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A lil tech curiosity. Thanks.

You should have added DVD+R and DVD+RW

I don't know enough of the difference to distinguish. And I didn't think they were common enough to worry about it. A writer, of either sort, was the point, if you know what I mean.

if you consider soon the next time i buy a computer.

So... are you asking about DVD readers or DVD burners? "DVD drive" is ambiguous. You don't seem to state either way, except that DVD-ROM isn't an option in the poll

DVD is a new device for me. I don't own an entertainment unit, and I've never watched a movie using dvd. The plus/minus/rom distinction argues against standardization in the same way as cd's have become, so rather than get bogged down in technicalities, my question tries to stay very general and boil it down to a got it don't got it scenerio. The reason I'm asking is purely economic. That is, is dvd technology worth investing in or not. The added data storage is undeniable, but it's only beneficial if usage increases to the point dvd drives become the norm. If they don't, then this recent push is little more than an expensive, and counter productive, fad. If they do, how long will 4.7 gigs be sufficient. That said, a do you or don't you query is too simplistic and wastes polling opportunity. I still only have two questions, but I sub divide those into two further halves to attempt an interpretation on use and intention. For my purposes, the rest can be safely inferred. If I was conducting a marketing survey, say, something like we'd expect on tom's hardware, then yea, we'd want to get very specific. But I'm coming at this from the usability stand point. If nobody has them, then they are just this side of a waste of time. If they are the wave of the future, then they are worth considering seriously. What we can't know is whether the people who decide these things plan to replace them in a couple years with something bigger still... in which case waiting might be a better option.

I might switch for a DVD-Rom or DVD Writer (preferably plus/minus one since Sony and the DVD forum can't get their prefferences right) in a couple of years. But so far... let's say for at least another year i will stick with my cd-rom and cd-rewriter.

I don't own any DVD's (huge VHS collection)

No plans for one in the near future either...

I think DVD's will be here to stay for a while (although with technology these days its hard to say that with any level of exact certainty)... I go to the videostore nowadays in NY and the DVD section is now 80% of the store... we see how long VHS has lasted... I think DVD players will have about the same longevity...

However don't come after me Phin if i steer ya wrong, I'm far from a market analyst lol.

No, but I was wise enough to put one in my wife's computer which sits a few feet from mine. That way I can watch a movie and not use the resources on my machine,

I'm down wit dat
But I don't see exactly <i>what</i> you're asking. If it's a "got it/don't got it" scenario, then yes, I have a DVD drive. But, it only reads optical discs... it doesn't write. (You <i>do</i> know what ROM means, right? Dear God, tell you do...)

Now, your poll has the options
<i>Yes, I have a <b>DVD Recordable/ReWritable</b>
No, but I plan to get a <b>dvd drive</b> soon
No, I'll stick with my cd-r or cd-rw</i>

Now what do I vote? I do have a DVD drive, but it doesn't fit the categories (+/- R/RW) in the poll, although "plan to get a dvd drive soon" implies that it might. Again I ask, are you asking about plain DVD readers (as I have), or DVD burners? I think you must be asking about DVD burners and writable DVD media; it's just that you haven't actually said so. Is knowing that I and SirJames have DVD drives of any use to you, if said drives are read-only? Or are you actually asking the question about all types of DVD, that Shaggy answered?

You ask whether DVD will stick around, and I'd say yep, but if you ask whether <i>writable</i> DVDs will stick around, I'd still say yep but it's more complicated. There's only one format of read-only CD (CD-ROM), and only one format of writable and rewritable CD (CD-R and CD-RW). So, everyone gets along. Similarly, there's only one format of read-only DVD disc (or DVD-ROM). But there are three competing and mostly incompatible technologies - that's the plus and the minus R/RW, and a thing called DVD-RAM - for writeable and rewritable DVD media. We haven't yet seen any one family of products become the adopted standard used everywhere, and until one does I'm not going to bother with it.

I'd say with certainty that writable DVD media will become mainstream, the same as writable CDs have done, but it's trickier because we still don't know which family of standards will win out. If you're just asking about DVD-ROM drives, I'd say go for it if you think you'll get some use out of watching movies and the like (at the very least, it'll still read and in some cases burn CDs, depending on what you buy). But if you're asking about drives that <i>write</i> DVDs, that's a different matter... if you're cashed up, there are DVD burners on the market now that support two standards, so you'll be set no matter which wins out (a kind of extinction protection)... but otherwise you're taking a gamble depending on which format you choose.

So, according to my interpretation of your question, I'm voting that I'll stick with CD-R/RW for the foreseeable future. Lock it in, Eddie...

> Is knowing that I and SirJames have DVD drives of any use to you, if said drives are read-only?

Yes, of course. But I won't dare ask if SirJames' two computers are networked for file sharing, lol.

> Or are you actually asking the question about all types of DVD, that Shaggy answered?

Oh, sure, make me go back and read it again. lol.

Okay, watching movies was not really a motivator for this question. But. I've done some homework and found that entertainment units (whatever you want to call them) will read and play movies copied using a plus or a minus writer. Older units might have something to say about this, but it's my understanding playback has little or nothing to do with creation method.

> So ... I'm voting that I'll stick with CD-R/RW for the foreseeable future.

hehe, after you just said you have a dvd-rom, lol. Okay, glad that's all straight now

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By the way, I think industry standard teminology was coined by a bunch of mental defectives. I thought writable and re-writable was a stupid way to distinguish cd writing capabilities. But, you know, we adapt, we get used to it. Now, with dvd's you'd think they'd follow suit and use the same terminology, no? Nope, not those geniuses.



The score so far
yes 8
no 9

Sure seemed like a simple poll but after reading this thread maybe ya should have kept it in your head..lol.

I answered CD-R/W cause they were cheaper when I got my new puter some months ago.

Will DVD's be around..hmm..short answer YES. Long answer-
Not unless the DVD recorders start flying of the selves. By the time they do something else will come along.

Ok, ok..here's something to think about. Have any of you got a Plasma TV or a Plasma/HDTV yet? Went shopping for one..no way was I gonna by one, but was just curious. Did you know there are 2 types of Plasma formants...Standard (like the TVs nowadays, but thin) and HD format. And that's not all- there are 5 different HD formats that the industy hasn't decided on the standard to use. The deadline of 2006 is not far off. Getting the right HDTV is confusing if your not sure which format is in (or will be) use in your area. Most HDTVs say they are HD ready and may support a few if not all the HD formats.

Feel kinda sad about folks paying 2900 (cheapos) to 7000 for them TVs now. Imgine what the prices will be like then and how much better the picture quality too. Not to say the picture quality is bad..no its quite good but it will be better in a few more years and perhaps less expensive.

Just my opinion.

I put DVD readers in the last couple of computers I built (wife's and stepdaughter's). They are only a few dollars more than a CD reader, so why not, right? In reality, they have had less than 5 DVDs in them in the last year, so...

I have a DVD -R/-RW that I bought in January in my computer. I have been doing home video editing on my computer for the last year, and found the VCD format, that most DVD players will play, doesn't look very good when played back on my home TV (something like 320x240), so I decided to get a DVD burner when a Hot Deal showed up. (My favorite Hot Deals forum is at http://forums.anandtech.com/categories.cfm?catid=40 ) I have gotten into video editing to try and get rid of piles of 8mm video tape that I can only play back on my camera, so consequently, they never get viewed. The DVD burner is working out perfectly for that, but otherwise, I wouldn't have had a reason to get one. The technology is still young enough that there are compatiblity problems all ways around with the software drivers and operating systems to the specific manufacturers of the blank disks with specific manufacturers of the burners, and then when you manage to burn a DVD, some DVD players may not be able to read it (all newer models should though). I think the difference between DVD-R or DVD+R is moot, as long as blank disk manufacturers continue to make both, the two formats can continue to exist side by side. A DVD made in either format should be able to be read anywhere (including the other versions burner, the same way it reads a DVD ROM). The DVD ROM format should be around for awhile (I think the blue Laser DVD format is the next in the pipeline for HDTV format movies, whenever that gets here).

As a side note, when I was looking for "soundtrack" information for adding soundtracks to my home movies, I ran across this piece of software that is interesting to play with, but I haven't figured out how to convert it to something I can use yet. http://www.musicmachines.net/faqmp.htm It was a little tricky to install, but the instructions work, and I have it running under XP.