I also use Verbatim dvd's. Did use TDK for a while but got some bad batches & also they didn't play on my brother's player. Now stick to Verbatim + & -. For double-layer I'm now sticking to Verbatim DVD+ DL because DVD studio pro does NOT like dvd- dl disks.

My set top dvd player also plays everything thrown at it. It also supports mpeg4/divX which means I can simply burn a data disk with mpeg 4 files on it & the dvd player treats it a little like an mp3 disk re: menus. But for burning normal dvd video disks, you specifically need to burn it in dvd video UDF format. Otherwise most set top players won't play such disks.

There are some brand & type specific players on the market. Panasonic is one of those. duh! Pay all the extra money for something that only plays panasonic disks ... no thank you. Many of the cheaper brands do better than the "brand" names re: dvd playback. But yes, some of their remote controls of the cheaper brands are not well designed.

In regards to Roxio. The one for mac is very good & is 'the best' general burner program for mac. But I believe for windows it depends whether you have the full version or the 'light' version which will be limited in its abilities. Roxio should be able to convert any mpeg 1, 2, 4, divX, XviD, avi, quicktime mov format at the beginning of the burning process.

I'd recommend burning at minimum speed for dvd R disks. And stay away from the 'el cheapo' disks. Get a decent disk if you want "reliability" for burning & lasting more than a couple of years & play-back on set top players. You can check to see what disks burn better on which dvd burners. There are sites that test burners for reliability. Some do better with some brands. I checked my burner here http://www.cdfreaks.com/reviews/ You can also check to see what dvd disk formats your player supports.