We bought my dad a DVD recorder for Christmas. It works fine.
My son bought us a DVD player for Christmas. It works fine.
But I can’t play the disks my dad records on my machine. Supposedly mine will play anything that is coded to be DVD. What the hell is the problem???
His machine is Panasonic, and mine is RCA.
What media are you using?
DVDR+ or DVDR-?
It makes a difference. Some devices can’t read both types, and the problem is more model specific than manufacturer specific. What are the actual model numbers of the recorder and player?
I’d have to get back to you with the model numbers, but my RCA operator’s manual doesn’t specify a particular medium. It just says it will play DVDs. My dad has been recording with DVD-RAM and we’re considering trying DVD -R on the next batch.
I also saw something about “regions”. This means I can’t play a DVD that is out of my machine’s region, which is Region 1. Region 1 is the U.S. I didn’t think I’d be able to find media for Japan or Australia here in the U.S. I just assume we sell Region 1 stuff here. Does that sound right?
You can find other Region encoded DVDs in the US, but mainly at specialty shops.
I probably have the same DVD-recorder your dad has. If he’s been recording on DVD-RAM (it’s re-recordable, so useful to the owner), then you need a DVD-RAM compatiable DVD player to play it (not so useful if you’re not compatible). Most DVDs now a days will play some type: -R or -RW. The DVD-RAM format is useful b/c it’s re-recordable, and more likely to be played on your computer than on another person’s DVD player. It doesn’t seem that DVD-RAM format is that popular.
Unless your owner’s manual specifically says that your machine can play DVD-R and/or DVD+R disks, then there is a good chance that it will not play them no matter what. The optical properties of recordable disks are different from the optical properties of manufactured disks and so while they are all “DVD” that doesn’t mean they are all compatible on all machines. If you want to play the copied disks on a regular DVD player, then he should not be using the DVD-RAM disks, he should be using the type that is compatible with your player.
But my book doesn’t specifically say what types it will or will not play. The box said it will play virtually all formats. Of course, I don’t have the box anymore, as the thing works fine on Blockbuster rentals and store-bought movies.
Check out DVDRHelp. Look up the particular brands of players and recorders you have. There should be several posts listing what does (not) work with a given machine.
If you are still stuck, they have forums where you can post questions.
Note that in some cases, particular brands of media, not just type, make a difference.
The DVD FAQ.
There are 5 kinds of recordable DVDs available to the consumer:
DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM.
DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM are eraseable and re-recordable; DVD-R and DVD+R aren’t. DVD-RAM was designed more for hard-drive-like access in computers than for video; it is relatively uncommon.
DVD-R and DVD+R are pretty much equivalent, as are DVD-RW and DVD+RW. Some devices will handle + discs but not - discs; some will handle Rs but not RWs; a few will handle -RAMs.
The older the device, the fewer formats it will read or write, in general. And you have to be very careful when checking DVD players; sometimes they will be capable of reading recordable DVDs, but the manual will not mention it. DVDRHelp is a very good resource for checking this; as are the manufacturers’ websites.
To check, you will need the make and model number for both machines.
Last week I bought a simple DVD player for my father; I wanted it to be able to play some sort of recordable DVD (if it couldn’t, no sale). The manual did not mention recordable DVDs at all. We went to the maker’s site and found the model. It was listed as playing + and - discs. So I bought it.
In my computer I have a writer that will write all five formats.
This mess is the result of a format war among several competing groups of manufacturers.
“Region codes” apply only to pre-recorded commercially-produced discs, such as movies, and are optional even for them.
I just looked up Panasonic recorders and RCA players on DVDRHelp, and the listings showed that the Panasonic recorders wrote -R and -RAM discs, and some wrote -RW discs. The RCA players were all over the map in what they read: some read only + discs, some read only - discs, some read both.
But I did not see an RCA player listed that read -RAM discs.
Mind you, these listings are compiled by volunteers and are not complete.
I’ve never heard of anyone using DVD-RAM for video purposes, much less trying to play it on a standalone player. If I were you, I’d try a + or - disc. If rewriting capability is a big deal with you or your Dad, I’d tell you to try +RW or -RW before RAM.
I believe some home recorders record to DVD-RAM, and a few camcorders record to 8-cm DVD-RAM discs… although I’ve seen Sony camcorders that record to 8-cm DVD-R. (Normal CDs and DVDs are 12 cm in diameter.)
Another thing to check might be the format of what is recorded, as opposed to the format of the disc it’s recorded on. Regular DVD-Video content, along with its menus and navigation information, must be complete before it is written to the disc. This is why, when editing a DVD on a computer, one imports all the video segments and menu artwork and stuff, compiles a complete disc image, and only then writes it all to the disc.
There is a content format called DVD-VR which can be streamed and written to the disc and appended to, and have navigation information added later. It was intended for use in video recorders.
I’ve never dealt with a standalone DVD-based video recorder, so I don’t know whether Kalhoun’s father’s recorder uses the DVD-VR format for its recorded content. If it does, DVD players may be unable to play the content even if they can read the disc* format perfectly. But looking in DVDRHelp’s lists, I don’t even see the DVD-VR content format mentioned, so it may not be in use.
thats why smart people use the dvd drive in their PC for watching movies. they also would never buy dvd-ram CRAP. use a DVD+/-RW drive.
Thanks for the link! I’ll take a look at it.