[Dvdrtools-users] Re: Plextor PX-504A -- my bias

[Bryan J. Smith]

Quoting Electrolife Studios <address@hidden>:
> I've yet to enter the DVD recordable market but I am trying to do as
> much reasearch as possible in hopes to not end up with the betamax
> technology so to speak.

Er, I don't think there will really be a "BetaMax" in this battle.

REWRITABLES ...

>From a "read" standpoint, the technologies for both -RW and +RW are very
similar.  When DVD Consortium and +RW Consortium members aren't playing games,
they can usually read each others discs, for the most part.  Any other
incompatibility is more or less a problem with Magento Optical (MO) media
itself, which plagues CD-RW as well.

Only DVD-RAM, the first re-writable standard (circa 1997), addressed the issues
with MO (actually based on Panasonic's innovative PhaseDual predecessor
technology that improved reliability and longevity of MO by a factor of 10, and
rewrites by 100).  So DVD-RAM drives usually read everything.  Unfortunately
DVD-RAM itself is an optical archiving format, not a consumer one, so it's own
format is not very readable (sub-10%).  You can think of DVD-RAM drives as
someone with "AB negative blood" -- universal receiver, non-donor (except to
itself).

[ NOTE:  4G DVD-RAM drives now have the same DVD/CD-RW capability as 1G DVD-RW
drives ]

RECORDABLES ...

Both 3G+ DVD-RAM and DVD-RW record DVD-R(G).  DVD-R(G) (general) is a slight
variation from the original (circa 1995) DVD-R(A) (authoring) format.  Like
DVD-RW is to DVD-RAM, DVD-R(G) is the consumer version of professional DVD-R(A).
 But unlike DVD-RAM, DVD-R(G) is almost univerally donated (like O blood).

As far as +R, Sony/Philips originally promised to support -R.  But when the 1G
DVD+RW drives looked like they wouldn't support -R media, they came up with +R.
 But even to make the point moot, 1G DVD+RW drives ended up not being able to
support +R anyway, which led to 2G DVD+RW drives that could use them.  

<bias>
I actually predicted this to many of my colleagues who rushed out and paid $500
for a 1G DVD+RW drive.  I told them it reminded me 100% of their original, 3GB
disc format that never made it out of Japan -- introduced quite late and not
really any sooner than 4.7GB DVD-RW.  Sure enough, I was right.

It's stuff like this makes me really wonder if Sony/Philips engineers live in
the real world.  Or maybe it's just the fact that +R/RW contniues to be driven
by business/marketing decisions, and not technical ones.
</bias>

> DVD-R looks very strong from having more drives, cheaper media, and
> support from people like Mac.

Apple has been supporting DVD-RAM since 1998, and switched to DVD-RW in 2001.

> However DVD+R has a lot going for it with support from HP/Dell/Sony
> etc

Because Sony/Philips sold PC vendors on marketing numbers, which PC OEMs ate up.
 In actuality, 2.4x CAV DVD+R/RW was _slower_ than 2x CLV DVD-R/RW.

But Sony has finally made the point moot.  I think a big reason was that 4x
DVD-R(G) hit while Sony/Philips were still working on 4x DVD+R.  So Sony
introduced the DRU-500A with 4x DVD-R(G), and added the firmware to support 4x
DVD+R media when it was released later.

> despite having fewer 1st gen drives

???  I kinda miss what you meant there.

FYI, 1G DVD+RW drives only did 2.4x DVD+RW and nothing else, no DVD+RW.

And DVD+RW itself is based on Sony/Philips' Japan-only released 3GB disc
technology that was a total flop.

> and much less media selection that is more expensive.

Quantity drives price.  Even though DVD-RAM lasers and logic are far more
complex and expensive, the proliferation of DVD-RAM as an optical archiving
standard drove the price down very quickly.  So while DVD-R(A) was expensive for
a long time, DVD-RAM came down in price very quickly.  Need drives quantity
drives commodity.

[ NOTE:  Although DVD-RAM discs are still not cheap, because of the added
manufacturing costs of MO media itself (and not just because of the cartridge,
which is optional for single sided anyway). ]

> Its a real hard market to read right now.  I am new to this list... just
> found it on google the other night during my research.  Are most of you
> pro DVD-R or is this list mixed?

I'm biased since I've been using DVD-RAM on Linux since 1998.  I can read my
old, 4+ year DVD-RAM discs whereas most people with CD-RW drives cannot read
theirs that are less than 3 years.  DVD-RW/+RW has the same "standard MO"
longevity problem.  I now have a 3G DVD-RAM/R drive.

Of course, DVD-R(G) isn't MO, nor is DVD+R.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith  (suffix-free title for your protection)
mailto:address@hidden          http://www.thebs.org
-------------------------------------------------------
Linux is Community, Windows is Capitalism.  Neither has
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Freedom.  A mandate of only one choice is Communism.
Communism isn't about design, it's about forced choice.