Problems with Dual Layer disk burning.

[qaa]

Hello

I have troubles to burn DL disks using Nero and other burning tools. I have already destroyed 3 disks. It happens mainly when I am burning multisession. After that I cannot access data on the disk or continue multisession. Anyhow the disk seems to be destroyed.
Can anybody advise a good guide for burning DL disks and maybe the tools for reparing DL disks in the meaning to make them usable again.

KR

[lenti_75]

did you try Ulead ? I didn't try them burning dual layer, just regular, but they support dual burning and they make nice software.

[jman98]

1) Multi-session is VERY BAD. NEVER do this! Computers are the only things that can correctly play multi-session burns. If you try to play a multi-session disc on a DVD player, it will probably only see the data from the first burn.
2) Use ONLY Verbatim DVD+R DL discs. If you use any other brand, you will probably have problems.
3) Use ImgBurn for burning. People who use anything else to burn come here asking why their burns don't work.

I'm sorry, but your burns can't be repaired. However, ISOBuster might be able to extract the data from them to a hard drive.

[Bjs]

Multisession discs can be read by dvd players, after they have been finalized, I've had no problems with this ability within nero burning rom.

Now qaa, you said this "mainly" happens when doing multisession disc's, then you need to provide more information and be a bit more specific.

Burner make and model + firmware revision

Burning applications used

Media brand would be handy to know as well

Type's of burns tried, in which problems occurred.

Note that running other applications during this time in "parallel", can contribute to issues

From here it might make it easier to pinpoint the exact cause to the problem

As for dl, its imgburn + verbatim dl's only

[aedipuss]

multisession dvd is a not a good thing. after a session is burned the previous session(s) are no longer accessible and a standalone probably will not read it at all.

[guns1inger]

Most stand-alones wont play multi-session discs correctly, even if finalised. Some will not play them at all, most will only see the last session written.

[jman98]

Multisession discs can be read by dvd players, after they have been finalized, I've had no problems with this ability within nero burning rom.

This is the exception not the rule, as the posts from aedipuss and guns1inger suggest. I would not advise people that this is OK to do. You have been lucky, but I would go so far as to say that most DVD players cannot correctly play multi-session burns. It's just an unnecessary way to invite potential problems. Some see only the first session written, some only the last, but few see all sessions.

[bbwizard]

Also, don't forget to consider your standalone DVD player. Some can't play DL DVD's even when created with IsoBurn. I have 4 players of various ages, and the oldest one won't even play them at all. One will play the first layer but freezes at the layer break, and the other two play the same physical DVD perfectly. Note that all my computers play this same DVD fine, too.

[Midzuki]

As bbwizard said, maybe the real problem in this case is the firmware of your SAP,
which probably was not designed to expect multi-session DLs.
I myself do not see the point of using DL DVDs for multi-session
data recording. I guess that even my old and cheap LG is not
going to swallow a multi-session DL disk.

[filmboss80]

Jman98 gave you the absolute best answer. ImgBurn (freeware) with Verbatim DVD+R DL (Singapore made) media will give you the best possible results. Nothing else comes close. I get perfect double layer burns every time, and the discs even play on older DVD players.

[oleglelchuk]

Imgburn is capable of burning DVD-Video files to discs that could later be played on stand-alone DVD players? Or should I convert DVD-Video files to a DVD image before using Imgburn?

[aedipuss]

imgburn in build mode will create the disc from video_ts and audio_ts folders, you don't have to make an iso.

[oleglelchuk]

Oh, maybe because I used Nero and non-Verbatim brand DVDs that my DVDs sometimes stutter in my 2 different DVD players? All of those burned DVDs never stutter in my PC.
I burned a Sony DVD+R DL disc with Nero, but it stuttered once in my DVD player. The problem is because the disc is not Verbatim and because I used Nero?

[redwudz]

Yes. Verbatim DL + and ImgBurn is the most reliable for DL burns.

[VegasBud]

For general information purposes:

The specifications for dvd-video mandate using m-udf (a subset of udf v1.02) for the udf part of udf bridge. Since udf v1.02 (much less m-udf) doesn't support multisession, there is no such thing as a compliant dvd-video multisession disk.

If a dvd-video disk is non-compliant, don't expect it to work correctly...if at all.

[VegasBud]

qaa,

Assuming you're trying to burn multisession data disks to dual layer, it would be cheaper, and you would get more reliable data storage, if you used multiple single layer disks instead (each burned as single session). Is there some special reason you're trying to use multisession dual layer?

As mentioned previously, IsoBuster should be able to salvage the data from the bad disks if the only problem is the use of multisession.

[qaa]

Thanks all of you for your advises! I will retain Verbatim DL + and ImgBurn as the way to go first.

The reason why I want to burn data to DL is that I have a collection of matches of my favorit football team in DivX file format. As you understand the quantity of standard disk become an issue.
The reason two is that I have other important data that I want to find quickly. It is easier to do from one disk than from several ones.
Generally speaking it is becoming an issue for me to menage all the disks!
Then multisession is practical just for doing what I described above. You add files to the same place as it arrives. Maybe I am not as structural as one could be but that is what I am.
I have LG GSA-4166B with the latest official fw which I think a very good burner. I used both Nero and Ulead and some other applications to burn DL disks. The media may be a problem, as you said. I do not remember problems with the known manufacturers but with unknown.

KR

[VegasBud]

qaa,

Definitely you should use Verbatim dual layer media (for any purpose), but you're not going to be able to use ImgBurn in this case. It doesn't support multisession.

What you're trying to do should be workable. The specifications spell out how to do it, media doesn't care what you burn on it, and your drive must be capable of performing the task or the software shouldn't even try. There's obviously a big fly in the ointment, but the chain of events that put it there is unclear. If you have a burn log from when nero refused to continue with multisession, it might provide some clues.

[oleglelchuk]

By the way, what do you think about the Linux tool growisofs for burning DVDs? Is it as reliable as Imgburn?

[VegasBud]

oleglelchuk,

Since ImgBurn works under Wine, you could try your own tests between the two approaches, and see what works best for you. I don't use linux, so I'm not familiar with growisofs, but there are many people (including me) that swear by ImgBurn.