# My PlayStation 2 Won't Play DVD-Rs
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 10, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692 "2002-12-10T02:45:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/1 "2002-12-10T02:45:44Z")
My PlayStation 2 won’t play DVD-Rs or DVD-RWs I burn…My computer, Xbox and stand-alone DVD player can all play them wiithout a hitch, but PS2 keeps throwing errors. I also tried this on my friend’s PS2 and had the same problem. Please help!
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### Author:  [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/2 "2002-12-10T02:56:32Z")
There are updates of the PS2 DVD driver, usually the best place to find them is on a PS2 magazine free DVD.
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/3 "2002-12-10T03:04:32Z")
First question: Are you playing pirated software? If not, I’m not even gonna bother.
Second question: If you are playing home movies or whatever, do you have the updated drivers? If not, try getting em.
A PS2 is not exactly the most robust DVD player. It’s well known for hanging up in layer changes and other problems.
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/4 "2002-12-10T03:06:43Z")
:smack: I mean, if you ARE playing pirated software. No more info from me if that’s the case.
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### Author:  [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/5 "2002-12-10T03:11:04Z")
Well he mentioned that it worked fine is his Xbox and PC, so I don’t think it’s an illegal game.
Now an illegal movie, that would warrant a lock.
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/6 "2002-12-10T03:19:48Z")
No they’re not pirated games or movies. They’re home movies I’ve made for DVD-R.
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/7 "2002-12-10T03:27:56Z")
I should also note that I have the SCPH-30001R model and the driver is listed as 2.10
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### Author:  [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/8 "2002-12-10T03:58:54Z")
Any recordable media is going to require a much more powerful laser to read than its standard counterpart. In other words, to read a DVD-R, you’re going to need a laser that’s many times more powerful than what you’d need for a regular DVD, and it’s quite likely that the PS2, being the oldest system you mentioned, simply lacks that extra power.
Also realize that there are at least three different “standard” formats for writing DVDs, and not all devices support all formats. That may also be the problem.
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/9 "2002-12-10T04:31:24Z")
Does the CD that comes with the PlayStation magazine guarantee it will include updated drivers?
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### Author:  [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/10 "2002-12-10T05:42:43Z")
I suspect it’s an issue with your DVD-ROM drive… the PS2 is known for having problems reading even mass-produced discs.
Also, since some people pirate PS2 games, we can assume that at least _some_ PS2 units are capable of reading from DVD-R media.
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/11 "2002-12-10T07:20:13Z")
Ok, I found several people who have burned DVD-Rs and had them work on their PS2…So I still don’t get why it won’t work for me? =(
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### Author:  [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/12 "2002-12-10T08:40:02Z")
Are you sure you’re burning DVD-R and DVD-RW, and not DVD+R or DVD+RW? They’re 4 totally different formats, and there are compatibility issues between them all. I don’t know what the PS2 supports.
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/13 "2002-12-10T08:50:15Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Flymaster \*
> \*\*Are you sure you’re burning DVD-R and DVD-RW, and not DVD+R or DVD+RW? They’re 4 totally different formats, and there are compatibility issues between them all. I don’t know what the PS2 supports. \*\*
I’ve tried DVD-RW, DVD-R and DVD+R and none worked =(
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/14 "2002-12-10T15:21:34Z")
Oh. dvd-r dvd flicks (you know, my own home dvds that I made with my camera) work on my ps2, the new version ps2. They should work on yours too. Might be the media though. Princos are supposed to work very well.
Ps2s have a diag menu for playing dvds. Might be in the manual but basically it’s to get dvds to play on your ps2. I forgot how to access it.
Anyone remember? I think it’s accessed from the browser screen.
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/15 "2002-12-10T15:47:47Z")
Damn, maybe it is my DVD-Rs…but I read that someone who had the same type as mine (Memorex) was able to play his DVD-Rs on his PS2…damn Sony. 😛
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/16 "2002-12-10T15:51:45Z")
I’m guessing this “zero tolerance” event you speak of was actually referring to the procedure after you get pulled over, meaning the cops didn’t give any warnings. If the cops were actually pulling people for only 1mph over, they’d have to stationed 24/7.
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### Author:  [@skaterboarder87](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skaterboarder87)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/17 "2002-12-10T15:53:31Z")
OOPS! Could a mod please delete my last post…I got the windows confused as posted it in the wrong thread…
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### Author:  [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/18 "2002-12-10T17:58:41Z")
The PS2’s dvd player, which I use regularly, is pretty finicky. Are they even advertised as supporting this format? I know there are a shitload of formats it _won’t_ play, including VCD and such.
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### Author:  [@Mikahw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikahw)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/19 "2002-12-10T19:45:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Does the CD that comes with the PlayStation magazine guarantee it will include updated drivers?
I bought an issue about a year ago, and it had no drivers that I could find. Of course, they might have changed by then.
The only way I know of to get updated drivers is to buy the remote, or know someone who has bought it. It comes with a CD that’ll put a file on your memory card with the latest drivers. Unfortunately, it takes about a quarter of the card.
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### Author:  [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2002, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-playstation-2-wont-play-dvd-rs/141692/20 "2002-12-10T21:07:21Z")
One other possibility is that your PS2 needs cleaning. I know mine does. I had a brand new Sopranos DVD that refused to play at all in my PS2, but worked perfectly in a friend of mine’s PS2 that was the same model. This was using my same memory card that holds the DVD player s/w.
All the rest of the Sopranos disks worked in my PS2, just that one disc refused to play (Disc read error) on mine.
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