DVD Formats? (1 Viewer)

Can someone explain the difference between the following or suggest a link that explains the differences:

dvd+r
dvd-r
dvd-rw
dvd+rw
dvd-ram
dvd-rom

DVD-R -- (recordable) DVD disk that can be recorded once, that is, after it is recorded (burned) it cannot be erased and re-recorded. There are provisions you choose in advance so that, if you record part of the disk, you can go back and record more.

DVD-RW -- (rewritable) DVD disk that can be erased and re-recorded over and over again.

DVD-ROM -- (read only memory) Any DVD can be a DVD-ROM, used as a large data source for a computer.

DVD-RAM -- (random access memory) Any DVD-RW can be a DVD-RAM, used as a large temporary storage area for a computer.

Not sure about the plus sign.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

With the exception of DVD-ROM, all of these are formats for recordable DVD -- an area in which there is no agreed-upon standard.

DVD-R and -RW (with a minus sign) are as described above. It is the format supported by Panasonic, among others. But it is not the only format for recordable DVD.

DVD+R and +RW (with a plus sign) are an alternate format supported by Phillips and other manufacturers. The recorders are different, and so are the media. In theory, all four of these types of discs can be formatted for playback on regular DVD players. In practice, there have been some incompatibilities.

DVD-RAM -- (random access memory) Any DVD-RW can be a DVD-RAM, used as a large temporary storage area for a computer.

DVD-RAM is a separate recordable format used by Panasonic. AFAIK, it requires special media and cannot simply use DVD-RW discs. DVD-RAM discs cannot be finalized for play on standard DVD recorders. However, some newer models include DVD-RAM playback as an additional capability.

DVD-ROM is a term that predates the development of recordable DVD formats. It simply refers to a disc that contains data designed to be read by a computer, not a DVD player. Many commercially released DVDs are also DVD-ROMs, with additional features that are accessible only through a computer's DVD drive.

M.

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