What are CDR, CDRW & DVD?

Burnable CDs and DVDs come in a variety of types.

Knowing the difference between CDs, CDRWs and DVDs can be challenging, especially because they all look very similar. Their functions are primarily the same, as well, with slight differences regarding function and data storage.

Function

Each disk holds data. The "R" stands for writable, the "RW" stands for rewritable. When using a CD-R or DVD-R, you can write to the disk once, making them a good choice for backing up data. When using a disk labeled as "RW," you can rewrite to the disk more than once.

Differences

DVDs hold much more data than a CD, as they're designed to hold around two hours of video footage. The "R" and "RW" formats are different in their general uses. Since you can only write to an "R" disk once, the data is more permanent. You can erase and rewrite to "RW" disks as often as you'd like.

Considerations

Certain home players, such as CD players or DVD players, may not like certain formats. Many of the older ones may have problems reading the disks. Newer players and burners normally don't have a problem reading most of the disks.

References

• Southwest Florida Personal Computer Users Group: CD and DVD Info
• Americal: Differences between CD-R, CD-RW, CD-DA, Music CD-R, Audio CD-R
• Ask Dave Taylor: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, AND DVD-RAM?