Windows Vista Mastered formatted DVDs

[grafxman]

I recently purchased a rather expensive DVD player that can play .avi files. However, I discovered that it will only play them after they have been burned to a DVD that has been Mastered formatted. This requires a new, unformatted disc. I use -RW discs. I have plenty of those -RW discs but they all have been used for various reasons. Vista's default format is the Live file system which causes my player to give a UNKNOWN DISC indication.

So my question is this:

Is there any way a used DVD -RW can be reformatted to the Mastered format?

 

[Celestra]

Erase it then reformatt it.... Erase a CD or DVD - Windows Vista Help

Format a CD or DVD - Windows Vista Help

Let me know how it turns out, I know many people use 3rd party software to burn DVD's & CD's etc. This may make a difference on what is possible.

 

[grafxman]

Erase it then reformatt it.... Erase a CD or DVD - Windows Vista Help

Format a CD or DVD - Windows Vista Help

Let me know how it turns out, I know many people use 3rd party software to burn DVD's & CD's etc. This may make a difference on what is possible.

Thanks a lot for your response Celestra. I eventually figured it out. It seems you are the only person I can find that even knows what I'm talking about. Most people have never heard of a Mastered formatted disc.

I found the help file misleading. Their procedures are OK for a disc that has never been formatted. However when you try to format a disc that has already been formatted with the Windows default Live File system, things get slightly complicated. When I tried to reformat a -RW disc, all I was greeted with was a choice of the various iterations of the Live File formatting options. That was displayed via the right mouse button.

However if the DVD -RW disc is erased and the disc then double clicked then the dialog box appears that allows the user to select the 2 different types of formatting. There was no mention of this procedure in the help files or to use the left button and double click.

My new OPPO BDP-83 Blu-Ray player can read .avi files from Mastered Formated DVDs but not from Live File formatted DVDs. The really great thing about this is that you can just drag and drop the files from the hard drive onto the DVD. Its just as quick as copy and paste because that's what it is. A compiled video with it's load on the CPU and interminable wait is no longer a problem. This method is nearly instantaneous. No after market software is required.

Thanks again Celestra.

Roger

 

[Celestra]

That is what is lacking today, people that can write good instructions..