Some specs in relation to my laptop:
Since Ubuntu gives you the option of either creating a DVD or USB to use to install Ubuntu I am wondering is their any advantage or dis-advantage of using one device over the other when both are present?
Main items I'd be interested in is one less error/fault prone than the other and is it faster to install Ubuntu by USB or DVD?
There is no advantage or disadvantage of installing it through DVD or USB.
Installation may be a little faster through USB.
Also if you use a DVD, you have the risk of "disk read error" during install, due to possible scratches of DVD disk.
My opinion is to use a USB "burned" with unetbootin :)
You have USB 3.0 ports. If you have a USB 3.0 drive available, the speed alone should be enough to justify using it.
Other than speed, one advantage would be availability of persistence on USB drives, but I don't think that would be important enough for you.
If you computer supports booting from USB stick (most modern computers do), then go for installation with USB stick. Preparing USB stick takes far less time than burning DVD and installation time is also greatly reduced, since reading from USB stick is much faster than reading from DVD.
To prepare bootable Ubuntu USB stick, use official Ubuntu tool - Startup Disk Creator. Remember that USB stick has to have FAT32 partition on it. Otherwise Startup Disk Creator will fail.
If you are going to prepare USB bootable stick on Windows, do it as described in Ubuntu documentation: How to create a bootable USB stick on Windows.
Errors are possible regardless of the media, but since USB is not liable to errors from surface damage and since it is reusable many times without any noticeable deterioration, I would suggest a USB.
Neither is officially better than another, though, but some machines do not have optical drives, which is why both are an option.
I will say it's super easy to dd to the USB. No burning involved.
