What are the difference DVD+RW and DVD-RW?

As far as I am aware the differences are purely in compatibility.
The DVD-RW will only work with DVD-RW discs and the +RW with +RW discs.
If I had to choose a new DVD burner I would choose one that is compatible with both.

+ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD%2BRW
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-RW

They are different formats.

DVD+RW discs can be rewritten about 1,000 times, making them comparable with the CD-RW standard. DVD+RW discs are commonly used for volatile data, such as backups or collections of files. However, they are not as widely used for home DVD video recorders as DVD-RW, primarily because they were originally designed for storage of data, rather than of video.

Hey, for once I got a downrate for a good reason! I got the + And - mixed up for one.

DVD+RW supports random write access, which means that data can be added and removed without erasing the whole disc and starting over. This means that DVD+RWs can almost be treated like removable hard disks. Conversely, DVD-RW is more like CD-RW: to change data, one must erase the whole disc and start over again.

Yeah, I copied and pasted that one. But, hey! It needs no improvement, and it's accurate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD%2BRW

The primary advantage of DVD-RW over DVD-R is the ability to erase and rewrite to a DVD-RW disc. According to Pioneer, DVD-RW discs may be written to about 1,000 times before needing replacement, making them comparable with the CD-RW standard. DVD-RW discs are commonly used for volatile data, such as backups or collections of files. They are also increasingly used for home DVD video recorders. One benefit to using a rewritable disc is if there are writing errors when recording data, the disc is not ruined and can still store data by erasing the faulty data.

One competing rewritable format is DVD+RW. Hybrid drives that can handle both, often labeled "DVD±RW", are very popular since there is not yet a single standard for recordable DVDs.

The recording layer in DVD-RW and DVD+RW is not an organic dye, but a special phase change metal alloy, often GeSbTe. The alloy can be switched back and forth between a crystalline phase and an amorphous phase, changing the reflectivity, depending on the power of the laser beam. Data can thus be written, erased and re-written.

Now there is a new format called DVD-RW2. Former DVD burners are not all backwards compatible with this new standard.

[edit] See also

* DVD
* DVD-R
* DVD+R
* DVD+RW

You can get a drive that reads and writes both formats.

This is a duplicate question. For the same question, the answer is posted here:

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/105658