4 replies to this topic

[JoeTheAnimal71]

(I'm a freelance videographer for a few dance troupes.)

I made a DVD from a show that I filmed a month ago. There were no problems indicated in the burning process. However, about 45 minutes into playback, the video froze up. It started playing really choppy (playing for about a split second, then pausing again, playing for about a split second, then pausing again, playing for about a split second, then pausing again, etc.). It even happens when I burn in SP.

I tried playing the same DVD on a friend's DVD player, and it played perfectly. WTF?!?!

This thing needs to play properly in ALL DVD players or I'm out over $1,000 and I lose my hard-earned reputation!

[sknis]

(I'm a freelance videographer for a few dance troupes.)

I made a DVD from a show that I filmed a month ago. There were no problems indicated in the burning process. However, about 45 minutes into playback, the video froze up. It started playing really choppy (playing for about a split second, then pausing again, playing for about a split second, then pausing again, playing for about a split second, then pausing again, etc.). It even happens when I burn in SP.

I tried playing the same DVD on a friend's DVD player, and it played perfectly.
This thing needs to play properly in ALL DVD players or I'm out over $1,000 and I lose my hard-earned reputation!

Perhaps you need to provide a suitable DVD player with all your sales !     Sound like the program worked but not your DVD player.  Some (the more expensive kinds) don't like home burned discs and/or prefer + over - or vice versa.

Search this site for creating and using an ISO file.  A lot of people have better luck playing on more DVD players with discs made that way.  Also use top quality discs (no store brands and no Memorex) burn at a slower speed.

[d_deweywright]

I tried playing the same DVD on a friend's DVD player, and it played perfectly. WTF?!?!

This thing needs to play properly in ALL DVD players or I'm out over $1,000 and I lose my hard-earned reputation!

Also, what brand of disc(s) are you using?  Some players don't like the "dash" (DVD-R) media, some don't care for the "plus" (DVD+R) media.  You're not likely to be able to guarantee that every disc you write will be perfectly readable in every player.  

I've got a Sony combo VHS/DVD recorder.  You'd think having a DVD recorder drive, it'd be more likely to read anything I make on my DVD writer on my PC, yes?  No.  It doesn't particularly care for DVD-R media, preferring the DVD+R discs.  On the other hand, an older, $30 Magnavox cheapy player will usually play anything I throw into it.  Go figure.  But offer your customers an alternative media ("dash" vs "plus") disc if their player doesn't like what they first get, that's what I've done in the past, and I've only had one or two people that had to take me up on it.  Doing everything you can to keep your customers happy (regardless of their equipment) will help you keep your reputation.

Edited by d_deweywright, 23 April 2008 - 04:22 AM.

[Brendon]

Joe,

If a DVD will play for 45 minutes without problems, then the structure of the DVD must be fine - it has been properly put together by the software.
What is probably happening is that the quality of the burn isn't the best, and your drive is having trouble reading it once it gets out past 45 minutes.

Depending on the burner and the quality of the blank disc, it is common to have a greater error rate out toward the outer edge of the DVD where the burner is working hardest at its highest rate. It is also common to find that some players are much better at reading troubled discs than other players are - and the better players are not always the most expensive ones.

Where money and reputation are at stake you should really be testing to make sure you're producing discs with the fewest errors possible.
-create an ISO image of a disc that uses nearly all the available space on a blank.
-get a few each of a range of blank DVDs - not just the cheapest, because you tend to get what you pay for.
-burn this standard ISO to them at various speeds, noting what speed you used for which discs.
-TEST the burned discs with something like DVDInfo Pro [PI, PO, and Jitter tests], or CD-DVD Speed [Disc Quality test] and see which discs give you the best burns, and which burn speed is best. Always test them on the same reader drive. The discs with the best results should play nicely on any burner. A quality of 95 or better in CD-DVD Speed is good.
-note the results of your tests, and stick to those brands and speeds wherever possible.

Regards,
Brendon

[d_deweywright]

-note the results of your tests, and stick to those brands and speeds wherever possible.

And when you buy a new batch of discs, even of the same brand, retest a few because it's possible they'll have slightly or significantly different characteristics than the previous batch.