Currently, my “home entertainment” DVD player is my PS2 (which is old). It doesn’t play a DVD-R I burned using Nero 6.6 (through the "create a video DVD wizard), giving me a disc error. That same DVD-R plays fine on my laptop.
The DVD Version on the PS2 is 1.20U.
Questions:
Do I need the PS2 remote with the DVD update to be able to read a DVD-R disc burned in standard DVD format because my PS is so old?
If I used something other than Nero to burn a DVD-R in Divx format (assuming Nero doesn’t burn to Divx format), what are the odds that it would play in this PS2?
If I buy the XBox (original) DVD “addon” remote, should it play this DVD-R without issue? What about if I burned it in Divx format?
Obviously, I’m not someone who cares much about video quality, if I’ve been using a PS2 for DVD playback for ~5 years. Unless there’s a readily available (meaning, no waiting for coupons or rebates) DVD player that will play DVD-R or DVD+Rs I burn in either standard DVD or DivX format without hassle that costs no more than the PS2 remote+update OR the XBox remote, I’m not terribly interested.
You can buy an HD upscaling (up to 1080p, via HDMI) progressive scan DVD player that has a USB plug for playing DivX files from a flash or portable drive for around $78. The only caveat is that it won’t play Qpel or GMT (motion compensation algorithms) files well / at all. That and you get a much better remote and the ability to play recordable dual layer DVD discs.
Holy crap that’s about 100 times more complicated than I wanted. I don’t have an HD tv, and don’t plan on getting one any time soon. I don’t really want to play files from a flash/portable drive (I don’t have a portable drive bigger than 1 GB). The good news is I don’t know what Qpel or GMT are.
Playing DL discs would be nice, though. I’m not sure it’s critical, but hey.
So what are the reasons I should be looking for why my PS2 wouldn’t play a DVD I burned as a standard video DVD? Media type (DVD-R, NewEgg/RiData)? DVD firmware in the PS2? Something else?
If it were supposed to play burned DVD-Rs, and I’d never tried it before, yeah. It still plays commercial DVDs and games just fine, so I was wondering if it could have been something like:
only works with certain media
doesn’t work on early drives/firmwares
needs the PS2 remote w/update files on a memory card
No need to be snippy about it. If the PS2 played burned DVD-Rs in the past but stopped, I’d think it was dying/old. Not ever having done it, it’s not crazy to think I might have done something wrong.
I’ve found that my slimline PS2 is only able to play Nero-created video DVDs that are burnt on certain kinds of recordable DVD. TDK DVD+Rs work great (dual-layer included), but my cheapie stash of 4x No-Names DVD+Rs can’t be read. My cheap Chinese No-Name player has these same issues, while my nicer Sony player does not. Unfortunately, the Sony has problems playing DVDs of, er, dubious provenance. Just to throw in a final variable, I’ve also found that some players can be particular about DVDs mastered on Nero, but less so with those created with other software.
I’m still looking for a one-stop solution for watching my DVDs.
Edit: Minded my + and -‘s. Actually, I’ve never been able to successfully burn a glitch-free DVD-R on my AOpen drive. I don’t know if this is the drive’s fault or my players’, but I don’t think it’s the media’s.
Thanks. The original test was a NewEgg re-brand (of a RiData). I may try again with a Sony DVD+R and see what that does. I did use Nero, though (6.6).
The other variable is the burner, which I requested RMA on (since it won’t read any DVD it burns. gg, Samsung).
I’m hoping to avoid spending money, and also would rather not add one more piece of A/V gear to my pile. So if I can get what I want cheaper or for about the same cost but without a new piece, great.
