DVD-R/RW / DVD+RW/+R / DVD-RAM
There are 3 competing DVD writeable standards: DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW and DVD+RW/+R. DVD-R drives (aka "SuperDrives") are shipping now in Apple Macintoshes, but Apple used used to ship DVD-RAM drives. Now, Sony, Philips, HP and Dell are backing DVD+RW. The DVD-R drive is somewhat more compatible with consumer DVD players, but DVD+RW drives have a larger group of companies backing them. If you own a DVD player and want to make DVDs of home movies to play in that player, you will need to research and find out whether DVDs produced by your DVD+RW or DVD-R drive will play in that player. It's annoying, but that's the way it is. To make it much easier, check DVDR Help site for a really handy compatibility table. Currently, DVD+RW/+R drives only cost an extra $150 so they may be a viable option for you.

Someday, we may have a DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R/-RAM/CD-RW drive. Until then, you have to make your choice and live with it. You can always upgrade later and add another drive. Also, keep in mind that all of these combo drives read CD's, DVD's and write CD-R/RW media with no problem. The only tricky part is which type of DVD-writable media they will work with. Again, compare your DVD player with the chart at DVDR Help and see what it supports if you ever plan to make and/or edit movies on your computer and play them on your DVD player. Also, keep in mind that DVD+RW/+R drives use DVD+RW or DVD+R media and DVD-RW/-R drives use DVD-R or DVD-RW media. Thank the industry for creating this horrible mess.