A Few Words About Compatibility The disc(s) you receive are produced using specifications developed by the DVD Consortium - the group that conceived the DVD format. These specifications are the commonly used standards for all disc and player manufacturers. However, the manufacturers of some first generation players - those introduced to the market in 1997 and 1998 - failed to meet all the specifications in their rush to get players onto America's shelves. As a result, approximately 20% of the first generation players present varying degrees of disc/player incompatibility - particularly when playing DVD-R discs (the type used in producing limited quantity duplicates). Most players manufactured in 1999 and nearly every player being manufactured today will be compatible with these disks.