Hello jayprez,There is not a whole lot of difference between + and -. After dvd came out,recordable dvd's came out. Sony created the - (dash). So some other competitors didn't want to pay sony for using dvd-r,so they created the dvd +. Some burners are slower using -.They say the + can hold a little more. The main thing if you use either format,which one is your stand alone player/s going to play. Rule of thumb,older dvd players use "-" newer ones +. I have no trouble with either format on my stand alones and home recorder. High quality media,quality burner and slow burn speed can solve many issues.Which format to buy? If you can burn both formats, this is an asset. Your burner and stand alones will tell you which ones they like.Every burner and players are different. You may not want to buy a whole bunch of 1 type of media. Try smaller packs and after you make your backup,test them on your standalones. If they don't like them they may, pixellate,freeze,skip, or just give you no disc inserted error.Most media is made buy multiple manufacturers meaning:maxell -4x coded mxlrg02,maxell +4x ricohjpnro1.Maxell uses 4 different manufacturers.Memorex has many different manufacturers,be wise and stay away from them. Just a few things to think about. Everyone has their own favorite media. Later