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Yes. Windows Media Player can burn a data DVD containing files such as music, pictures, and videos. That does not mean it creates a DVD-Video disc with menus or one guaranteed to play in every living-room DVD player: playback depends on whether the device supports the files’ formats. Microsoft’s documented process requires a DVD recorder drive and a blank disc. Microsoft Support explains the supported disc types and steps.
What kind of DVD does Windows Media Player burn?
Microsoft documents three disc types in Windows Media Player: audio CDs, data CDs, and data DVDs. A data DVD stores files rather than authoring a DVD-Video movie disc. The documented process does not create DVD menus or establish compatibility with every standalone DVD player.
For a data DVD, the target computer or player must support the file types on the disc. Check the device’s supported formats before burning if you intend to play the files on anything other than the computer that created the disc.
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What you need before burning
- A CD or DVD recorder drive. A drive that can only read DVDs does not meet this requirement.
- A blank DVD.
- The files you want to copy, available in Windows Media Player’s Player Library.
Microsoft’s support page does not specify a required disc brand or burn speed. It identifies the recorder drive and blank disc as the basic requirements.
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How to burn a data DVD in Windows Media Player
- Open Windows Media Player and go to Player Library.
- Select the Burn tab, then open Burn options.
- Choose Data CD or DVD.
- Insert a blank DVD in the recorder drive. If the computer has more than one drive, select the drive you want to use.
- Find the files in the Player Library and drag them into the burn list.
- Select Start burn.
These are the steps in Microsoft’s documented workflow; the support page does not promise particular results for every Windows Media Player version or computer configuration.
Data DVD or audio CD: which should you choose?
| Disc type | Best suited to | Capacity stated by Microsoft | Playback considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data DVD | Storing music, pictures, and videos as files | About 4.7 GB, or roughly 54 hours of music | Playback depends on the device supporting the file types on the disc. |
| Audio CD | Music intended for ordinary CD players | Up to 80 minutes | Microsoft describes an audio CD as playable in nearly any CD player. |
The capacity figures are Microsoft’s approximate descriptions; the support page does not state a publication year. The number of files or the amount of playable music on a data DVD varies with file sizes and encoding. See Microsoft’s disc-burning guidance for its explanation of the formats and capacities.
Rank #2
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Will a data DVD play in a regular DVD player?
Only if that player supports the file formats stored on the disc. The fact that a DVD player accepts a disc does not by itself mean it can decode every video file copied to it. Microsoft’s data-disc instructions do not describe DVD-Video authoring, so they are not a way to establish that a disc will work like a commercial movie DVD.
If your goal is a DVD-Video disc with menus or broad compatibility with standalone players, Windows Media Player’s documented data-DVD workflow is not enough to confirm that outcome. You would need DVD-Video authoring software and should verify its current features and output requirements separately.
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