help a noob! dvd to dvd+r using ND1100A...

[biSScuitCamaro]

I was going to post this in the DVD to DVDR forum, but since I'm a newbie I decided here was best. I am using an NEC ND1100A burner that came with a Dell computer. I was given a program that uses DVDDecrypter along with Pinnacle Instant Copy to burn any DVD to one DVDR by compressing up to 9 GB of data into 4.7 GB. The guy I got the program from has had great success with it, and has not even noticed a reduction in video or audio quality. I bought a 15 pack of TDK DVD+R's at 4x speed, and tried burning a backup copy of "The Hunted". It burned just fine, and I could tell it was converting the video over and compressing b/c it took quite a while. I also could see frames of the movie onscreen during burn, so I am sure the programs ran fine. My problem is that I am recieving "Read Errors" no matter what player I try to play the disc in. Some players (including my laptop's DVD-ROM) simply spin and spin trying to read the disc. Others however say "read error".

I figured my problem may have been the wrong speed disc, but I double checked and the ND1100a is indeed a 4x burner. I read on here that someone had great success with the same discs I have. Could it maybe be a problem with that one disc, and I should try again? Or, do I need to switch brand of disc? I'd rather buy discs that I can obtain from Circuit City as I am a "sales weasel" there and can get them pretty cheap, but if I need to order online I don't mind as long as they WORK! Also, any suggestions on relatively inexpensive DVD players compatible with the +R disc?

Thanks in advance! This site is full of great info.

[taz291819]

I use the same burner in my Dell. Also, I did not have good luck using TDK disks. Have burned over 300 DVD+R's in the past 6 months and suffice to say, go with FujiFilm DVD+R or Imation DVD+R. I have experienced a few bad Imation disks, but nothing too bad, and have NEVER had a problem with FujiFilm. I normally buy all my disks from BestBuy, they seem to alternate deals between the two brands weekly.

[Poppa_Meth]

I've used Sony, Memorex, and vebatims with pretty much no problems in mine. never tried the TDKs.

Use DVD Shrink instead of DVD Decrypter. it'll backup and shrink to one disk all at once. Then I usually burn with Nero 6.0.0.11 in DVD Video Mode with no problems at all. the burner you have default to DVD-Rom booktype on +R so it gives a very compatible burn.

[ebenton]

You don't say in what brand of DVD players you have tried playing the disks. It could be that the DVD players in which they fail will not play +R media. Same could be true of your laptop DVD-ROM. Did you try playing the disks in the same player(s) as the guy from whom you got the software?
I'm not saying it *is* the players, but you should check their compatibility with DVD +R media.

[biSScuitCamaro]

You don't say in what brand of DVD players you have tried playing the disks. It could be that the DVD players in which they fail will not play +R media. Same could be true of your laptop DVD-ROM. Did you try playing the disks in the same player(s) as the guy from whom you got the software?
I'm not saying it *is* the players, but you should check their compatibility with DVD +R media.

Yeah I thought about that as well. I checked my RCA and a friend's Apex for compatibility on this site. Both checked out to be +R. My laptop's DVD-ROM probably isn't, and another player I tried wasn't compatible.

[taz291819]

You don't say in what brand of DVD players you have tried playing the disks. It could be that the DVD players in which they fail will not play +R media. Same could be true of your laptop DVD-ROM. Did you try playing the disks in the same player(s) as the guy from whom you got the software?
I'm not saying it *is* the players, but you should check their compatibility with DVD +R media.

Yeah I thought about that as well. I checked my RCA and a friend's Apex for compatibility on this site. Both checked out to be +R. My laptop's DVD-ROM probably isn't, and another player I tried wasn't compatible.

Just because a site lists a player that is compatible, doesn't mean it is. I have an older Philips (DVD825) that won't play a single DVD+R I throw at it (different media brands, different ways of burning), but the DVD+R/RW Alliance says it is compatible. We also have a player at work that is listed on sites to NOT be compatble, but plays my back-ups just fine. But if you happen to be interested in a player that plays EVERYTHING (except DVD-RAM of course), I have a Philips DVD-724 that does. It'll play DVD+R, -R, VCD, SVCD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVDs I've authored myself in DD5.1 using both little and big Endian bit settings. Player hasn't let me down yet.