Getting clients final approval

Question

Ok the CLient hired me to do an instructional DVD video 3500 copies. I sent them a final copy for approval but the client is claiming that it won't play on their laptop, and that it skips. They wan't it to function on all computers. I tested the DVD on my desktop and set-top player and it functions fine. Any thoughts on how I can deal with this client.
I've asked the client to make sure and test a commercial store bought DVD to compare with. I wouldn't be suprised if it's not playing just because their computers are older and somewhat out of date, it's just that I don't want to step on their toes too much about the equipment their testing the DVD with. It's like biting the hand that feeds you, you know.
I don't necessarily want to make a bunch of different copies on various different DVD burners using various different media and at various different write speeds. But I might have to swallow my pride and do it anyways.
The Glass mastering company says that they won't be able to make a DVD any different or any more playable than the one I send them. CDDigital card. They don't provide any check discs. I could try somewhere else but the price is right.
I bought a DLT drive just for this project, but I'm getting different opinions even from the Glass Mastering House depending on who I talk to, about whether they make a difference or not. Any comments?
I understand that when you send in a DVD-R they pull all the info off the disc that they need. But what can they get from a DLT that they can't from a DVD-R?
The final outcome will be DVD#5.

Answer 1

Alanna.
Things are complex, as you are discovering!
The basic facts are that as already mentioned, written media is a lot less compatible than replicated media.
There can be issues with replicated media, but on most cases this will be down to the maker of the player - some players are cheap for a reason, and that reason is the manufacturers cut corners.
The best you can hope to achieve, if you are going to be brutally honest, is to say that the disc will work on most players, if not all.
There is a service available where a test pressing can be sent to a specialist verification company, who will run it through as many as 200 players and give you a complete compatibility report. This is not cheap though.
I have seen disclaimers on discs saying that the disc has been authored according to strict DVD specifications, and any problems should be taken up with the manufacturer of the player involved. Often a simple firmware update can solve what look like authoring issues. I don't suppose you would be very surprised to hear that a lot of end users will never update firmware at all, as they probably don't know it can be done. You can never guarantee anything as 100% idiot-proof.
Truth be told, 100% compliance cannot ever be guaranteed due to the massive amount of players available. What you can do is author to strict spec to reduce problems, and this is why some of us here keep fighting to ensure non compliant files are not accepted by Encore, as this can lead to complications later on.
See http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.41
for a detailed explanation of the problems authors face. Summed up, not all players interpret the DVD Specifications correctly. This article is an eye-opener to put it mildly!
Replicated discs will work in 99% of players.
Written discs are a lottery.
Check Discs.
If a check disc does not work in your reference player, then the odds are high it is one of 3 problems:
1 - Bad Authoring
2 - Bad Player interpretation (A firmware update may be available)
3 - Bad replication
If you're happy sending out written media as check discs, then a useful tip is to send each format - both DVD-R as well as DVD+R. This way you have that one covered.
However, if they are testing a written disc in a computer based system, then you also have the certain possibility of bugs in the software player to contend with as well. Sadly there is no sure short-cut here, and the best you can do is try the test disc on as many players as possible. Basically, if it works well on your players, but not on some laptop running "cheapDVDplayer.exe", then you can be reasonably certain the authoring is good, but the laptop has a problem somewhere.
In short, test on as many players as you possibly can.
We have 4 set top players here - 2 Denons, one Cambridge Audio, and one of what we call our "Worst-case scenario" of a TV/DVD combo. If it plays on that, it plays on pretty much anything. It may even be worth your while deliberately hunting down a known dodgy player just to test on.
And add that disclaimer!