DVDLab Pro 2 - compatible players?

[jubbely2]

I used to have DVDLab Pro, which worked just fine and I could play my authored disks on my cheapy cello (30 odd quid from Tescos 2 years ago) machine.

However, I have now upgraded to DVDLab Pro 2 (and can't go back to V1 as I've lost the codes) and now the music on the menus won't play properly and is choppy. Plays fine in VLC media player, so I'm guessing my player just doesn't like the disks that PRO2 kicks out.

Can anyone suggest a cheap player that they know is compatible? I'm using Phillips DVD+RW disks.

Cheers
Jub

[guns1inger]

Or it just doesn't like the discs. I have created many discs in DLP2, and they have played happily in everything from Pioneer to LG to cheap and horrible no-name chinese players.

I would start by trying a different brand of RW disc first.

[jubbely2]

A good idea, but I have always used these disks with no problem.

[driguy]

Try better disks first. My first experience with Philips disks was horrible, they were CMC Mag, which are the worst known to mankind. Seriously.


Try some Verbatims or Taiyo Yudens in your player...


It also depends on what program you are using to burn the output files. I have found CloneDVD2 works well, as well as IMGBurn. Nero was OK till I figured out other alternatives. I hope you aren't using the built-in recorder to DVDLab pro, since I never have used it (I have heard it leaves something to be desired). DVDLab is a great authoring program that has a not-so-great burning program built into it.

[jubbely2]

driguy, thanks for the tip.

I do have IMGburn, but if I use that dont I have to use an ISO?

Can DLP2 output an ISO? Is that what you recommend?

Cheers
Jub

[guns1inger]

Imgburn hasn't required an ISO since version 1. Have a look at the guides in the Imgburn support forum (link under the help menu in Imgburn) if you need more details, but you can just point it at your video_TS folder and it will recognise that you are burning a DVD.

[driguy]

AFAIK, DVDLab will not output an ISO file, It only outputs VIDEO_TS\*.IFO,*.BUP, and *.VOB files.

In your case, I would try, in this order:

Different Disks. Philips are Naff. Nuff said.
Different buring program. Imgburn is free, and is better than the built-in burner for DLP2, as well as the Nero burning engine.

Better disks can, and will, make most of the difference...

[GeorgeW]

Which version of DLP2 do you have? Might be unrelated to your issue, but there were some issues with early versions of 2.x where some players FF/REW did not go past 2x -- the latest release of 2.x should have cleared that up.

If you lost the codes, I would contact where you purchased to see if they have your records. Did you purchase an upgrade license to 2.x -- if so, how will you be able to install if you purchase a new machine?

The burning module in DLP (1.x and 2.x) can burn to an image file (default extension might be *.IMG, but you can rename it to *.ISO).

Regards,
George

[SanderMan]

If you want to go back to ver 1 and no longer have the codes for that version. You can download ver. 1.x for 2.0. Go to http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/historypro.html and scroll down to 1.x for 2.0

[ntscuser]

Open DVD in PGCedit and fix error in number of steams when the option comes up. Then save file with 32k gap between IFO and BUP option ticked. See if that helps? PGCedit will also convert to ISO if you need to.

[jubbely2]

OK I have changed to Verbatim DVD+RW with no success.

I have tried burning with the DLP2 burner, and also converting to ISO with ImgBurn and burning with that.

The audio is still choppy. Note this is just on the menu, all the "Movies" are fine.

I will try the PGCedit check tonight, but I'm starting to think that its just a bug in DLP2 for audio on menus. Last time I just dragged and dropped the .mpa onto the Menu and it was there. In DLP2 there is some other options with curly arrows for repeat etc.. and it just seems more complicated.

If no success then I guess I'll try the v2 back to v1 patch...

Cheers
Jub

[tinker]

Since it is your menu only, did you try to use AC3 or LPCM audio format?
I use version 2 and have not had this problem with it.

[jubbely2]

tinker,

The way I have got my audio is to take a cut down bit of a mpg and let DLP2 demux it for me and then use the audio stream only (the menu music is essentially the music from the opening credits of the movie).

I will try and use some other audio formats tonight to see what I can do.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Jub

[guns1inger]

Try using PGCDemux or DGIndex to demux instead. If it is AC3, run it through AC3fix to be sure it's OK.

[jubbely2]

What about using TMPGENc as I have that?

[tinker]

TMPGEnc Xpress has an AC3 plug in ($19US). It will produce DVD compliant AC3 audio, since it is licenced product. Only problem it is 2 channel AC3 not 5.1.
Sometime I use BeSweet with BeLight GUI to make AC3 and it works on my player.

[ntscuser]

Can a menu have 5.1 surround, I've never seen one that did?

[tinker]

They do not use 5.1 for a menu, because it add too much to the file size and it is not important. That usualy go for director comments also. I meant it as a general comment.

[ntscuser]

They do not use 5.1 for a menu, because it add too much to the file size and it is not important. That usualy go for director comments also. I meant it as a general comment.

I was jsut curious. I've had menus with (quite long) PCM 2.0 music but never with 5.1 DD and wondered if perhaps the latter was non-compliant?

[tinker]

I know, I did not see menu in anything but AC3 2 channel (NTSC region). But if you look at 5.1 and 2.0 you will see that the fille size is less than half for later. And realy, who listens to the menu?
In the movie it is all different perception between 5.1 and 2.0, DTS even better.
DVD specifications do not say anything about channel restrictions only about audio type.