Purley

After downloading quite a few UK DVD shows from The Box, I think that I should be burning some of them onto DVDs. But I don't yet have a DVD burner. I went to enquire about one and I got all caught up in DVD- and DVD+ and whatever else there is.

I am sure that someone on here knows all about this. How many different types of DVD are there? What is the basic difference? Can all DVD players play all different kinds of DVDs? Which is the best and why?

Seems to me I have to understand this part before I get into trying to figure out what type of files I have and trying to figure out how to convert xvid into something that a DVD player can play!!

Thanks in advance.

bazzz

You might just want to invest in a DVD player that can play divx/xvid files. There are plenty out there and they're not much more expensive than standard DVD players. Then you just burn the files on to a disc and the DVD player can play the files without you having to convert them. An even easier way would be to get a DVD player that can read memory cards as burning DVDs is usually a bit more involved than copying files to a memory card.

MarkG

There used to be compatibility differences between DVD-R and DVD+R, but I believe that today they're all pretty much the same.

Purley

OK Bazzz - that sounds great. So where in Canada can you buy a DVD player that will play memory cards? Are they easy to come by?

So what would I do - just save the shows onto the memory card and then if I have a player that will play from a memory card - just shove the card in and - the show will just play on the DVD player like it does on my computer!!

Most of the shows are either avi - or xvid.

Maybe a dumb question - how do you know what files a DVD player will play? At the moment I have one of those el cheapo Diamond $29 player from Walmart. That will play PAL and NTSC with no reprogramming, but I have absolutely no idea whether it would play avi and xvid.


Still I like the idea of the memory card player. I wonder if I could find one that would play PAL, NTSC and memory card???

MarkG

A lot of DVD players will play Xvid .avi files, but unless the manual says it does the only way to find out is probably to try it.

Oddly, the cheapo Chinese models are _more_ likely to play them than the expensive name brand players. I get the impression that the cheap ones are all built around the same chipset which has all these features integrated.

iaink

There are all sorts of DVD formats
http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/...sExplained.asp

plus (+) and dash (-) are the two main consumer ones you need to worry about, and you have the choice of write once "R" (cheap) and more expensive rewritable disks (RW). RW has to be fixed in order to play on another player, and after that you cant reuse it, so its not worth it to use them in my experience.

In practical terms the two different formats dont have much in the way of pros and cons vs each other, and most modern players will deal with both plus and dash formats, so its not a big deal, BUT first make sure that your player can deal with your chosen format if its an older player, then get the fastest burner you can afford. It will be worth it in the long run in less hanging around waiting for the disk to burn.

A player that will handle the raw show format from a USB or memory card sounds like a great idea, much less hassle.

MB-Realtor

I'm reliably informed that when a large manufacture has a range of DVD players at different prices due to the "added" features, that in fact the cheaper models have had the "added" features disabled. As it is cheaper to make a single circuit board for the range.

bazzz

I think something like this would work:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...530&CatId=1701

although it doesn't specifically say if you can play video files off the memory card.

Or if you don't mind splashing a bit more cash, this is an excellent machine:

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv980h/default.asp

although you would need to plug in a $10 USB card reader in order to read memory cards.

ladymoose

Did your informant say whether it was possible to reactivate these features (like the fixes you find on the net for making a single region DVD player a multi-region) or does it require physically changing the circuit board? Just interested.... If I go back to hubby with this snippet - he'll be proud

Steve_P

It certainly does but what is the availability of such machines and at what cost?

It might be cheaper to buy a DivX capable player and have a DVD burner installed in your computer.

Future shop website has DivX players from $40 to $100 and a DVD burner can cost between $35 and $50 at places like Memory Express.

Purley

The TV shows that I have are either avi - which I understand most DVD players can play - or xvid - not Divx. I don't know what kind of a DVD player will play xvid and it seems really complicated to convert the files to some other kind of file. At least to me it does - maybe not to others.

I just thought it would be easier to buy a machine that could read a memory stick - at least I don't totally understand what bazzz is saying - is it a memory card - like you find in a camera - or a usb memory stick.

If its a memory card - then how do you get the show from your computer onto the memory card? If its a usb stick - then I would know how to do that.

Biiiiink

Stuff I want to keep I burn on DVD in avi format - a 69 CAD Phillips from Wal-Mart will play almost any format thrown at it (needed code to make it regionfree though).

For just watching, I stick the avi files on a USB stick and plug it into the USB port on my telly. Takes 2mins.

I would have been watching stuff wirelessly on my telly via Apple TV if I could have sorted out my ISP settings to get the darned thing going

Steve_P

My understanding is that most DVD players that are not DivX capable cannot play .avi files.

If you can find a machine that can play files from a memory card you would need to purchase a card reader to attach to your computer then you could copy the files to the card.

Steve_P

I like that concept.

I wonder how many of the new TV's are coming with a USB port?

Purley

Hey Biiink - you are right. I figured my new LCD TV should have a USB port - and sure enough it does. It actually has two of those pin ports like you used to plug things into on the back of the computer.

So - tell me - do I just copy the TV files onto the USB stick and shove it into the TV? Do I have to turn the thing to a different setting than the one I watch regular TV shows on?

I don't have a USB2 port, but I don't suppose that will make any difference except to how fast the info transfers onto it.