Client's Player wont play my DVD-/+Rs

[jfharper]

He says he has a Panasonic standalone, but didn't give me a model number. I checked the DVD Players list and found every Panasonic player listed should play DVD-/+Rs. He said his is about 2 years old, and was second best at the time. Here is his email:

"I tried it on my home DVD player, which is a Panasonic (don't remember
the model #) -- for the DVD+R disk, it keep trying over and over again
to read it but I was tired of waiting and ejected it after about 40
seconds. The other disk, DVD-R, it was able to read but then came up
with a message that this type of disk couldn't be played. The model
I have is a little over 2 years old and about a second from the top of
the line (at the time). My wife insisted it had to be made in Japan so
we wouldn't be buying "junk" that was made elsewhere...."
-end of email-

My process for creating the DVDs is this:
Content is 3D animation, probably 3 minutes, encoded to PicVideo AVI 19 setting in Premiere 5.0, then took the AVI, encoded to MPEG-2 using Tmpgenc. Then took the MPEG-2 file, used MPEG-Tools to merge multiple copies into a 2 hour looping mpeg. Then used DVDA Studio 2.0, to make the VOB files, then took only the VIDEO_TS folder and burned to Maxell 4X certified, (labeled with Maxell name, not unbranded, purchased at Staples, had Maxell shrinkwap aound 25 spindel, so I know they were from Maxell). Burned with Plextor 712A writer, using 4x speed, and Plextools DVD Maker. Tested with two low end DVD standalone players I have in house, as well as 1 DVD drive on a computer. Used the ISO format to burn, tried using the ISO/UDF first, but the standalone players I tested on in house, brought up a folder list instead of the simple menu I created for the DVD. So I burned another with ISO only, and the standalones started properly at the menu, which consisted of only a text button to push to play the looping mpeg, which played fine.

So at the end of all this, I have no idea what to do on my end to make a totally compatible DVD for me clients. Is this possible, or do I have to instruct my clients as to what standalones to use, and which to stay away from. Is there something on my end that I am doing wrong, or could test to see if I am creating a compatibility flaw. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks,
JH

[Capmaster]

1) Have you tried using Nero instead of Plextools to actually burn the DVD? Are you sure it wasn't burned as a DVD-ROM instead of a DVD-Video?
2) Has your client cleaned his player's laser lens recently, or at all? ($10 cleaner disc avail. at Walmart, Best Buy, etc.).

[jfharper]

Thanks for the reply. I don't have Nero, but didn't think Nero was any better than Plextools. I've read Nero was one of the most used, but seems there is issues even with Nero. Plextools is not used that much by the general population, but from what I read, I have not seen any issues thus far. I also thought Plextools would be good because it was made in conjuction with the Plextor DVD writer, not a third-party software. However, I wouldn't mind purchasing it if this is what I need.

As for the type, I wrote the DVDs as DVD-ROMs, am I supposed to use a DVD-video?

I can ask the client to see about cleaning the disc, I would think if he was seeing problems with my disc as a cleaning issue, he would also see problems with other discs as well. But I'll ask anyway.

Anything else anyone can think of? Thanks again for your time.
JH

[Capmaster]

As for the type, I wrote the DVDs as DVD-ROMs, am I supposed to use a DVD-video?

Bingo! Burn them as DVD-Video and that should solve it for you

The burned DVD should have a folder named "VIDEO_TS" and in it should be .VOB, .IFO and .BUP files. This is the DVD-compliant format. DVD-ROM is only data and not a format that most players will recognize.

[jfharper]

OK. So I guess I need to use a good program to burn them as DVD-Video. Would Nero be the best? I've used RecordNow DX 4.60, but have frequent coasters made with the DVD+R format, basically on the verify process it says some files do not match the originals, so I just trashed that disc. Plus the RecordNow DX doesn't recoginze the speeds on my writer, it only gives me option for min, med, or max speeds, I would like to select 4X for every burn, to cover my bases.

I've used DVDA Studio 2.0 to burn and this is not very good either even with the good media and burner I have.

I have some other crappy stuff, like sonic, or my dvd, or dvdit, but I don't trust those any farther than I can toss them.

Also, if you specifiy getting Nero, is the OEM OK, I found it for approx. $5 on a website search. Or should I get the suite? I'd rather not pay for more than I am going to use, I just need to get a compatible DVD made.

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks again.
JH

[tmw]

I had similar issue burning DVD rom disks with video (VIDEO_TS) material. Didn't work in the stand alone, although it works in the computer. I missed the thing in the guides or FAQ (if it's there) about making an image, but it's somehow different for video than ROM, even though there both files on a disk.

Today, I use ImgTools classic to create the image, and DVD Decrypter for the actual burning. I didn't have Nero, and found these freeware to work well with my burner. Both show up under the Tools section on the left. I can't speak to comparing this to other programs, though. good luck

[hech54]

You may also want to look into giving that disc a region code vs. sending a region free disc...which is what most of us(well at least me) overlook. Some older and higher priced Sony's will not play a region free disc. A friend of mine has such a Sony.

[Capmaster]

I had similar issue burning DVD rom disks with video (VIDEO_TS) material. Didn't work in the stand alone, although it works in the computer.

That's because your PC is equipped to play MPEG files that aren't in DVD format. It can auto-play them right off the DVD as a data disc. A typical standalone will choke on a data disc because it's hardwired to look for the VIDEO_TS directory. If it doesn't find one it stops and displays the error screen.

[timmyp]

As a Panasonic owner, I would suggest DVD-R's over the DVD+R's. Also, I have found that you need to have the AUDIO_TS folder included on the DVD (even though it's not necessarily used). Burning with Nero in DVD-Video mode will most likely solve your problems.

[h2oski64]

Did you include the AUDIO_TS directory in the burn to the DVD. Even though the AUDIO_TS directory is empty, it is part of the DVD standard and may be required by some players to properly play a disk.

[jfharper]

Nope, but I will now. I will also be using NeroBurning Rom 5.5 for burning using the DVD-Video format. Thanks for all the replies....
JH

[RottenFoxBreath]

Nope, but I will now. I will also be using NeroBurning Rom 5.5 for burning using the DVD-Video format. Thanks for all the replies....
JH

might be better off upgrading to a later version of Nero6,rather than the older .5 version.

[lordsmurf]

Nope, but I will now. I will also be using NeroBurning Rom 5.5 for burning using the DVD-Video format. Thanks for all the replies....
JH

might be better off upgrading to a later version of Nero6,rather than the older .5 version.

Why? I still use 5.5.10.x ... works great

[tygrus2000]

The compatibility problem with home brewed dvds playing on a multitude of dvd players is probably something that will be around and cannot be solved entirely. Too many different makes and models and quality considerations as well as software. You can switch your tools this time to get past the problem but this is something that you could encounter again.

I might suggest that you let your client try a test disc first before you go to all the trouble. Better to know you issues before you start the job and the client won't wonder if you are incompetent. And who is to say that he doesn't buy another player one day and it wont work on that one.

This is the drawback of doing custom dvd work for clients.

[jfharper]

Yeah, I did explain that to the client, and they seem to understand that there is not a standard in the non-Hollywood side of DVD making. I'll try all this and hope for the best. Thanks again.
JH