I copied a VHS video onto a DVD 2 years ago. Now I lost the VHS, and just realized the DVD is not readable.

I put it in a standard DVD reader, and nothing happens. It is a perfectly clean disc. I used a VHS/DVD device that hooked up to a tv to make the copy. The device was a friend's, which no longer has it. I can see there is data on the dvd, because of the difference in color/opacity on the data side, much like a CD.

I don't know very much about DVD's and their formats, etc. What I need to know is if there's a software that understands all/most dvd formats, that I may be able to have it detect the format that was used on the DVD.

I'm confident the data is on the DVD in some format which is obviously not the norm. The data on the DVD is extremely important to me (the birth of my daughter), so any help or suggestions are GREATLY appreciated.

There are different types of DVD's, and it just may be that your DVD player can't read the particular format you're throwing at it.

Standard DVD players were initially only able to read DVD-ROM. Newer ones have expanded on this. If you burned a DVD, it could be DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM (probably not this one). Sometimes a DVD player only thinks it can read DVD-ROM, but you can lie to it and stick in a different DVD format with a false booktype setting. Unfortunately, booktype setting is something you can only alter when you burn the DVD.

Try playing the DVD in a computer with a newer DVD drive. Not a TV set-top DVD player. New computer drives should be able to read all these different formats.

Did you try to mount it to see what kind of data is on it?

You could try mplayer or xine to play it.

Good luck!