Advice please

[dave1h]

Sorry to be a pain but i am trying to backup and copy dvd's im using dvdshrink and using dvd-r disc the problem im having is this i can copy to disc it plays back well on my pc BUT not in my stand a lone dvd player could it be that my player is old i had it given to me the make of my player is a limit if thats of any help

[samijubal]

Could be media, could be the player. You could try different media or slower burn speeds.

[dave1h]

sorry forgive me im very new to this what do you mean media i burned at 2x

[mats.hogberg]

Different brands, +R, +RW, -R, -RW - or look at the extensive DVD player list here to see if yours is listed.

/Mats

[dave1h]

thanks im with you now my writer will only do dvd-r so i brought some Imation they seem to be ok so i was told my dvd player has played the odd few copys thats what i cant get my head around so maybe it is the disc i brought

[dave1h]

ok my player is a limit JDV300a which going by this forum should play dvd-r but it won't. im using dvd shrink all seems ok there. my writer is a Matshita dvd/cd rom, someone did say try a slower speed what speed am i looking at to try, or could it be the disc i am using (Imation DVD-R 4X ) if so anyone recommend a brand

[samijubal]

I use Prodiscs, but I don't think they sell them in stores. www.rima.com

[FulciLives]

Even if you do everything exactly the same in creating your DVD-R you will find that sometimes a DVD-R made by company A (say TDK for an example only) may work on your DVD player whereas a DVD-R made by company B (say FUJI for an example only) may not work.

The point? ... It is not all that uncommon for a DVD player to work well with a DVD-R made by company A but not with a DVD-R made by company B.

So the brand/make of DVD-R you use can be a deciding factor as to how well your DVD player can handle playback.

It could simply mean that your DVD player likes some brands/makes over others even if both are CLASS A media. Also it is important to note that some DVD-R discs are known to have poor quality results on just about any DVD player. It "pays" to buy the more expensive "better" DVD-R discs.

Another factor is your DVD player just may not like any DVD-R disc no matter how good it is. Although that seems unlikely unless your DVD player is a POS or a very old model.

Another thing to consider is this ... some computer DVD burners work well with brand A vs brand B. Both brands may be really good but your DVD burner may only work well on one vs the other.

Yet another thing to consider is the way that you burned the DVD. Some methods seem to work better than others. For instance you might have a brand of DVD-R that both your DVD burner and DVD player "likes" but your burning process could affect playback quality on one or the other.

So unfortunately you have to consider ALL of this crap!

Makes your head spin I know but there are some things you can try that should minimize problems.

1.) Use a brand of DVD-R that is very nearly perfect. Basically one brand fits that bill. Taiyo Yuden DVD-R discs. You can buy these direct from RIMA.COM or you can buy FUJI DVD-R discs that are labeled MADE IN JAPAN as these are Taiyo Yuden DVD-R discs simply imprinted with the FUJI logo. Be aware that FUJI DVD-R discs that say MADE IN TIAWAN or anything other than MADE IN JAPAN are NOT Taiyo Yuden brand. Why use Taiyou Yuden DVD-R discs? They have tended to be the most reliable, best made and most compatible of all DVD-R discs. That isnt to say other brands won't work nearly or equally as well but when you are trying to isolate a problem like you are having you need THE BEST so that you can rule out the MEDIA as being the problem (or discover that it IS the problem).

2.) You say you used DVDShrink to make these back-ups. Therefore I suggest that you do NOT allow DVDShrink to make an ISO IMAGE file but instead write the output to a VIDEO_TS folder so you end up with your VOB, IFO, BUP "DVD ready" files.

3.) Use the classic version of ImgTools to create an ISO IMAGE file from your VIDEO_TS folder of DVD files (VOB, IFO, BUP etc.). There are at least 2 different versions of ImgTools so be sure to use the CLASSIC version. This is the one that works best.

4.) Burn your DVD-R from the ISO IMAGE file using DVD Decrypter. That's right DVD Decrypter is not just a ripper ... it is also a burning application and the VERY BEST one at that!

You have just created THE most compatable DVD-R that it is possible to create.

If your DVD player still has playback issues then you need a new DVD player.

Please note that I am trying to be helpfull here. There are other discs that might work as well as Taiyo Yuden (Maxell DVD-R discs that say MADE IN JAPAN come to mind). Also there are other methods of burning that can work equally as well.

However in my own personal experience and in ALL the reading I have done here on this website and other websites the method I outlined seems to be the best and most "foolproof" method. I have only ever heard of a single case where this method did not work and I cannot help to think that there was a user error or some odd hardware problem at work there.

Other people use other brands of discs or might use another burning application (NERO for instance) to burn without issues but many people also have LOADS of problems using other brands of discs or other burning methods. For instance for every person that NERO works well for there seems to be one that can't get NERO to work well and considering the number of times this happens and the number of times NERO gets "updated" it clearly is more than just USER ERROR.

So while another type of DVD-R disc and another method of burning etc. may work equality as well ... it just ain't as FOOLPROOF as using Taiyo Yuden DVD-R media and the method I just outlined.

In short the key points to the method I just outlined:

1.) Taiyo Yuden DVD-R media
2.) Creating an ISO IMAGE file with ImgTools (classic version)
3.) Burning with DVD Decrypter

I hope this helps

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[budz]

What burning software are you using? You mentioned only using DVD SHRINK to backup your dvds. What is the exact model of your Panasonic dvd burner? Because according to the dvd writer section there is only one model that is able to burn 4x DVD-R. The others can only burn 1x & 2x speed.

[dave1h]

my burner is a matshita uj-815a the software for burning im using is nero thanks for all your help i have a lot to be getting on with at the moment gonna try all what Fulcilives so watch this space again thankyou all

[dave1h]

Would you believe it it works hehe well thanks FulciLives i have made a few backups since and they all work even on the cheapy imation i brought the only one i could not copy was one which was already copied couldnt read a vob3 file but hey 4 out of 5 can't be bad Thanks again