Confused by which type of Blank DVDs you need?

DVD discs come in a variety of formats as listed below. It is important to buy the correct format of DVDs for your DVD writer or they may not work. Please refer to your DVD writer's manual for more information on the type your drive supports. Many new DVD writers will record on all formats but please confirm this before purchase.

For an explanation of the difference between (and reasons for) the various +R and -R formats, see this article for more detail. If you're in a hurry, see the table below!

DVD-R discs - 16x / 8x - These DVDs are for use in drives that support the minus format. These DVDs can only be written to once, have a single recording layer and store a maximum of 4.7GB per disc. They come in both printable and non printable format and are our most popular range. These DVDs are available in different pack sizes from 25 discs up to 100 discs. 16x DVDs are the fastest available and many DVD writers will now support 16x DVD writing; a full 4.7GB disc will take around 9 minutes to record. These DVDs are suitable for Data, Music, Video or Games.

DVD+R discs - 16x / 8x - These DVDs are for use in drives that support the plus format. Similar to the minus format, these DVDs can only be written to once, have a single recording layer and store a maximum of 4.7GB per disc. These DVDs also come in printable and non printable and are available in packs of up to 100 DVDs. Again 16x DVDs are the fastest available, with 8x DVDs being the most popular from our range. Plus format DVDs tend to be more popular with standalone personal DVD recorders installed under TVs, although many people do use them in their computer.

Re-writable DVDs (DVD+RW and DVD-RW) - Re-writable DVDs come in both plus and minus format with a maximum capacity of 4.7GB per disc. These DVDs can be written to many times - by simply erasing the DVD you can re-record as many times as you wish. As long as you keep the DVD free from scratches and dirt, the DVD should last for a very long time. These DVDs are usually supplied in smaller packs of 10 discs and are very popular with standalone personal DVD recorders. These DVDs are suitable for Data, Music, Video or Games.

Dual/Double Layer DVDs (DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL) - As the title suggests these DVDs have two recording layers to allow a maximum storage capacity of 8.5GB per disc. Most DVD recorders sold since 2005 and almost all new ones will support Dual Layer burning, but you're advised to check with the manufacturer before buying. These DVDs can only be written to once and are available as printable and non printable. Dual Layer DVDs are more expensive than single layer DVDs. They used to be very expensive, but now they've come down in price a lot and are closer to single layer discs in gigabytes-per-pound. However, they still tend to be sold in packs of 10 or 25.

Blu Ray Hi-Definition Discs - The successor to DVD technology, Blu-Ray is here and now more affordable than ever! Blu Ray satisfies the public demand for high quality HDTV content arising from increased availability of large screens at affordable prices. In addition, the spread of broadband and interactive TV has increased expectations of enhanced interactivity in packaged media. Blu Ray shares the 12cm diameter and 1.2mm thickness of the current generation of DVD discs, yet is able to deliver hours of High Definition video on a single-sided disc, with 25Gb storage space.

HD-DVD Discs - HD-DVD was Blu-Ray's rival in the attempt to become the "next generation DVD", but Blu Ray won and HD-DVD devices were discontinued. However, if you need HD-DVD media, we still have some supplies left.

DVD-RAM - These DVDs are only compatible with certain recorders. Like re-writable DVDs they can be used many times. Once recorded these DVDs are only compatible with certain players that support the DVD-RAM format.

8cm Media - These DVDs are reduced size mainly for use in camcorders. They are compatible with PC or standalone DVD recorders, but only have a maximum storage capacity of 1.4GB. These DVDs are popular for use in game consoles or used by customers for promotional use. These DVDs can only be recorded once and are available in both plus and minus, minus being the most popular format.