| Have you been confused by the different choices | | | | except the standards were created by 2 different |
| available for blank cd or DVDs recently? There are so | | | | organisations. It is however important to know |
| many abbreviations such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, | | | | whether dvd burner supports them. Most dvd |
| DVD-RAM, DVR+R etc. So how do I know which | | | | burners support both formats but make sure you |
| type of cd or dvd is suitable for my use? | | | | check with the dvd manufacturer or the manual |
| I will provide a brief description of the different | | | | about the types of dvd formats that are supported. |
| types of blank cd and dvd currently available on the | | | | There's another type of dvd format known as |
| market. | | | | DVD-RAM and it is not as common as the other 2 |
| For cd and dvds, the "R" that is found in CD-R or | | | | formats. Again, make sure to check your dvd manual |
| DVD+/-R stands for recordable. This means you can | | | | to ensure you can use this format. |
| record data such as photos, files, database etc. | | | | DVD media can typically hold up to 4.7 GB of data |
| Basically anything digital can be recorded. These | | | | whereas CD media can hold up to 700 MB. As a |
| types of cd or dvds can only be recorded once. So | | | | result, dvd media are usually more expensive than CD |
| it's important you record all the data you want | | | | media since it can hold more data. |
| transferred to a CD-R/DVD-R in one session. | | | | There also a new type of DVD media called |
| The "RW" means the media is rewriteable. You can | | | | dual-layer DVD and it can store twice the size of a |
| erase and record data on the cd or dvd multiple | | | | normal DVD. However, it is pretty expensive at this |
| times. Think of it as a portable hard disk. The cost of | | | | time and most current DVD burners do not support |
| a CD-RW and DVD-RW is more expensive more | | | | this format. |
| than a normal CD-R/DVD-R | | | | This is a basic explanation of the more common |
| One of the biggest confusion comes about because | | | | types of CD/DVD media on the market. Regardless |
| of DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW. What is the | | | | of which media you use, it is important to make sure |
| difference? In a nutshell, there is no major difference | | | | your CD or DVD burner support that format. |