Question: "I like to burn pictures onto DVDs. When I look for them in the store, I see DVD-R, DVD-+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+R DL, and DVD-R DL. I'm so confused! Which should I purchase?"
Answer: Without a doubt, choosing blank DVDs can be a challenge. In our answer today, we'll try to help you make sense of those minus and plus signs and all the rest!
First, let's remember that the acronym DVD stands for "digital versatile disc." Originally, DVD meant "digital video disc" but that definition has faded since the discs are now used for so much more than video.
Now that we can translate the DVD portion of disc labels, let's look at the rest:
DL - We're starting with the easiest! DL stands for "dual layer." DL discs hold twice as much data as other DVDs. Since a plain DVD holds 4.7GB of data, this means that DL DVDs will hold 9.4GB. A word of warning: don't purchase DL DVDs unless you are 100% sure your DVD recorder is made to burn them. Not all DVD recorders are!
R vs RW - DVDs with a single R in the name are "recordable" but data stored on the DVD cannot be deleted and replaced. RW DVDs, on the other hand, are re-recordable, meaning you can delete data and write over it. While RW DVDs sound like a great deal (because you can reuse them), there are some circumstances where they should not be used: e.g., factory restore discs for new computers.
Plus (+) vs Minus (-) - We're at the last part of our acronym mystery and it revolves around the plus sign or the minus sign. These symbols designate the physical formatting which will be used to create your DVD. When DVDs started to come into existence, manufacturers couldn't agree on a common standard for burning information onto the discs. (Think: Betamax vs. VHS in the old video tape era.) As a result, two standards came into being. The minus method was/is adopted by Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung and Sharpe. The plus method was/is adopted by Philips, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha and others. In the early days, you had to know which DVD format your DVD burner used before you could purchase the correct DVD blanks. Today, however, most DVD recorders will record either format. Still, it's a good idea to check your DVD recorder to find out.
A couple of extra thoughts: As we did above, most in the computer industry interchange the words (DVD) recorder with (DVD) burner. Additionally, you will see the words "disk" and "disc" used in place of each other. Both are considered proper usage, depending on what dictionary you consult.
