[VEFF]

Lately I have been finding DVD+R media more readily available, and there are more deals on them (for the name brands at least).

Overall, my current ~ 125 DVD blanks are about 30 Fuji DVD-Rs (out of 40 initially), 45 (out of 50) KHypermedia NEW generation (media ID "30" not "20") DVD-Rs, 23 Fuji DVD+R (out of 25), 11 HP DVD+Rs (out of 30 initially), about 7 Maxell DVD+R (out of 10 initially), 5 Verbatim DVD-R (out of 15) and about 6 Verbatim DVD+R (out of 15) and 2 Maxell DVD-R (out of 5 originally).

Every single media above was purchased on sale for quite a bit less than retail (either from my brother's friend who bought the wrong type, or after rebate and instant discount, or after PM etc.).

- HP 2.4X DVD+Rs 83 cents each after PM!! No rebate! Too bad my order got cut down (due to PM being large) AND that they couldn't even fill the approved qty.
- Maxell DVD+Rs $1 each from my bro's frd
- 5 pack of Maxell DVD-Rs for $10 AR + tax
- Fuji DVD-Rs $2 each inc tax, no rebates. (Other than the Maxell -Rs, these are the priciest of all my current blanks, but still nice for Fuji media. These were in jewel cases and bought months ago)
- Fuji DVD+Rs $1.33 after rebate INC tax
- KHypers were 88 cents each inc tax after coupon. No rebate. These are the NEW ones that work fine on both my A05 and DRU-500A. They also play back flawlessly on my new DVD player.
- Verbatim DVD+R $1 each + tax AR
- Verbatim DVD-R $1.20 (I think) each + tax AR

I usually pick by quality (brand) and price, and not so much type (-R vs +R).
The +Rs are also about 20% faster (2.4X vs 2X), so that sometimes sways my decision.

[Justin42]

I usually use +RW for testing video stuff (due to speed, and decent compatibility with some of my DVD players), -RW for backups (seems to read easier in my DVD-ROM drives), +R for quick burns of data (like TV shows and the like that I'm not processing into a "True" video DVD), and -R for movies and such that are "real" DVDs due to best compatibility.

Of course, price and availability of media sways some of this. I'm kinda surprised how many Fuji DVD+R's I've been able to get for very cheap the last couple of weeks. Luckily, +R's seem *almost* as compatible as -R's for DVD movies, but my Xbox has some issues with them.

In other words, I'm one of those people that a dual format burner was perfect for, since I use all 4 formats.

[Dartman]

I try to get the - media becuase it's more compatible with most older drives then the +. + is nice because it always does at least 2.4 but I can find 2x -media cheap when sales are on. Seems that they are now pushing + media a lot and - is getting harder to find, one way to force a standard on everyone I guess

[jase]

Odd that isn't it. Have a look on

www.cd-rmedia.co.uk
www.121cdr.co.uk
www.lordofthedeals.co.uk
www.bigpockets.co.uk
www.ebuyer.com
www.scan.co.uk
www.digitalpromo.co.uk

And you'll see the total opposite. There is a shortage of DVD-R media, but it doesn't stop it outselling +R by a considerable margin in the UK.

I'm surprised by comments saying -R is more compatible than +R. Didn't the totally unbiased www.dvdplusrw.org say that -R is only compatible with 65% of players vs 85% for +R?

Someone must be wrong!!!

[Dartman]

All I know is the OLDER machines can usualy handle -r but not + so I wanted a multi so I could use whatever worked or was a deal.
Both of my main players can play both types as a movie but they choke more on the + stuff.