DVD Formats

[CraigTarry]

Hello, I'm wanting to burn some footage onto DVD. My burner supports:

DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and dvd-RAM

I heard some talk that some homemade DVD's will not play on all DVD players. Will one of the formats above play on all DVD players? Thanks - Craig

[drew_town]

It was rumored early on that DVD-R's were more compatible with older DVD players. I'm not sure if that's still correct, but it's what I use. For the most part they work fine. However, I can tell you with certainty that they don't always work. You have to have them replicated at a facility to insure they'll always work. Get a DVD player that supports multiple formats.

[Jon Allen]

I'll second that, a home computer is probably the worst place to test your dvd. Decoding software on PCs is ALWAYS less than optimal... less than nominal in my experience.

If you want to guaruntee maximum compatibility, use -R. I read a report by some guy that tested about 80 dvd players (circa '01) and found that even with the most compatible dvds were only playable on about 60% of set top players. Hopefully we've improved a small amount since then.

[J. Lamar King IMPOSTOR]

I always burn DVD-R. I've only ever had one complaint that it didn't play. But I had them try it in a different player and all was fine.

 

If this is for a reel I wouldn't worry too much about it because the sad fact is, your reel usually gets played on a computer in a tiny box on an il-adjusted screen. The computer will certainly play it though.

[jasarsenault]

I have burned a lot of dvd-r's with no problem. That is the only type I use now.

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

DVD-R : Basic, can't shift too many features but it's best for compatibility

 

DVD+R : More features than the minus, although less compatibility

 

DVD RAM : Re-writable, although compatibility is a bit tight.

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

Personally I'd just stick with the DVD-R's. They do most of the features you could ever want anyway.