Incompatibility problems

[PHred42]

I burn MPG or AVI to DVD (Nero). The resulting DVD is playably on most BUT NOT ALL players! Why? For some Toshibas I can't get anything to work. -R, +R different media - slower speeds (2x) none of it works. INCORRECT MEDIA is often the error message.

What do I need to do to get a DVD they can play?

Pro burns (rented DVD) always play. What are the pros doing that the rest of us need to know about?

[canadateck]

What Players are they Model Numbers? They may not support DvDr's.

[PHred42]

Don't know right now I'll have to find out the models - But what I hear you saying that some commercial DVD players won't play DVD's ? What am I missing

[reboot]

Some players won't play BURNED dvd's.
The ones you get at blockbuster are pressed, not burned.

[PHred42]

Whoa dude! That's a revelation to me!

I didn't know that.

Where to I get a press?

Sounds like Corporate sensorship - control

OK - Is there anyway around this?

Thanks

[Steve Stepoway]

Where to I get a press?

Sounds like Corporate sensorship - control

OK - Is there anyway around this?

Whoa dude! You might want to dial the paranoia back a little.

As reboot said, there are two kinds of DVDs: pressed and burned. Pressed ones are made by etching a master into glass, then pressing it into semi-liquid plastic, then aluminizing the surface. then sandwitching the surface under another plastic layer. You are talking tens of thousands of $$ for equipment. But the DVDs will play in everything. You don't use this technology unless you are doing at least several hundred copies.

For less than $100 you get a burner. Those DVDs will play in almost all current players, but understand that this technology has advanced very quickly in the past several years. A DVD player from 3+ years ago might not have the firmware to play burned DVDs. My first player is a nice Toshiba -- great with pressed, doesn't recognize burned at all. But Toshiba never said it would. I'v also got a cheap $40 Chinese player. Handles burned disks fine, but doesn't always handle complex multi-audio-stream situations properly. Oh, well.

[PHred42]

Thanks guys -
This is all new and great info to me.
The 4 players (friends) that don't play my burned DVD are all TOSHIBA.

Thanks again

[steve2713]

Toshiba players, older ones especially, often cannot play burned discs. That's the simple answer, go buy a $30 POS and it will play the discs fine. Almost all newer players will play them fine actually, regardless of brand.

[Steve Stepoway]

When you decide to buy a new player, check it out in the DVD Players list in the buttons to the left. You'll see what other people's experiences with each model have been.