Confused and need help re:DVD burning

[N.AxXx]

Hello,
I have jsut found this site and it seems that someone out there might be able to help me!
I recently fimled a concert for a friend and then copied it onto DVD for the parents. Some parents have sent the DVD back as the can't play them on their DVD players.
I wrote the DVD's originally on DVD-R and then given them DVD+R and am hoping this will work instead.
BUT how come when I buy a DVD in the shop, it always works? Is there no way of buying blank DVD's like that so I dont have the same problem again?
I have a Philips DVDR dual layer and it says it has two way compatibilty, is this anything to do with it or is this just simply that it can do both DVD- and DVD+ ?
Sorry this is long winded! But i hope someone understands and can help me!

Thanks
NAxXx

[Alan Mills]

This is most likely simply down to the fact that the media you chose just happens to be incompatible with the particular DVD players the parents have. There are lists available indicating compatible medi with players but for a wide distribution like yours you'll be lucky to catch all cases I think.

Sadly we're not at the same stage as CD where all types appear (nowadays) to play in all players but things are working in that direction.

So basically, I'm sure it's nothing you've done in the DVD mastering - as long as you can play in your player that is - just that the parents may well have older players that don't like your brand of DVD-R. Indeed, some players (most older than 3 years old) don't like ANY DVD-Rs

[Shock]

Older player as in anything 9 months or older has a problem playing
DVD-R or +R. I threw away a lot of DVDs thinking that I did a poor
job at making them, when it was just that my 11 month old DVD player
was too old.
But the best Blank DVD that I have found is the 4X Maxell
with the yellow top.