| Picking your way through the ton of information | | | | and again. |
| available on recordabel, or DVD can be a nightmare. | | | | DVD-RAM is slightly different as it is a sector based |
| To help you out, we've done our best to distill it into | | | | disc which mounts on the desktop of a PC when |
| this summary. | | | | inserted into a drive. Files can then be copied to it in |
| There are five recordable versions of DVD; DVD-R | | | | the same way as any other mounted media. Some |
| for General, DVD-R for Authoring, DVD-RAM, | | | | single-sided DVD-RAM discs can be removed from |
| DVD-RW, and DVD+RW. None of the formats is fully | | | | their caddy and inserted in a DVD-ROM drive which |
| compatible with the other although there are drives | | | | will then be able to read the content of the disc. |
| which will read,a nd in some cases write to more | | | | There are DVD video recorders which use the |
| than one format. | | | | DVD-RAM format. This enables themn to pull off |
| DVD-R for General and DVD-R for Authoring are | | | | clever tricks like time shifting - where you can watch |
| essentially DVD versions of CD-R. And DVD-RW is a | | | | the beginning of a programme you have recorded |
| DVD version of CD-RW. All three formats can be | | | | while you are still recording the end on the same disc. |
| read in standard DVD-ROM drives and in most DVD | | | | DVD+RW is the newest format and not supported |
| video players. The difference between DVD-R for | | | | by the DVD Forum (link), the body which sets the |
| General and DVD-R for Authoring is that DVD-R for | | | | standards for DVD. However, it is supported by |
| General is a format intended for widespread | | | | some of the biggest electronics and computer |
| consumer use and doeasn't support 'professional' | | | | manufacturers, and is therefore likely to stick around. |
| features such as piracy protection or duplication in | | | | It is also the format used by Philips in its DVD video |
| mass duplicators. The Pioneer DVD-RW drive which is | | | | recorders (link). Despite not being authorised by the |
| the most popular PC device for writing to DVD uses | | | | DVD Forum, DVD+RW is claimed by its supporterd |
| the DVD for General format. And as as the case | | | | to be compatible with more DVD video players than |
| with CD, DVD-RW is essentially the same as DVD_R | | | | DVD-R and DVD+RW writers are found in PCS from |
| except that it can be erased and written to again | | | | quite a few manufacturers. |