uwsc11

If somebody were to make a backup copy of their DVD Nav software, what type of DVD can the DVD drive in the car read?
I tried a DVD+R, but the drive couldn't read it. I don't know if I made a mistake while burning or if I need to use a DVD-R?
Any advise on what type of media to use and what to watch out for when burning the DVD?

bmw_wpq31

from my experience, if you plan to copy/ backup a working nav disc, you should :
1. make sure the disc is labeled accordingly (like in my case CD_5525)
2. do it with the slowest burning speed available (i did an update on POI & speedcams to the backup disk with dvd-r/dvd+r/dvd rw, and all of the copies worked properly)

so, try copying it again, i think there should be no problem...

Rudy

DVD-R discs have worked fine for me on my old car and on my new one. I used Nero to do the copy and used el-cheapo media from Staples. I burned it on the maximum speed and the car had no problems reading it (so far...)

I realize that slowing down the burn has traditionally been a good idea to increase the likelihood that the disc will play on many different machines but more recently I read an article that suggests using the maximum speed to better match the ability of the newer dyes, etc. I can did up the article if you need it...

bruce_miranda

Rudy you are kindda right about the writing at slowest speed now becoming a myth. Infact what you should always do is burn a disc at a supported speed. Most writing softwares should be able to detect the writing speed levels supported by your disc.
e.g. if you buy a 16x disc the software should detect that you should be able to write it at 4x, 8x, 12x and 16x. So writing the disc at 1x or anything inbetween is not recommended and can actually in some cases lead directly to completely unreadable discs!

aybeesea

Nobody is entirely wrong here.

Modern DVD playing engines should play all types of recordable/rewriteable DVD. Unfortuantely tolerances being what they are means that they don't always.

The PLUS format is regarded as most "compatible" and that is the format which can have its "BOOK TYPE" adjusted to make the player treat it as a pure commercoal pressed DVD-ROM (in terms of depth of laser focus of reading surface) when attempting a read.

Also in terms of successful writing (ie that which can be read back on most readers) this is dependent not only on the dye of the media but the write strategy of the recorder.

Many recorders when burning at say "nominal 16X", actually burn different areas of the media at 8X at 12X and 16X the sometimes slow down again - all in one burn.

All you can do regarding your particular recorder and sample of player in your e60 is to make sure that you verify the burn (ie it's at least readable on your recorder) and then try it on the e60.

I have had burns which can be read on my recorder but the e60 reader isn't happy with. In these cases, assuming I am going to use the same recorder and media, I have found that winding down the speed a notch (and therefore changing the write strategy), for me, generally works.

ABC

Rudy

Except maybe you?

I always thought that the "minus" format was the most compatible and after doing a little Googling, I think it is...

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Sp...?ArticleId=7664

aybeesea

One of the many "out of the box" surveys. But as I said, setting the "book type" makes players treat the PLUS format as a pressed DVD-ROM.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=5m4&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=dvd%2Brw+booktype+compatibility&spell=1
http://www.signvideo.com/btst-d.htm

And in this generally contentious field a "little Googling" certainly proves no points and you can find data to support any argument you wish.

Try here... http://www.videohelp.com/dvdmedia

or here

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers

ABC

Rudy

I'm not sure your videohelp.com links prove much to me. It simply looks like a bunch of data on many players and media. The link I provided seems to have digested all that data to come to a clear conclusion -- minus discs are more compatible than plus discs.

Now if you want to do some tweaking with bitsettings or "book type" to trick a player into thinking that a plus disc is really a ROM disc, then sure, maybe it'll work better than minus discs. All I know is that in terms of the original question, my experiences with the E60 is that minus discs simply work.

Thanks for posting that other link to the article that explains bitsetting. I hadn't heard of it until now and I've never seen where I'd modify that setting in any of my burning software. I'll certainly keep that technique in mind if I ever run into a problem with an older player not playing a minus disc (which I have yet to find...)

aybeesea

And my experiences are entirely the opposite. Remember that the DVD readers in the e60 will have moved through increments and possibly change of supplier over the years.

So as I said earlier there are many aspects(in addition to format) to consider:

a) dye (this can change even if you think you are buying thye same disc brand and specification)

b) writer (different write strategies at different nominal speeds)

c) player (this is unlikely to have been the same make and/or model during the life of the e60)

That's why, though some of us are tempted to generalise and use own experiences as gospel - the best policy for anyone experiencing difficulties is to find what works for YOU - whilst being aware of the variables.



ABC

Rudy

I agree with you but again, with regards to my original response to the original question, I have first-hand experiences with an early production E60 as well as a current production E60 and in both cases, as I stated above, the DVD-R discs work fine in the cars. It's not as likely that somewhere in between the 2004 model and the 2008 model they threw in some hardware that isn't compatible for a short production run...