Can't burn a DVD created with TDA using menus

[merkin]

I'm currently having big problems trying to burn a DVD with menus. My quest is to transfer a VHS to DVD, here is my process:

1) Capture lossless avi with VirtualVCR, everything fine.
2) Encode avi to mpeg2 with TMPGEnc (using standard DVD PAL template)
3) Use TMPGEnc DVD Author to make chapters and menus and output as audio_ts and video_ts folders, everything seems to work fine. HOWEVER:

I have tried burning the folders to DVD+RW and DVD-R using both the TDA DVD writing feature and Nero, both of them crash when attempting this. TDA gets to 98% but then actually hangs my system completely. Nero hangs on "writing lead-out", and then after a while outputs an "write unsuccesful" error. This is where it gets strange, I went back to the authoring stage but this time didn't make an menus, just a straight forward video, output to audio_ts and video_ts folders and believe it or not these burnt absolutely fine, on exactly the same DVD+RW disc, using both TDA and Nero. I thought perhaps the errors were a one-off problem, so went back to authoring and put menus back in, sure enough same old problems. So putting it bluntly, I can not burn a DVD with menus.

Has anyone got any ideas at all?

[jkapa]

Try different brand media.

Maybe when burning a larger content (with menus) the error occurs related to writing in the outer edges of the DVD-R.

I´d give it a shot unless the data is nowhere near the full capacity of the DVD-R or the menus are few and simple - having no weight in the final data volume.

J

[merkin]

The video is only 1.3gb, but I'd suggest that's about mid-sized so I can't believe it's a media problem (I'm using good quality Verbatim). Also, it works fine on the exact same disc if I just burn without menus. This is really starting to frustrate me, I'll try again with Nero and write down the exact error it gives, perhaps then someone recognise the problem!

[FulciLives]

Are you sure that TMPGEnc DVD Author is set up for PAL menu design? I wouldn't be surprised if it is set up to do NTSC menus by default and thus that might be causing the problem.

Although you would think that if you are importing a PAL video clip it would KNOW to make the MENU designs in the PAL format.

It's a thought and worth checking into I suppose.

Also I would like to point out that I use TDA all the time for my projects (all of them NTSC) and I use the feature in TDA to create an ISO IMAGE FILE but then I use DVD Decrypter to burn that ISO IMAGE FILE.

I have never used the built-in burning application of TDA but then again I've heard other people say it works fine but I've been partial to burning from ISO IMAGE FILES with DVD Decrypter once I found out (a long time ago) that NERO sucked donkey balls for DVD burning.

I've never had a problem burning with DVD Decrypter. I've done this from ISO IMAGE FILES made from TDA or ImgTools classic.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[merkin]

An upgrade to latest TDA has fixed this problem, I guess the moral of the story is always make sure your software is up-to-date! I have no idea what the problem was with the earlier version, the audio_ts and video_ts folders it was creating were un-burnable with ANY DVD burning software, usually resulting in system lock-ups. The new version works like a dream.

Thanks to all for the help!