The Capacity of a DVD-R Disc

 

DVD-R discs have the same capacity as a DVD+R disc.Fotolia.com"> DVD-R discs are meant to be played in a computer-based DVD-ROM drive. The similarly named DVD+R discs are better for standalone DVD players. The capacity of DVD-R media depends on the type of disc.

FormatsFour types of DVD discs are available: DVD-5, 9, 10 and 18, according to VideoHelp. DVD-5 discs hold 4,706,074,624 bytes, DVD-9 holds 8,540,000,000 and DVD-9 holds 9,400,000,000. DVD-18 does not support DVD-R.MisconceptionsThe capacity of DVD-R claimed by a manufacturer is not the same as its true capacity. In the computer world, one kilobit of information actually equals 1,024 bits. So a DVD-5 DVD-R disc only holds about 4.37 GB of information.Double-Sided DiscsSome DVD-R discs have two layers of information, called DVD-R DL, according to VideoHelp. These have a capacity of 7.95 GB. References AskDaveTaylor: What's the Difference between DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM? VideoHelp: What is DVD?