DVD-RW versus DVD-R format ?

[Mike109]

Is there a difference between the format or files on a DVD-R compared to DVD-RW?

I wanted to burn some jpg photos onto a DVD-RW in order to view them with my Panasonic Blu-ray player. I did not want to make a DVD movie or slide show, I just wanted to view them like I do when they are on an SD card. The player does support playing jpgs.

First I burned using ImgBurn, but the Panny said there were no files on the disc.

Next I burned with CyberLink DVD Suite & the player said the disc was not formatted properly.

I then tried using just Windows to burn the jpgs but the player said the disc was not formatted.

In all cases the jpg files are there when viewed with a PC, and so are the pictures. But nothing works in the player.

I tried a CD-R with jpgs and it works. So I pulled out the Panny manual it does not list jpgs on DVD-RW as a workable combination. CD-R, DVD-R & DVD-RAM are a yes. But not DVD-RW. I did try the jpgs on a RAM disc & it did display the photos.

I used ImgBurn & looked at the DVD-RW that I made with Windows and the CD-R made with Sonic software and both indicate ISO9660 file system.

What would be the difference between DVD-R and DVD-RW that prevents a DVD-RW from working?

[Ghitulescu]

Any drive knows what type of optical disc is inserted.
Some manufacturers impose some (apparent) illogical restrictions. There is always a reason why.
This is why I always suggest people to do test discs and to test the player before buying it.

[hello_hello]

What would be the difference between DVD-R and DVD-RW that prevents a DVD-RW from working?

In this day and age it'd be fairly unusual for a player to read something from a DVD-R but not a DVD-RW.

Did you finalise the DVD-RW when you burned the disc? DVD-RAM discs don't need to be finalised so maybe that's why the player plays them but not the DVD-RW discs.

For a player to read DVD-R and DVD-RAM but not DVD-RW at all.... it doesn't really make sense.

[Ghitulescu]

For a player to read DVD-R and DVD-RAM but not DVD-RW at all.... it doesn't really make sense.

The very first 3 generations of Panasonic recorders were not compatible with DVD-RW, inspite being with -R and -RAM. This also happened with some of their players.
It's also an issue of reflectivity.

[Przemek_Sperling]

Well, in some cases you have to change the bitsetting http://www.k-probe.com/bitsetting-booktype-faq.php
I always modify my drives so all recordable DVDs are identified as DVD-ROMs.

[hello_hello]

I did think about the bitsetting thing after I posted, but all burners aren't capable of changing it are they? Plus I didn't think the likelihood of it being the problem as being too high (although you never know) but I've never changed the booktype of a disc in my life and it's never caused a problem. Maybe back in the good old days when devices weren't designed to understand anything but DVD-ROM, however with newer devices (probably anything manufactured in the last ten years) I can't imagine it being an issue.

[setarip_old]

@Mike109

Hi!

I wonder if you're referring to ACTUAL "DVD-R" and "DVD-RW" media or if, in fact, you're using "DVD+R" and "DVD+RW" media?

I ask for three reasons:

1) Many posters erroneously speak of ALL writeable DVD media as "DVD-R" and "DVD-RW" (Likely because previously all writeable CD media was, in fact, ONLY "CD-R" and "CD-RW") - not recognizing that for DVD media, there are actually "DASH R" ("-R") and "PLUS R" (+R").

2) Historically TRUE DVD-RW ("Dash RW") media was untrustworthy.

3) Some players/burners don't recognize "Dash R" media

(BTW - Bitsetting does NOT work with "DASH R" media)

[hello_hello]

The very first 3 generations of Panasonic recorders were not compatible with DVD-RW, inspite being with -R and -RAM. This also happened with some of their players.
It's also an issue of reflectivity.

Being a Bluray player, the player in question would be a few generations further on than an early model DVD recorder, and the OP described it as a Bluray player, not a DVD recorder.
Whether some early model DVD players were also compatible with DVD-RAM but not DVD-RW.... well aside from the fact you do tend to just make stuff up.... it's more than likely if current generation Panasonic DVD recorders support DVD-RW, then so too will all their players.

Do you know of any BluRay players which support DVD-R but not DVD-RW?

Edit: Of course there's always the remote possibility the OP is using poor quality discs or the burner is producing poor quality burns which the player won't read properly.

[Ghitulescu]

All blu-ray players use a PC drive, so they can read any disk (since most are made by Panasonic and LG, they will read DVD_RAM too) at drive level (and yes they know exactly what type of disc they have irrespective of bitsetting).
However, the OP noticed that I said the decision to support various media files on various media is purely a business decision. For instance, all DVD-players will play DVD-Videos stored on DVD-R (if properly authored), yet not all of them (actually very few) can play MP3 from a DVD-R, only from a CD-R. So, will this DVD-player play DVD-R or not? :) :p

[hello_hello]

Obviously answering a direct question is hard or you, but I'll try again.
Do you know of any BluRay players which support DVD-R but not DVD-RW?


However, the OP noticed that I said the decision to support various media files on various media is purely a business decision.

Hopefully he also noticed I said you make stuff up.

For instance, all DVD-players will play DVD-Videos stored on DVD-R (if properly authored), yet not all of them (actually very few) can play MP3 from a DVD-R, only from a CD-R.

That doesn't sound too likely to me. Did you make it up?

So, will this DVD-player play DVD-R or not?

It's a BluRay player, not a DVD player. So yes, it probably will. I guess we'll have to wait to see if the OP returns to find out, but the whole point of DVD-RW was it was supposed to be backwards compatible with DVD-R devices which were built before DVD-RW came into existence. Generally if the laser was able to read DVD-RW discs the player would play them, and as you've pointed out, in this case the drive should be able to read anything.

I wonder what sort of bizarre business decision would have Panasonic going out of their way to block the ability of a device to play one particular file type when burned to one particular type of disc but not another?

[Ghitulescu]

To OP only:
A DVD-RW written EXACTLY the same way as a DVD-R will play EXACTLY like a DVD-R, provided the firmware has support for that particular format on DVD-RW. Panasonic pushed hard in the past for its own standard, the DVD-RAM, so no support for -RW is not a suprise, since -RW is a direct competitor to -RAM. This is a business decision. It took 4 generations of DVD-recorders for a Panasonic to be able to write and read -RWs (and when it did, it did also Dual/Double-Layer as well). The last generation, the 6th, is the current one (well, current is only a matter of speaking, Panny does no longer manufacture DVD-recorders).
However, the DVD-RW allows other formats as well than DVD-Video (eg the VR format, which is available on all/most DVD-recorders for DVD-RW, but not for DVD-R, for compatibility reasons - that some players can read this format changes nothing).

[hello_hello]

Nice DVD recorder history lesson there, but did you notice the OP is trying to play the DVD-RW discs on a Bluray player?
Ghitulescu, do you know of any Bluray players which support DVD-R but not DVD-RW?

[Ghitulescu]

Yes, the OP's player :)

[hello_hello]

So why keep talking about DVD Recorders?

Do you know of any Bluray players which support DVD-R but not DVD-RW?

[Ghitulescu]

I was talking about Panasonic incidentally, the company that manufactured that player.

[hello_hello]

No you weren't talking about Panasonic "incidentally", you keep referring to their DVD recorders specifically.

So I assume you don't actually know of any Bluray players which support DVD-R but not DVD-RW?

Maybe you're correct and this particular player has some odd restrictions when it comes to DVD-RW, but I guess we'll have to wait to see if the OP returns and if he finalised the disc before trying to play it.

[Ghitulescu]

I doubt he'll ever come back, now that you flooded my answers with nonsense questions and collateral arguments, mostly constructed as sophisms based on mental deductions using incomplete input data. If he will, then it will be the first time an OP dared to intervene in his own topic after you started again a series of "answers".

[hello_hello]

I wondered how long it'd take before you started crying wolf. You replied to my post, not the other way around.
Won't your flock be missing you?