Cd/dvd Media 101

Have you been confused by the different choicesexcept the standards were created by 2 different
available for blank cd or DVDs recently? There are soorganisations. 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 whichburners 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 differentabout the types of dvd formats that are supported.
types of blank cd and dvd currently available on theThere'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 orformats. Again, make sure to check your dvd manual
DVD+/-R stands for recordable. This means you canto 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. Thesewhereas CD media can hold up to 700 MB. As a
types of cd or dvds can only be recorded once. Soresult, dvd media are usually more expensive than CD
it's important you record all the data you wantmedia 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 candual-layer DVD and it can store twice the size of a
erase and record data on the cd or dvd multiplenormal DVD. However, it is pretty expensive at this
times. Think of it as a portable hard disk. The cost oftime and most current DVD burners do not support
a CD-RW and DVD-RW is more expensive morethis format.
than a normal CD-R/DVD-RThis is a basic explanation of the more common
One of the biggest confusion comes about becausetypes of CD/DVD media on the market. Regardless
of DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW. What is theof which media you use, it is important to make sure
difference? In a nutshell, there is no major differenceyour CD or DVD burner support that format.