Difference between DVD-r & DVD+R

[Methical]

I had a friend ask me that question. He went to buy some blank DVDs so he could copy some movies he had downloaded. He asked which to buy, which ones were better and why?

I had no logical explanation for him. It had never occurred to me really why.
But... I do find that DVD-R are more compatible on more DVD/Stereos than DVD+R..

[starfireone]

They are different recording formats. Most of todays players will play and record on either format. It has to do with how the data is burned on the disc. But you should always check your manual to see what your DVR recommends for recording.

[14049752]

There are really minimal differences between the discs. "+" has a few technical things that it does that "-" doesn't, because it's a few years newer.
Some recorders for "-" require certain discs, such as "DVD-R Video" where "+" discs are universally ok in all recorders that support them.
That's really about it.

[dhrandy]

The DVD+R format is divergent from the DVD-R format. Hybrid drives that can handle both, often labeled "DVD±RW", are very popular since there is not a single standard for recordable DVDs. There are a number of significant technical differences between the "dash" (it's not a minus symbol) and the "plus" format, although most users would not notice the difference. One example is the DVD+R style ADIP (ADdress In Pregroove) system of tracking and speed control being less susceptible to interference and error which makes the ADIP system more accurate at higher speeds than the LPP (Land Pre Pit) system used by DVD-R. In addition, DVD+R(W) has a more robust error management system than DVD-R(W), allowing for more accurate burning to media independent of the quality of the media. Additional session linking methods are more accurate with DVD+R(W) versus DVD-R(W), resulting in fewer damaged or unusable discs due to buffer under-run and multi-session disks with fewer PI/PO errors.[3]

Like other "plus" media, it is possible to change the book type to increase the compatibility of DVD+R media. This is also known as bitsetting.[4]

As of 2007, the market for recordable DVD technology shows little sign of settling down in favor of either the "dash" or "plus" formats, which is mostly the result of the increasing numbers of dual-format devices that can record to both formats; it has become very difficult to find new devices that can only record to one of the formats. However, because the DVD-R format has been in use since 1997, it has had a five-year lead on DVD+R. As such, older or cheaper DVD players (up to 2004 vintage) are more likely to favor the DVD-R standard exclusively[5], and when creating DVDs for distribution (where the playing unit is unknown or older) the DVD-R format would normally be preferable.

On 2008-01-25, DVD6C officially accepted DVD+R and DVD+RW by adding them to its list of licensable DVD products.[2]
Source-Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD%2BR)

DVD+R wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD%2BR)
DVD-R wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-R)

[purple_minion]

For movies DVD+R sometimes doesn't work. However there are some technical reasons that DVD+R has better tracking/data recovery, so I would stress to always use DVD+R for anything important. For anything REALLY important use dvdisaster.

Found it
http://adterrasperaspera.com/blog/2006/10/30/how-to-choose-cddvd-archival-media