# Mini DVD Player **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107 "2008-11-30T23:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/1 "2008-11-30T23:40:48Z")
I bought a mini dvd camcorder about a year ago, because I believed it would be super easy to use. Well, it is easy to use. But once I record what I want, I can only see it if I watch it on my camcorder! I can’t get any computer I use to recognize the mini dvd. Can anyone help? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/2 "2008-11-30T23:59:41Z")
Is there an option to ‘finalise’ the discs? If so, that is probably what you need. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/3 "2008-12-01T00:08:23Z")
Thank you for responding, Mangetout! I don’t know if there is an option for that, because I am not with said camcorder right now, and don’t remember. But thanks for answering because everyone else I have discussed this with has just said to me, “Why did you get \*that?? \* Everyone knows not to get mini dvd camcorders!” And then they don’t explain _why_ it is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/4 "2008-12-01T07:48:42Z")
You should also be able to watch it on your TV by plugging an A/V lead from your camcorder to the TV input. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/5 "2008-12-01T08:31:04Z")
[http://www.videohelp.com/oldguides/minidvd](http://www.videohelp.com/oldguides/minidvd) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/6 "2008-12-01T08:40:32Z")
Yes, ‘finalizing’ does things like set up a menu structure, establish the duration of video segments for seeking purposes, and add chapter points and other information that DVD players need to find their way around a disc. Even the simplest disc, one that you just pop in and hit play on, has such information. Raw video is otherwise just be encoded and spilled onto the disc in a continuous stream, and without navigation info, you’d have to play from the start just like tape. I’m not certain whether you could even fast-forward. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2008, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/7 "2008-12-01T08:44:42Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [What](http://www.videohelp.com/oldguides/minidvd) I think the OP means the smaller 8-cm recordable DVDs, not DVD video recorded on a CD. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2008, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-dvd-player/475107/8 "2008-12-02T07:01:41Z")
I feel bad bumping this back to the front page when I have already decided to just go and get a regular camcorder, but I had to say thanks for the other responses. I had to! My daddy raised me right!