Philips Support

My Philips DVDR cannot play all movies

Published on 2017-02-28

There may be several reasons why your recorder is not playing a particular disk:

Is the disk damaged or dirty?

Try to make the disk as clean as possible using an air canister or a lint-free cloth or wiper. Wipe the disk from the center out to the edge. Do not move the wiper in a circular motion. A small quantity of distilled water can help very tough marks to come off. Removing marks such as dirty fingerprints or marker ink from a disk will improve its readability.

Does the disk have the correct region code?

If you purchase an original disk, you will only be able to play it back in the area where it was purchased. If you purchase a DVD during your holidays for example, chances are that you will not be able to play it at home. The region code of the DVD should be indicated on its cover. The following region codes are in effect:

  1. U.S., Canada, U.S. Territories
  2. Japan, Europe, South Africa, and Middle East (including Egypt)
  3. Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong Kong)
  4. Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean
  5. Eastern Europe (Former Soviet Union), Indian subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, and Mongolia
  6. China

Has the disk been finalized?

If you want to play a DVD recordable disk on another device than the recording equipment, it needs to be finalized. Make sure that you have done so yourself or, if you received the disk from somebody else, verify with that person if he/she has finalized it.

Are the disk and the files that are stored on it compatible with the supported formats?

Please refer to the list below to see which disk and file formats are supported by your recorder. Always upgrade your device with the latest Firmware, in order to exclude the possibility of compatibility issues. Go to the Software & drivers section on this page to for the latest Firmware and the installation instructions.

  • Video Playback:

Playback Media: CD-R/CD-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, DVD-Video, Video CD/SVCD, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DL, USB flash drive

Compression formats: MPEG2, MPEG1, DivX 3.11, DivX 4.x, DivX 5.x, DivX 6.0, MPEG4

  • Audio Playback:

Playback Media: Audio CD, CD-R/RW, DVD+R DL, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, MP3-CD, MP3-DVD, USB flash drive, WMA-CD

Compression format: Dolby Digital, MP3, MPEG2 Multi-channel, PCM, WMA

  • Still Picture Playback:

Playback Media: CD-R/RW, DVD+R DL, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, Picture CD, USB Digital Camera (PTP), USB flash drive

Picture Compression Format: JPEG, JPEG digital camera photos

Picture Enhancement: Slideshow with MP3 playback, Create albums, Rotate, Slideshow with music playback, Zoom

Does the disk play normally on other devices?

If the disk is not being played back properly on other devices either, the issue is probably caused by the disk itself. Although it is a rare occurrence that the information stored on a recordable DVD or CD deteriorates, there have been occasional reports of disks going bad, possibly due to delamination, contaminated adhesive, chemical reactions, or oxidation of the reflective layer. If a disk has deteriorated, there is nothing you can do to fix it and you should try to get a replacement from the supplier.

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