Playback problems from burning with Vista

[adamstillwell]

Hi guys,


I used Windows Vista to compile some home movies, burnt the disc and all works fine on my DVD player.

I tried the same yesterday with different home movie clips on my desktop and my friends laptop and the DVD burns ok! but some of the chapters just stop. The audio carries on but the Video freezes. Tried to burn a few times and it's always different chapters?

Just to confirm the clips are fine before i added them to DVD maker and while they are imported. Im just usung DVD maker, not movie maker?

Thanks guys,


ps....it's taken me so long too make this movie.

[redwudz]

I haven't used DVD Maker on my copy of Vista yet. But that's from a general distrust of MS programs. If you can get the edited files out as a MPEG-2, I would try a different authoring program. Maybe the freeware GUI for dvdauthor, though I haven't tried it under Vista.

And for burning, try the freeware ImgBurn. It's almost guaranteed to work better than the MS program.

[adamstillwell]

oh thanks.

Ok - I have AVI files at the moment, would i have to convert them to MPEG2 to use that programme?

Thanks a lot

I've already tried, ulead, pinnacle and DVD maker and none of them have given me a good copy.

[redwudz]

Are these DV files from a camcorder? Are you joining them with the DVD Maker program? If so, that may be causing some bad joins, which can cause all sorts of problems with playback.

If those are DV or another AVI format, you might try VirtualDub Mod. It's both a editor and a encoder. For DV use, you may need to install a DV codec, such as the Panasonic DV Codec.

But if you just need simple joins or cuts, you may not need the codec, you can add the separate files in the sequence you want, trim any bad parts then save the whole video out in 'Direct Stream Copy', with no quality loss, as a single DV file again. Or, if you have already joined the AVIs, VDM can check them and you may find a problem at the joins.

But I originally guessed it was a problem with the DVD authoring DVD Maker is doing.

If you have the files in AVI format, you will need to encode them to MPEG-2 at some point, then author them to the DVD format, and finally burn.

A good alternative, if you are just starting out with all this, is a program like ConvertXToDVD. It will accept most AVI type formats, including DV, and produce a DVD file ready to burn when it's done, very simply and dependably.
But you may still want to edit, cut, paste and trim them into a single file first. VDM is one way to do that.

Sorry if that all sounds a little complicated. Some programs tend to over simplify going from a AVI file to a DVD and hide all the individual processes and steps along the way. That makes it hard to figure out what went wrong and when.

I tend to use a separate editor, then I can check the edited AVI file before converting it to MPEG. And after the MPEG conversion, I check it again. Then after authoring, check one last time before burning to DVD. That way I can catch mistakes before spending a lot of time and having a failure.

The process, at least with DV to DVD is:

1. (CAPTURE) Transfer from camera to computer hard drive.

2. (EDIT) Add the separate files into a editor, in the general sequence you want. Cut, paste, trim as needed.
Output as a edited file.

3. (CONVERT) Encode the edited video and audio to DVD compliant MPEG-2 video and audio. Output as an encoded file.

4. (AUTHOR) Author the video and audio into the DVD format. Add menus, chapter, etc. Output as a VIDEO_TS folder.

5. Burn the completed VIDEO_TS folder to a DVD.

The enclosed capped words refer to our guides selection to the upper left.

And just about any type of video file will follow the same order to get to the final DVD.

[adamstillwell]

Hello - Thanks for the great in depth reply, really appreciate it!

I have now finished my DVD which all looks pretty good, im a very happy guy and my GF is even happier as it means i can now see her.....lol

[redwudz]

If you got it all to work, that's the main thing.