cd/dvd burners

Got to this URL: http://www.nightflightstudios.com/Tech_Write/Opti_Media.htm

Should answer all your questions of DVDRW/CDR/CdRW

Thanks to DR for the acknowledgement.

Since your question is very broad, I suggest you start with this web site
http://www.osta.org/

They have the "master" specifications for all types of optical storage media.

If you are looking for more general information, check out pcnineoneone.com
or the CD and DVD sections at www.about.com

There are several different types of DVD burners, each supports a slightly different format.

CD-RW drives are now a maturing technology.
Even the newest drives are selling below $100 a few weeks after release.

Basic guidelines:
DVD 5+GB of data storage. $5 to $15 for blank media.
CD-RW 700MB of data storage. $0.15 to $2.00 for blank media.

For all drives the burn and play speeds are in multiples of the "standard" playback speed.
CD speeds are based on the play speed of a music CD. So, a 20X drive can burn an 80 minute CD in about 4 minutes.
DVD speeds are based on movie play times.
So, a 5X DVD burner would burn a full disc worth of data in around 30 minutes.

Chas