A DVD-R disc is able to contain a maximum of either 4.7 or 3.95 billion bytes of information on each side, depending on the type of blank media used. These transfer rates, coupled with DVD-R's capacity and conformance to worldwide DVD standards, makes it an extremely viable and cost effective storage medium. The fundamental technology employed is similar to that used by CD-R, except that data is written at a higher rate and density.
Recording begins at the inner radius and ends at the outer.
Recording on DVD-R discs is accomplished through the use of a dye recording layer that is permanently transformed by a highly focused red laser beam. This groove is used by a DVD-R drive to guide the recording laser beam during the writing process, and also contains recorded information after writing is completed. A thin layer of metal is then sputtered onto the recording layer so that a reading laser can be reflected off the disc during playback. A protective layer is then applied to the metal surface, which prepares the side for the bonding process. These steps are done for each side of a disc that will be used for recording.