Very strange problem with Philips DVD Player ("padding")

I hope it's the right forum to present my problem.

I use iMac G4 with Pioneer DVR-104 to burn my DVDs and Philips stand
alone player DVD955.
Firmware for both burner and player are up-to-date. I use DVD-R
(acceted by both).
When I back-up commercial DVDs using my iMac there are absolutely no
problems playing them on my DVD955.
However, when I create my own DVDs - either using Apple's authoring
software or from video files like .wmv - they are not recognised by my
Philips DVD player (tries to read them for several minutes and spits
out).
Interestingly enough, they play perfectly OK on my iMac, my PC and my
friend's DVD player.
I spent days searching the net and found only one possible explanation:

Philips DVD955 (and other models in this line like DVD711 etc.) don't
like DVDs with less than 4Gb of data!?!?

Richard Crowley...

.....

The message I found:
"Tested a Pioneer DVD-RW disk (DVS-RW47B/E) burnt with Nero 5.5.9.0.
on
a Pioneer DVR-104 with success on my european DVD711.

!I Had to add a file named pad.dat to the root off the DVD-RW to
make the
contains
larger than 4Gb !! "

Richard Crowley...

....

Please have a look at:

or

Does it make any sense for you?

Richard Crowley...

It sounds well within the parameters of modern reality.

Could it be really the explanation of my problem?

Richard Crowley...

Stranger things have been discovered.

If yes, how to create such a "padding"?

webpa...

Yes, older, more expensive, less-capable DVD players had MANY quirks
like this. I'm pretty sure Nero 5.x and up has an option somewhere to
insert "padding" up to 4 gb. If not, your DVD authoring software might
have such an option (MyDVD does, for example).

Richard Crowley...

Put your video in twice (or 3x or whatever it takes)
You don't necessarily have to have a way of accessing
it, do you?

Vote with your feet. Don't patronize brands that make
such user-vicious products. You could buy a no-name
DVD player from China that will play anything for
less $$$ than it would cost to send your Philips back
to Eindhoven in protest.