Technology inevitably comes with more questions than answers. Even as the tools available to us become more and more sophisticated, questions often remain about how they relate to the tools of the past, how they're better, and how they can accomplish the same tasks and more.
A prime example can now be seen almost everywhere, as computers are shipping with DVD drives rather than the more familiar CD drive, including those with DVD-R capabilities similar to CD-R. But can these drives also play CDs? Can they record ("burn") CDs? The following helpful FAQ will help you learn what to expect from the next generation of disc drives.
What is the difference between a DVD-R drive and a CD-R drive?
A DVD-R drive is a disc drive for your computer which looks, acts, and functions just like a CD-R drive, only with the added capability of playing and burning DVDs. In the vast majority of cases people are likely to come across, a DVD-R drive, or even a simple DVD drive, will also be able to play and/or burn standard music or data CDs as well.
Obviously, the primary function of a DVD drive is to be able to play DVD movies on your computer, but with the 3.95GB capacity of DVDs, they also hold over six times as much data as traditional data CDs, which can only hold 700MB.
Can a DVD drive burn DVDs?
Only drives which are explicity marked as "DVD-R," or some variation thereof, will be able to burn DVDs. In most cases, these are the types of drive which are available to you. A drive which only plays discs, but does not burn them, is increasingly rare, especially when it comes to drives which come standard in a computer.
Can a DVD-R drive also burn CDs?
In almost every case, yes. There are some drives out there, and particularly external ones, which will only burn DVDs, or which will only play them. Most, however, will easily handle both. It's important to remember, however, that the same is not true of drives labeled "CD-R," which will almost certainly only be able to play or record CDs, not DVDs.
What is the difference between the plus (+) and minus (-) symbols when it comes to DVD+R or DVD-R drives?
The plus (+) and minus (-) signs are indicative of different industry methods of formatting the actual DVDs and handling the information on them. A similar situation occurred when CD-R technology emerged years ago. And just like in that case, you don't need to worry about which is which, because, overwhelmingly, odds are that you've got a drive that handles both formats, as this has become the standard.
What is the difference between DVD-R and DVD-RW?
DVD-R drives are drives which can both play and burn recordable DVDs known as DVD-R's, hence the acronym. Similarly, DVD-RW drives are drives which can both play and burn re-writable DVDs, meaning they can be used to store and transport data more than once.
What is the difference between single layer and dual layer DVDs?
Single or dual layer DVDs are exactly what they sound like: a single layer DVD will have one "round" of data imprinted onto it, while a dual layer has an extra layer "on top of" the first, effectively allowing twice as much data to be stored on the DVD.
Consumer devices which can burn dual layer DVDs are available, but not common, and often are not available as standard equipment with a computer. These devices will be labeled with a "DVD-R DL" acronym.