The short answer:
Brands you recognize [ Verbatim, Maxell, Sony et.al ]
Steer clear of 'no-name' disks.
Also check your optical drive for the 'type' of DVD disks it likes.
Most 'like' DVD - [minus], but your mileage may vary
In the days of CD's there were only 3 patent holders.
And the only name you might recognize is Verbatim.
That probably still holds true, although I am not positive.
All the rest were either made by 1 of the 3 patent holders [ a good thing]
OR ripped from a combination [usually a bad thing]
Here is a link to the wiki page - good information and links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD