If you are having problems with the DVD you purchased from Cheniere Media

While we are always ready to replace any defective DVDs, there are some other technical issues that first have to be addressed.

The DVDs that we sell are encoded in a format called DVD-R. Before purchase you are advised to check that your player plays this format. This applies to both NTSC and PAL versions.

Some older DVD players, computer based DVD players, and, frankly, bargain basement DVD players, will not play the multiple formats and media brands available in today's market. The manufacturers often go to great lengths to hide this fact. Pioneer, for example, are one that we have found to be particularly bad about upgrading their firmware. The DVD readers in Mac laptops are also sometimes another problem.

Diagnostic:

1) Clean the shiny side of the DVD with a soft cloth and/or soap and water. We have had DVDs returned which would not play simply because there were greasy fingerprints on the back.

2) Check that your DVD player, or the DVD player on your computer, DOES play the DVD-R format. It should be clearly marked on the player or displayed in the Owner's Manual. If, for example, it only plays DVD+R format, there is nothing we can do. We suggest that you upgrade your player.

3) Try playing the DVD on another DVD player or another computer. Often an older model will not recognize newer media brands. We try to use Taiyo Yuden, a superior brand, wherever possible. If this is the case, go to the website of the DVD player's manufacturer and download the latest firmware. This will enable the player to recognize the computer code on the media disc.

4) If you do have a DVD-R player on your computer and are playing the DVD in Full Screen Mode and it hangs, note the timecode, and play again in Small Screen Mode. If it doesn't hang again, then you do not have adequate computer resources for Full Screen Mode viewing. If it hangs in the same place, you have a bad disc, and we will replace the disc at our cost.

5) We have had to encrypt later discs to stop pirating.

If you are using an Apple Mac and have problems playing one of these discs, you need to download the VLC player, which is a free download.

Customer comment:

“My cheepo Toshiba did not work at all.

the latest vlc 0.9.9a worked on three out of five.

My iMac DVD app, works on all videos.

Thanks for the suggestions.”

6) Check that you have the encoding protocol that is appropriate for your geographic area— i.e. PAL or NTSC. This is printed on the front of the DVD. It is possible you have been sent the wrong one, or ordered the wrong one. NTSC is the standard for North America and Japan, PAL is the standard for the U.K., Australia and several other countries, mostly European.

7) The data disc available with Disc#20, the “Cejka Files,” can not be played on a Mac. You must also be logged on to the Internet for it to function.

95% of the DVDs that have been returned are in fact OK, it is the DVD players that need upgrading.

Hope this helps.

Tony Craddock
Webmaster