Shoutbox

Hi there.,

This may be a stupid question BUT:

Is it better to copy DVD-r to DVD-r or DVD+R to DVD+R or can i can copy DVD-R to DVD+R?

regards

The type of media is not important really. Most DVD drives nowadays recognize both types, although some DVD players will only recognize one or the other. It shouldn't matter much at all what type of disc you use.

I only keep DVD-Rs in my house because they seem to always be recognized in DVD players. Copying a DVD+R to a DVD-R has never been an issue for me.

Dual layer media has more compatibility issues than single layer, so depending on your PC you may be limited to one or the other.

And as far as quality goes, the format (+R or -R, DL, BlueRay, ...) doesn't matter either, as long as you don't recompress the original data. Best is to always take a simply 1-on-1 and DiscAtOnce (apposed to TrackAtOnce) copy.

What might matter is the brand of the disc and what type (the materials used to make the disc) it is. Because some brands produce better quality discs than others. Also, some brands and types of discs will work better with certain DVD writers than others. There isn't really a guide for this though. You can best research some local computer magazine who did such testing and follow their advice.

But normally you wouldn't 'see' any difference when you compare different brands and types though. But if you compare different discs with eachother with specific testing software, you'll see more or less errors being written.

These errors aren't visible when you watch the movie (or when you read the data) though, because they are automatically corrected by the player while playing the disc. But of course, the less errors being written, the less error correction needs to be done, the better.

The types and brands of discs also differ in how long you can keep the disc without errors occuring. Because, it is a myth that rewritable media last forever. Even rewritable CDs and DVDs wont last forever and errors will eventually occur (although it might take many many years).

Anyways, a thumb of rule, however, is not to use maximum speed when writing or copying discs. Although this rule was more important many years ago, it still is applicable today. And also, never let your discs lay in the sun or in a hot environment (eg: car).