As far as I'm aware, there are 2 types of disc for burning things on from the pc. An audio cd & a dvd.
I stand corrected if I'm wrong, however, what type of disc do I need to use to transfer photos & movie clips from the pc to a disc? Are they then able to be played on a dvd player?
You've answered your own question. You will need a dvd disc and dvd burning software.
Although some modern dvd machines can playback cdrs not all can, best check first.
Whether you make a dvd data disc or movie type disc depends very much on the type of player. If you want total compatability make a dvd movie type disc .Sothink dvd creator is a free and very simple to use prog for doing just this. Otherwise you can use Nero or similar dvd burning software.
You can use DVD-R or DVD+R to burn photos and movie.
I always use this disc creator to do that, it can help you burn photos, songs, video and files to DVD. My friends recommend it to me, it's easy to use and works pretty well for me http://www.freedvdripper.net/software/avs-disc -creator.html