PX-716 Installation and Users Manual
107
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which is better, DVD+R and DVD+RW? Or DVD-R and DVD-RW?
A: Neither is “better” or “worse.” They’re just different standards, like
English versus metric measurement.
Different manufacturers support different standards. The DVD+R and
DVD+RW formats are supported by Plextor, Philips, Sony, Hewlett-
Packard, Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha and other manufacturers. DVD-R, DVD-RW
and DVD-RAM are also supported by Plextor, as well as Panasonic,
Toshiba, Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung and Sharp.
No matter which format a DVD disc is recorded in, it can be read by most
commercial DVD-ROM players.
Q: What is “recommended media”?
A: Recommended media are recordable or rewritable CD and DVD media
that have been tested by Plextor and found to operate well consistently, from
one manufacturing lot to another. For each drive, Plextor engineers test
media from many different manufacturers and manufacturing facilities,
creating a recommended media list and determining the optimum write
strategy for that particular media type. The results are listed as
“recommended media,” and are also assembled into a media catalog and
stored in firmware in Plextor drives. (See page 114 for a list of
recommended media for the PX-716 at the time this manual was printed, and
see the Plextor web site at www.plextor.com
for an updated list.)
From time to time, the media catalog is updated with new manufacturers and
part numbers as Plextor tests additional media. When this happens, Plextor
makes new drive firmware available. You can download this new firmware
and update your drive.
Q: What's the difference between "double layer" and "dual layer"?
A: Nothing, really. It's simply a difference of opinion within the industry
about how to label media and drive capabilities. DVD+R DL (as named by
the DVD+RW Alliance) stands for DVD+R Double Layer. DVD-R DL
(from the DVD Forum) stands for DVD-R Dual Layer. Whether your DL
media is labeled "double layer" or "dual layer," the PX-716 can handle it.
