TiVo Community Forums Archives - DVD-R is the most compatible format..

TiVoCommunity.com
(c)opyright 1995-2005 All rights reserved
indexcheckTC
This area is a static history of posts in the TiVo Community Forum Archive.
This archive history was made for the simple indexing of search sites like Google.

Pages:1

DVD-R is the most compatible format..
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Rombaldi

quote:
CDR-Info, has determined that DVD-R is clearly the most compatible DVD recording format on the market. To assess the compatibility level of DVD Formats we created video content on a DVD writer using DVD-R/RW and +R/RW media. These discs were then played back in other DVD players and DVD-ROM drives – over a 1,000 combinations of drive, media and player were tested.

The content created on a DVD-R/RW writer using a write once DVD-R disc played back in virtually all (96.1 percent) of the DVD players and DVD-ROM drives used in the research. DVD+R discs played back in 87.6 percent of the devices tested.

Since the market for recording to DVD has developed, and different formats have emerged, consumers have been concerned about the compatibility of their DVD recording devices with DVD players and DVD-ROM drives. The findings suggest that for customers who wish to create content on a DVD writer and interchange this with other PC drives and consumer DVD players, DVD-R is the clear format of choice.

Full story and test results

Posted by: cptodd

I think that most important is what is best for YOU. I would think that most people will be playing back the disks that they burn in the machine that they used to burn the disk. I wanted to get a DVD-R mechanism because my computer supports DVD-R which allows me to just duplicate the disk if a friend wants a copy or if I want to make a back-up copy of an especially important show I burned.

Posted by: tivospav

quote:
Originally posted by cptodd
I think that most important is what is best for YOU. I would think that most people will be playing back the disks that they burn in the machine that they used to burn the disk. I wanted to get a DVD-R mechanism because my computer supports DVD-R which allows me to just duplicate the disk if a friend wants a copy or if I want to make a back-up copy of an especially important show I burned.

I tend to disagree with that. When I think of making a movie, I want it to be compatible with the most players. The last project I did, 38 discs were sent. I'm pretty happy they were DVD-R...I only had 1 return. Aside from archiving what other reason is there to have a DVD-R. I don't want to watch stuff on my computer...that's what I have a TV for.

Posted by: cptodd

I don't think that you would be the average person then. Most folks, I would think, are not making "projects" or movies for other people to see. I could be wrong about this but most folks want one of these things to record Buffy or some other program and not to send out bunches of disks. Since you do have these needs I could see why a high level of compatibility would be important to you.

Posted by: MighTiVo

I wanted DVD+RW so I wouldn't have to reformat the entire disk evertime I wanted to erase something. I haven't had too much trouble playing back the DVD+R disks I burn...

Posted by: Skylooker

quote:
Originally posted by cptodd
I would think that most people will be playing back the disks that they burn in the machine that they used to burn the disk.

I would have to disagree in the case where the DVD-R is burned on the PC. I burn DVDs and have almosr never played it back on the PC. As soon as the burn is complete, I test play it in my DVD player. Never do I play the DVD back on the computer.

Posted by: cptodd

Perhaps my original post was confusing. The reason I wanted to get a recorder that recorded in DVD-R format was because my computer could record in that format. This was important because it allowed me to use the computer to make a duplicate disk of what I recorded using my DVD-R standalone recorder. I also never use the computer to play back disks that I record using the standalone unit.

My original point was that, for the most , most people play the DVD that they make on their standalone units in the unit that they used to make the disk. Therefore the compatibility question while not moot, was less important that it seemed.

Are there people who need a high degree of compatibility between the units that they make their disks on and other people's units? Yes. Is it the vast majority of people? I would have to say no.

Posted by: mattack

quote:
Originally posted by MighTiVo
I wanted DVD+RW so I wouldn't have to reformat the entire disk evertime I wanted to erase something. I haven't had too much trouble playing back the DVD+R disks I burn...

You don't have to do that on DVD-RAM either.. (it behaves like a hard drive)

Posted by: vman41

In my sample size of 8, DVD-Rs played back reliably in just 4 machines (and 1 of them was the DVD burner itself). The rule seems to be that the older the DVD player, the less compatible it is. The link to the "Full story" appears to be broken, so I couldn't see exactly what their matrix looks like.

Posted by: MighTiVo

quote:
Originally posted by mattack
You don't have to do that on DVD-RAM either.. (it behaves like a hard drive)

Not many DVD-RAM players though.
I can play my DVD+RW in my Xbox and Philips DVD player.

Posted by: lew

quote:
Originally posted by cptodd
Are there people who need a high degree of compatibility between the units that they make their disks on and other people's units? Yes. Is it the vast majority of people? I would have to say no.

Count me in the minority. I want maximum compatability. If I ever have to replace my player (or buy another one for a bedroom or basement) I'd like to have the highest probability that my DVDs will play.

Posted by: Redleg

If it's only for your personal use it may not be important, but compatibility is important if you want to be able to share home movies with aunts and grandparents and favorite TV shows with friends and family. I've tried several different brands of DVD-R blanks, and I've found that compatibility was directly related to the price/quality of the media. TDK, Fuji and even Memorex DVD-Rs will play on my (and my extended family's) Sony, Toshiba, Xbox, PS2, GE, and Apex players, whereas the cheapest media (bought online) sometimes won't even play back on my DVD-R burner!

Posted by: mattack

quote:
Originally posted by MighTiVo
Not many DVD-RAM players though.
I can play my DVD+RW in my Xbox and Philips DVD player.

You're right.. Though some newer Panasonic players do play DVD-RAM.

Though I see DVD-RAM as more of a "portable" format, a way to get stuff off of the recorder's hard drive -- and possibly play in other rooms (yes, with another new player, probably the cheapest one that'll do DVD-RAM).

But I think the advantages of DVD-RAM (it behaves "how you'd expect", has orders of magnitude more rewrites than the others, and you can do PVR-like tricks like watch-while-record on DVD-RAM) make it something I'll get, even if it is the "Beta" of rewritable DVD. DVD-R is the transfer/long-term format, DVD-RAM is just a bonus (IMHO).

I do admit I'll change my mind if/when $200-$300 hard-drive/DVD recorders come out.. i.e. I'll give up DVD-RAM features for a few hundred bucks. (But I'll probably have a DMR-E80 by then).

Posted by: cmaeditor

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Art... Tests&Series=0

Try the link above

Posted by: kb7sei

If you're in the market, IMO, the best thing to do is look up your devices on dvdrhelp.com and see what media they are verified to work with. Some devices will play +R but not -R, some the other way around, some work with both. Figgure out what works for you, and buy that. Or buy a +/- burner and have both available.

I think that compatibility is important because most of us want to play back on normal DVD players. And some of the time, we will want to play back on someone else's DVD player. In those cases, it's a darn good idea to use the most compatible format. For those with standalone recorders, they will probably just use the recorder to play back most of the time. But what about when you want to share the recording with someone else? I think people are eventually going to want to treat these like VHS is now, and may be disapointed.

Posted by: Chuck_IV

quote:
Originally posted by lew
Count me in the minority. I want maximum compatability. If I ever have to replace my player (or buy another one for a bedroom or basement) I'd like to have the highest probability that my DVDs will play.

Virtually all newer DVD players will play BOTH formats. The percentages are about even. Where DVD-R may have the slight advantage, is in older(much older) DVD players, since DVD-R has been around longer.

Personally, after doing a lot of research on this when deciding on what recorder(stand alone, not a PC drive) to buy, I bought a DVD+R/+RW recorder. I simply feel that, while DVD-R was first, DVD+R/+RW is the future.

Posted by: MighTiVo

quote:
Originally posted by Chuck_IV
Virtually all newer DVD players will play BOTH formats.

Not true. However it is likely that if it will play CD-R, it will play CD+R. But there are many new players that don't do either. Amazingly most of the cheapest ones do play both. I guess the long development cycles and specialized lasers and chips for ultimate performance on the high end players keep them behind the times. I have also found many players that can not read the RW form as well.

I finally gave up testing players when I got a Xbox and discovered it could play everything. Now I just need to hack it so I can play MP3s.