DVD-R vs DVD+R: Difference and Comparison

There is a lot of confusion between DVD-R and DVD+R as they have similar names, and they also have the same function and a lot of other similarities.

Until now, many of you thought that both DVR-R and DVD+R are the same; while they can have many things in common, they are not the same. 

Key Takeaways

1. DVD-R is a recordable DVD format that uses a “dash” or “minus” notation, adhering to the standards established by the DVD Forum and widely compatible with most DVD players and drives.
2. DVD+R is another recordable DVD format that uses a “plus” notation, developed by the DVD+RW Alliance, offering some technical advantages over DVD-R, such as better error management and faster writing speeds.
3. Both DVD-R and DVD+R are recordable DVD formats, but DVD-R follows the DVD Forum standards and is widely compatible, while DVD+R is developed by the DVD+RW Alliance, offering some technical improvements.

DVD-R vs DVD+R

The difference between DVD-R and DVD+R is between their formats and how they control the laser beam’s location on the disc.

DVD-R is an optical disc recording technology or DVD recorder. It gives higher storage capacity. Pioneer developed this in 1997. This format is supported by standard DVD players and in approved DVD forums.

DVD-R provides broad playback compatibility with old players. It is more like a CD-R, but it has more storage capacity.

DVD+R stands for Vertical Disc Recordable; it looks more like a standard DVD. The “R” format in the disc is suitable for retaining data such as video, audio, and pictures. Both DVD-R and DVD+R look pretty similar.

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Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	DVD-R	DVD+R
meaning	It is an optical disc recording that can record video, audio, and pictures.	DVD+R stands for Vertical Disc Recordable, suitable for retaining video, audio, and picture data.
Function	DVD-R uses land-PrePits to control the location of the laser position.	It does not use land-PrePits to regulate the laser’s position; instead, it uses wobble frequency.
Design	Pioneer designed it in 1997	Sony and Philips designed it in 2002
Used	Companies use like Pioneer, Toshiba, Hitachi, and Panasonic.	It is used by Sony, Philips, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh, and Yamaha.
Cost	DVD-R is less expensive than DVD+R.	It is costlier than DVD-R.
Dual-layer	Both single and dual-layer are available in the market, but they have less variety and availability of discs than DVD+R.	It has more variety and availability of dual layers in the market.
Abilities	It cannot record DVDs partially on TV and partially on PC.	It can record DVDs partially on TV and partially on PC.
Features	It does not have the features of renaming the file name, movie playlist, and song titles.	It has the features of renaming the file name, movie playlist, and song titles.
Capacity	A DVD-R mostly comes with 4 706 074 624 bytes(4488 MB) for single layer; 8.5GB for dual-layer discs.	A standard DVD+R has a storage capacity of 4 706 074 624 bytes (4488 MB) for a single layer; 8.5GB for dual-layer discs.
Pronunciation	DVD-R is pronounced DVD dash	DVD+R is pronounced DVD Plus R.
Supported	Almost all DVD players support playback for DVD-R media.	Almost all DVD players can support playback for DVD+R media also.

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What is DVD-R?

DVD-R is also known as a digital versatile disc recordable. It looks the same as a regular DVD; it records data like CD-R.

If the DVD-R gets burned, then you can’t use it to rewrite the data again. A single-sided, single-layer disc has a storage capacity of 4.7GB of data, and a double-sided or double-layer disc has a storage capacity of 8.5 GB.

It is the most common format of a writable DVD. DVD-R can be read mainly by all DVD players and DVD ROM.

You can use DVD-R to back gigabytes of data on your PC and make your video DVD. The Apple company computer also supports the DVD-R format.

Its format is very similar to CD-R. DVD-R can record data once, which is permanent in a disc. You cannot register on that disc for the second time.

Two additional DVD-R standards are DVD-RG, which is useful for general purposes, and DVD-RA, which is useful for mastering DVD video, not available for the normal public.

Worldwide famous companies such as Panasonic, Toshiba, Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung, and Sharp support this format type. It is also supported in the DVD forum. This format is cheaper than DVD+R.

 

What is DVD+R?

DVD+R stands for versatile disc recordable. It looks the same as a standard DVD, there is no physical difference between them, but it can record data.

Single-sided and single-layer DVD+R have a storage capacity of 4.7GB of data, and on the other hand, double-layer discs have a storage capacity of 8.5GB, and double-sided have 9.4 GB.  

 This format is not very common, like DVD-R, but many DVD players and DVD-ROM drives still support it. It is one of the most expensive formats made by Sony and Philips and used by companies like Sony, Philips, Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh, and Yamaha.

A drive that reads both DVD+R and DVD-R is known as a DVD—r drive. DVD+R can record DVDs partially on TV and partially on PC, and this format can also rename the file name, movie playlist, and song titles. It is a rewritable disc that can erase data and rewrite it.

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Main Differences Between DVD-R and DVD+R

1. Both DVD-R and DVD+R are recordable disks supported mainly on all devices.
2. DVD+R is one costlier recordable disc as compared to DVD-R
3. You can only write it once; on DVD+R, you can rewrite the data.
4. DVD-R does not check errors while recording. On the other DVD+R, check the error while recording.
5. DVD-R has more risk of interference and error.
6. DVD-R does not provide users to record and format at the same time. On the other hand, DVD+R provides the users to record and format at the same time.
7. Regarding storage capacity, DVD-R has 4 706 074 624 bytes(4488 MB), and it is just for single layer; 8.5GB for dual-layer discs. On the other hand, DVD+R has a storage capacity of 4 706 074 624 bytes (4488 MB) for a single layer and 8.5GB for dual-layer discs.

References

1. https://www.journal.csj.jp/doi/abs/10.1246/bcsj.75.2067
2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/1263960/