I bought a Magnavox MWR20V6 VCR/DVD Recorder combo about a year ago, for the sole purpose of dubbing old family VHS tapes to a digital form.

Works fine except for this: when I dub a tape to a blank DVD disc (and finalize it), the resulting DVD will play in the Magnavox unit, and will play in my computer DVDRW drive, but will not play in a standalone Panasonic DVD player that I also have. The user manual clearly says that finalizing will enable the disc to be played in other players.

I am using Maxell DVD+R discs. Further -- if I burn a +R disc in my computer DVDRW drive, that +R disc plays fine in either the Panasonic or the Magnavox players.

So my post is to ask what is the general experience: Does a DVD made on your particular DVD recorder play on another brand (and have you tested that it does)? Thanks.

in most manuals of most dvd players and recorders you'll find a disclaimer that says not all discs will play on all players even if they're an 'accepted' format, ie -r, +r, -rw, +rw, etc.

what format disc are u using.
-r discs are the most widely accepted by players in general.

in most manuals of most dvd players and recorders you'll find a disclaimer that says not all discs will play on all players even of the same format, ie -r, +r, -rw, +rw, etc.

what format disc are u using.
-r discs are the most widesly accepted by players.

I have only used +R discs. I will try dubbing to a -R disc and see if it makes a difference. Thanks.

I have only used +R discs. I will try dubbing to a -R disc and see if it makes a difference. Thanks.

ive been using -rs for almost 4 years (made on toshiba and panasonic dvdrs) and they all play on just about anything.

Yeah, I use -R, and it'll play on my recorder, computer, and two DVD players, one of which is notoriously finicky. And I send burned DVDs out to various friends and such, and they've never reported a problem yet.

retexan, how old is your Panasonic DVD player, and does its manual say it will play +R discs? Some older players won't play any burnt media, some will only play -R, and some only +R.

The -Rs , -RWs, and +RDLs I have burnt on my Pio will all play in my other three DVD players.

Its unusual to find a Panasonic player that is picky about burned DVDs, I even have a seven year old Panasonic RV-31 that plays anything I put in it. But you never know- yours may be different, or maybe has a bit of dust inside that prevents it from reading some kinds of discs (this happens).

Other factors to consider are your recorder brand and your media brand: Magnavox is made by Funai, their Magnavox models tend to be a little peculiar compared to similar machines they make for others, no apparent reason but thats what we hear. Maxell is so-so media: you may be getting burns that are just barely readable on a computer or your recorder, but some players like your Panasonic could have trouble with it. Try to pick up some Verbatim DVD-R next time its on sale, and see if these better-grade -R discs work better for you.

My JVC player (circa 2002) plays only DVD-R media. A friend of mine recorded me a +R disc and it didn't play and the manual also stated that it will NOT play +R discs.
However....I've recently recorded a bunch of Sony "AccuCORE" DVD+R DL discs using a Panasonic DMR-EH55 and the discs playback fine on my JVC player.
Apparently, AccuCORE meant: Accuracy, COMPATIBILITY and RELIABILITY.
http://www.sony.net/Products/Media/dvdmedia/Accucore/index_f.html

Its unusual to find a Panasonic player that is picky about burned DVDs.No, but my E85H is very picky about burned CD's.

^^Burned 'CD' as in music CD?

Yeah.

I have 2 Magnavox recorders and have used Maxell -R exclusively. I view them on an LG with no problems and I have loaned them to friends with unknown brands of players and no one has complained yet.

Your collective advice here worked: I dubbed a Maxell DVD-R (8X)disc and it played just fine in the Panasonic DVD player whereas the dubbed DVD+R (16X) did not. I also looked at the Panasonic manual again, and see that it lists DVD–R as ‘Discs that can be played’, but does not mention DVD+R anywhere in the manual, not even in the section ‘Discs that cannot be played’. The odd thing is that the Panasonic will play a DVD+R burned in my computer DVDRW burner, but not one made on the Magnavox Recorder. Perhaps the 8X vs 16X made a difference also?

Problem solved, thank you all for good help!

Finalized + & - DVD's should be equal and play on most players. 8X and 16X are different and that maybe your problem. Your player may need a firmware update to play 16X. I had to update the software on my Panasonic E80 Hard Drive recorder for it to play and record on 16X.

It may also be that your Maggy does not bitset +R to -ROM. My guess is that your computer-based burner does. Bitset +Rs and +RWs are every bit as compatible as -Rs.

Also, it *may* be that your Maggy burns +R in VR mode (check your manual). My Old Pioneer DV 563A chokes on all VR mode recordings but plays everything else...

...8X and 16X are different and that maybe your problem. Your player may need a firmware update to play 16X...I can understand the need for a firmware update for WRITING at higher speeds (i.e. less time under the laser requires more power from the laser to 'set' the bit), but, how does the maximum WRITE SPEED affect the READING of the finalized product? :confused:

It may also be that your Maggy does not bitset +R to -ROM. My guess is that your computer-based burner does. Bitset +Rs and +RWs are every bit as compatible as -Rs.

Also, it *may* be that your Maggy burns +R in VR mode...Is there a PC Utility (preferably freeware) that can read and display these "settings"?