DVD Limitations: What Does This Mean ?

[Seeker47]

You get a DVD. It could be a commercial release from the bargain bin. Or somebody else made it, but you don't know exactly HOW. (Perhaps one of those media query utilities like DVD-Identifier would fill in some of the blanks here ?)

The DVD can not be ffwd-played any faster than 2X, even if the media is clearly 4X or faster. The disc will lock up in the player. Reverse play definitely causes the player to lock up. Ditto for Chapter Fwd. or Chapter Reverse. Same story if you take it to another, different player.

Why ? What decision or shortcut or screwup in the making of the DVD accounts for this ?

[lordsmurf]

This is a reflectivity issue.

Lower reflectivity discs (RITEK, which is an organic dye, for example) tend to most often lock up DVD players if you try to FF play faster than 2x.

On the other hand higher reflective media (like MCC, metal AZO dye) can be FF played at any speed.

Pressed discs depend on the quality of the press job. Most of your cleaner looking presses are fine. Some of those discount bin jobs are crap, especially those $1 discs at Walmart. I have seen a great many of those as bad discs right away, garbage presses that won't even play at 1x normal speed.

[lumis]

i can back up what lordsmurf is saying. a friend of mine bought some john travolta $1 bargin bin movie from walmart, but we couldnt get it work on his dvd player.. i made a copy of it with his dvd burner, 1:1 with dvd decrypter, the copy worked perfectly in his dvd player.

[Seeker47]

This is a reflectivity issue.

Lower reflectivity discs (RITEK, which is an organic dye, for example) tend to most often lock up DVD players if you try to FF play faster than 2x.

On the other hand higher reflective media (like MCC, metal AZO dye) can be FF played at any speed..

That's good to know . . . BUT, I just did a test in regard to another issue (covered in another thread), using the same TDK -R 8X media I've used for a 50-spindle's worth of apparently successful burns, which did not exhibit this problem. And, lo and behold, NO Play faster than 2X, NO Rev., although there is limited Chapter navigation. Otherwise, the player locks up. It reminds me that I HAVE burned discs like this myself -- either on the 520 or the 108 in the computer -- however infrequently, using (ostensibly) good media. Could I set out to do this deliberately on request ? Probably not. No idea what went wrong.

So, I have to follow up on my original question. Is there no way this can happen on good media, entirely due to the way it was burned (hardware OR software), including some possible user error ?

[Krispy Kritter]

To rule out authoring errors, create a movie only disc with dvd shrink. That will remove all of the chapter points and shrink will recreate the vob files. If the problem still occurs it is your media.

[Seeker47]

i can back up what lordsmurf is saying. a friend of mine bought some john travolta $1 bargin bin movie from walmart, but we couldnt get it work on his dvd player.. i made a copy of it with his dvd burner, 1:1 with dvd decrypter, the copy worked perfectly in his dvd player.

Some weeks back, I did an experiment just like the one you mentioned, copying a problem disc in just this way. The 1:1 copy was done on major brand media that had been working just fine. The copy displayed exactly the same limitations in playback. (I have no info regarding how the sorce disc was made.) That is just one test, I know, but I'm willing to run more trials.

[lordsmurf]

"Major brand name" doesn't mean anything.
What was the media ID?

[Seeker47]

"Major brand name" doesn't mean anything.
What was the media ID?

I'm having trouble locating this copied DVD. If I can't find it, I may just try to dig out the original and re-copy it. In that event, I'll use one of the Fuji TYG02 I just picked up.