DVDs jerky and lock player up

[Ghetto Pimp]

Hi all!

Heres my problem...
I have converted some AVIs to DVD..i use TMPGenc and TMPGenc DVD author to do this,and have followed guides from this great website
Everything is fine untill i play them in my standalone player,they seem ok...then for no reason will lock the player up or become very jerky.
Im burning on a pioneer107 at x2,ive tried different media(Datawrite red & Verbatim) but found no difference,the standalone player is a cyberhome which is meant to be ok with DVD+ or -
But when i play them on my pc using VLC they work fine..im thinking its my standalone player but before i go out and spend money on a new one i wondered if anyone on here had any other ideas?

Cheers 8)

[DJRumpy]

If the player only locks up on your own converted DVDs, while playing store bought DVD's without issue, then the player is probably fine. I would suspect your authored DVD's are out of specification.

The fact that it plays fine on another brand of DVD player doesn't mean much. Many players are more forgiving than others in regards to DVD spec.

Your issue could be anything from bitrate spikes, buffer underruns, bad burns (try a lower burn speed), etc.

[Ghetto Pimp]

Thanks for the reply
but what is a bitrate spike
i tried the dvds in a chipped PS2 (which ive never used to play dvds before and id forgotten it could even play em ) and it plays em fine...which saves me buying a new player anyway

[christaltips]

Hi, I used to have the same problem, with exactly the same encoding program and authoring program, with a cyberhome standalone dvd player! I found my created dvds worked in some standalone players, but not others, but unfortunately i never tried them in a ps2, so am unsure whether they would have worked in those. however, someone on the site suggested using DVD Shrink to re-author the dvd files which tmpgenc dvd author had output, and burn these files using nero. after trying this, i found my dvds played on practically every dvd player (including ps2s) with absolutely no problem perfectly. why not try using dvd shrink?

[DJRumpy]

The source files were AVI, not DVD.

Most of these shrinking packages are far too slow for my tastes, although people new to the hobby seem to like them due to the one-click type functionality.

I agree on Nero. Excellent piece of software.

[christaltips]

I understand that the source files were AVI, but once they've been converted to DVD files using TMPGEnc Author, I find running these files through DVD Shrink helps with compatibility issues. If you've created these files to be put onto DVD, then DVD shrink won't have to shrink any of the files, meaning you will finish with basically the exact same DVD files, which are compatible with more standalone players. trest the authored files as a normal dvd: open dvd shrink, go to open files, choose the VIDEO_TS folder, containing ur .ifo, .bup and .vob movie files and open it. allow dvd shrink to analyse the files, and simply back them up. i found that tmpgenc dvd author gave me loads of dvds which were jerky or didnt work, but after choosing dvd shrink, mine work perfectly.

[DJRumpy]

A rather odd way to work IMHO. I would find a different authoring program if your having so much trouble with TMPGenc, rather than authoring, and then re-creating your VIDEO_TS folder.

Ghetto Pimp, a bitrate spike is when the encoder that created the MPEG exceeds the maximum allowed bitrate for the format you using (9.8 MBps for DVD). It can cause a player to hiccup and choke. TMPGenc used to be pretty bad about not obeying the format limits, but I haven't heard of problems with TMPGenc DVD Author.

[Ghetto Pimp]

Ok ive done another AVI to DVD and this time re-authored it with DVD Shrink and christaltips ya right,it now works fine on my standalone player.

But as DJRumpy has said it adds more time to an already long proccess.
DJRumpy what software would you advise on using to author?

Cheers

[DJRumpy]

I use DVD Lab, and Spruce Up. They are not one-click solutions like TMPGenc DVD Author though, so you may, or may not want to try them.

SpruceUp is no longer sold, but you can still find copies floating around on the internet. It's very simple, basic, authoring software. DVDLab is a bit more complex (read: newbie unfriendly), but it allows you to easily to nice transitions in your menu's and such. I just use them because both handle 5.1 AC3, where most basic packages don't.

You could still create your MPEG with TMPGenc if you choose, and just use another authoring software to actually create the DVD image.

[Ghetto Pimp]

I used DVD Lab to author another DVD today,as you say its alot more complex than TMPGenc author.The dvd played ok in the standalone player and PS2,slightly jerky in places,but no lock up