Problems with writing DVDs
Discussion
Hi folks,
Posted this one in the Photography/video forum to begin with but I think it belongs here.
Bought a DVD writer for my PC - seems to write data DVDs perfectly but I can't get it to write valid video DVDs.
Full story in this thread :
www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=109&t=294195&p=1
Would really appreciate any advice...
Posted this one in the Photography/video forum to begin with but I think it belongs here.
Bought a DVD writer for my PC - seems to write data DVDs perfectly but I can't get it to write valid video DVDs.
Full story in this thread :
www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=109&t=294195&p=1
Would really appreciate any advice...
Ok..
Windows says the disk is blank... hmm...
Compare a data DVD to one of the video disks, is anything written (you should be able to see the colour change between written and unwritten areas of the disk).
If yes then it's a head scratcher.
I'm disinclined to say it's the writer as hardware wise their shouldn't be any difference between a data DVD burn and a video DVD burn. However just incase it's trying to be 'clever' snag a copy of DVDShrink and feed it a random disk from your movie stash; if the computer and/or DVD player accept the shrunk copy of your movie then we know the hardware is A-Ok and it's an oddbod software issue.
Windows says the disk is blank... hmm...
Compare a data DVD to one of the video disks, is anything written (you should be able to see the colour change between written and unwritten areas of the disk).
If yes then it's a head scratcher.
I'm disinclined to say it's the writer as hardware wise their shouldn't be any difference between a data DVD burn and a video DVD burn. However just incase it's trying to be 'clever' snag a copy of DVDShrink and feed it a random disk from your movie stash; if the computer and/or DVD player accept the shrunk copy of your movie then we know the hardware is A-Ok and it's an oddbod software issue.
thepassenger said:
Ok..
Windows says the disk is blank... hmm...
Compare a data DVD to one of the video disks, is anything written (you should be able to see the colour change between written and unwritten areas of the disk).
If yes then it's a head scratcher.
Windows says the disk is blank... hmm...
Compare a data DVD to one of the video disks, is anything written (you should be able to see the colour change between written and unwritten areas of the disk).
If yes then it's a head scratcher.
Yes - and Nero tells me that there is data written to all of the discs (on some it's finalised, on some not depending on the program used)
thepassenger said:
I'm disinclined to say it's the writer as hardware wise their shouldn't be any difference between a data DVD burn and a video DVD burn. However just incase it's trying to be 'clever' snag a copy of DVDShrink and feed it a random disk from your movie stash; if the computer and/or DVD player accept the shrunk copy of your movie then we know the hardware is A-Ok and it's an oddbod software issue.
Hmmm - my thinking exactly regarding hardware issue - why would one by fine and the other not, unless they're done to different tolerances? Will try the DVDshrink thing later.
NiceCupOfTea said:
OK, DVDshrink refuses to read the 2 discs written by DVDArchitect full stop.
The two written by the other program are read no problem. However, these 2 discs won't play in my DVD players and play very slowly and jerkily on my PC.
What does that tell me?
The two written by the other program are read no problem. However, these 2 discs won't play in my DVD players and play very slowly and jerkily on my PC.
What does that tell me?
erm... hmm... ok.
Different take on what I suggested (feed shink a store brought DVD) but it proves the "hardware is fine" to my mind.
I would suggest that DVDArchitect is having an issue somewhere and just writing utter gibberish and that the other two disks produced by other software are writing something is ALMOST combatible enough for DVDShrink to compress and spit back out.
I smell a software issue here; but where it exists I'm not sure. Try reinstalling the Sony software?
Hmmm....
This is going to sound very strange but when I create a DVD in iDVD on the mac, uncompress it to ISO and burn on the PC (the iMac has no dvd burner) it plays fine on any computer but every DVD player we try throws an almighty fit.
It could be heat but unless your getting other oddities appearing as well I can't see heat causing weird DVD writes only when doing video. So it's a maybe... but probably not.
Nero and I suspect the Sony software should be able to generate an ISO file (basically a disk image) modern versions of Nero (plus Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, etc) allow you to mount ISO's (amongst other image formats) and present them to Windows as another DVD drive.
Rather than going through your stash of disks, generate an ISO of your project and mount it on the computer; see if your PC DVD player will play it. Also open Explorer and go to the new disk drive that's appeared you should see something like:
E:
AUDIO_TS <- this'll be empty
VIDEO_TS
Files ending in .VOB, .BUP and .IFO
Do the same in DVDShrink with Starsky & Hutch and try mounting and playing that ISO file, just so we know it's A-Ok.
If that structure is correct and the PC is playing the ISO file happily with no glitches, dropped frames and such then burn your project to a disk (Recorder > Burn Image in Nero) and try again. If it's still the same and works perfectly THEN feed it to your home DVD Player. If this works then we've pretty much arrived at an incompatibility between the disks and either the player or burner which does happen.
This is going to sound very strange but when I create a DVD in iDVD on the mac, uncompress it to ISO and burn on the PC (the iMac has no dvd burner) it plays fine on any computer but every DVD player we try throws an almighty fit.
It could be heat but unless your getting other oddities appearing as well I can't see heat causing weird DVD writes only when doing video. So it's a maybe... but probably not.
Nero and I suspect the Sony software should be able to generate an ISO file (basically a disk image) modern versions of Nero (plus Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, etc) allow you to mount ISO's (amongst other image formats) and present them to Windows as another DVD drive.
Rather than going through your stash of disks, generate an ISO of your project and mount it on the computer; see if your PC DVD player will play it. Also open Explorer and go to the new disk drive that's appeared you should see something like:
E:
AUDIO_TS <- this'll be empty
VIDEO_TS
Files ending in .VOB, .BUP and .IFO
Do the same in DVDShrink with Starsky & Hutch and try mounting and playing that ISO file, just so we know it's A-Ok.
If that structure is correct and the PC is playing the ISO file happily with no glitches, dropped frames and such then burn your project to a disk (Recorder > Burn Image in Nero) and try again. If it's still the same and works perfectly THEN feed it to your home DVD Player. If this works then we've pretty much arrived at an incompatibility between the disks and either the player or burner which does happen.
NiceCupOfTea said:
full of glitches on DVD player.
try another DVD player, I had an issue like this today, tried a home made dvd from lemans this year on my brothers dvd and it was stuttering in places, brought it home tried it here and its fine.
works fine in my PC too aswell as my mums dvd player, so its gotta be specific to his dvd player.
nicecupoftea said:
Reckon it *must* be the drive...
It's the only thing that hasn't been swapped, the mechanics of how it can burn data fine and not video though are beyond me... it's the same laser and mechanical parts writing both.
If a new drive works perfectly I swear I'm going to scream lol.
Update 
Wrote a DVD video on the drive stuck in the other computer using the "other" program (not DVD Architect) and although the DVD drive wouldn't read it, it seems to work in the DVD player!!!
Negotiating with Scan at the moment, they seem unwilling to believe it's the drive.
Next stage is rebuilding the machine I suppose, but I'm loath to do it if there's a drive problem. Tempted to chuck it in the bin and get a cheapie from PC World....
Wrote a DVD video on the drive stuck in the other computer using the "other" program (not DVD Architect) and although the DVD drive wouldn't read it, it seems to work in the DVD player!!!
Negotiating with Scan at the moment, they seem unwilling to believe it's the drive.
Next stage is rebuilding the machine I suppose, but I'm loath to do it if there's a drive problem. Tempted to chuck it in the bin and get a cheapie from PC World....
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