Newbie question - What is the difference between Video mode and VR mode?

[smcc1986]

Hi,

I have reading the user manals on DVD recorders and these two modes keep showing up, would some of the experienced folks in this forum help explain what they are and when it is appropriate to choose video mode and VR mode.

Many Thanks!!!

[Frobozz]

VR mode allows many more editing features and probably allows the chase play feature (or whatever it is called on your recorder). Video mode is needed if you want to create a DVD that is playable on other DVD players.

I use VR mode. If I want to use a VR-mode recording on other DVD recorders then I copy that video to my computer (requires software that reads VR-mode discs) and reauthor and burn the content to a video-mode disc.

[FulciLives]

Stick with VIDEO mode and you can't go wrong.

I strongly advise against using VR mode.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Seeker47]

VR mode allows many more editing features and probably allows the chase play feature (or whatever it is called on your recorder). Video mode is needed if you want to create a DVD that is playable on other DVD players.

I use VR mode. If I want to use a VR-mode recording on other DVD recorders then I copy that video to my computer (requires software that reads VR-mode discs) and reauthor and burn the content to a video-mode disc.

And what software do you use for that ? I think I have taken a VR mode -RW dvd from my Pioneer standalone over to the computer a couple times, and copied it to a plain -R dvd. Most likely I used Nero 6 Ultra suite for that, though I don't recall for sure. No reauthoring was involved in those cases (?). It would be nice to be able to make some adjustments, rather than just the straight copy. I'd prefer not to have to author the whole thing from scratch, but now it occurs to me that maybe I had to use NeroVision Express for this -- which is a very basic form of authoring -- because whatever was on the VR mode -RW disc would not have been complete or compliant, for playing anywhere else but on the standalone recorder that burned it.

[trhouse]

TMPGEnc DVD Author is a fairly simple authoring program that can import from VR mode disks including dvd-ram.

[lordsmurf]

VR mode includes more resolutions than VIDEO mode does. So you would have to re-encode the video if you landed on one of those odd non-DVD-Video compliant resolutions.

You would do best to use VIDEO mode.

[Frobozz]

VR mode includes more resolutions than VIDEO mode does. So you would have to re-encode the video if you landed on one of those odd non-DVD-Video compliant resolutions.

You would do best to use VIDEO mode.

I've done tests with VR-mode clips recorded at every resolution that exists on my Pioneer DVR-510 (the full 720x480 remains up to the 2-hour VR mode whereas I can get 2:20 with video mode). As I recall, after extracting the clips to my Mac using Toast 7 and authoring a new DVD not any of the clips were re-encoded and all played on the final DVD. But I agree that it makes sense to use video mode if the recordings are greater than the 2-hour bit rate setting on Pioneer recorders.

I know that most people recommend recording in video mode because of its compatibility with other players (including play back on computers). But I'm having no difficulty doing what I want with VR-mode discs plus I get more functionality from my recorder as well as high-speed copy videos back to the HDD from DVD-RW discs. The only downside for me is the slower "high-speed" data rates when copying to and from the DVD-RW discs.

[Sara123]

I tape my DVD-RW's in VR mode and have no problem playing them in my DVD player, even before they are finalized. I can't play them on my Mac. None of my recorded DVDs are recognized by my computer. If I recorded them in Video mode, could I play them on my computer too?

[Frobozz]

I tape my DVD-RW's in VR mode and have no problem playing them in my DVD player, even before they are finalized. I can't play them on my Mac. None of my recorded DVDs are recognized by my computer. If I recorded them in Video mode, could I play them on my computer too?

If you record in video mode and finalize the disc it can be played on your Mac. If you stay with VR-mode you can use Toast 7 to extract the MPEG from your VR-mode disc to your hard drive and then play that with VLC Media Player.