DVD+VR: 100% video compatibility ?

[VJ]

http://www.plextor.be/english/products/px708a.html

Plextor has announced a new dvd-writer:

Writing
DVD+R: 8x
DVD-R: 4x
CD-R: 40x

Rewriting
DVD+RW: 4x
DVD-RW: 2x
CD-RW: 24x

Reading
DVD-ROM: 12x
CD-ROM: 40x

One mentioned feature is DVD+VR:

http://www.dvdplusrw.org/video/videoformat.html

However, this source is likely to be biased. What truth is there to their claim "As the +VR format was designed to be 100% compatible with existing DVD-Video players, it does not describe the way the video and audio is supposed to be encoded. This is already covered in the DVD-Video specification. It does however describe the way the disc is supposed to behave on a DVD+RW recorder while recording, or how it should be played on a DVD-Video player." ?

Is it 100% compatible ?


Jörg

[Dr Mordrid]

No. The claims by the DVD+ group have pretty well been shown to be pure marketing.

The last report I read put +R at 87% compatable with existing DVD players and -R at 94%. Having AC3 audio helps compatability when using NTSC DVD players and MPEG audio helps with PAL DVD players.

Dr. Mordrid

[VJ]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
No. The claims by the DVD+ group have pretty well been shown to be pure marketing.

The last report I read put +R at 87% compatable with existing DVD players and -R at 94%.

Does that 87% include +VR ? Or is that just a different name for the same (the Plextor is the first writer that I have found to support this +VR thing) ?

I'm not sure how to interpret you PAL/NTSC difference. Most PAL DVDs bought here also have AC3 audio. Do you mean that the players have issues with self-written AC3 audio ?


Jörg

[Dr Mordrid]

No, I'm just noting that the PRIMARY audio mode for PAL DVD is MPEG audio as it was the first standard defined. With NTSC decks the first defined standard was AC3. This doesn't affect new decks much, but it does affect compatability with older decks.

A homebrewed DVD is more likely to fail on a given DVD player because of the compatability issues surrounding that decks capabilities and media brand than how it was created (DVD-VR vs. using a DVD burner).

Dr. Mordrid

[VJ]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
[B]No, I'm just noting that the PRIMARY audio mode for PAL DVD is MPEG audio as it was the first standard defined. With NTSC decks the first defined standard was AC3. This doesn't affect new decks much, but it does affect compatability with older decks.

I see...

A homebrewed DVD is more likely to fail on a given DVD player because of the compatability issues surrounding that decks capabilities and media brand than how it was created (DVD-VR vs. using a DVD burner).

Ok. I figured it was more a hardware issue (different surface reflection).

Is DVD-VR the name for DVD-video (as one would normally use in a stand alone DVD player) ? That Plextor only supports reading DVD-VR...


Jörg

[Dr Mordrid]

DVD VR and DVD-Video are not the same. DVD-Video is the standard that discribes the DVD's you buy or burn with movies on them. DVD VR is used by DVD video recorders and DVD camcorders. The differences;

1. DVD-Video uses a Video_TS folder and *.vob files

2. DVD VR uses a DVD_RTAV folder and *.vro files

DVD VR looks to be the standard that allows you to shoot and edit without a traditional "capture" process; just load the cams disk into the reader and either edit right from there or copy the content to the HDD.

While there are DVD+VR and DVD-VR devices most VR gear to date uses DVD-R, DVD-RW or DVD-RAM media.

DVD-RAM has several advantages in that it's more durable (100,000 rewrites vs. 1,000 for either DVD-RW or DVD+RW), has stronger defect management and error correction and can be used like a removable HDD with random access R/W.

DVD-RAM can also be read and written to simultaneously, even when accessing different video's on the disk. This is the basis for several features found on DVD-RAM capable DVD video recorders.

Most of the DVD-RAM capable DVD players made by Panasonic, Hitachi and other members of the DVD-RAM group can also play DVD VR media.

Dr. Mordrid

[VJ]

Thanks, that cleared things up !



Jörg

[dZeus]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
No, I'm just noting that the PRIMARY audio mode for PAL DVD is MPEG audio as it was the first standard defined. With NTSC decks the first defined standard was AC3. This doesn't affect new decks much, but it does affect compatability with older decks.

A homebrewed DVD is more likely to fail on a given DVD player because of the compatability issues surrounding that decks capabilities and media brand than how it was created (DVD-VR vs. using a DVD burner).

Dr. Mordrid

I doubt that there are (or have been) _any_ pal dvd players for sale on the market that weren't compatible with Dolby Digital. Right from the market introduction, 90+% of all prerecorded PAL DVDs had exclusively Dolby Digital audio streams. I doubt using MPEG audio or Dolby DIgital has any influence on compatibility in PAL DVD players.

[Dr Mordrid]

Well...it matters over here in NTSC land and I've seen it reported in PAL land. Take if FWIW.

Dr. Mordrid

[johnpr98]

Personal Experience

Hi

In PAL land all the DVD players I have seen play LPCM, AC-3 & MPEG. (Panasonic, Toshiba & cheaper makes like COMPACKS from Safeway, Schnieder/Pacific from ASDA & the WHSmith DVD player??).

The DVD players that have caused problems with my DVD-R disks are Philips, they play VCD's OK but don't want to know DVD-R, YMMV).

Commercial PAL disks all in my experience have AC-3, Imported NTSC disks often have LPCM.

Regards

John

http://www.johnpr98.com/