220-1101 Question 201
Single answerOpticalA small office uses a USB external DVD writer to archive training videos onto blank DVD-R discs. A technician is told that every disc written on this drive will play correctly in the office computer that created it, but several older standalone DVD players show "No Disc" or fail partway through playback. The technician has already verified that the video files are valid and that the same players can read commercial movie DVDs. Which action is the BEST next step to improve compatibility with the standalone players?
- A
Burn the discs at a slower write speed supported by both the media and the drive
- B
Reformat the DVD-R discs to FAT32 before burning the video files
- C
Switch from DVD-R to CD-R because CD-R has higher video playback compatibility
- D
Increase the screen resolution on the office computer before starting the burn process
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
When troubleshooting optical media compatibility, a key best practice is to look at burn quality, media quality, supported write speeds, and whether the disc was authored/finalized correctly. A disc that reads in the computer that created it but fails in older standalone players often points to marginal readability rather than bad source files. Slower burn speeds, when supported by the drive and media, can improve compatibility by producing a cleaner burn. This aligns with common vendor guidance for optical media troubleshooting from drive and media manufacturers, as well as standard field practice for CD/DVD issues. Other options either confuse optical media with file-system formatting used on flash storage or suggest changes unrelated to the laser writing process.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Older standalone DVD players can be more sensitive to marginal burns, lower-quality media, and discs written at high speeds. Burning at a slower supported speed often improves the quality of the recorded marks on the disc and increases readability in older optical drives. This is a practical first troubleshooting step when discs work in the source computer but not in less tolerant players.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. DVD-R discs are not prepared for video playback by formatting them to FAT32 like a flash drive. Video DVDs require proper authoring and finalization so the player can read the expected disc structure. FAT32 formatting is a common misconception based on removable USB storage, not optical video media.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. CD-R does not provide better compatibility for DVD video playback. Standard standalone DVD players are designed to read DVD video discs, and CD-R does not have the capacity needed for most DVD-quality video archives. Someone might choose this option by confusing general optical media compatibility with the specific DVD video format.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Display resolution on the computer has no effect on the optical burn quality or whether a standalone DVD player can read the disc. This distractor targets the misconception that playback issues are related to how the video looked on the source PC rather than the recording quality and disc format.