Video freezes during layer change is normal behaviour?

[Mauserman]

Hi!

(I did post this in the "video player" forum at first, but i didn't get any help there, so i thought i should try here in the mac video forum instead.)

ok, here is my question:

A friend of mine bought a new set top dvd player, i can't remember what brand. He said that he noticed that the movie freezes for about 0.5 seconds and then plays normal again. This occurs when about half of the movie is played.

The company that sold him the dvd player said that this is normal behaviour that the video freezes for a short time during layer change, since it has to start from the center of the disc when reading the second layer.

I said that i found that hard to believe, since i've never noticed anything like that on my player, but i promised to ask you guys in this forum for advice.

Do you think it's normal, or should my friend return the dvd player??

[AntnyMD]

It's "normal" in that almost every commercial dual-layer DVD I've purchased warns on the package that there may be a slight pause in the layer change. I've only seen this pause on older DVDs, those manufactuered around 1998.

As for returning the player, if it happens on a majority of the dual-layer DVD's your friend owns, I'd return the player and get another one. DVD players are supposed to buffer enough of the video and audio to make the layer change seamless.

[galactica]

I have a relatively new sony dvd player. I have noticed this a few times, but its just a quick CLICK and back on track. I notice this on "cheap" dvd players probably because their buffer amounts a low and they dont read far enough ahead.

Nothing to worry about.

[g4jedi]

Yep! Completely NORMAL!

[ZeroSix]

Copied from the Apple Knowledge Base:

Dual-Layered DVD Discs
Movies that come on dual-layered DVD-Video discs can pause up to a second when switching to the second layer. Newer titles that use this technology and are susceptible to skipping/stuttering have a warning on the back of the case. Other titles use an advanced form of duplication that prevents this behavior. These behaviors are not specific to Apple computers. They happen on every DVD player.

[tgpo]

Yeah, you'll see it on all Dual layer DVDs. They all have warnings telling you of the possible pause.