Does DVD + or - matter?

[Ryan]

My office has acquired an external Sony DVD burner that handles both + and - media. I've already tested the +RW disc that came with the burner and it plays on my DVD player at home.

What should I consider when buying more media, both R and RW media, for future use?

And does anyone know about ripping video files from DirecTivo drives? I want to archive my numerous copies of Good Eats, and I'd like to get files as HQ as possible. Any thoughts?

[gcutler]

There is no quality difference between + or - , The only difference is compatibility and pricing. I would test all types -r, -rw, +r and you've already done +rw, try it on your home player and a few friends or family players. And pick the most compatible, if they are all compatible, then let price dictate (as you can always switch type later). Sadly there are enough older DVD players out there that won't play either + or - . But most DVD players bought today will play both.

Also when burning, try not to put more than 4.0 GB or 4.1GB of data on the DVD, because some DVD players freak out when the outer 10% of the media is full of data.