VCD. SVCD. DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW. DVD+RW. DVD-RAM. Dual layer. Blue Laser. Good lord there are a lot of recordable media formats, and the market’s about to get shaken up with the introduction of the dual layer and blue laser burners, each with their own collection of acronyms and incompatible formats. Frankly it’s a huge pain in the ass, and the manufacturers’ inability to agree on a simple set of standards is hurting consumers with reduced market penetration, higher costs, and a bewildering array of incompatibility problems. What’s a regular bloke to do? I have a couple of simple suggestions. First, visit dvdrhelp.com and research the DVD player you own by using the links on the left to search their database. Make sure to read a selection of reader comments, since what manufacturers claim to support and what actually works often vary widely. Establish which formats your player supports. Chances are if you paid over $200 for your player, it will support at a minimum either DVD-R or DVD+R media and SVCD and VCD discs. Then the next time someone asks you what kind of disc they should burn to share their wedding video with you, you can comment intelligently, and actually play the disc. Or lie, if you’d rather not re-live the experience 😉

If you’re a techno-weenie like me, you can also keep an eye on cdfreaks.com, which covers the news on recordable media. Even if you don’t use it regularly, their forums can be really helpful when you’re trying to get help with a compatibility problem that’s troubling you.