I get regular emails asking what is the best media for my DVD writer? and I find it a very difficult question to answer with just a simple statement.
First we will look into the main different types of DVD media available
DVD-R 4.7g
DVD-RW 4.7g
8cm DVD-R 1.47g
DVD+R 4.7g
DVD+RW 4.7g
DVD+R D/L 8.5g
DVD-RAM
These can be split into 3 main categories
DVD-R/RW
This format is the main contender for DVD writable media and the main manufacturer to support this is Pioneer and is the most player compatible format
DVD+R/RW
This format was developed by Philips and is supported by followers of Philips and although it is compatible with most of the modern DVD players some older players have difficulty in recognising the discs, this can be overcome in the burning process of a lot of the burners by using a bitsetting utility to enable the created disc appear as DVD-ROM book format this makes the disc read the same as a commercial DVD-Video and makes the discs almost 100% player compatible.
Unfortunately not all DVD burners have this bitsetting facility enabled it the firmware.
DVD-RAM
This format is much more versatile than either if the other two formats and the RAM disc can easily be made to appear as a removable drive with the ability to read and write to the disc at the same time. This format is rarely used in PC DVD burners and is mainly used in DVD VIDEO Recorders like the Panasonic range. There are very few PC DVD-ROM drives that will read this media and even less DVD-DVR drives that will write to it.
The early DVD writers were split into the two camps DVD+R & DVD-R and there was no compatibility between the two, the discs could only be used on their specific format writer and it looked as if one would have to go. The drive manufacturers being in fear of their drives becoming obsolete all decided to make Dual Format drives capable if burning both DVD+R & DVD-R
DVD-R media is available in the following burning speeds 1x. 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x.
DVD+R media is available in the following burning speeds 2.4x, 4x, 8x, 16x.
The original DVD-R writers were capable of 1x or 2x speed burning taking 1 hour to burn a disc at 1x speed
The Original DVD+R writers could burn a disc at 2.4x taking 25 minutes to burn a disc
The RW format is rewritable and currently the maximum burning speed of these is 4x and again the discs come in 1x, 2x, & 4x for DVD-RW. And 2.4x & 4X for DVD+RW these discs can be written to erased & reused up to 1000 times or more, DVD+RW is ideally suited for the + format DVD Video recorders where the video content can be edited prior to finalizing the disc and although not as effective as using DVD-RAM discs the final disc is more compatible. Rewritable media is not as player compatible as the write once only media.
The current DVD writers can burn at up to 16x speed taking about 6 mins to burn the disc, this 16 speed burning is not constant and builds up from around 4x in stages as the burn gets towards the outer edge of the disc.
The DVD+R D/L media is the latest addition to the format and consists of two layers of burning on the same side of the disc and this disc has a capacity of just under double that of a single layer disc. Currently only +R is available and only at a burning speed of 2.4x making the burning time about 45 minutes. Several of the new drives have the facility to burn Dual Layer at 4x but the media is not yet available and currently the cheapest Dual Layer disc is still expensive at just under £5 a disc.
Do not think that just because you have a DVD writer and some discs you can copy your DVD collection directly onto the discs. The commercial DVD-Video's are copy protected and have this protection built into them to prevent direct copying of the disc. There are various software vendors out there that will supply you with the necessary software to make your own personal backups but it is debatable as to whether this is 100% legal.
There are several factors to bear in mind when purchasing your media and I am going to look at just the two contenders DVD+R & DVD-R
You must first ascertain if your drive is +R -R format or both
Decide if you want DVD+R or DVD-R
If you choose +R is your burner capable of bitsetting to DVD-ROM book format for compatibility if needed.
What burning speed is my drive capable of and what speed do I want to burn?
It is always advisable to use the highest speed rated media and make sure your drive is capable of burning that particular media at the maximum speed. The media speed rating and availability can be checked with DVDInfoPro produced by Nic Wilson. Burning at a slower speed than the disc is rated usually results in a better quality burn.
Do I want to use printable media and print directly onto the discs with a suitable printer?
There is a good supply of printable media out there and is either full face or leaves a small ring around the centre hole. There are several deferent surface coatings for printable media but they are all compatible with the inkjet disc printers
It is ill advisable to us stick on labels which will cause an unbalance with the disc and run the risk of coming loose during normal usage.

What sort of quantities am I going to buy?
The discs can be supplied in individual jewel cases or bulk packed usually in Cake tubs of 10, 25, 50, & 100. The packs of 100 can also come as a shrink wrapped package.

Where do I purchase my media from?
There are numerous outlets for blank media and the prices vary considerable so it would be advisable to shop around to find the best supplier who will guarantee compatibility with your system

What Brand of media do I purchase?
This is a difficult one because each DVD burner has its own likes and dislikes and no two drives are the same. A reputable retailer will help you out here by providing you with sample media for you to find out the best for you.

All brands constantly change their dye formulation and even their manufacturers so you need to keep a constant check up on the media you are buying and I recommend you use DVDInfoPro produced by Nic Wilson to constantly check the media codes
Once you have found a media that is suitable for your needs you can then purchase enough for about a months use and review the situation after 3 weeks when you find the media market will have changed again. When purchasing additional media check up with your supplier to find out if there has been any changes in the manufacturing process since you last purchased