dvd rw has rerecord and add record
but will not work in many other players
dvd r is one recording only,but plays in many other players

Yes, it’s different than a tape.
No, you don’t need to fast forward to record.
It has to be DVD-R (or DVD+R or DVD+RW or DVD-RW, etc) to record at all.
Whether you can record more at the end or not depends on your software and whether it “closes” the disk or not. Most commercial video-DVD players won’t play a DVD-R unless it’s “closed.”
If you use DVD-RW or DVD+RW, then you can overwrite what you’ve recorded several times.
Check your DVD burner’s instruction manual for specifics on what formats it supports. IF the software it came with doesn’t do what you want, check out download.com for many programs you can try for 30-45 days before buying.

If you have a rewritable disc, either DVD+RW, or DVD-RW you can copy several programs on to the disc, on after the other. You do not need to fast forward to the end of the last program; the recorder will automatically find the end of the last program and add the new one to the end.

Some models of DVD recorder will only allow you to delete the entire disc, so you’d have to ensure you’ve all the programs on the said disc. Others allow you to delete only the last program, while others again allow you to delete from the middle of the disc (e.g.) you have 6 programs on a disc, you can delete programs 2 and 4. Be aware that if you do this, you can only record as long as the gap. For example, if you delete a 30 minute program, you can only add a new program up to 30 minutes. The disc will stop recording at that point.

Depending on the model of the player, you must be careful which type of disc you get. If your DVD Recorder uses DVD-R or DVD-RW, then you must get that type. Conversely, If your machine takes DVD+R or DVD+RW you must use only those types of disc for recording, but the player will operate both types as play only, i.e. watching, not recording.

The letters at the end have the following meanings: R = readable, one use only. These discs can only be used for copying once, and cannot be rewitten. Useful for stuff you want to keep. RW = rewriteable. These discs are useful for recording programs you want to watch then deleting them, to copy more programs. These are useful for things like recording soaps, sitcoms, stuff you only watch once and want to copy over.

To summarise: if your disc is a DVD-R, you can use it to copy once only. Whatever is there stays there. If it is DVD-RW then yes, you can erase and rewrite, virtually indefinitely.

I hope this helps, if you want any further advice or information, please feel free to contact me, via Yahoo.