"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1071065449k@trad...

In article
writes:

HP is shipping 8x+RW media with their
DVD400i 8x dvd burners. Now, 8x- media is still vaporware.

According to the pundits here (for whatever that's worth) +RW will
become the dominant format, which means that -RW will eventually go
away. If the disk manufacturers get wind of this, they might help it
to go away sooner.

The hardware and media manufacturers are well aware of this. If the only
choices were +RW or -RW, then we would already have just +RW. However, with
the risk-reduced perception of dual format, the -RW format is still in
existence. In the market share for single format drives in the US
aftermarket space, the -RW format is dead in the water. In the line-fit
(computer manufacturers), +RW has a much greater market share than dual
format or -RW due to HP's and Dell's commitment to the +RW format.

They don't like making two different formats

The hardware people don't like paying royalties for both formats, which
increases their cost. The media folks really don't care, as they make and
sell both formats.

any
more than the dealers like stocking two different formats (and taking
returns from people who bought the wrong one)

Dual format removes that risk.

or than I do in trying
to remember what the difference is other than that they aren't the
same.

The main advantage of the +R/+RW format over -R/-RW is the ability to add
data to the discs in multiple sessions. For RW, the dash format has to be
completely erased before you write to it again.

Glenn D.