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What DVD's do I need to buy? (iDVD)

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I need to send basic .mov files to iDVD and export them on a DVD that is compatible with as many DVD players as possible.

So far I have seen DVD-R and DVD+R discs.

Which type should I get/ what brand do you recommend?


Thanks!
 
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Both are fine although DVD+R is a newer version but works in about 89% of all DVD players. Saying that, I have yet to find a DVD player that won't play a DVD+R disc and so I reckon they must only not work in very old players.

If you want 100% playback capability, leaving no loose ends then use DVD-R.
 
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JMDylan
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Both are fine although DVD+R is a newer version but works in about 89% of all DVD players. Saying that, I have yet to find a DVD player that won't play a DVD+R disc and so I reckon they must only not work in very old players.

If you want 100% playback capability, leaving no loose ends then use DVD-R.

Thanks for the information. I will look around and see what the price difference is. :D
 
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Both are fine although DVD+R is a newer version but works in about 89% of all DVD players. Saying that, I have yet to find a DVD player that won't play a DVD+R disc and so I reckon they must only not work in very old players.

If you want 100% playback capability, leaving no loose ends then use DVD-R.

89% of statistics are made up on the spot 99% of the time. ;)

There is no such thing as 100% playback capability with homemade DVDs. For instance my DVD player from 1999 does not play them.

Plus, check with System Profiler to see what discs your burner supports. Look under the Hardware section in the 'Disc Burning' section at the line heading that says 'DVD-Write:'.
 

cwa107


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89% of statistics are made up on the spot 99% of the time. ;)

There is no such thing as 100% playback capability with homemade DVDs. For instance my DVD player from 1999 does not play them.

Plus, check with System Profiler to see what discs your burner supports. Look under the Hardware section in the 'Disc Burning' section at the line heading that says 'DVD-Write:'.

Agreed. My father-in-law is a skydiver, and as part of his hobby, he does videography of skydives, selling the edited DVD to finance his jumps. He asked the same question of me back when he first started his little DVD gig and I gave him the same answer - there is no fool-proof format.

So, he bought both DVD-R and DVD+R media types and has since found better luck with DVD+R overall. But in the event one of his customers can't play the disc, he then reburns to DVD-R. Most of the time, having one of each does the trick. But some DVD players just don't play ball with certain types. Your mileage will vary.

Another trick is to slow down the burn. It seems that burned discs that are done at slower speeds (i.e. 2x instead of 8x or higher) seem to be more universally compatible.
 
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Only a professional pressing would be considered a guarantee. An expensive option for a few copies.
 
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JMDylan
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Thanks for the info. I picked up some Sony DVD+R's and so far they have worked in all of the DVD players around the house.

Once again thanks for the info!

-Dylan
 

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