DVD/R TECHNOLOGY

There are currently 2 different types of DVD Recordable media, and they are referred to as "plus" and "minus" media. (Technically there are 3 if you count the rapidly shrinking "authoring" media, but there are very specific reasons to use that media / drive type and aren't worth getting into here.) There are competing forces, each trying to sway the technology community to adopt their particular flavor of media as the standard. Although some view this as a war like the "VHS vs. Beta" war, it is probably more like the "Tastes Great - Less Filling" variety war. VHS and beta were incompatible whereas media written on a "plus" media will play in a "minus" type drive, and vice-versa. Also, both types are intended to play in all types of drives and players, although neither are entirely compatible with everything (that is another whole topic itself!). The two could actually co-exist, although it's questionable whether it would be done peacefully!

So what is the issue?

Let's first start with a disclaimer here: We are not a research company, and some of the information here is not cross-checked and verified with a second source! The information contained here is compiled from conversations with industry peers, miscellaneous articles, and information found on various websites. If something seems incorrect then please drop us a note, including a little background, and we'll be happy to make any corrections that seem appropriate!

When DVD was in it's infancy the only real way to make a recordable DVD was to use a Pioneer $17,000 recorder. It used something called "authoring" media, and was generally used to make a few test discs before committing to replication (where you'd normally get MORE test discs!). It was a revolutionary breakthrough when Pioneer introduced a new DVD recordable drive for $5000! Authoring media was still used, but the "cheaper" drive made it more practical for more companies to create discs, and more discs meant more volume, and more volume lead to reduced media prices, and reduced media prices lead to more use, etc. The real growth, though, came when Pioneer introduced it's A03 drives, which used a new type of media called "General Purpose". The drives were less expensive (initially priced "under $2000", with an actual "street price" of around $800 or so), and the media was less expensive too. Suddenly there was a product for the high end "pro-sumer" customer, and the "if you build it they will come" pattern started. Good drives are currently (07/2003) priced around $200, and "other" quality drives are less.

Because Pioneer seemed to be leading the charge, they had the power to shape or drive the technology. As with most things, though, somebody always tries to "build a better mousetrap". The DVD+PW Alliance (www.DVDplusRW.org) was established in an effort to improve DVD recordable technology. The organization states that DVD+RW technology was "...designed from the start to be compatible with existing DVD-ROM drives and DVD-Video players, both on a physical as well as on a logical level." and that "...DVD-R and DVD-RW were initially not designed to be used as a DVD-compatible recording solution. DVD compatibility was added at a later point, however since the formats were not developed for this purpose, they do not offer the level of compatibility and flexibility (while remaining DVD compatible!) that DVD+R/+RW offers. Furthermore, DVD-R/-RW is less suitable for data applications as well due to a number of technical limitations (such as the inability of random access writing)." I'm sure the DVD-R camp disputes some (or all!) of this, but that is the basic argument.

Both formats enjoy the support of a large number of credible, sizable, and influential companies. Trying to determine who will "prevail" is difficult. Fortunately, though, we really don't need to make a choice because many new drives have been released that support BOTH formats.

The industry is still pretty young, and there isn't a lot of "real world" experience that can lead to a logical conclusion. The best article we've seen on the "theoretical" differences can be found at www.cdfreaks.com/print/article/113. The article by Michael Spath concludes that "plus" is superior to "minus" because of four major aspects of the technical specifications of both.

There are several companies that are starting to ship large volumes of products on DVD recordable. One of the largest projects that we are aware of has been going on for a year or so (2002 - 2003) and was done on "minus" media. Compatibility with DVD players has not been a problem. And, the "minus" media is currently less expensive than the "plus" media. However, we haven't heard of any real significant compatibility problems with "plus" media either, and there are several manufacturing reasons (in addition to the technical theory discussed above) that will probably drive software manufacturers such as KOPY-RITE towards "plus" media as the prices drop.

Ultimately this should be driven by consumer demand. As we see it, the consumer is really segmented into the home or average user, and professional or volume user. Both types of consumers are driven partially by price, and the "minus" has a temporary or short-term advantage. However, when considering the technical aspects, it seems that either type of consumer will fall into the "don't know, don't understand, don't care" category, or the "I understand and I demand" category. The latter will probably choose the "plus" media (once there is more presumably positive empirical evidence). Our crystal ball tells us that as prices approach parity the industry will move toward "plus" media due to the format superiority. Again, please re-read our disclaimer and note that landscape is littered with the dead bodies of those that have tried to make such predictions!