DVD Media Problems

[jamison162]

Hi all,

Can anyone give me some logical explanations/ideas on why a certain brand of DVD+R Media (Maxell) doesn't play on my Denon DVD-2200? About 1 hr or so into a movie it starts skipping and freezes up. It plays fine on my DVD Drive on PC and even in my 20" JVC combo TV/DVD player. This is the only brand that has had this problem with the Denon. I have used Verbatim, Imation, TDK - and have never had any problems; even with actual burns, no coasters. Just the Maxell, which I thought was a reputable brand, skips and locks up on the expensive Denon player. Is it just a batch of bad media? What I don't really understand is how it will play on ther players but not the Denon....bugs the snot out of me. I have purchased more Verbatim to try out.....

[edtyct]

Take what I write with a grain of salt, because I don't copy and burn DVDs. I've heard every explanation under the sun for this phenomenon--compatibility issues with how various stand-alone DVD players read disks, heat from DVD players affecting the outer edges of disks, bad ripping, bad burning, too much clutter on the disk, the speed of the media being too fast or too slow, and god knows what else. I'm sure that all of them have an element of truth. My guess would be that the Maxell disks just don't work well with the Denon--that is, if all else is equal. Verbatim apparently have a terrific success rate on any drive. Some people have said that just washing disks completely with alcohol before using them does the trick. Good luck with it. I hope someone has a more definitive answer than mine.

Ed

[EdwardGein]

If you have no skip marks, finger prints, etc. on this, this shouldn't happen but the good news is DVD+R's are just like CDRS- it doesn't make a difference what the brand is, the quality will be the same. Thus you can get some no name brand at dirt cheap prices that will produce the same quality as the more expensive Maxel. The slightest smudge could mess up your DVDR

[N. Abstentia]

Actually there is quite a big difference in quality of brands, as you've found out. The problem with a company like Maxell is that you never know who makes them. The company that made them today might not make them next week, which is why I stick exclusively to the companies who actually manufacture the discs and eliminate that middleman. Stick with Ritek or Taiyo Yuden and you'll be fine. Companies like Maxell, Sony, TDK that you find at places like WalMart buy from whoever is cheapest and you never know what you might get.

But on the other hand, Denon players are not very compatable with burned media in the first place which is one of the reason why I hate Denon players...but it's not the main reason!

[edtyct]

N. Ab.,

Just curious. How come you hate Denon DVD players?

Ed

[N. Abstentia]

My experience with them is that they are overpriced and under featured. Seems like every Denon player I've seen has had a problem, and incompatability with DVD-R is the common one. I remember a few years ago a buddy of mine had to have a Denon player to match his Denon receiver. I had just bought a Panasonic 5 disc changer for $299 (like I said..years ago) which I loved so I tried to get him to get one but he had to have that Denon. He paid $499 for a single disc Denon, which turned out to be nothing more than a Toshiba with a Denon badge. It wouldn't even touch a DVD-R or CD-R, and eventually died about a year later...then his Denon receiver died. I still have that Panasonic changer and it's still going strong to this day and I've never seen a DVD-R it wouldn't play!

Now of course this isn't the case with all Denon players I know..but I do think they are overpriced. And reading through the usenet and other forums you'll see lots of problems with Denon players in general which left me with a sour taste for them.

[EdwardGein]

I don't agree with him about the quality of DVD recordings in the cheaper brands & the name brands as they've been identical too me but Denon of which I have a receiver I love puts out overpriced DVD players which are not considered worth the price & lack features as well like no DVD-A playing on some models.

[jamison162]

I just bought more Verbatim +R's and slowed burn speed down to 4x. First disc, same problem about 1 hr 40 min into the disc. Is it my player? Well, no - original discs play absolutely fine. The copy also still plays fine on my PC and other built-in dvd player on the jvc tv. I don't get. EVERY disc I burned up until the Maxell and now these Verbatim were flawless. P.S. Both the Maxell & Verbatim say "Made in Taiwan". Hmmmmmmmmm!

[N. Abstentia]

Yes it's your player. It's just not designed to play burned media, which is why original discs work just fine. Your PC and the JVC are designed to play DVD-R, which is why they work on those players.

Either keep trying different discs until you find some that work (try Ritek and Taiyo Yuden) or upgrade your DVD player. Like I said...this seems to be a common gripe about Denon.