How to make a max. compatibility DVD?

[tigertom]

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Pioneer 106D DVD+/-RW 1.5 firmware
Nero Burning
Optodisc 1X DVD-R blanks
DVD Decrypter (also have IFOEdit, DVD Shrink, but haven't tried them yet)
Bitsetter (but doesn't work on my drive)
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I want to make a DVD that will play in most players, if possible Playstation 2 and Xbox as well.

Nero gives the option to use UDF 1.2 or 'force X-Box compatability mode'.
Is that good?

The wrinkle is I want to make a Region 2 DVD, as I will be sending it out to different people here, who will be playing it on God knows what e.g. old Region 2-only players.

I have used DVD Decrypter to set the region, but haven't tested it in the local shop's players, as I don't want to bug them every day with my 'latest' disc.

Can anyone point me to a guide or a forum topic on this, before I waste my blanks in ignorant experimentation?

Thank you.

[bugster]

The best way to make sure your DVD is 'most compatible' is to get it proffessionally pressed, but that costs loadsa money.

Other than that, you are pretty much at the mercy of our old friend 'media compatibility'!

[Fozzee]

Hi
I got the same player yesterday.
After a few coasters I've come up with a formula which results in DVD-R that play in 3 of my friends standalones and 2 Playstation2s.
(All those I have tried play so far)

1)I am using Bulkpaq Orange disks at 67p each!!

2)Encoding the movie with TMPGenc or Procoder

3)Authoring with TMPGEnc DVD Author.

4)Burning with Record Now Max
(with these settings http://www.chrismccann.co.uk/recordnowmax.htm)

Sweet as

Fozzee

[tigertom]

Thanks for that. I'll post how I do here.

[gcutler]

Ive found that not going much beyond a 4.0-4.1GB project size will help. On those that I just barely fit everything (around 4.3GB), there were problems. But I do everything else identically (perhaps encode at a slightly lower rate to reduce the size of the project) and compatibility increased.

[Vejita-sama]

The media and the standalone back a huge difference. Remember that there a few players out there than can only read RW media but not R. Or -R but not +R, and vice versa.

What I do is make an image with IMGTools then burn with DVD Decrypter. So far these discs play on my PSX2 and every standalone that _I_ have tried (I have an xbox but haven't tried it out actually). I'm using princo 4x media.

I've burnt right up the edge of the disc (DVD decrypter reports the img file at 4,650MB) without problem. It's a very hit & miss process thou.

[tigertom]

I set the .BUP and .ISO files to Region 2 with DVD Decrypter.

That RecordNow tutorial had a clue in it, about using UDF with Joliet filenames, so:

I set Nero 6 to:

- burn DVD-ROM(UDF/ISO)
- with Joliet filenames,
- max. of 11 characters (ISO Level 1)
- ISO 9660 (Standard ISO CD ROM)
- physical partition, UDF 1.02
-*unticked* all 'Relax ISO restrictions' boxes
- no multisession

Burned to a Philips DVD+RW

That played OK in my buggyRealMagic Hollywood Plus decoder / Pioneer DVD+/-RW combo, when even the Daredevil Blockbuster Video Region 2 DVD I rented for comparision purposes wouldn't!

I'll be curious to see if it plays in my local shop's Region 2 DVD player.

Thanks for the tips!

[tigertom]

I made an Optodisc 1x DVD-R copy, and took it to the local shop. It played in a Region 2 Sharp player.

[tigertom]

P.S.!

Other tutorials have said that you UNTICK the Joliet option, to have maximum compatability. Also to not to tick the 'force Xbox compatibility' option.