The DVD+RW Alliance is a group of electronic hardware, optical storage and software manufacturers who in 1997 created and promoted a format standard of recordable and rewritable DVDs, known as the "plus" format.
The Alliance seeks to develop and promote a format of rewritable DVDs that is universally compatible with both DVD drives in personal computers (PCs) and standalone consumer products (i.e. DVD players and DVD recorders) to allow a greater convergence in function between the two.
Competing standards developed by the rival DVD Forum are for the "dash" formats (DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-RAM).
Alliance leaders Philips, Sony and Thomson were also founding members of the DVD Forum, established in 1995.
As of 2009[update], both plus and dash formats seem equally popular with customers, and both are compatible with the vast majority of DVD players.