[NTLUG:Discuss] DVD writing problems.

[Steve Baker]

terry wrote:
> I gave up on  +RW  CD's long time ago because I had trouble with them - I
> found that +R CDs were more reliable and since their price got down to 30
> cents or so, it was easier to just use one type of writable disk and not go
> to the trouble to have both - or not worth the cost of buying the more
> expensive CD+RW.  Now that I have a DVD burner, I've not even considered +RW
> as an option. You've just confirmed that decision as a good one; Thanks
I think a lot of people who are following this thread are confused - I'm 
not talking
about the difference between +R and +RW - I'm talking about -RW versus +RW.

There are TWO competing DVD technologies, each in two flavors:

  DVD-R        --- DVD **MINUS** R  (write-once)
  DVD-RW     --- DVD **MINUS** RW (erasable/rewritable)

  DVD+R        --- DVD **PLUS** RW (write-once)
  DVD+RW    --- DVD **PLUS** RW (erasable/rewritable)

....the "PLUS" and "MINUS" technologies are totally different (I think 
maybe they
need different laser frequencies or something).

Nearly everyone who has tried to help me has confused the two!    It 
really matters
whether you have PLUS or MINUS disks.  For example, my Sony Video disk
camera can only write to DVD-RW's.  Our Sanyo DVD copier
can only write DVD+RW's.

This Pioneer DVD drive that I'm having all of the problems with claims to
be able to read and write BOTH technologies.  But in practice, it only 
writes
+R and +RW disks - but it fails to detect -R and -RW disks when the drive
door closes.

   -- Steve.