DVD recorders: DVD+R

[c00ky83]

My folks recently got a DVD recorder to replace the video.  They first got DVD+R discs, but we realised these were not re-writable so got some DVD+RWs.  Then last week my mother decided to record something which she'd like to keep, so I suggested using up a DVD+R.  Trouble is, they won't play in the other DVD player unless you do something to it.  I was told to "finalise" the disc in order for it to work...but now it doesn't do ANYTHING on ANY player!  Can someone clarify what I'm meant to do and what "finalise" actually does?!  Thanks.

[Mobius1]

Well, unfortunately I can't tell you why you're having problems, but I can tell you what "finalising" does.

When you create (burn) a CD or DVD R/RW, finalising the disc causes the software to run a "closing" session. What this does is set the disc so that no further data can be written onto it. This should be a default setting for "recordable" media, but with re-writable media, if you do not finalise the disc, you can actually stick it back in later and add more data to it without overwriting what's already there.

A side-effect of not finalising a disc is that it can be incompatible with some disc drives, particularly older and/or cheaper ones. Whoever told you to finalise your RW discs was doing the right thing.

As for why they won't play in the other player (which I assume is not a recordable one) could be down to the fact that it may not be compatible with DVD+R discs. Some DVD players will only read from DVD-R (minus) discs (such as the PlayStation 2), so the best thing you could do there is check with the manufacturer for compatibility with the type of discs you're using.

[Bob A Job]

The problem may be as simple as the standalone DVD player you are trying to play the disc on doesnt play DVD+R's(alot of cheap players are very fussy about that)

have you tried using DVD-R/RW's?