Philips DVD RW SDVD8441 playing music cds but not recognising other discs. Trying to install works suite and it's not even recognising a disc has been loaded. Have used this disc before and not had a problem, just suddenly stopped working.

Did you say you used a DVD-RW disc to transfer a videotape onto? The reason your PC won't recognise that disc is because the data format on it is a different language to what PCs understand - plus an unfinalised DVD-RW won't play in other DVD players - it is usually an incompatible format.

(DVD+RW discs with titles/top menus created in video mode CAN be played on a PC DVD drive or a normal DVD player as can finalised DVD-R discs (DVD-R discs MUST be recorded and finalised in the same recorder for compatible playback). DVD-RW discs can only be viewed on the unit they were written/recorded on.

The other reason for the 'remaining space' on the disc you describe showing less than 120 minutes is due to a title recently being recorded or erased - unless you format it - the 120 minute / 4.7GB DVD-RW will not show full available space. Erasing titles on re-writable DVDs does not increase space. The same rule applies to unfinalised +R / -R discs (you cannot re-format these to get the space back once recorded - they are 'once only' writables)

I recommend you invest in some DVD-R discs and re-copy your VHS tape to that - then if you are satisfied with the result, title etc., finalise the DVD-R - it will play on any DVD player or PC with DVD support (or it should). These discs are relatively inexpensive to buy just about anywhere.

Final note: do NOT finalise the DVD-RW you recorded (I hope you haven't already done this) - simply format/erase it - re-use it for something else or keep it until you need it.

You can use any brand of DVD, just take note of the format before recording/playing.

According to the user manual, the following DVD media you can record with this unit are:

RECORDING: TYPES OF DISCS YOU CAN USE FOR RECORDING

DVD+R 2.4x, 4x, or 8x ONLY; DVD+RW 2.4x and 4x ONLY.

NOTES:
It is NOT possible to record on CD-R or CD-RW discs.
IMPORTANT: It is NOT possible to record content that is copy-protected. This is usually true for most pre-recorded DVD discs and most pre-recorded VHS tapes.

PLAYBACK: TYPES OF DISCS YOU CAN PLAY

DVD discs - DVD movie discs (DVD-ROM); DVD+R; DVD+RW; DVD-RW (must be recorded using video mode or VM); DVD-R (must be recorded using video mode or VM and must be finalized).
CDs (Audio CDs, CD-R, CD-RW) - Audio CDs contain musical or sound content only. mp3 discs are CDs (CD-R or CD-RW)
that contain mp3 files. This product also plays CDs that contain JPEG files and Multisession CDs.
Video CD (VCD) and Super Video CD (S-VCD) discs - Like DVD video discs, VCDs contain picture and sound content. The difference is the amount of information that can be stored on the disc.
VCDs typically have lower picture and sound quality than DVD discs.
Super Video CDs (S-VCDs) can be used to record up to 70 minutes of digital sound and video, with MPEG-2 standard video and MPEG-1 standard audio-but you must use DVD+R or DVD+RW discs to record on your DVD/VCR not S-VCDs.
Additionally, S-VCD disc compatibility is dependent on which MPEG coding software, disc design software, and disc writer software are used; and the discs themselves.

(The above information is extracted from the user manual for this particular model and is a guide only)

I find it very strange that the user manual does not provide any information about DVD-R recording since this is a DVD recorder. I guess you could try those types of discs in it, otherwise it will playback finalised DVD-R discs recorded/burned in another machine.

I assume you have the original manual for this unit. If not, you may be able to download it free from various sites. (retrevo may have it but they may ask you for email address prior to downloading)

I hope the above information helps a tiny bit with regard to DVD formats for this unit.

The disc is probably an incompatible format for this model player. Even if the disc is finalised in your PC, or in a DVD recorder, this player may still be unable to read it. Some DVD recorder/players do not recognise DVD+R (or +R DL) media, while others won't recognise +/-RW discs (except CD-RW); this is a model limitation - not a fault with either your player, the PC burning software or the discs themselves.

Nothing can be done to fix this except purchasing a model which accepts multimedia (+R/DVD-RAM etc). The question is, does your player play ANY normal DVDs? I am guessing your player will accept DVD-R DL discs just fine since this is standard as well as proper shop-bought movies.

I just used your fix by going in to the registry and deleted the filter keys rebooted and it worked thanks

If this disc that you are trying to use is a DVD+/-RW and it has been used a few times for DVD-Video or DivX then you can try to do a FULL ERASE using the excellent ImageBurn by lightining now at v2.5.0.0 it takes about 20 mins to erase a full single sided DVD

Hope this helps.

Ok, the reason is quite simple. The Philips DVD8421 does not recognise the DVD-R format.Not all DVD/CD burners read all discs. It does recognise DVD+R though. So all you need to do is use these discs instead. This should solve your problem.

Hope that helps.

Aquarius0128 there are two things to consider here.. dvd's recorded on a computer need to be closed/finalized after you have recorded onto them in order to be used on a stand alone player.. they will play ok on original recorder because of the design of these machines finalizing prepares the structure of the disc so it can be recognised by other players as a dvd video disc.. you will usually see a 'finalize disc' option in your recording program

Second issue is this.. even if finalized an older (or even some modern) stand alone players will not recognise a recorded disc made on a computer or even if it can there are different formats DVD+R DVD-R and even DVD-RAM and DVD-RW (the two latter ones are rarely recognised outside a computer)

hi

please try to restart your computer while the dvd is still in the drive. this usually happens if your drive may have some accumulated dust for it will select only a few dvd to read.

okay guys here's your solution use memorex dvd-r disc in these drives these are the most compatable disc out there.

try and see if you can pull a directory using explorer,, sometimes if you record to the full 80 minutes capacity, the disc will return an error,,,even if you recorded it on that drive...also i know this may sound strange but on the drive tray itself take the mount where the laser is mounted and extend it out to the furthest travel point ,,,gently,,,do not force...load the disc, and see if it is now recognized,,,sometimes it is a timing issue, and this way the tray/laser recalibrates itself....