I have a stand alone Panasonic E-85 dvd recorder that will record onto dvd-r & dvd-ram; I also have an external dvd writer (Samsung) for my PC that will burn +R and -R and ram but also, it will "Litescribe" labels for them on the proper media. I could only find blanks that would accept Litescribe in Verbatim DVD+R in my area, so I bought a 50 pak. Question: Does it really matter what format the blank is other than being compatible with the recorder? Once it's recorded and finalized doesn't it become a DVD video that's theoretically playable on any DVD player? Say I record a movie from my satellite receiver onto a dvd-ram with my E-85; shouldn't I then be able to load it into my Samsung writer, copy it to my HDD, maybe do some editing, etc and finially burn it onto a Verbatim +R that I can Lightscribe and have it play on most any dvd player?
The diffrence between -R media and +R media is the way the DVD is writen to the disc(how the player accsses the information on the disc). Not all players will read DVD+R media. That is why it is recomened to use DVD-R media or if you use DVD+R media to booktype it to DVD-ROM which makes it more compatible with players. So if you burn a movie on a DVD+R disc and it plays on your standalone player then you do not need to worry about booktyping the media to DVD-ROM. Unless you plan on loaning out the media and that persons DVD player will not read DVD+R disc or maybe you need to get a diffrent DVD player and that player has trouble reading the DVD+R disc your out of luck if you can't read the DVD+R disc. That is why it is best to booktype DVD+R media to DVD-ROM. Below is a guide on how to booktype a DVD+R disc to DVD-ROM with (ImgBurn software) which you can get from the below link... http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download I will show you how to booktype a single layer DVD+R disc to DVD-ROM using a Lite-On DVD recorder as an example because that is what I have. If you have a diffrent brand of burrner then you need to click that tab. I hope that answers some of your questions. If you have any more feel free to ask.
Thanks Larry. So then burning it as a "dvd-rom" is sort of like making it a "dvd-video" that will play on most players?
Yes, TV dvd recorders are mostly single format. You said yours is dash format. No,that's where stand alone player compatability occurs.Those stand alone players can be picky when it comes to reading the dash and plus format. Booktyping usually fixes these issues. Another thing to consider is if you used VR or V mode on that Panasonic recorder. I believe you need V mode.Not very many players can handle the VR mode,but recorders will. Dvd Ram: I've never messed with it.More expensive and sounds more like Dvd-Rw media may be your best alternative. Sounds like you want to burn reg TV programs so use some quality dash media like verbatim,taiyo yuden,or japanese sony/fuji/maxell.Try to find a small 3/5 pack of japanese dash maxells at a walmart or other store.You may even want a few -RW's because they are rewriteable.. Burn 1,dash r or dash rw on your panasonic recorder. Make sure your samsung drive recognizes it. If it does,it should be able to rip it so you can burn to lightscribe. Stick with the verbatim lightscribe and not the HP. After successfully backing up onto your +r ls media,then you'll have a totally different backup. Again,make sure all your stand alone players,pc drives,and game consoles will handle those Samsung backups. One last note, dvd drives can be picky when it comes to reading RW backups as well. It's the dreaded compatability issue.If you see: No Disc Dirty disc Wrong region Wrong format It's usually a compatability issue.You may have to pow around with both formats. With all the variations among lasers between players and writers,compatability issues will arrise. Now if you can booktype with that samsung burner,then it'll definitely help you out for those no disc errors. What's the model# of that samsung burner? I'm not sure if you'll have the option to booktype.
@waltinvt I would assume burning it to DVD-ROM is forcing the burrner to burn the DVD+R disc as a DVD-R disc. I really dont know what it is doing diffrent when booktyping the media. I always get DVD-R media so I havent booktyped. I just know how to do it because of other post that i have read. Which say booktyping it to DVD-ROM is making the DVD+R media more compatible to players.
saugmon, My dvd writer is a Samsung Model SE-S164. I wasn't aware of the "V" vs "VR" modes on the E-85 but will check it out. You're not referring to the fixed vs variable bit rate are you?
I've got a cheap cyberhome tv recorder. It's plus format only. I do backup my home vhs and 8 mm home vids onto the +r discs. Then I'll rip them on any of my 4 pcs-using plus format and booktyped to dvd-rom. Whether they are VR mode or V mode,mine doesn't say anything about those modes. Some recorders do. Look at the menu on that recorder,should be around where you click Finalize or Make compatable. Look your manual over carefully for that VR and V mode. If I haven't finalized a dvd,I can still rip it on my computers. Those unfinalized discs won't play in other stand alone players,but should play on pc dvd-rom/dvd-rw drives. Last year a fellow AD member had trouble because a buddy sent him some tv shows from the BBC on dvd. I ripped them,but they wouldn't play in my players.They would play in my tv recorder. He used the wrong mode. I then found another tv recorder,dubbed it to my recorder,put those backups in my pc and burned them with my benqs. It all came down to his buddy using the wrong mode on his recorder.
Thanks Saugmon, I could not find anything in the Panasonic (E-85) manual about "V" or "VR" mode. I did download the Imgburn software, so I will try it this week and maybe that will solve my problem.
Early Panasonic DVD players and recorders refused to read DVD+R/+RW discs because they "violated" the DVD Forum standards when the developers broke away from the Forum. There are codes in the ADIP section of a disc (ADress In Pregroove) that identify the disc as recordable or rewritable and identify the speed rating. Bit setting "cheats" by changing the code of the DVD+R disc to that of a pressed DVD or DVD-ROM. DVD-R cannot do this and does not need to because it follows the strict rules of the DVD Forum that endorsed the format. Changing a DVD+R disc's bit setting to DVD-ROM will allow it to fool the Panasonics into playing it. (Newer Panasonic's have relented.) The Video Format is used for recordings of set times such as 1 hour, 2 hours, etc. that write the start and finish times on the disc according to the format used by DVD-ROMs. But since recording in real-time from a TV broadcast may not have a set time--sports, for example--a new VR (Video Recording) format was established that writes the ending point only when the disc is finalized. The Panasonic model will offer both Video and VR formats, and the manual will point out that VR-formatted discs may be less compatible than standard Video-formatted discs. This stuff is far more complicated than it should be. That's why hard disc drives are more popular than expected and DVD recorders are far less popular than the developers had hoped.
