OK, DVD and computer experts ...

[beefncheddar]

Got great help here before with my torrents issue, so I'm back for more.

Burned a high-definition game (not a video game, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals) I downloaded onto a Memorex DVD-RW disc with a trial version of Nero. It plays beautifully on my computer, but my DVD player won't read the disc. I'm using an RCA RC6000P player, and the instruction manual says it won't play DVD-ROM discs. Does that mean I'm SOL on anything I try to burn?

Any suggestions, technogeniuses? I'm about to pull my hair out.

Edit: Not a video game, but an actual broadcast.

 

[bigpern23]

You should still be able to play movies that you burn, unless it's an older model DVD player. I wouldn't think a DVD player would ever play video games.

 

[beefncheddar]

You should still be able to play movies that you burn, unless it's an older model DVD player. I wouldn't think a DVD player would ever play video games.

My bad. Edited to reflect that it's a hockey broadcast I downloaded, not a video game.

 

[Sea Bass]

Does that mean I'm SOL on anything I try to burn?

I'm not a technogenius, but I think it does. If the DVD player is more than a few years old, it won't be compatible with certain media.

I ran into this problem when I was burning stuff for a buddy of mine who had an older player. When I burned him stuff on a DVD+R (which is different from a DVD-RW or even a DVD-R) it wouldn't play. But I bought a new spindle of DVD-R's and they work fine in his player.

However, if you have a PC or a laptop with any kind of DVD drive (ROM, +R, -R, or -RW) it should play.

 

[beefncheddar]

Does that mean I'm SOL on anything I try to burn?

I'm not a technogenius, but I think it does. If the DVD player is more than a few years old, it won't be compatible with certain media.

I ran into this problem when I was burning stuff for a buddy of mine who had an older player. When I burned him stuff on a DVD+R (which is different from a DVD-RW or even a DVD-R) it wouldn't play. But I bought a new spindle of DVD-R's and they work fine in his player.

However, if you have a PC or a laptop with any kind of DVD drive (ROM, +R, -R, or -RW) it should play.

Yeah, it plays like a charm on my computer, so I know the burn and the disc are good.

So, I guess what I don't fully understand is this: Are DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD+R all considered DVD-ROM? If so, I'm pretty sure I'm out of luck. And, if anyone is really ambitious, WTF is the difference between the four?

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Yeah, it plays like a charm on my computer, so I know the burn and the disc are good.

So, I guess what I don't fully understand is this: Are DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD+R all considered DVD-ROM? If so, I'm pretty sure I'm out of luck. And, if anyone is really ambitious, WTF is the difference between the four?

RW is rewritable. R means you can write it only once.

Not sure on the RW+ or the R+



edit: DVD+RW

 

[beefncheddar]

Well, I found a page that explains the four. And I'm still not sure WTF I need to do. ???

Regardless, thanks for the help.

 

[bigpern23]

Does that mean I'm SOL on anything I try to burn?

I'm not a technogenius, but I think it does. If the DVD player is more than a few years old, it won't be compatible with certain media.

I ran into this problem when I was burning stuff for a buddy of mine who had an older player. When I burned him stuff on a DVD+R (which is different from a DVD-RW or even a DVD-R) it wouldn't play. But I bought a new spindle of DVD-R's and they work fine in his player.

However, if you have a PC or a laptop with any kind of DVD drive (ROM, +R, -R, or -RW) it should play.

DVD-R, RW, etc., are not all DVD-ROM. DVD-ROMs are something different. However, as I said, if your DVD player is an older model (I'd say older than maybe four years), it may not play burned DVDs. I have one that I bought in 1999 that does not play my burned DVDs, but my newer players all do.

If it doesn't play any burned DVDs, it's probably worth it to spend $70 or whatever on a new DVD player that does. The money you save on burned DVDs will make up for the cost of the player.
Yeah, it plays like a charm on my computer, so I know the burn and the disc are good.

So, I guess what I don't fully understand is this: Are DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD+R all considered DVD-ROM? If so, I'm pretty sure I'm out of luck. And, if anyone is really ambitious, WTF is the difference between the four?

 

[beefncheddar]

DVD-R, RW, etc., are not all DVD-ROM. DVD-ROMs are something different. However, as I said, if your DVD player is an older model (I'd say older than maybe four years), it may not play burned DVDs. I have one that I bought in 1999 that does not play my burned DVDs, but my newer players all do.

If it doesn't play any burned DVDs, it's probably worth it to spend $70 or whatever on a new DVD player that does. The money you save on burned DVDs will make up for the cost of the player.

Thanks a bunch. That's what I was afraid of.

 

[Madhavok]

Well for the time being, if you have an S-video out in your vid card (for PC) or one in the back of your laptop, you can just use an adaptor and run it to your TV; change the monitor settings and such,

 

[Rosie]

You said it's a trial version of Nero.

Is it possible that the trial version doesn't "finish" the DVD so that it may be used on a regular DVD player? That would not be a surprise with a trial version of a program.

I would check any help files which came with Nero and see what they say. Check Nero's website and see if there's any FAQs there as well.

Also check your owner's manual for your RCA player. It should say which types of DVDs work with it. (For example, my Panasonic player will read and record on DVD-RW, but not DVD+RW.) I think someone already mentioned that DVD-ROM is not the same as the other DVD types.

BTW, I have Nero and I love it. I just haven't gotten around to burning DVDs with it as my laptop doesn't have a DVD burner. And I'm never on the desktop computer which does -- can never get it away from the kids.

 

[slappy4428]

Some DVDs work better than others. I have some OfficeMax brand ones I had to use as frisbees because they wouldnt play in anything but my comouters or my DVD recorder... Once I changed to real brands like TDK, Sony or Phillips, they worked fine.
Be sure the version of Nero allowed you to finalize the disc...

 

[jshaf]

if you have it on one disk and your computer reads it then do you have a burner and a dvd rom on your system? is so then just burn it to another format, to say dvd +R or -R, and try playing it in you set top player after that. I make hundreds of DVD's a year and when friends ask me to make them a disk of a game or what ever the first thing I do is find out there modal name and number of ther set top player, then google that info and find the specs so I know what format to copy my master disc to. Answers are almost always out there in cyberspace, you just gotta know where to look.

 

[beefncheddar]

Thanks for the help, everybody. After searching pretty much all night, I'm pretty sure my DVD player won't play anything (DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW or DVD+R). So, that leads to my next question ...

Holy crap, DVD players are cheap now. I've got a pretty sweet HDTV. Will I be happy with a $60 or $70 player? From everything I'm reading, they'll do everything I could want. As of now, the DVD-HD players look too expensive.

 

[EStreetJoe]

To find out which formats (+R, -R, +RW, -RW, etc.) your DVD player supports, go here:
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers

enter just the model number (not the brand) and it will come back with which formats your player supports listed in bold.

 

[beefncheddar]

To find out which formats (+R, -R, +RW, -RW, etc.) your DVD player supports, go here:
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers

enter just the model number (not the brand) and it will come back with which formats your player supports listed in bold.

Thanks. Had tried that and the one person whose response was useful basically said to go trial and error on DVD-Rs, but that most didn't work.

 

[MrWrite]

just a thought, since I also use and love nero....when you burned the disc, did you make sure to select DVD-video instead of DVD-ROM, which i believe is the default? because if not, that would certainly explain why your computer played it and DVD player did not (it would think it was a data disc).

 

[beefncheddar]

just a thought, since I also use and love nero....when you burned the disc, did you make sure to select DVD-video instead of DVD-ROM, which i believe is the default? because if not, that would certainly explain why your computer played it and DVD player did not (it would think it was a data disc).

Now we could be getting somewhere. To be honest, I don't have any idea what I selected when I burned it. I saved the file, so I should be able to reburn it, I'm guessing. I'll try it on the same DVD-RW and probably buy a DVD-R to try it on.

Thanks.

 

[beefncheddar]

Just wanted to follow up with a thanks for everyone who helped. Tried a Sony DVD-R today and it worked like a charm. I'm off to illegally download everything I can get my hands on go do some stuff. Yeah, that's it.

 

[dog428]

mustard, you're still gonna have to be careful about the formats of the files you download and burn. These things come in a variety of formats and many simply won't play on a DVD player that's a few years old. Trust me here. I found this out the hard way. I was like you a year or so ago, just trying to burn **** with no real clue as to what I was doing. About half of it wouldn't work, some of what did work didn't match the audio with the video and I was spending hours downloading programs in order to change the formats of files. Nothing sucks worse than spending hours downloading something you want, more hours burning it and then have the damn thing not work.

Then I made the best move I've ever made. Went to Wal Mart and bought this Sony DVD player. The damn thing plays EVERYTHING. Literally. I've downloaded file formats I've never even heard of, popped the DVDs into this player and this thing searches for the right setup, finds it and plays it. The best part: This player was the cheapest on the shelves. I bought it for like $50. Noticed the other day that's down to around $40.