What is firmware and how can I check the version in my recorder?
How can I install a previous firmware version?
How can I remove the "empty title" from the Index Picture Screen?
Why does the FTD display show PCM during recording or in monitor mode?
Why can't my DVD recorder play MP3 tracks from a DVD disc?
How does a DVD+R/+RW recorder compare to a DVD-R/-RW recorder?
Can I record Dolby Digital sound?
Can I record surround sound?
Does the recorder have a digital video input?
Can I directly make digital copies of digital sources like MiniDV or Digital8?
Does the recorder have a digital audio input?
Can I record onto CD-R/-RW discs?
Can I protect a recording on a DVD+RW disc?
What will the menu screens recorded with a DVD+R/+RW video recorder look like?
Why is the program name sometimes not recorded on the Index Picture Screen?
How can I edit a video recording on a DVD+RW video recorder?
Can I partly erase video sequences on a disc and then re-use the space?
What is VBR and what is its advantage?
What is the recording time of a DVD+RW disc?
Why do DVD+RW media with different recording times seem to exist?
Can a DVD+RW video recorder record in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen?
Are my recordings copy-protected or region-coded?
Can I copy the contents of a DVD-Video disc using a DVD+R/+RW video recorder?
Why can't I copy a DVD from my Macrovision-free DVD player?
Do I need special equipment (TV/audio system) to use a DVD+R/+RW video recorder?
What discs can be played back by a DVD+R/+RW video recorder?
Does a DVD+R/+RW video recorder support ShowView, VIDEO Plus+, VCR Plus+ or G-Code?
Does a DVD+R/+RW video recorder support VPS and PDC?
Does a DVD+R/+RW video recorder support NICAM digital sound?
My new recorder does not respond to any keys I press, and the display only says 'MENU' or 'IS TV ON?'.
What are the differences between the European and US versions of the recorders?
What are the major differences between the various recorder models?
Can I record both PAL and NTSC signals?
Why is the disc bar sometimes not displayed during playback of DVD-Video discs?
How can I monitor the actual picture quality before or during recording?
Why does the video move a frame when I call the Edit/FSS menu from Pause?
How does the behaviour of DVD+RW and DVD+R discs differ on a DVD+R/+RW video recorder?
The Index Picture Screen on my DVD+R disc seems to be corrupted. Can I resolve this?
Can I recover an unfinalized DVD+R disc displaying "Disc contains unknown data"?
How can I make my DVD recorder region free?


What is firmware and how can I check the version in my recorder?
Firmware is a piece of software that is stored in a so-called "flash ROM" chip in a DVD recorder. As you should think of a DVD recorder as a computer running its own software, this software contains all of the features and operating menus that the recorder offers. Normally, firmware is located in a non-writable ROM chip in a device, however current DVD+R/+RW video recorders contain a flash ROM that can be re-programmed with a new version of the software. This allows you to eleminate errors or even add new features when a new version becomes available. To load a new firmware in the recorder, just create a CD from one of the files that are available on the DVD+RW Video Recorder Firmware Upgrade Downloads page on this site.

[PHILIPS (-BUILT)]
To check what firmware version you have currently installed on a Philips-based DVD+R/+RW recorder, go to the System Menu, select Remote Control settings, and then press down once more when the bottom option is selected. Now, a comprehensive firmware information screen will be displayed. The firmware verion is listed on the bottom line, preceeded by "FF", for example FF11h.


How can I install a previous firmware version? [PHILIPS (-BUILT)]
Although it is not recommended to go back to a previous firmware version (as each new version includes all fixes, improvements and new features of previous versions), there might be some occasions when you want to install an older version of the firmware than the one currently loaded into your machine.

To accomplish this on a Philips-based DVD recorder, take these actions: Take out any disc and put the recorder into stand-by. Unplug the unit from mains power and wait for one minute. Press down both the REC and EJECT buttons, and keep them held down while plugging the unit back into mains power. Keep the buttons pressed until the unit powers up. The display should now read "FORCED DOWN", followed by "OPENING". When the tray is opened, put in the firmware CD you wish to revert to and press the tray in to close. After the firmware installation process is completed, the display reads "REMOVE DISK" and the tray opens. You can now remove the disc and close the tray. As the unit goes into stand-by, the firmware reversion process is completed.


How can I remove the "empty title" from the Index Picture Screen? [PHILIPS (-BUILT)]
A DVD+RW disc and an unfinalized DVD+R disc will normally show the empty space that is still left on the disc as "Empty Title" in the Index Picture Screen. When you finalize a DVD+R disc, all titles that you deleted, as well as the Empty Title at the end of the disc will no longer show up on the Index Picture Screen. Since a DVD+RW disc does not need to be finalized, the Empty Title will remain to be showed. A work-around for this is available however: Go to the end of you last recording and press Pause. From here, press Record to record some dummy material until the end of the disc (do not stop this recording manually!). Then, mark this dummy material as a hidden chapter (refer to your manual for more info). The dummy material is hidden and will not be played, and since the disc is "full", the Emtpy Title will also not show up in the Index Picture Screen. To make sure that the hidden chapter with dummy material is also not shown when your play the DVD+RW disc on a DVD player, apply the "Make Edits Compatible" function (see manual).


Why does the FTD display show PCM during recording or in monitor mode? [PHILIPS (-BUILT)]
On some recorder models, the FTD display will indicate PCM as the audio format when you are in monitor/tuner mode, or during recording. At this point, the recorder will send uncompressed PCM audio to the digital audio outputs of the recorder, however the recorded audio on the disc will be stored as Dolby Digital. When you play back the disc, you will see that the Dolby Digital indicator will light up.


Why can't my DVD recorder play MP3 tracks from a DVD disc?
Some DVD recorder models support playback of MP3 files from a CD. Some of these will not play MP3 files from a DVD (including recordable DVD) discs, due to copyright issues. The music industry would require the taxes on recordable DVD discs to be much higher when they would support recording and playback for up to several tens of hours of music.


How does a DVD+R/+RW recorder compare to a DVD-R/-RW recorder?
For a very comprehensive article that compares the features of a DVD+R/+RW video recorder with those of a DVD-R/-RW video recorder, refer to Comparison with DVD-R/-RW Video Recorders.


Can I record Dolby Digital sound?
Yes. All recordings made on a DVD+R/+RW video recorder contain 2-channel stereo Dolby Digital audio. The audio is fully compatible with all DVD players, and also with DVD players connected to digital receivers that can decode Dolby Digital audio.


Can I record surround sound?
You cannot record video with discrete 6 channel audio, due to the fact that this would require a very expensive professional Dolby Digital encoder cicuitry (both in terms of manufacturing costs and license fees). Besides this, normal TV broadcasts are only accompanied by two channel audio, so it would be of no use to include 6-channel recording capability for most users. Analog matrix surround schemes, such as Dolby Surround, are of course preserved on the disc when the original broadcast contained one.


Does the recorder have a digital video input?
This is a manufacturer's option, but most current DVD+R/+RW video recorders (except for the DVDR880 and 980 models) offer an i.Link digital video interface (also known as IEEE1394 or Firewire). You can use it to connect a digital home video source, such as a digital camcorder or a computer with a firewire output card.


Can I directly make digital copies of digital sources like MiniDV or Digital8?
When your DVD+R/+RW recorder contains an i.Link digital video input, you can directly connect a digital home video source (like a MiniDV or Digital8 camcorder) and feed the digital video into the recorder. The video will automatically be re-encoded into MPEG2 for DVD-Video compatibility. When using the highest quality level, there will be no visible difference between the original source and the recording on the DVD+RW disc. In accordance with the i.Link/DV standard, you can only feed DV format video into the i.Link input, but MPEG video (such as the video from a MicroMV camcorder) or other video formats are not supported.


Does the recorder have a digital audio input?
No, current DVD+R/+RW recorders do not offer a means to input digital audio to be recorded alongside with an analog video feed. The i.Link connector which is present on some models will of course also accept digital audio together with the digital video stream.


Can I record onto CD-R/-RW discs?
No, you can not record CD-R or CD-RW discs on a DVD+R/+RW video recorder. Note that all DVD+R/+RW drives for PCs do in fact support the writing of CD-R and CD-RW discs.


Can I protect a recording on a DVD+RW disc?
Yes, all DVD+RW video recorders will include an option to protect a DVD+RW disc from being erased or otherwise being changed. This will be comparable to removing the protection tab from a VHS cassette. Every DVD+R/+RW video recorder will then refuse to write to the disc. Be aware that it is still possible to modify this disc's contents on a PC DVD+RW drive. Of course this protection can also be removed using the DVD+RW video recorder. On a DVD+R discs, you can not overwrite recordings, but you can "delete" them from sight (remove them from the Index Picture Screen) when the disc is not yet finalized. To prevent this, also a DVD+R disc can be protected on the recorder.


What will the menu screens recorded with a DVD+R/+RW video recorder look like?
A DVD+R/+RW video recorder will automatically add menu screens on a DVD+R or DVD+RW disc, which can be used for navigating trough the contents of a particular disc when it is played back on the DVD+R/+RW video recorder and even when played on any standard DVD-Video player. Such menu screens will include small index images representing each individual recording. Next to each image, more information about the recording is displayed, such as the name of the recorded program, the lenght of the recording, the recording quality level and the recording date. Furthermore, when the disc is played in the DVD+R/+RW video recorder itself, there's a graphical indication showing the amount of allocated disc space, and the amount of free space.

The graphical look of the menu screens that are written on the disc is decided upon by the DVD+RW video recorder manufacturer. Since it is possible to re-use the same disc on another brand or make of recorder, it is possible that this second recorder changes the look of the menu screens. It simply reads the essential information that is stored additionally on a disc that is recorded in a DVD+RW video recorder (such as the textual information and the thumbnail images) and re-creates the new menu files. This is why it is also possible to change the look of the menu screens on a PC in seconds without the need of rewriting the entire disc, using a tool that supports the DVD+VR format.

Refer to the section about menus in the DVD+RW Real Time Video (+VR) Format article fore more information.


Why is the program name sometimes not recorded on the Index Picture Screen? [PHILIPS (-BUILT)]
European DVD+R/+RW recorders will be able to extract program name information from a broadcast signal, and it may include this information in the Index Picture Screen menus. This information is filtered from the PDC/teletext information, that is used by some TV stations to control the recording of a video recorder. However, this information is not always provided by the station, or the information might not be accurate. Hence, it may occure that the recorder does not include the program name in the menu screens, or that the program name is incorrect. Also the duration of the recording may affect the accuracy of this auto-naming feature: if the recording is too short for the recording to extract the information from the PDC signal, the name will also not be included. Note that you can always manually change or add a program name to the Index Picture Screen afterwards.


How can I edit a video recording on a DVD+RW video recorder?
DVD+RW offers linear editing capabilities, which means that you can use a single DVD+RW video recorder to edit your recordings. After a recording is made, or during the recording process, you can define chapter points in a recording to divide a show into multiple segments, like on a pre-recorded DVD-Video disc. You can use these chapter marks to jump immediately to a spefic scene. Best of all, you can mark certain chapters to be hidden when the disc is played back, enabling you for example to skip commercials in between a movie. There's no need for a second DVD+RW video recorder to record the edited movie. The skipped sequences will remain on the disc, so that you can always decide to make them 'visible' again! The best part: the playlists with the hidden chapters that you created on a disc can be viewed in exactly the same way on a standard DVD-Video player! This level of compatible (!) editing convenience is not offered by the other recordable DVD systems.

Exactly what editing features are available depends on the manufacturer and the model number.

While all of these features are also available for DVD+R discs, the write-once nature of such discs prevents the edits to be recorded in a DVD-Video compatible way, as they need to update the info already written on the disc. This means that the chapter stops you create afterwards, or the chapters you made hidden, will only be visible on the recorder itself. Consider these convient access features for your own use. Chapters stops that are made during recording (by pressing the Edit/FSS key) are DVD compatible and can be used on a DVD-player.

Refer to the section about editing in the DVD+RW Real Time Video (+VR) Format article fore more information.


Can I partly erase video sequences on a disc and then re-use the space?
You can erase any recorded title on the disc (including the ones in the middle of the disc), and re-use the free space for a new recording. Erasing a title is not necessary however, since you can start the recording of a new program at any location on the disc you like. For example, you can overwrite a recording at the beginning of a disc with a new one, while retaining the recording at the end of the disc. This offers you much more flexibility when compared to for example a CD-RW audio recorder or a DVD-RW recorder in "compatible mode", where you can only overwrite the last recording. Only DVD+RW offers this "random start" functionality while maintaining DVD-Video compatibility.

Whether or not this flexible recording facility is available depends on the brand of the DVD+RW recorder and the model number.

When you create a playlist as stated in the previous question, the skipped sequences remain stored on the disc. You cannot reclaim their combined space for a new recording. Because backwards compatibilty with existing DVD-Video players was a key element in designing the DVD+RW video recording standard, there's no option for using all unused space of a disc, or the space taken by hidden chapters, within one single newrecording session, since this would prevent the playback by a standard DVD-Video player.

Refer to the section about erasing and overwriting of recordings in the DVD+RW Real Time Video (+VR) Format article fore more information.


What is VBR and what is its advantage?
VBR stands for Variable Bit Rate. On a DVD+R/+RW recorder, just as with pre-recorded DVD-Video discs, complex video scenes with a lot of activity will be encoded using a higher bitrate, resulting in clear images, while less complex scenes are recorded at a lower bitrate. This allows for high quality video and long recording times while still remaining compatibility with existing DVD-Video players. VBR is used on both DVD+RW as well as on DVD+R discs.

As it might seem that by using VBR technology, there is no way to tell the remaining recording time in advance, DVD+R/+RW video recorders use CVBR, Contrained Variable Bitrate, or "Smart VBR". This means that that the bitrate is targeted around a preset recording level, hence the recording time that is selected for a video quaility level is always almost the same.

What is the recording time of a DVD+RW disc?
Every DVD+RW disc is the same in terms of storage space: 4.7 GB. There will be no DVD+RW discs with a different amount of space (unless smaller discs in diameter, such as 8 centimeter, will be introduced). The amount of recording time is decided upon by the user by selecting a recording quality on his recorder, and depending on the recorder model can be from 1 up to 6 hours per disc.

Depending on the DVD+R/+RW recorder model, there can be several levels: HQ/M1 is targeted at around 10 Mbit/sec resulting in 1 hour of the highest quaility video, SP/M2 is targeted at 5 Mbit/sec resulting in 2 hours of DVD-Video comparable quality, SP+/M2x is targeted at 4 Mbit/sec resulting in 2.5 hours of near-DVD quality, LP/M3 is targeted at 3.4 Mbit/sec and delivers a quality better than S-VHS for 3 hours, EP/M4 is targeted at 2.5 Mbit/sec, provides for 4 hours at a better than VHS quality level, EP+/M6 for 6 hours of VHS quality video and M8 allows 8 hours to be recorded at MPEG1 resolution.. It is possible to use various quality settings for different recordings on the same disc. All recording modes are equally as compatible with DVD-Video players, since they use the exact same encoding method as defined for DVD-Video.

Refer to the section about recording modes and resolutions in the DVD+RW Real Time Video (+VR) Format article fore more information.


Why do DVD+RW media with different recording times seem to exist?
All DVD+RW blanks have the same capacity and offer the same recording lenght. It's up to the manufacturer of a DVD+RW video recorder or the creator of DVD-Video recording software for PCs to decide what recording lenghts would be offered to the user (i.e. max 4 hours or max. 6 hours). Therefore, blank media suppliers might mark their discs with various recording times on the packaging (i.e. 120 minutes, or 240 minutes). However, all discs allow for 4.7 GB of data storage, your recording equipment will limit the maximum recording time per disc.


Can a DVD+RW video recorder record in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen?
Yes. A DVD+RW video recorder will recognize the 16:9 signalling bit that is included on some video sources (such as camcorder recordings in "wide" mode and most DVD-Video discs), and will encode the video in the original anamorphic format, allowing for the best image quality in terms of resolution when played back on a widescreen TV. Signalling info to set a widescreen TV into "wide 16:9" mode are included for playback on a DVD+RW recorder, so the TV will automatically adjust the aspect ratio when the disc is played back on the recorder itself. Since mixing of anamorphic widescreen and normal 4:3 video within a single title is not permitted by the DVD-Video standard, but recording of both 4:3 and 16:9 video in a single title by a DVD+RW video recorder is (think of a movie broadcasted in anamorphic widescreen which is interrupted by 4:3 commercials, all recorder in one title), the video will not include standard DVD-Video anamorphic signals that allows DVD-Video players to scale down the video to widescreen letterbox format for playback on 4:3 TVs.

PALplus is an extension to the European PAL television system. It allows for downward (PAL-) compatible 16:9 TV broadcasts, that are shown letterboxed on any ordinary 4:3 TV, but still deliver a widescreen image when displayed on a PALplus or widescreen TV. DVD+RW video recorders will record a widescreen broadcast in non-anamorphic letterbox mode, and include extra signalling info for playback on the DVD+RW recorder itself which informs the TV set to "zoom" in on the picture to fill the entire screen. For playback on a DVD-Video player, the disc is played in standard letterbox format. When used with a widescreen TV, the user may manually set the TV to the "zoom" mode.

Refer to the section about aspect ratios in the DVD+RW Real Time Video (+VR) Format article fore more information.


Are my recordings copy-protected or region-coded?
No. Recordings that you made on a home DVD+R/+RW video recorder are not copy protected, neither digital (CSS) nor analog (Macrovision). This means that you can copy the disc (or its partial content) to your PC's harddrive or another DVD+RW or DVD+R disc, or copy it to an analog source like a VHS recorder.

Your recordings are also not region-coded, the recorded DVD+RW or DVD+R disc can be played on a DVD-Video player anywhere in the world, providing that it supports the video system (PAL or NTSC) that was used for the recording.


Can I copy the contents of a DVD-Video disc using a DVD+R/+RW video recorder?
Using a DVD+RW video recorder, you can record "copy-free" content from any device connected to an analog input connector (such as RGB/SCART). The situation is exactly the same as with VCRs. This way, you might be able to record the video from a DVD-Video disc that is playing on a second DVD-Video player. Be aware that this is not possible if the video on this DVD-Video disc is copy-protected using either the analog Macrovision protection scheme, or the digital CGMS protection. Furthermore, the digital video from the DVD-Video disc will be sent to the recorder in an analog format, so that it needs to be re-encoded into MPEG2. You will never experience the exact same picture quality as in the original. Of course you cannot transfer the menus and other extra features like multiple sound tracks or selectable subtitles this way.


Why can't I copy a DVD from my Macrovision-free DVD player?
The copy protection system consists of a number of different technologies that prevent the video material to be recorded by a video recorder. The Macrovision video pulses that affect the synchronization of a VCR is just one of the technologies, and usually the only one that is disabled in a so-called Macrovision-free DVD player. However, there is another technology, called CGMS, based on signalling bits inserted in specific horizontal blanking intervals. The CGMS (Copy Generation Management System) bits are usually still present in the video signal, which is what a DVD+R/+RW recorder looks at to determine wether it is allowed to make a recording. Therefore, this is an issue of the "Macrovision-free" DVD player. It is expected that the companies who offer Macrovision-removal services will attend this issue too in the future.


Do I need special equipment (TV/audio system) to use a DVD+R/+RW video recorder?
No. A DVD+R/+RW video recorder can to be connected to any TV set, in the same way as an ordinary VCR, using a CVBS, Y/C or component (RGB/YPP) connection. Initially there will be no DVD+R/+RW video recorders with a digital video output to connect directly to a digital TV or plasma screen, although most American models do feature an analog progressive scan output. Optionally, you can connect the recorder to an audio system using an analog or digital (S/PDIF) connection.


What discs can be played back by a DVD+R/+RW video recorder?
This is entirely a manufacturers decision, but all current DVD+R/+RW video recorders will play the following physical formats: DVD, DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R and CD-RW, with content stored according to one of the following standards: DVD-Video, CD-Digital Audio, Video-CD or Super Video-CD. Some models (including the Philips DVDR880, 890 and 990) will also play MP3 files stored on a CD.


Does a DVD+R/+RW video recorder support ShowView, VIDEO Plus+, VCR Plus+ or G-Code?
Yes. This is a manufacturer's option, but most current DVD+R/+RW video recorders will have a ShowView (Europe), VIDEO Plus+ (UK), VCR Plus+ (USA) or G-Code (Asia) programming option.


Does a DVD+R/+RW video recorder support VPS and PDC?
Yes. This is a manufacturer's option, but most current DVD+R/+RW video recorders that are sold in areas where these systems are used (mainly Europe), will inlcude a VPS (Video Programming System) and PDC (Program Delivery Control) decoder.


Does a DVD+R/+RW video recorder support NICAM digital sound?
Yes. NICAM is a digital audio format that is optionally used in Europe in addition to the normal analog audio transmission. Implementation of NICAM is a manufacturer's option, but most current DVD+R/+RW video recorders targeted at the European market will include a NICAM decoder and record this audio on the disc as normal Dolby Digital audio.


My new recorder does not respond to any keys I press, and the display only says 'MENU' or 'IS TV ON?'. [PHILIPS (-BUILT)]
This is perfectly normal! As clearly stated in the manual, when you power on your Philips or Yamaha recorder for the first time, you will automatically enter the so called "virgin menu" or "initial set-up" mode. This procedure takes you trough the installation process in an easy way, allowing you to search and store TV channels, set the proper TV shape, choose menu languages, etc. For this procedure to work, the recorder should of course be connected to a TV, which should be set to the appropriate input. You can only use the remote control during the set-up process, normal keys on the front of the recorder are disabled (such as the open/close button). If you did not connect your recorder to the TV or forgot to select the appropriate input, you will only notice the 'MENU' or 'IS TV ON?' indication in the display, while the machines seems not to respond to any button on the front. As explained above, this is perfectly normal behaviour.


What are the differences between the European and US versions of the recorders? [PHILIPS (-BUILT)]
Some recorder models will be released worldwide, however, for the various international markets localized versions will be made. The devices are identical, except for these minor differences: