DVD Error Checking

[theiceman_84]

Is there any way of checking for errors on an authored DVD.

By errors i mean video breaking up, stopping and restarting etc.

I have recently started putting my dv tapes to dvds and have noticed that some of the dvds video starts to break up at times.

I do not have the time to watch through all the dvds to see if the are working correctly and was wondering if there was a software program that could check for errors

Thanks

[Bodyslide]

You can use DVDinfopro, if you have a liteon drive use Kprobe. Nero also has a Scantool you can use. They are in the tools section to the left.

[akrako1]

If you happen to burn with Nero, there is a handy 'verify written data' box you can check on the burning screen. This will only verify the disc bit-for-bit vs the hard disk image. If there is an authoring/encoding error that is present in the hard disk files, the verifying will not detect any problem.

[skebenin]

IMO, the best check is to do a transfer rate test in Nero CD/DVD Speed (freeware). If you get nice smooth transfer rate graph, it means your DVD-ROM drive had no problems reading it, which is usually a good indication that your set top player will play it okay. Even if the graph isn't smooth, as long as the transfer rate doesn't drop too low (stays above 4X for example), your stand alone will probably play it.

[solarfox]

Unfortunately, while those tools might be helpful in catching a grossly flawed disc, just because your burned DVD passes the Nero Verify test or the DVDInfoPro or KProbe tests while sitting in your DVDRW burner doesn't seem to be a guarantee that other players won't have problems. I've had several discs that passed all those tests with flying colors, but glitched and stuttered during playback on a set-top unit -- or even in a generic DVD-ROM drive!

I'm guessing it's because burners, due to the nature of the task the drives have to perform, very likely have much better-engineered, higher-precision optical blocks than most playback-only units do, and thus have an easier time coping with marginal-quality media.

[skebenin]

True, there is no absolutely fool-proof way to test for set top playback. But the tests are fairly good indicators as long as you aren't dealing with a really finicky player (and if you are, best to replace it).

Incidentally my experience is exactly the oposite. Set top players are much more forgiving; if they hit a bad spot the picture and audio may break up but they will keep playing. A DVD_ROM drive will stop dead in its tracks when it hits a sector it can't read.

Also in my experience, a disk that tests poorly in a DVD-ROM drive may play okay in a set top player. A disk that tests well in a DVD-ROM really is pretty likely to play well in a compatible stand alone player.