DVDs won't play back in certain DVD players at DVinfo.net

Brad Miller · December 19th, 2010, 08:12 PM

I burnt my video to a DVD, I tested it out on my computer, Toshiba DVD player, and two different GO Video DVD players and they all played back perfectly fine.

I tried to play the DVDs on someone's PS3, PS2, and IBM Thinkpad and Macbook, and none of the DVDs would play.

I'm at a loss for troubleshooting this. I've tried both DVD-R and DVD+Rs with the same results. Anyone have any suggestions for the highest probability of playback on a client's DVD player?

(I've been a DVinfo member since 2006, but my account was deleted to not being active for a while, so I had to create a new one. Hello to everyone again!)

Sareesh Sudhakaran · December 19th, 2010, 10:55 PM

Some more specifics required:

1. Where those data DVDs or movie DVDs? PAL/NTSC, SD or HD? etc.
2. What was the maximum bitrate used? On the safe side, your maximum (whether CBR or VBR) should be about 6.5 Mbps (Audio video combined). Older or cheaper players might not be able to correctly play back anything higher.
3. What write speed did you use? It is a good idea to write out the DVD in the lowest write speed possible.
4. Did you add any data content to your DVD (if it was a movie DVD)?

Maybe you have all this covered but I hope one of these suggestions help.

Jim Andrada · December 20th, 2010, 08:07 PM

And what brand were the ones you used?

I don't think it's so uncommon to have compatibility issues with DVD's and I know that some people on the forum have said that they keep several players around so they can test what they burn.

Bredly Root · December 21st, 2010, 06:20 AM

interesting for me, thanks

Gary Nattrass · December 21st, 2010, 07:28 AM

I have also had this when I used DVD -R discs from my macbook pro, if I use DVD +R discs they seem to play OK!

I see you have tried both types but it may be that you need to slow the burn speed down.

Jim Andrada · December 21st, 2010, 11:27 AM

Or maybe change brands. I have same problems with CD's from time to time. I seem to have the best luck with Taiyo Yuden and as Gary said, burn rate can affect it.

It is after all a less than perfect world! And burning writeable media exposes one of the most less perfect aspects of technology.

Jay West · December 22nd, 2010, 01:42 PM

Burning DVDs can still be a bit of black art.

The brand of disk can matter. The color of the substrate can vary somewhat between brands, and that that can mean some players won't recognize DVDs on some brands of disk. I use printable 16x-rated Taiyo Yuden and the Sony "Accucore" disks that are sold in our local Costco. I've tried other brands (mainly Imation and Memorex) and have run into playback issues with them.

Burning speed can also matter. Some of my customers' players have trouble with disks burned at 16x. I always set the burning speed to 12x or less.

A third factor is the age of your DVD burner. It seems that, as the burner ages, the alignments can get off a bit, which can make for playback problems, especially when the disks are burned at higher speeds. I my case, the DVD burner in my laptop and the four-year old Pioneer DVD burner in my workstation won't burn playable DVDs at over 8x and sometimes drop down to 4x. My newer blur-ray burners do a much better job even with CDs.

Jim Andrada · December 22nd, 2010, 03:48 PM

I remember running off 50 CD's which worked fine in one player and not at all in another. Then I switched to Taiyo Yuden media and have had almost no playability issues with them.

Keith Dobie · December 22nd, 2010, 07:59 PM

Hi Brad
What was the combined/total bitrate of the audio + video? Sareesh mentioned this above and would be the first thing I would check.

Brad Miller · January 18th, 2011, 09:53 PM

I was able to get the DVDs to work when I let Windows DVD Maker automatically set the bitrate to whatever it wanted. My problem was dics created with custom bitrates with Sony's DVD Architect.

December 19th, 2010, 08:12 PM	#1
Brad Miller New Boot Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Hoboken, NJ Posts: 11	DVDs won't play back in certain DVD players I burnt my video to a DVD, I tested it out on my computer, Toshiba DVD player, and two different GO Video DVD players and they all played back perfectly fine. I tried to play the DVDs on someone's PS3, PS2, and IBM Thinkpad and Macbook, and none of the DVDs would play. I'm at a loss for troubleshooting this. I've tried both DVD-R and DVD+Rs with the same results. Anyone have any suggestions for the highest probability of playback on a client's DVD player? (I've been a DVinfo member since 2006, but my account was deleted to not being active for a while, so I had to create a new one. Hello to everyone again!)

December 19th, 2010, 10:55 PM	#2
Sareesh Sudhakaran Trustee Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 1,385	Some more specifics required: 1. Where those data DVDs or movie DVDs? PAL/NTSC, SD or HD? etc. 2. What was the maximum bitrate used? On the safe side, your maximum (whether CBR or VBR) should be about 6.5 Mbps (Audio video combined). Older or cheaper players might not be able to correctly play back anything higher. 3. What write speed did you use? It is a good idea to write out the DVD in the lowest write speed possible. 4. Did you add any data content to your DVD (if it was a movie DVD)? Maybe you have all this covered but I hope one of these suggestions help. __________________ Get the Free Comprehensive Guide to Rigging ANY Camera - one guide to rig them all - DSLRs to the Arri Alexa.

December 21st, 2010, 07:28 AM	#5
Gary Nattrass Trustee Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Cornsay Durham UK Posts: 1,992	I have also had this when I used DVD -R discs from my macbook pro, if I use DVD +R discs they seem to play OK! I see you have tried both types but it may be that you need to slow the burn speed down. __________________ Over 15 minutes in Broadcast Film and TV production: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1044352/

December 20th, 2010, 08:07 PM	#3
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	And what brand were the ones you used? I don't think it's so uncommon to have compatibility issues with DVD's and I know that some people on the forum have said that they keep several players around so they can test what they burn.

December 21st, 2010, 06:20 AM	#4
Bredly Root New Boot Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: USA Posts: 18	interesting for me, thanks

December 21st, 2010, 11:27 AM	#6
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	Or maybe change brands. I have same problems with CD's from time to time. I seem to have the best luck with Taiyo Yuden and as Gary said, burn rate can affect it. It is after all a less than perfect world! And burning writeable media exposes one of the most less perfect aspects of technology.

December 22nd, 2010, 01:42 PM	#7
Jay West Major Player Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Red Lodge, Montana Posts: 889	Burning DVDs can still be a bit of black art. The brand of disk can matter. The color of the substrate can vary somewhat between brands, and that that can mean some players won't recognize DVDs on some brands of disk. I use printable 16x-rated Taiyo Yuden and the Sony "Accucore" disks that are sold in our local Costco. I've tried other brands (mainly Imation and Memorex) and have run into playback issues with them. Burning speed can also matter. Some of my customers' players have trouble with disks burned at 16x. I always set the burning speed to 12x or less. A third factor is the age of your DVD burner. It seems that, as the burner ages, the alignments can get off a bit, which can make for playback problems, especially when the disks are burned at higher speeds. I my case, the DVD burner in my laptop and the four-year old Pioneer DVD burner in my workstation won't burn playable DVDs at over 8x and sometimes drop down to 4x. My newer blur-ray burners do a much better job even with CDs.

December 22nd, 2010, 03:48 PM	#8
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	I remember running off 50 CD's which worked fine in one player and not at all in another. Then I switched to Taiyo Yuden media and have had almost no playability issues with them.

December 22nd, 2010, 07:59 PM	#9
Keith Dobie Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 172	Hi Brad What was the combined/total bitrate of the audio + video? Sareesh mentioned this above and would be the first thing I would check.

January 18th, 2011, 09:53 PM	#10
Brad Miller New Boot Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Hoboken, NJ Posts: 11	I was able to get the DVDs to work when I let Windows DVD Maker automatically set the bitrate to whatever it wanted. My problem was dics created with custom bitrates with Sony's DVD Architect.