DVD-R player compatibility

Nashgarfar wrote on 1/15/2005, 1:30 PM
I keep having problems with DVD-R player compatibility and it seems sometimes they play and sometimes not. This is not exclusive to just one player but many. One speck of dust or something unseen and the players refuse to play. Is there a more preferable DVD format or brand or what ever that is more stable and compatible that anyone is aware of ? I wonder when we will be able to as consumers commissiion small production of projects like the big studios do of their movies which are at my guess are 99 percent compatible and reliable.....any thoughts ?

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 1/15/2005, 2:02 PM
There is a large difference between duplicated discs and replicated discs. Your home burns duplicates, which are burned into the chemicals on the disc.
Hollywood projects are replicated, and they are stamped vs burned, using a special mold.
Replicated discs are extremely compatible, whereas duplicated discs are not. Duplicated disc problems can range from the DVD player simply not liking duplicates, to various media problems. Computers don't have problems with duplicated discs very often, but DVD players often do.
I could be wrong, but I don't believe there is any one brand of DVD that is more likely or less likely to be compatible with settop players.
riredale wrote on 1/15/2005, 3:09 PM
I accidentally "hit" upon the magic formula a couple of years ago, apparently. After trying several different brands of disks, I tried Ritek G04 (4x) and, more recently, G05 (8x) blanks, and combined with my Pioneer drives, I NEVER have any issues, even over 600 disks to date. In addition, they're cheap ($0.40 each in quantities of 100).

Based on my own experience, I'd have to say that compatibility is:

50% due to the brand of blank,
30% due to the burner, and
20% due to the authoring/burning software.

I have no experience with DVD-A. I author exclusively with Maestro and burn exclusively with Nero6.

Really, I never think about playability issues at all. They all play.

A caveat: the older the DVD player is, the less likely it will be happy with a burned disk. Anything newer than 5 years old should be fine. (Reason: when DVD players were first made, burned disks were not yet around, and thus the players were designed to work with the characteristics of just pressed disks.)
Mandk wrote on 1/15/2005, 9:09 PM
I recently finished my annual project with delivery of disks to a large variety of players. Approximately 300 disk delivered. So far only one return that I suspect was damaged in the mail. Last year I used memorex disks burned by DVDA with default settings and had about a 15% return rate.

This years specifications: Ritek G04 media, Prepared using DVDA encoded at average of 5.0 or so. THis gives a bit lower quality than the default 8.0 but is generally more acceptable to a variety of players. I burn using Nero 6 rather than DVDA.
This is what worked for me this year.

Good luck to you.
Steve Mann wrote on 1/16/2005, 12:23 AM
I have delivered 200 DVD's in the past year, and only one came back. Their DVD player was five years old. I include a small note with every DVD that states that "If the DVD player is more than two years old, it may not play this disc."

I use the cheapest DVD-R's I can buy (ink-jet printable), and burn at 2X.

Steve
scifly2 wrote on 1/16/2005, 1:26 AM
just got a new 16x double layer burner from Mad Dog Multimedia. The dvd's burned with it will play on players that previously would'nt, regardless of which ( + or -) type media.
The manual explains that it put information in the lead-in section of the disc to identify the disc as DVD-ROM providing " the greatest possible compatibility with existing and older devices".
So why didnt they do that before? Whatever it works. Im copying my past projects with it and they are now working in every player i put them in. Even one that would not play anything burned before.
stormstereo wrote on 1/16/2005, 3:56 AM
scifly2 - This is also what I see reading around different DVD-forums. Some new burners does not do this but they are very few and it will change when they update the firmware.

I have ordered the new NEC 3520 in external casing. It burns double layer in both +R and -R. I'll get back to you with a report.

Oh, and also - http://www.neceurope.com/pressroom_a.asp?pressid=124D04E73CD4

Best/Tommy
pb wrote on 1/16/2005, 4:51 AM
Three projects:
Verbatim 8X inkjet printables: authored with DVD-A at 8, masters burned with DVD-A via Sony DRU-510 at 4X, 1000 copies made so far with Microboards Orbit Pro. 3 failed discs spat out by the duplicator; zero returned becasue they are unplayable.

Maxell inkjst printables - record run between duplicator's feeder mechanism jams: 5 discs.

Princo: 10 discs.

Verbatim media jams: 0


Peter
B_JM wrote on 1/16/2005, 7:05 AM
I have done somewhere around 20,000 dvds i figure ....

we keep a list of player and media compatibility here at www.videohelp.com .. prob the largest database around of this type ..


max. compatibility right now i find is pioneer 105 burners and Taiyo Yuden TYG01

note: ONLY media codes on media mater -- the name on the disk - no mater from who it is from mean nothing, as ALL companies keep switching suppliers of raw media .. you can never be sure of what you will get until you check .. or buy products sold by the actual makers (and even then there are MANY fakes - especially on ebay , but even huge suppliers have been duped)



mvpvideos2007 wrote on 1/16/2005, 7:55 AM
I have produced serveral thousand DVD's. I use Verbatim 4x ink jet printable DVD-R, DVD-A to master, Nero 6 to duplicate and SONY DVD burners. I can honestly say, out of all those discs, only about 10, maybe 15 had a problem.
craftech wrote on 1/16/2005, 8:21 AM
I have produced serveral thousand DVD's. I use Verbatim 4x ink jet printable DVD-R, DVD-A to master, Nero 6 to duplicate and SONY DVD burners. I can honestly say, out of all those discs, only about 10, maybe 15 had a problem.
============
Which Verbatim 4x DVD-R? The one's made by Taiyo Yuden or the ones made by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.? In fact, which Taiyo Yuden? The ones that ID "TAIYOY..UDE " or the ones that ID "TYG01"?
After this long it amazes me how many people still don't get it when it comes to "brands". See BJ_M's post above.

John
scdragracing wrote on 1/16/2005, 12:49 PM
um, the disk i.d. can and has been faked many times, for all kinds of "brands"... in fact, there are a couple of japanese websites with pics of fake taiyo yuden discs that had the correct i.d.

i was very concerned about this myself, because taiyo yuden is one of the only brands i'll use... fortunately they included pics that allow you to discern that the discs were fake, but it's pretty nerve-wracking nonetheless!