Some DVD Players not playing my discs

scottz29 wrote on 2/3/2004, 11:33 PM
Has anybody had compatibility problems with their discs in certain DVD players? I made a DVD for a friend who then wanted to show it to several of his friends. The DVD played fine on all my players, but to my surprise, he reported it not working on some of the players he was trying it on.

I'm using Princo 2x DVD-R media, burning with a Pioneer DVR-105 using DVD Architect 1.0c.

Any suggestions?

Comments

craftech wrote on 2/4/2004, 8:20 AM
Get rid of the Princo media. Buy Ritek G04 and burn at 1x using DVDA 1.0c with no label, and I bet it plays on his player just fine.
John
johnmeyer wrote on 2/4/2004, 9:03 AM
Recordable DVD only plays on about 85% of DVD players. Most newer players can play them. DVD-R plays on a slightly higher percentage of players than DVD+R. Some players that play DVD-R cannot play DVD+R, and vice versa. A much smaller percentage of DVD players can play DVD-RW and DVD+RW.

To find compatibility (what media can be played) for a particular player, click here:

DVD Player Compatibility
scottz29 wrote on 2/4/2004, 9:03 PM
i'm aware that there are compatibility issues with players and dvd recordables, however, i do wedding videos on the side and the guys that i shoot for have been distributing DVDs to happy couples all across the state for over a year now, with no complaints or compatibility problems (knock on wood).

also, my OLD sony player plays DVD-Rs just fine (bought it as soon as DVD players came out). if anything gives me trouble, its my brand new Apex player, and that's supposed to play anything!
johnmeyer wrote on 2/4/2004, 9:58 PM
I'm using Princo 2x DVD-R media, burning with a Pioneer DVR-105 using DVD Architect 1.0c

Based on anecdotal evidence (i.e., not a scientific study), you might get more compatibility using Maxell or Verbatim media. Apple is also supposed to be good. See this site:

LordSmurf

Also -- again from anecdotes -- some people claim that if you push the data rates up to 8 mbs, and beyond (the DVD spec goes to 9.8 mbs), that some players cannot keep up, presumably because the dimmer reflections from recordable media causes more errors than from commercially stamped media.

If you have the original files, you could try to re-encode at a slightly lower data rate, or you could copy to Maxell media -- or both -- and see what happens. Also, check the actual player your client/friend has, using the database at the site I referred to in my earlier post.
craftech wrote on 2/5/2004, 6:53 AM
We all need to stop naming large brand names when they are outsourcing all over the world. You have to use DVD Info or DVD Identifyer to know what you are buying.

John
scottz29 wrote on 2/5/2004, 7:23 AM
i've used a similar program for CD-Rs, where do i get DVD identifyer? also, is there a database of DVD-Rs to see which brands are manufactured by who?

this is all really good information. thanks!

-scott
vonhosen wrote on 2/5/2004, 8:10 AM
http://dvd.identifier.cdfreaks.com/
johnmeyer wrote on 2/5/2004, 8:25 PM
where do i get DVD identifyer?

If you have DVD Decrypter, it has three modes of operation, one of which provides the ID information.

It is certainly a good idea to look at the IDs, but the Meritline fiasco last summer shows that some of the unscrupulous manufacturers are including fake IDs (Meritline sold DVDs which their supplier represented were Maxell DVDs, but were in fact an inferior knock-off, that included the Maxell ID -- problem was, they didn't work worth a hoot, whereas branded Maxell DVDs were practically the "gold standard" at that time).

Bottom line: definitely check the IDs, but also buy small quantities and check the reliability yourself before buying in bulk.
craftech wrote on 2/5/2004, 10:05 PM
It is certainly a good idea to look at the IDs, but the Meritline fiasco last summer shows that some of the unscrupulous manufacturers are including fake IDs (Meritline sold DVDs which their supplier represented were Maxell DVDs, but were in fact an inferior knock-off, that included the Maxell ID -- problem was, they didn't work worth a hoot, whereas branded Maxell DVDs were practically the "gold standard" at that time).
=====================================================
That's not true. Media ID for Maxell MADE by Maxell is MXL. Maxell media may ID as any of the following:
MXL (Maxell)
TYG01 (Taiyo Yuden)
RICOHJPNW11 (Ricoh)
YUDEN000T01 (Taiyo Yuden)
RITEKG03 (Ritek 1x)
TDK502sakuM3 (TDK)
M01J0005 (Matsushita Electric)
MCC 01RW11n9 (Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation)
JVC/VictorT7 (JVC)

Source:
http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdmedia.php?dvdmediasearch=maxell&dvdmediadvdridsearch=&type=6&size=All&dvdburnspeed=All&searchdvdwriter=&searchdvdwriterfirmware=&searchdvdplayer=&order=Name&search=Search+or+List+Media

John