For those of you that have a DVD burner in your computer, you are probably concerned about the compatibility of discs you record and play back in a standard DVD player. Both of my Pioneer units play back both DVD-R and DVD+R discs without a problem. Heck, they even play back unfinalized CDs! But other brands may not fare as well. There is a tip that will help you create discs that are more compatible than these formats…and your drive may already support it!

Currently, out of the box, DVD-R discs are supposedly compatible with more standalone DVD players than DVD+R discs. It was discovered, though, that the physical format of the written data on a DVD+R is closer to a production DVD’s physical format, and should be easier for the player’s laser to read. But, the way the data is arranged is not as compatible. Yes, it’s confusing, but there’s a way to take advantage of DVD+R’s enhanced readability with a small change to your computer’s DVD writer.

The key is the “booktype” of the disc. For most drives, you can download a small utility that will let you change your writer’s booktype to DVD-ROM. By doing so, you make it more compatible, and most players should be able to read it. On my LiteOn drive, I had to update the firmware first, then I downloaded a small application that let me set the booktype easily. With newer disc burning software, the booktype is supposedly an option you can choose prior to burning your disc.

I haven’t tried the discs in other brands, but the DVD+R discs with the DVD-ROM booktype setting play back perfectly in my Pioneer players. Because of that, I’ve now switched to buying DVD+R discs if I’m burning video. I’m hoping to try it in a few other brands so I can comment on their compatiblity.

In the future I’ll probably purchase one of those standalone hard-drive DVD recorder components so I can transfer a lot of laserdiscs and VHS tapes over to DVD. With blank discs and player prices dropping so low, it’s a lot more economical to do it these days.