Are DVDs More Reliable Than VCD on CD-R/CD-RW?

[leroyknuckles]

After many frustrating attempts at burning VCDs on CD-R and CD-RW
media of different brands and trying to get them to play on my stand-
alone DVD player, I am wondering if burning to DVDs would be any
more reliable.

I would simply like to take the videos I create and burn them onto a
media that can be played without problems on the greatest variety of
standalone DVD players out there. The purpose is to send these out
to family with run-of-the-mill setups. Ideally, they should just be able
to drop the disc into the DVD player that is hooked up to the TV, and
play the damned thing correctly on the TV.

I've concluded VCD on CD-R and CD-RW ain't it, and I'm wondering if
burning videos to DVD would be better for this purpose. I do not
have a DVD writer/burner, and before I throw some more money down
this hole, I was wondering if anyone could comment on this. Can I expect
to play back burned DVDs more reliably on standalone players than I
can with these crummy CD-R/CD-RW VCDs? Is there any hope?

Here's what I've been using:

-- Lite-On LTR12101B CD-R/CD-RW burner
-- Panasonic DV30 standalone DVD player
-- CD-R/CD-RW media (too many brands to mention)
-- Pinnacle Expression DVD/slideshow software

Thanks
Leroy

[vitualis]

The problem is that your DVD player wasn't designed for CD-R/W playback.

VCDs on CD-R/W in general work fine -- especially as all newer DVD players have drives that are designed to read them.

Regards.

[leroyknuckles]

The problem is that your DVD player wasn't designed for CD-R/W playback.

VCDs on CD-R/W in general work fine -- especially as all newer DVD players have drives that are designed to read them.

Hi Michael,

Reading about all the similar problems other people have had on these boards, this wouldn't seem to be the case. My DVD player is a year old, and the specs say it plays CD-R/CD-RW discs. I did get a CD-RW to play back once, but it skipped, the audio was messed up, the video was pixelated, etc. I never got a CD-R to play back or even be recognized.

It's been a hassle, and I'll be glad to spend the money on a DVD burner
and DVD discs if they would playback more reliably.

Thanks
Leroy

[aubrey_q]

I have to agree 100% with Mike. Right now VCDs are much more compatible with standalone DVD players than DVDs. You are likely to keep experiencing compatibility problems if you make the jump to DVD. I made the jump, but I got a DVD burner that burns the multiple formats (Sony DRU-500A).

Like Mike said, pretty much all recently made DVD players will play VCDs.

[aubrey_q]

Leroy, what are you using to author and burn VCDs?

[vitualis]

Reading about all the similar problems other people have had on these boards, this wouldn't seem to be the case. My DVD player is a year old, and the specs say it plays CD-R/CD-RW discs. I did get a CD-RW to play back once, but it skipped, the audio was messed up, the video was pixelated, etc. I never got a CD-R to play back or even be recognized.

Trust me. It "is the case".

As for your problems, two possibilities.
(1) You haven't been making standard VCDs
(2) The specs that came with your DVD player is a lie. It sounds for all the world like your DVD player was not designed to read CD-R/W media. Have you tried playing an audio CD on the same CD-R/W media?

DVD players that are truly designed to read CD-R/W discs (for example, like basically all DVD-ROM drives now) and are VCD compatible (basically all players bar the new Apex units) have no problems reading VCDs on CD-R.

It's been a hassle, and I'll be glad to spend the money on a DVD burner and DVD discs if they would playback more reliably.

I suggest you do a bit more research. It is relatively easy to find a DVD player with good CD-R/W compatibility and even easier to test. If you've followed the forums, you'll realise that recordable DVD compatibility is much more hit and miss.

Best of luck.

Regards.

[leroyknuckles]

I am using Pinnacle Express to make VCD slideshows from digital
photos and AVI clips. The one time I got I a CD-R/W to playback,
both the mpg for the digital stills slideshow and the mpgs for the video
clips had problems. Most of the time, though, the DVD player won't
even recognize the disc. It either says, "No Disc" or "This disc format
cannot be played back" after it spins it for a long while and makes all
sorts of cranky-sounding noises. I am able to playback the VCD mpg
videos from the CD-Rs on the computer, though.

Thanks
Leroy

[vitualis]

Yep, it sounds very much like your player can't play CD-R media. Indeed, other people who have owned the same player as you seem to have had the same problem:

http://www.vcdhelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=229&Search=Search&#comments

Indeed, the last comment:

Tried several cd-r in the store, none came up even as disks. Buyer beware, as it has a YES,YES at this point

...would indeed indicate that Panasonic has some explaining to do. It seems fairly obvious that the player has a drive mechanism that is not designed for CD-R and CD-RW media (i.e., "dual-laser" or "dual-optics") but has been marketed as such.

If you want to continue using this player, it seems that CD-RW better. This again is commonly seen for those players not designed for CD-R/W discs. CD-RW just happens to be more "optically compatible" with the DVD laser.

I cannot comment on Pinnacle Express as I don't use it. However, until you find a medium that works on your player (e.g., audio CDs play flawlessly), there is no point persisting.

When/if you go shopping for a new DVD player, make sure you bring some test discs with you.

I'm actually starting to sell the "Official VCDHelp.com PAL/NTSC Demo VCD" exactly for this purpose (you see and hear more about it early in the New Year) and if you want a early peek, have a look here: http://www.michaeltam.com/demovcd.html

The older 0.3 version will remain for free download and you can always burn that onto CD-R/W media to take with you as a test disc as well.

Best of luck!

Regards.

[leroyknuckles]

As for your problems, two possibilities.
(1) You haven't been making standard VCDs
(2) The specs that came with your DVD player is a lie. It sounds for all the world like your DVD player was not designed to read CD-R/W media. Have you tried playing an audio CD on the same CD-R/W media?

How do I ensure that I'm making standard VCDs? Pinnacle Express
only provides for 3 formats to burn to: VCD, SVCD and DVD. I've
always used VCD. It's a pretty simple app, there aren't many other
knobs to turn. (Maybe that's a problem...) Thanks for the audio CD
suggestion, I'll try it.

If you've followed the forums, you'll realise that recordable DVD compatibility is much more hit and miss.

This is somewhat discouraging, given that typical family members
(the audience for these VCDs) have players that are similar to mine
(consumer models, 1-3 years old, not the highest-end or most feature-
laden models). I'm trying to see if there is a solution that doesn't
require everyone throwing out their current DVD player and buying a
new one. Maybe there isn't....

Thanks
Leroy

[vitualis]

As per my previous post... It seems fairly clear to me now that your primary problem is with CD-R compatibility on your player...

Regards.

[aubrey_q]

Leroy, the more I read this thread the more am I inclined as your DVD player being the culprit. If you're convinced that Pinnacle Express completed your VCD without problems, why don't take the disc to a local electronics retailer like Best Buy and see if they work on their demo DVD players?

Also, contact your family members, ask what DVD brand model they have, then cross-check them here (look for the DVD Players link). You should be able to get a feel of whether or not VCD will work on their players. Also, send a disc to one of them and see if it works. CD-Rs are so cheap these days, they practically pay you to buy them.

Finally, try the following software titles for making VCDs. I've used them all without problems:

Ulead DVD Picture Show (even though DVD is in the title, it does make VCDs)

Ulead DVD Movie Factory (same as above)

Nero

Ulead doesn't have a free trial for DVD Movie Factory anymore because they just released a new version. They may have it soon.

Good luck!

[leroyknuckles]

Leroy, the more I read this thread the more am I inclined as your DVD player being the culprit. If you're convinced that Pinnacle Express

I tried playing an audio CD-R that I burned that works fine everywhere else on my DVD player. It won't play it, so the DVD player is definitely
suspect.

Many thanks to both you and Michael for the great suggestions. I'll
check out the discs I burned on demo players and send a few to family
members to test out. Hopefully, their players are a notch or two better
than mine and can play the CD-Rs I burn. You saved me additional
heartburn and $$....

Thanks again,
Leroy

[aubrey_q]

Leroy, you can also describe your hardware in your profile so in future visits people can help you better.

By the way, if you are in the market for a cheap DVD player that plays practically anything you throw at it, get the Mintek DVD-1600 at Best Buy this week. It's $49.99. That is, of course, if you live in the U.S.A.

[johneboy]

By the way, if you are in the market for a cheap DVD player that plays practically anything you throw at it, get the Mintek DVD-1600 at Best Buy this week. It's $49.99. That is, of course, if you live in the U.S.A.

aubrey_q.. you got one of these?
how bout DVD-R/W playback, KVCD ??
If it plays these, i'll pick one up on Thursday...

[aubrey_q]

Johneboy, I bought one on Sunday. So far I've tested a DVD+RW (Sony brand) and it played flawlessly. I want to test a DVD+R, but I'm waiting to make a final project before I burn. Blank DVDs are still not cheap enough for testing (for me, anyway). Don't know if it plays KVCDs.