Why can't Sony Playstation 2 read DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW?

I back-up DVD's that I buy because my kids tend to leave them out and
they get scratched.  While on vacation I DVD-Video into the kids PS2
and it played fine.  I then desided try backing up a PS2 game after
the kids scratched yet another $50 game.  But it did not work.  Why?

All research on my part has told me that I need a mod chip but this
seems illegal and will at very lease void my warrenty, So, that is an
unacceptable answer.

I want to know why it does not work not how to hack it to work.

* I know a good deal about ripping and burning the ISO image I created
is identical to the PS2 DVD.
* Yes, I know my problem is with the kids and not the PS2.
* I do not consider this illegal since it is for back-up (any thoughts
on that would be apperciated as well).
* I tried both DVD-R and DVD+ Videos and they work fine so I do not
think it is the media (Is the laser different for the PS2, remember
the PS1 had black coated CD-ROMs)..
* My best guess is that it has to do with the way I close the disc.

Thanks in advance,

Adam

Hello mada-ga,
 
Why can't Sony Playstation 2 read DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW?
 
Your PS2 refuses to play copies of games by design.  It can tell if a
disc has been pressed officially or burned by a DVD writer.  The
method you use to close the DVD writing session will have no effect. 
A mod chip *will* allow you to circumvent this copy-protection (here
in England a mod chip is deemed legal) ? its primary function is to
override the function to refuse to load software on detecting such a
disk.  Regarding your question about the laser - no, it is not
different.  The legality of copying a disc by way of a backup for your
own use is a very grey area.  You must assess for yourself whether you
are likely to land yourself in trouble by doing so.  So, the answer to
your question 'why does it not work' is that the PS2 detects the
media.
 
My information comes from a friend who is a professional PS2
programmer for one of the most successful PS2 developer studios in the
world.  You will not find any definitive evidence of a method of
copying your games that will load on the PS2 without a modification to
your machine because it is not possible.  Likewise, you will not find
any definitive answer to how the PS2 'knows' the disc is a copy,
because the only parties who know that are Sony and those who designed
the various mod chips available.  We can only presume that the mod
chip designers reverse-engineered the copy protection devices or that
they had privileged knowledge of their workings.  If it were possible,
then all ISO images of PS2 games could simply be downloaded and
expected to run on an unmodified PS2.
 
I'm sorry if this disappoints you but it *is* the answer to your
question, though I will endeavour to clarify any points or answer any
follow-on questions you may have.
 
Many thanks,
Izzard-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by mada-ga on 26 Mar 2003 08:43 PST

I would like to know a little more if there is any information.  I do
not believe there is any...  But, why is it color?  Is it hidden
files.  I accept that it cannot be done, but it seems like Sony is
playing a dangerous game by keeping the mechanism secret.  Having done
some applied cryptography the rule has always been if the method is
secret then it is weak.  Again, You have answered my question so I
doubt there is anything to add but my curiosity is on high-alert... 
Thanks again.

---

Clarification of Answer by izzard-ga on 26 Mar 2003 09:32 PST

Thank you for rating my answer ? I'm glad it was useful; the question
made it tricky to know how to respond!  As requested, a little more
information:

DVDs for the Playstation 2 are silver.  Some games, however, do not
require the extra capacity of a DVD and are produced on CD-ROMs. 
These discs are purple in colour.  So, why do Sony make their official
game CDs coloured?  ?Because they can.

You may know that game discs (CD-ROMs) for the original Playstation
(the PSX) are jet black.  It was common belief that this was part of
the copy protection system for the Playstation but that is not true. 
Playstation discs were (are) black because Sony could make black
CD-ROMs, something which was highly novel at the time.  It's now
possible, usually for a slightly higher price, to buy black CD-R media
to which anyone burn data.  It took seven or eight years for these to
become a consumer item and even now they are not in every store that
sells CD-Rs.  There was never any technical reason for their being
black.

A lot of DVD players simply will not read a copied DVD.  They are
physically capable of it, but most of them recognise writeble media,
just like a Playstation 2, and eject the disc.  A PS2, rather than
simply ejecting the disc, politely requests you insert a PS2-format
disc.  So, unless they were specifically designed  without the
"reject" mechanism *or* are subsequently modified, most DVD-playing
devices reject writeable media and the PS2 is no exception.

The data surface of CD-R media has changed in colour over the years. 
The first products relied on thick layers of dye, and discs were often
puple or deep blue in colour.  These days, possibly due to more
efficient designs thanks to experience and andvancement of the reading
and writing technology, the colours tend to be more subtle hues.  They
can be anything from gold to pink, to green to turquoise depending on
the chemicals and dyes used.

It all likelihood, Sony chose purple media because it "looked cool".

Great that is exactly what I wanted to know.  Thanks...

I'm not certain of the current legal status on this.  The most recent
ruling I've seen on playing backups and using "Mod Chips" was one in
the Australian Federal Court which struck down a Sony lawsuit aimed at
stopping the sale of "Mod Chips".  Apparently, Australia has a law
similar to the United States Digital Millenium Copyright Act.  The
court ruled that Sony's protection scheme prevented legal activity,
and therefore could be circumvented legally.  Canada has ruled
differently.  I'm not sure about current rulings in the United States.

You can read more about the case here:
ZDNet:  "Sony loses Australian copyright case" by David Becker, July
29, 2002
http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/security/story/0,2000024985,20266953,00.htm

While I was able to find information about Playstation backups, I
think it is wise to run this question past the Google Editors before I
post additional information.  Thank you for your understanding.

My rule of thumb has been if you find it link on the google search
engine then you can link to it here.  I am not an editor.  However, if
it needs or uses a mod-chip I am not interested.

As pointed out above, the color of the disc does not seem to play a
role in the copy protection.

Apparently, the copy protection scheme centers around writing "bad"
data to specific tracks in the recording session.  When copied, these
tracks produce errors that make duplicating difficult, but, not
impossible.

You may be interested in the tools and tutorials for making backups if
they are legal in your area and if they do not violate your license
agreement:
http://www.megagames.com/ps2/ps2_utils.shtml