Blank disc options and specifications

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Basics first, there are two types of discs you can record on, a blank disc that can be recorded on just once, or a disc which can be recorded on again and again. Generally speaking a re-recordable disc costs more than a one time recordable disc.

DVD-Video

Can hold upto 135 minutes of images. It has mpeg-2 compression and Dolby digital surrounding. On dual layered discs there can be distortion occasionally which is not the fault of the player.

DVD+R and DVD-R

The +R/-R means that the disc can only be recorded on once.

DVD+RW and DVD-RW

The +RW/-RW means the disc is re-recordable. They are also 'random access' so no finalisation is required at the end of a recording.

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The "-" and "+" symbols mean little more than they are compatible with different manufacturers. For example Sony dvd recorders usually support "-" discs. The "-" and "+" were developed by different companies for the DVD forum. There are slight differences between the two formats, but they should not concern the average home user.

Capacity

The various DVD formats can store various amounts of data, which are listed as follows,

DVD-1 -------- 1.46 gigabyte
DVD-2 -------- 2.66 gigabyte
DVD-3 -------- 2.92 gigabyte
DVD-4 -------- 4.7 gigabyte
DVD-5 -------- 5.32 gigabyte
DVD-9 -------- 8.54 gigabyte
DVD-10 ------ 9.4 gigabyte
DVD-14 ------ 13.24 gigabyte
DVD-18 ------ 17.08 gigabyte

As you can see the format number closely correlates the amount of data in gigabytes that a disc can hold.

Now we will move onto recordable discs, those which will be used by owners of dvd recorders. We have provided data for +R/-R discs, which can be recorded onto once. We also provide data for 'SL' discs, which stands for 'single layer', meaning they can be recorded onto one side. Whereas 'DL' double layer discs can be recorded onto both sides.

DVD-R SL ------- 4.71 gigabyte
DVD-R DL ------- 8.54 gigabyte
DVD+R SL ------ 4.70 gigabyte
DVD+R DL ------ 8.55 gigabyte

As you can see there is only a slight difference in storage capacity between +R and -R discs.