minimum size for dvds?

[flavioluiz]

Hi!

I had already authored 2 DVDs, both with little more than 4 GB, worked well...

Now I am authoring some DVDs with about 1.5 GB and I am having problems with compatibility in some stand-alone players (I have tried three different players, and it only played in one of them....).

Oh, these DVD works if I burn it in DVD-RW, but not DVD-R.... Smaller DVD-R are not recognized by my DVD player (it "says" "NO DISC")...

I guess that's because my DVD player only reads DVD with a minimum amount of data/video written... Do you have any idea how to make it burns the full dvd?? (should I put any file, like a huge text file in the dvd?? or is there a way to make a burner software to burn the full dvd even when there is nothing else to write? do you have any better idea?).

Thanks,
Flavio
(sorry about my english, I am just learning )

[rvl123]

Which media are you using?

If you put files outside the VIDEO_TS folder, it shouldn't affect the DVD playback.

[flavioluiz]

Hi!

I've burnt them a Samsung RITEKG03 (1x) media, and 2 Nipponic (PRODISCG02 2x) media. All had the same problem (don't play in some stand-alone players...) - but I had done bigger DVDs before with these medias and it worked well.

Now I tried to put some huge files in DVD (we made a simple program in C that creates huge text files, then I put it in a folder)... It worked!

Tried to burn 2 DVDs, and both worked without problems in my DVD player! (their size are of 4 GB: 2GB of video files and others 2 GB from two text files!!)

But, I don't think it's a good idea to just put files in DVD. Isn't there any option in Nero, or other burner software, that it burns the FULL DVD??

Thanks!,
Flavio

[Sugar]

Flavio,

I have the same problem with my player, especially for DVD-RW. My DVD-rs need to be at least 1GB and the DVD-RW at least 3.8GW.

What I do is to take some of my raw avi files or any other files in sufficient quantity and put them in the audio_ts subfolder up to the size I need. It is a pain because it takes longer to burn but at the end of the day it works for me all the time.

[Anonymous65]

Is this a problem only with the DVD-R(W), or is it also a problems for DVD+R(W)? I used to have a DVD-R drive, and even if I burned 2 minutes of video, it took 20 minutes to burn the DVD-R. Now, I have a DVD+R, and if I burn a 2 minute video file, the DVD+R burns in a few minutes. I'm using the same author and burning software, but switching to DVD+R made a big difference in burn time for short video clips.

[flavioluiz]

Skittelsen, I don't have how to test if the problem happens with DVD+R(W)... but here burning smaller DVD-R takes little time to do the job.

Hey, do you remember if when you burned 2 minutes of video and your burner wasted 20 minutes, has it burned the full DVD (the full surface was burned) or only a small part of it?

I would like to do that (burn the full surface, not only the part where is the data/videos). I think the DVD would be more compatible if I could do that. So, I don't care much about waiting more 20 minutes if my DVD plays well in most DVD players later

[Greg12]

Weird, I have an Apex and it'll play dvd's (DVD+RW) with only 400 megs on them.

[mastersmurfie]

I have a Philips DVD711 standalone and it will NOT play any DVD less than 4GB...

If I have a movie that is smaller that 4GB, I take bunch of random files and zip them up...rename the zip to "something.dat" and burn to the ROOT file of the DVD with NERO...never failed yet...even with a 4 minute video when I first started out...(wasted a DVD-R but at least I know it worked...)

[Cornucopia]

Ok, this is what I've gathered from a number of sources:

The DVD-Video spec ORIGINALLY required that all discs, whether burned or pressed, have a lead out that filled no less than 1GB. Since DVD-R and RW are part of the DVD-Forum, they followed the leader.

Enter DVD+R/W. It doesn't have to play well with others (at the time), so it ignores this requirement and just puts in a std. couple seconds of leadout, just like a CD-R/W does. Turns this around and calls it a "modern feature".

Between users of DVD-R/W getting annoyed with waiting and the possibility of additional future markets with 8cm mini-sized DVD's (esp. those RAM-type units to be used in camcorders). Plus the competition from DVD+ camp.

So in 2001(?), the DVD-Forum revises their spec to allow for less of a lead-out. But it takes a very long time for this spec to be disseminated. Most -R burners still burn the full 1GB leadout, and many players still expect the 1GB to be filled and balk at what they consider "non-compliant" discs.

It will take a few years, but it'll be smoothed over once units support the updated specs.

Of course, I could be wrong!

Scott