Why wont these Discs play in any DVD PLAYER?

Question

Around 10 years ago give or take , my dad purchased a DVD-RAM drive and copied all are home movies from VHS to DVD , it was simple really the pansonic dvd drive he had had a VHS and dvd combi , he would place the VHS video in and pop a blank dvd in and it would write over the home videos onto the disc.

Now these discs are sooooooo important to me and i really want to view them but no dvd drive around will read the dam things , ive tried them in the computer as well.

The machine used was this

http://www.avland.co.uk/panasonic/nvvp31ebs/nvvp31ebslrg.jpg

Panasonic NVVP31 DVD Player

My question is how do i play the dvds?

Answer 1

Only Panasonic made DVD recorders with RAM drives, so only a Panasonic recorder with a DVD-RAM drive will be able to read them. It wasn't a popular format and died out after a couple of years.



If you can track down the right Panasonic DVD recorder, I would advise transferring your home movies to a conventional DVD-/+R as soon as you can.

Answer 2

Every current Panasonic DVD player (including the Blu-ray ones) will play DVD-RAM. If the discs are mounted in "caddies" (a lot were) then you must carefully open the case and remove the disc before you put it into the player. The instructions on Panasonic DVD players explain this.



It's never been a popular format for domestic use but it's certainly not "dead". The DVD-RAM disc is formatted and used in the same way as a computer's built in hard drive. You can erase individual files, so be careful that you don't delete or overwrite the contents.



The DVD-RAM format was never intended to be used as a substitute for DVD-/+R, it was meant to be a "portable hard disc" back in the days before USB memory sticks were invented.



You can also get external DVD-RAM drives for your computer.

(For example the Samsung 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer DVD RAM USB Bus Powered Slimline £25.99 from Amazon)

You can play the discs on this and copy them to a DVD-R or DVD+R on the computer's built in drive.



Don't do a simple "file copy". It'll be a little bit of work for you. To create a DVD that can be played on a normal DVD player you must use a burner like Windows movie maker so that the format is correct for normal DVDs. You must Finalise the discs if the program asks.

Answer 3

DVD-RAM never really took off as a format, as you have discovered.



You may be able to find an external disc drive that will read them,

but I think your best hope is to find another Panasonic DVD recorder.

There should be a label or symbol on the front panel

proclaiming the unit's RAM compatibility.



At least some Toshiba DVD recorders (for example the D-R4)

also have RAM capability.



If you do find a machine that will play the discs,

copy their contents to DVD-R as soon as possible.



If the tapes still exist, copying them directly to DVD-R may be more convenient.

Answer 4

It would probably be easier to track down a Panasonic player, plenty on Ebay & copy the recording to your own dvd recorder

Answer 5

Does this help. Copy and paste the source for more info



ª Discs that can be played

Use discs with the above logos and that conform to specifications. The unit cannot play other discs correctly. Do not use irregularly shaped

discs (e.g. heart-shaped), as these can damage the unit.

It may not be possible to play CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R and DVD-RAM in all cases due to the type of disc or condition of the recording.

ª Discs that cannot be played

DVD-ROM, DVD-Audio, CD-ROM, CDV, CD-G, iRW, DVD-RW,

CVD, SACD, Divx Video Discs and Photo CD, DVD-RAM that

cannot be removed from their cartridge, 2.6-GB and 5.2-GB DVDRAM,

and “Chaoji VCD” available on the market including CVD,

DVCD and SVCD that do not conform to IEC62107, etc.

ªRegion number supported by this player

Region numbers are allocated to DVD players and software

according to where they are sold.

The region number of the unit is “4”. The unit will play DVD-Video

marked with labels containing “4” or “ALL”.

Examples:

ªDVDs that can be played

You can play discs with these symbols.

ªVideo systems

≥This unit can play PAL and NTSC, but your TV must match the

system used on the disc.

≥PAL discs cannot be correctly viewed on an NTSC television.

≥This unit can convert NTSC signals to PAL 60 for viewing on a

PAL television (Video—NTSC Disc Output lpage 41).

≥Output is interlace (576I), when playing PAL discs.

ªDisc structure

Disc structure and the labels given to the items on discs depend on

the disc type.

Track: the smallest division on CDs and Video CDs, or a single

MP3/WMA file.

Chapter: the smallest division on DVD-Video.

Group: equivalent to folders or albums on data discs.

Title: the largest division on DVD-Video, usually an entire

movie.

Programme:the division on DVD-RAM equivalent to a single

recording.

Picture: a single JPEG file.

Play list: the largest grouping on a HighMAT disc, or a group of

scenes on DVD-RAM.

Scene: DVD-RAM programme sections specified and grouped

into play lists on a DVD video recorder.

Content: covers tracks and pictures on HighMAT discs.

ªDVD-RAM discs

The DVD-RAM you can play on this unit are those recorded with

DVD video recorders, DVD video cameras, personal computers,

etc. using Version 1.1 of the Video Recording Format (a unified

video recording standard).

≥Remove discs from their cartridges

before use and return them when you

are finished, making sure that the

labels of the disc and cartridge face the same way.

≥Some parts of the disc, for example where one programme ends

and another begins, may not play smoothly.

ªDVD-R discs

Panasonic DVD-R discs recorded and finalized (a process that

allows play on compatible equipment) on a Panasonic DVD video

recorder or DVD video camera are played as DVD-Video on this

unit.

ªPlaying DVDs and Video CDs

The producer of these discs can control how they are played so

you may not always be able to control play as described in these

operating instructions (for example if the play time is not displayed

or if a Video CD has menus). Read the disc’s instructions carefully.

ªCD-R and CD-RW discs

This unit can play CD-R/RW (audio recording disc) recorded with

CD-DA, Video CD, SVCD (conforming to IEC62107), MP3, WMA,

or JPEG. Finalize (a process that allows play on compatible

equipment) the disc after recording.

ªHighMATTM discs

This unit is compatible with HighMATTM discs containing MP3,

WMA and/or JPEG files.

ª To clean discs

DVD-Video, Video CD, CD

Wipe with a damp cloth and then wipe

dry.

DVD-