Making DVDs to play on Mac, PC and in DVD players

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Level 1

2 points

Making DVDs to play on Mac, PC and in DVD players

I have been using iMovie and iDVD to make DVDs of DV footage. The DVDs play in an NTSC DVD player, but are not recognized by a Windows-based computer. Some people who will play them will only be able to see them on a computer, since their DVD players are PAL format. I don't want to use the PAL-format output, since it is not as good as leaving the stuff in its native DV format. I can play PAL DVDs on my Windows computer, and just want to know how to burn a DVD so that it will play on both a Windows computer and an NTSC DVD player.

G5 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Aug 25, 2006 1:42 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

SDIllini

Level 6

16,675 points

Aug 25, 2006 3:11 PM in response to margb

Hi margb:

Welcome to discussion! 🙂

Not all DVD media are playable in all players.

iDVD prefers DVD-R and perhaps the users have PC's that need DVD+R?

Sue

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Answer 2

mishmumken

Level 5

4,000 points

Aug 25, 2006 4:09 PM in response to margb

Hello margb,

what software was used to watch the DVD on the PC?
On many PCs the default software to view DVDs is Windows Media Player, which has enormous playback issues with regard to "home made" DVDs.

I personally never had any problems playing my DVDs (made with iDVD) on my Toshiba laptop - and other PCs. My procedure is creating a disk image and burning that with Toast.

hope this helps

mish

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Answer 3

margb Author

Level 1

2 points

Aug 25, 2006 4:42 PM in response to SDIllini

Hi margb:

Welcome to discussion! 🙂

Not all DVD media are playable in all players.

iDVD prefers DVD-R and perhaps the users have PC's
that need DVD+R?

Sue

Hi, Sue,

Thank you for your suggestion, but I made several DVDs last night using my Windows PC (an HP) and a LaCie DVD burner, and they played in the HP's DVD drive. When I put the Mac-burned DVD in the HP, it simply says "Windows cannot read from this disk. The disk might be corrupted, or it could be using a format that is not compatible with Windows." Media Centre "cannot detect a video DVD in the the DVD-ROM drive."

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Answer 4

margb Author

Level 1

2 points

Aug 25, 2006 4:45 PM in response to margb

Hi, Sue,

I have just tried the Mac DVD in a Dell computer, and it played just fine. I know HP has a bias towards DVD+, even though it played the DVD-Rs from last night. There must be something tiny about the difference between the LaCie and the Superdrive that sets it off. Hopefully the people I'm making these DVDs for have computers with compatible drives.

Thanks for setting me on the right track!

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Answer 5

margb Author

Level 1

2 points

Aug 25, 2006 4:50 PM in response to mishmumken

Hi, Mish,

Thank you for the suggestion. It was Media Centre being used as playback. See response to Sue - it must be the drive in the HP computer that was not reading the DVD.

Marg

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Answer 6

Mar 30, 2007 12:40 AM in response to mishmumken

could I ask which alternative windows play you used or suggested as I have just had the same problem. Mac made DVD plays everywhere on a range of DVD players and all Macs but not on a PC. I dont know what other program to suggest to the PC owner
thanks Jenny

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