DVD-R or DVD+R, Which is Better?

I get asked occasionally which blank DVD media is better to buy, DVD-R or DVD+R? The simplest answer is DVD-R. While both media have high success rates in most DVD players, DVD-R format is the official format of the DVD forum, the group that controls the specifications and licensing for the DVD logo. A quote from the forums website states "...the "DVD+R" format was neither developed nor approved by the DVD forum.” The DVD+R format was originally a rogue format, invented by companies that were unwilling to pay royalties to the DVD forum in order to use the DVD logo.

According to the DigitalFAQ, DVD-R format tends to have a playback compatibility of about 90-95% with all DVD players that exist. The DVD+R format tends to have a playback compatibility of about 85-90% with all DVD players that exist.

Regardless of which media format you choose, the most important thing to consider is the brand of media. There are only a few manufacturers of DVD and CD media in the world and this media is re-branded into hundreds of different brand names. Most media is fine for burning and will work in any DVD or CD player but if you're archiving data or creating a DVD movie collection you'll want a higher grade of media that will last the test of time. My personal favorite DVD and CD media is Taiyo Yuden (which was recently purchased by JVC). JVC Taiyo Yuden ranks as professional grade media and has the least hard and soft errors in lab tests. Verbatim and Ritek also make professional grade media. High grade media usually can't be found locally in stores and can only be found online at such places like Meritline. The good news is that media such as JVC Taiyo Yuden disks are competitively priced if not cheaper than the blank media found in neighborhood stores.