All DVD players that have the “DVD Logo” should be compliant up to 10.08 Mbps (10080 kbps),(Video+Audio+subs). If the player can’t sustain this bitrate on pressed or recordable discs, it is not compliant. And it shouldn’t have the DVD Logo, IMO. Personally, I would replace the junk DVD player, if it had trouble sustaining these rates.
I always use two-pass variable bitrate with 9800kb/s max + 256kb audio. This gives 10056kb/s, which is just under the maximum allowed.