My knowledge on the topic is limited to knowing you can only bitset with DVD+R media if your burner supports doing so. My question is if you already have a back up of a DVD on a DVD-R can you then just rip that and burn (using Nero 7) it to a DVD+R and be safe to assume that it's bitset? Or, is bitsetting no longer an option for a DVD+R if that DVD+R back up is made from a DVD-R?
The identification bit has nothing to do with the program material, only the disc. So transferring the program data from a DVD-R to a DVD+R will still allow the bit setting to be changed to "DVD-ROM."
and if you have more questions about bitsetting or booktyping read this: http://k-probe.com/bitsetting-booktype-faq.php
Thank you both for the information. It would have really drove me crazy contemplating this while waiting on my next order of DVD+Rs.....that's PLUS R. Never again will I get -R media.....the first time I do my foolish self goes in head first and gets 200 and they play choppy on the most important DVD player of them all--mine. They play just great for everyone else Oh well, on the bright side I guess I won't have to worry about everyone else for about 3 months.
there are plenty of reasons why certain dvds won't play in other players: 1. burning speeds: burn at 4x so there will be less writing errors (rule of thumb is to burn at half the rated speed of the disk--8X disk burn at 4x). 2. read manual for your stand alone player and use the disks that will play in your player. If your player is less than 2 yrs old then it should play the + or - R disks! I said SHOULD that's why you read the manual. 3. try booktyping your drive to DVd-ROM so it will make your +R disks more compatible to players. Read this: http://k-probe.com/bitsetting-booktype-faq.php 4. make sure that there are no finger prints or scratches on your disk that make it hard for the player to read the disk! 5. use good quality media (rule of thumb....buy the ones that are Made in Japan.) Verbatim is a top notch disk and is the only exception to this rule....some Verbatims are made in Taiwan and they are top notch! 6. and don't burn too close to the outer edge of the disk ..... which will make the disk unreadable! but using good media you will be able to burn close to the edge better than lesser quality media. Just in case I only burn no closer than 4400MB, so if you can set your programs to that, all the better! follow these little tips of the trade and you'll have better success! good luck. also read this: http://www.cdfreaks.com/reviews/Why-DVDRW-is-superior-to-DVD-RW/ why the +R media is better than the -R media good luck to you!
The -R discs are the best way to go with DVD-5 blanks. Any problems you may have had were brand related and unless you bought better brand +R discs that are also a good match to your burner (one size does not fit all) you will again have problems. No way would I blindly make large bulk purchases of untried and untested media.
If your discs play well on all other players but yours, then the evidence points to your player as a source of the problem. If your player is younger than 6 or 7 years old, it is designed to play DVD-R media according to the specifications of the DVD Forum. (DVD-ROM is the DVD Forum designation for molded discs. Changing the bit setting on DVD+R media is a trick to foil some DVD Forum members whose players/recorders/drives refused to play DVD+R/+RW media. The trick falsifies the disc ID bit setting so that these + media call themselves "DVD-ROMs." This trick was actually promoted with DVD+R DL media became available because no DVD players built before that time could understand how a recordable disc could also be a double layer disc. Rather than change consumers' firmware on the DVD players, drive manufacturers simply allowed their drives to lie about the type of disc the DVD+R DL really was.) MysticE's suggestion is a good one. Try just a couple of DVD-R or DVD+R brands with your drive and see if a particular combination produces results that are compatible with your DVD player. If none can be found, get a new DVD player.
I always get verbatim DVD+R memory life silver tops--except for this last time where I got verbatim 4x injet printables. I also always burn at 4x. I did some digging around since my last post and found some people saying that the DVD-R verbatims inkjets I got would sometimes cause the same symptoms I was describing with certain players. Last time I break my regular routine. Also as long as I'm posting I should ask, as a general rule of thumb, should I stray away from extremely good deals on DVD media, even if it is Verbatim? I have found that most other "good" name brand things are usually insanely marked down because they are either past their expiration date or are possibly defective. Are there flags I should watch for on bargains, Verbatim specifically?
My guess is that if the discs were ink-jet printable, the ink coating may have caused a tilt problem when it cured. Some players have limited focal ranges; others have no problem with discs slightly out of the tilt spec. This is just a guess since the ink-jet problems I have seen have been due to tilt/curing. Discs with older speeds, such as 4X these days, may be product that could not be sold for a number of reasons. It may be a known defect; it may just be inventory mismanagement. Deals that sound too good to be true should be tested with small buys first. I don't think Verbatim is any better or any worse than other name brands in this regard.
