Why is my DVD not compatible with my laptop's DVD player/recorder?

  • Thread starter Ivan Seeking
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In summary, someone formatted the DVD in the livingroom RW recorder incorrectly, causing XP to only recognize it as an unformatted disk. For the disk they were working with, Cyberlink PowerDVD was the only program that could play the entire disk. Editing the menu by hand allowed them to extract a needed segment for vob ripping. There is no encrypting on these disks.
  • #1
Ivan Seeking
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Does anyone know why the DVD made in our livingroom [-RW] recorder isn't even seen by my laptop's +- RW compatible DVD player/recorder? XP only sees it as an unformatted disk. It plays rented movies just fine.
 
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  • #2
For anyone interested: The first problem was that the formatting on the disc wasn't complete. I thought I had clicked the finalize DVD box but must have missed it. After selecting "finalize" again the disc could be seen.

From there, the video was stored as a VOB file. By calling up Win Media player 6.4, I was able to view part of the video, but the player could only find the first chapter and wouldn't play the rest. It appears that later Windows Media Player releases are unable to read these files correctly and there are no codecs available.

There is freeware available for converting these to an mpeg, avi etc but I haven't tried it yet.
http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/terms/vob.cfm
 
  • #3
Those things are a PITA.
Dealt with one once for a friend making a movie.
He deleted a source file by accident:uhh:
He also should have bought a writer for the PC, but...
On the plus side he does do nice work.

They menu blocks they write are not quite standard.
They also don't seem to write the .vob sequentially.

For the Disk I was working with.
The only thing I found that would play the entire disk was Cyberlink PowerDVD, which is often free with purchase of a DVD drive. A regular standalone DVD player either wouldn't or might play one or two segments depending on the specific player.

I was able to edit the menu by hand so that a vob ripper could pull the needed segment out.
It was an educational experience.
 
  • #4
I always use DVDdecyptor and DVDshrink - there are options which allow all compatibility :smile:
 
  • #5
J77 said:
I always use DVDdecyptor and DVDshrink - there are options which allow all compatibility :smile:
There is no encrypting on these disks.

I couldn't find any options that kept them from saying "Invalid Disk Structure" :smile:

PowerDVD seems to work by simply ignoring a bad pointer and going on to the next one.
On another(badly scratched) disk I found this feature to produce really weird results.
 

1. What is DVD compatibility?

DVD compatibility refers to the ability of a DVD player to play DVDs that are encoded in different formats or regions. It also includes the compatibility of the DVD with the player's hardware and software.

2. How do I know if my DVD player is compatible with a certain DVD?

You can check the packaging or the disc itself for information on the format and region of the DVD. You can also consult your DVD player's manual or search for compatibility information online.

3. Why do some DVDs not work on my DVD player?

There could be several reasons for this, such as the DVD being encoded in a different region or format than your player supports, or the disc being damaged or dirty. Some older DVD players may also have limited compatibility with newer DVD formats.

4. Can I make my DVD player compatible with all DVDs?

No, it is not possible to make your DVD player compatible with all DVDs. However, you can try updating your player's firmware or purchasing a region-free or multi-format DVD player.

5. Is Blu-ray compatible with DVD players?

No, Blu-ray discs are not compatible with standard DVD players. However, there are some DVD players that are capable of playing Blu-ray discs, but they are typically more expensive.

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