I just got me a honking new PC, a Sony that makes DVDs of my home movies, files, whatever.
Can't have one of those without media, so off to Staples for DVD writeables.
Red Shirt: "Sir, do you want DVD-R or DVD+R? DVD-RW or +RW"
Me: "Uhhmmm, do you have an internet connection I could borrow?"
Red Shirt: "Only for Staples.com, sir. Sorry. If we weren't so busy..."
I tried the "Dial-a-geek" thing - called both Peter and Mitch but neither were available. So, I did what any guy with this kind of problem would do. I bought both. Pretty soon, I had me a >$150 bill, which allowed me to use a coupon from Staples for $30 off $150.
I went home, searched the Sony site, reread my manual, and low-and-behold, on a page in the middle of the manual it did mention the DVD-R and -RW media. I had missed it a few other times.
I returned the + stuff and kept the - stuff. Burned some home movies (more on that later) and they worked on my Sony DVD player. Kewl. Who knows if they work in any DVD player, though. Hmm...
This little episode, to me, shows the issue of these multiple formats. You can't tell a computer without a scorecard. Not good for Mr. & Mrs. America and adoption of DVD burning as a national habit.