DVD+RW Challenge

[QuickSilver]

When I built the system in my sig I put in a Pioneer dvr-a05u DVD+RW drive in it. It worked just fine with the DVDrw disk that came with the drive but the memorex and phillips disks i have do nothing at all. The comp doesn't even recognize that there is a disk in the drive. Pop the disk it came with back in and it works like a million bucks. What's the deal? I'm about ready to chuck it and try another drive but I don't know if there is actually anything wrong with the drive. Help!!!!!!

[Xayd]

Because the Pioneer uses DVD-R disks, not DVD+R disks .

[Acclaim99]

yea..

DVD-R, DVD-RW are not the same as DVD+R, DVD+RW

I got a Sony one yesterday that does all 4

[RJ]

Yep, the Pioneer is a minus drive. You won't be able to record on + media with it. No plus drive, dude, sorry, but hopefully you can still exchange it.

RJ

[JustOne]

Please clarify, somebody back there said the Pioneer is a good brand, someone else said don't buy a minus machine, now my friend RJ says no + drive dude. Which format burner is the right one? Which one will end up like BetaMax? Should we wait and let it all shake out?

[glc]

We can sit here and argue + and - all day and accomplish nothing but p1ss each other off.

Go buy a Sony, it's dual format. How's that for avoiding the issue?

+ or -, who cares, just use the correct media.

[RJ]

@JustOne

Pioneer is indeed a good brand, the only thing I didn't like about them was that the drive was minus only. The support for the plus format is growing, and even Pioneer has to face it. Their next drive, Pioneer A06, will be a multiformat one, supporting both plus and minus formats.

Current multiformat drives are Sony and NEC I believe. Pioneer and LiteOn will release their multiformat drives shortly.

RJ

[gunrunnerjohn]

FWIW, I picked up an NEC DVD+R/RW drive, and while it seems to handle Memorex and Verbatim DVD+RW media just fine, I picked up some generic DVD+RW media that didn't work. It recognized the blank, and would go through the motions of recording and announce the burn was successful. When I'd put the disk back into the drive, it kept telling me the drive was empty! I took them back to MicroCenter and picked up some Verbatim media, works fine.

[Xayd]

There's some very iffy media out there for DVD, of both formats.

The best of the bulk brands from my experiences has been Ritek. I hear Optodisk is ok as well.

[gunrunnerjohn]

Originally posted by Xayd There's some very iffy media out there for DVD, of both formats. The best of the bulk brands from my experiences has been Ritek. I hear Optodisk is ok as well.

Optodisk is the brand that didn't work in my NEC DVD+R/RW drive.

[Xayd]

Hehe, never used them personally just happened to hear a couple of people say they worked ok.

/scratched from list

Ritek disks I have burned about 100 of, though (DVD- mind you), and have had no problems at all.

[gunrunnerjohn]

DVD+R/RW being newer, it seems they haven't all gotten it together yet.