Which DVD-R format is most compatible?

[cwon]

In the past, DVD-Rs burned on some stand-alone DVD recorders didn't play on all DVD players.
Has the technology or format agreement progressed so that there are stand-alone burners that make DVD-Rs that will play on everything? Is DVD-Rplus the recorded format of choice here?
Anyone have experience with this? I'd like to have a simpler option than going the computer route.

[MagicAlex]

As far as I can tell neither format is 100% compatible with all players but both formats do fortunately have high compatibility rates. I don't understand who's bright idea it was to introduce two standards or why. Maybe I'm missing the technical reason for it. There doesn't seem to be a format of choice but there are alot more of the DVD-Rs out there.

I was going to buy a DVD-R burner but because of the format war (and mybe this is why they do it) I bought a more expensive unit that supports both DVD-R and DVD+R.

[Reginald]

All DVD recordable formats are a problem in terms of compatibility. DVD-R is probably the most compatible but not by much, if at all. It’s a freaking nightmare. Talk about a good concept badly implemented. Just shoot me now. I have a multi-format burner DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW and a multi format player, should be no problem? Wrong!!!!! Was that DVD-R V1 or V2? Don’t buy the wrong discs V1 and V2 are incompatible. Argggg!!!!!!

[-=Rudy=-]

I'm sitting out this whole DVD-R (or what-the-****-ever) format thing until I can be assured that the DVD I create will play in ANY video DVD player. I have laserdiscs, Hi8 camcorder tapes, and countless old home movies on 8mm film that I want to store in DVD format. My habit of buying the wrong thing keeps me from indulging in a technology that IMHO is still to pricey to take a chance on.

[BradOlson]

VCD is compatible with most DVD players but you may experience a loss in quality but some VCD transfers have excellent picture quality.

[Pinknik]

To answer the initial question, DVD-R is the "most" compatible format. Unfortunately, the degree of compatibility rests mostly on the player, as the manufacturers have to make them able to read the new formats. So an older player that had problems with DVD-R's is not likely to get any better as the recordable formats advance. Only getting a new player will fix the dilemma.

[Clay]

IMO for the foreseeable future all new DVD players will play both.
I bought the Pioneer DVD-R
It replaced a HP CDR.
DVD-R is more popular for PCs
DVD+R is more popular for home units.

The DVD-R is great for backing up 4.7G's of PC data. It is still a hassle to record my videos to DVD (I have not tried yet is seems like a hassle)
The home based DVD recorder seems like the way to go for you (Rudy) and I think I will get one too or borrow one to get all my old VHS onto DVD before it is too late.
HP makes a nice one and they have a good track record with CDRs.

Why wait when being an early adopter is more fun.
I bought a 1st generation CD player and started buying CDs
I bought a first generation DVD player and started buying DVDs instead of VHS. Of course that was back in the good old days before getting laid off:)

If you wait too long, you will have skipped a whole generations and will wonder what High Definition DVD recorder to get. ~2005 is my guess for 1080i or hopefully 1080P DVD recorders and players.
Then we can replace our video collection once again. Of course it will happen again and again until eventually IMO there are holograms of the actors in our home theatre. Hope I live to see it:)

[cliff barua]

On most newer "name"-brand DVD players (i.e. last 2 years) any format of DVD blank will play successfully with the exception of DVD-RAM (solely used by Panasonic recorders). On my Phillips stand-alone recorder, I prefer to use the DVD+RW discs (versus DVD+R) because they are reusable (in case I don't want the contents no longer or if I make editing mistakes) and because the price differential between RW and R discs (for both + and - formats) is becoming negligable (to me). Again the exception is for Panasonic recorders (where DVD-RAM (reusable) discs are much more expensive than DVD-R discs).

Cliff

[Sckott]

No one should be using RW type recordable media for anything anymore. The reflect-ability is low (and has to be) and the reliability and speed of read-back is poor. One wrong move with a CDRW or DVDRW, and you ultimately have to throw it away once it cannot be erased.

So what's the point?

I use DVD+R made by HP. I agree that the + and - format wars haven't met to agreement. For me, the drive and the media have worked really well. I'm very happy with it.

[cliff barua]

Originally posted by Sckott
No one should be using RW type recordable media for anything anymore. The reflect-ability is low (and has to be) and the reliability and speed of read-back is poor. One wrong move with a CDRW or DVDRW, and you ultimately have to throw it away once it cannot be erased.

So what's the point?



Sorry, but when it comes to DVD, I respectfully disagree (I rarely use CD-RW's). It depends what you're using your media for. I use DVD+RW's for time-shifting off of TV and for some archiving (where I'm editing and adding chapter stops, etc). This is all done on a stand-alone recorder (I'm not talking about computers here). Once I finish watching my program, I usually erase it. I guess you could say that I'm using my recorder like a VCR but with newer technology. Believe me, with your approach, I'd be going through a *****load of DVD+R's.

Also with DVD+RW's, I don't have to finalize to watch on another machine. Ironically, "one wrong move with a DVD+R, and I have to throw it away as it cannot be erased" (much like a CD-R). Depends on your needs, I guess. And having used over 200 DVD+RW's (from unbranded to Verbatim, HP and Memorex), I have NEVER chucked a disc yet. If you're using a standalone machine for either TV watching or fussy editing (that you may decide to change later - chapter stops, menu images, etc) then you are WAY better off using RW discs.

So that's the point. :rolleyes:

Cliff

[Sckott]

And a good one!

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by cliff barua
... DVD-RAM (solely used by Panasonic recorders).

They are so great!!! You can record a show and edit the commercials out. What's better is you get that time back. I have a DVD player only that is DVD-RAM compatible. Now I can watch my Good Eats collection and seasons 1 & 2 of Scrubs in any one of several rooms. What a great time we live in.

[GoldenBoy]

Actually, according to TechTV, based on their test-lab results, DVD+R/W is more compatible than DVD-R despite the latter being more widely available than the former.

[Michael St. Clair]

1) CDRInfo has performed the most complete independent compatibility test I have seen. http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Articles/Specific.asp?ArticleHeadline=DVD%20Media %20Format%20Compatibility%20Tests

2) An aquaintance of mine ran a service where he (legally) duplicated videos for corporate customers. He started doing DVDs and allowed customers to supply the media for a while. When he used '+' media, he had three times as many returns for compatibility as when he used '-' media.

3) DVD-RAM is the most robust, secure DVD format for mission-critical backups. It is also a great format for home as long as you aren't making the discs for other people to play.

[grbl]

My wife just bought me a Philips DVD+R/RW because I've been saying for a while that I can't wait to be able to securely store all of our camcorder recordings. I would have waited for all of this format confusion to clear up, but she (being an impulse buyer) took the plunge for me. So did she pick the right format (tough question)? I guess I'lll have a better idea when I try it out and test it's compatibility with each of our 3 DVD players.

[cwon]

I took the plunge and bought a SONY GX7 DVD recorder and am using DVD-R discs. They've played on new and old SONY decks, on a Panasonic deck, and on Pioneer LD/DVD combi decks, and PC's, so the compatibility seems good.

For those still waiting, DVD-R won't allow you to insert chapters without STOPping the recording between chapters. PAUSing will not insert chapters.

The deck will insert INDEX points at regular intervals if you wish. You can skip to these using the NEXT buttons on your player, but you can't go directly to one using the numeric pads.

You can adjust the recording speed to fit up to 6 hours on a blank if you want, but I think quality suffers with slower speed.

All in all, good for transferring videotapes and laserdiscs which haven't been released on DVD yet. And good for compilations - so long as the source isn't copyprotected. The deck won't let you copy those.

[-=Rudy=-]

I would like to get that Panasonic stand-alone unit that records to an internal hard drive, then lets you burn to DVD. I have well over 100 laserdiscs and some Hi8 camcorder tapes and out-of-print VHS tapes that I want to put on DVD, and the ability to do some basic editing is appealing.

[romanotrax]

Originally posted by cliff barua


Sorry, but when it comes to DVD, I respectfully disagree (I rarely use CD-RW's). It depends what you're using your media for. I use DVD+RW's for time-shifting off of TV and for some archiving (where I'm editing and adding chapter stops, etc). This is all done on a stand-alone recorder

What standalone recorder can you add chapter stops? I paid $1000 for my Panasonic with a harddrive built in and I can do that manually.

[cwon]

Originally posted by romanotrax


What standalone recorder can you add chapter stops? I paid $1000 for my Panasonic with a harddrive built in and I can do that manually.


A quick check in the SONY GX7 manual indicates that you can add chapters manually, but only on DVD-RW discs. I don't know how compatible DVD-RWs are with other decks.

The recorders with built-in hard-drives probably have an advantage when it comes to editing functions, but I have no experience with them.

[BradOlson]

For now, burn VCD as it is compatible with a very huge percentage of DVD players.

[Michael St. Clair]

For now, burn VCD as it is compatible with a very huge percentage of DVD players.

DVD-R is as compatible than VCD. VCD is largely compatible with players that use chipsets that are designed to serve the Chinese market, but it is not more compatible than DVD-R.

[BradOlson]

There are US DVD players that play VCDs as well.

[Michael St. Clair]

And there are US DVD players that will play (region-free) PAL DVD right out of the box. And many players that do not.

VCD has less resolution than Laserdisc and S-VHS, and much of the time has digital artifacts that make it look worse than a good-quality VHS. Compatibility issues not withstanding, it is a format that has unacceptable picture quality to critical viewers using typical contemporary display devices. DVD-R and DVD+R, on the other hand, look outstanding when mastered and authored well.

[Clay]

DVD-R and DVD+R, on the other hand, look outstanding when mastered and authored well. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by -=Rudy=-
I would like to get that Panasonic stand-alone unit that records to an internal hard drive... the ability to do some basic editing is appealing.

I have that machine (the new version) and it still leaves a small audio gap when you make an edit. There's some other quirks with the machine too. They're so close to making a great machine.