Pioneer invented the DVD-R format in 1997. It is endorsed by the DVD Forum and compatible with the majority of standard DVD players. Compared to DVD+R, it is more widely compatible with playback devices, particularly older players. The sector address information in the dash format is provided using the “land pre-pit” technique.

The DVD-R consortium recommends that DVD “minus” R is incorrect; instead, it should be written as DVD “dash” R. The incompatibility of DVD-R and DVD+R technologies led to a format war in the DVD technology sector. Manufacturers developed hybrid drives that could read both of the competing formats in order to bring them together. These hybrid drives, which are quite popular, are branded as DVD±R and Super Multi (which includes support for DVD-RAM).