Most DVD formats look identical.
There are many different types, or formats, of DVDs. DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM are some of the most common. Not all players or computers support all formats, so it's important to know what kind of media you are working with. Most DVDs have this information printed on them, but they sometimes do not, or someone may have put a label over the front of the disc. If you need to know the format of a disc, use a freely-available program to find out.
Instructions
Nero InfoTool
1. Insert the disc you want information on into your computer's disc drive.
2. Download and install Nero InfoTool (see Resources). Launch the program after installation is complete. It will automatically beginning scanning your disc drive.
3. Click on the "Disc" tab to get information about the DVD in the drive. Nero InfoTool will display the format of the DVD next to "Type."
Opti Drive Control
4. Insert the disc you want information on into your computer's disc drive.
5. Download and install Opti Drive Control (see Resources). Launch the program after installation is complete.
6. Click on the "Disc Info" tab. The program will list information on the disc format next to "Type."
DVDInfoPro Xtreme
7. Insert the disc you want information on into your computer's disc drive.
8. Download and install DVDInfoPro Xtreme (see Resources). Launch the program after installation is complete.
9. Click on the "Disc Info" icon, which is the second icon from the left. The program will show the DVD's format next to "Media Type."
Tags: disc drive, after installation, after installation complete, Click Disc, computer disc