Errors with Dragon Burn

[Spoffo]

I recently started making a bunch of backups using MTR, DVD2oneX and (cheap guy that I am) Dragon Burn.

At first all seemed well: The discs played on every player I have and the PQ looked great. Then I started noticing problems - - brief, random flashes of macro-blocking or split-second freezes. Interestingly, these mainly came in the latter parts of a disc, and if I burned two discs from the same file, these dropouts would occur at different places in the film. Just to make it more frustrating, some files would give me pefect burn every time while others always suffered dropouts, with no clear pattern to indicate why. The problem was the same on two different Macs - a 400 mhz G4 and a 1.8 Ghz dual G5 - both running 10.3.7, and both using PIoneer 108 burners. Also, it was the same across several different 4x and 8x media brands.

Many tests (and coasters) later, it's clear that the problem is Dragon Burn. The ripped, compressed files play just fine in DVD player, and if I create a disc image and then burn this using disc utility, I get a perfect disc.

Apparently, there's some kind of bug in Dragon Burn that makes long burns unreliable - - either across the board or specifically with 10.3.7 and/or the Pioneer 108/"117" (I haven't done any controlled experiments under earlier OSs, tho some of the bad discs might have been burned under 10.3.6)

Has anyone else run into this? If not, let this be your heads-up to check your results carefully.

To complete the tale, as I was starting to write this up, I came across the half-price promo on Toast 6, so I rose above my cheapness and downloaded it. Of course, it makes perfect discs from all these files, so I guess Dragon Burn is headed for the trash, despite my admiration for their fighting the establishment. [/b]

[pixeljammedia]

[post deleted] looks like you have it all handled

[macuser25]

i've tried DB and Toast... and in the end I don't even understand why NTI still bothers. their stuff is a total POS. you get what you pay for.

[Regal]

Which Dragon Burn version do you have? I am using a trial version 4.0 and seems to work nicely. I wonder if you got 3.0. Please post. Thanks

[Spoffo]

It was 4.0 and I later tried one revision past the original at their suggestion (same bad results) I couldn't tell you the exact rev #. All copies of that piece of junk have been banished from my HD.

Are you SURE it's working OK? Everything wil seem to be fine then maybe an hour into a movie you'll start seeing random bursts of pixilation (at least I did.)

[alkaline]

Would'nt be a good idea to add "Dragon Burn" to the forum tools as a CD/DVD burner for Mac OS X ?

http://www.ntius.com/default.asp?p=dragonburn/dburn4_main

[macuser25]

Doubtful... I heard they laid off their Mac team and are getting out of the Mac business.

[alkaline]

I heard they laid off their Mac team and are getting out of the Mac business.

And, where your informations source come from ?

Could you please cite your's sources ?

Thanks a lot.

[destreaga]

i've tried DB and Toast... and in the end I don't even understand why NTI still bothers. their stuff is a total POS. you get what you pay for.

HAHAHAHAH, you are so right!

[Regal]

It was 4.0 and I later tried one revision past the original at their suggestion (same bad results) I couldn't tell you the exact rev #. All copies of that piece of junk have been banished from my HD.

Are you SURE it's working OK? Everything wil seem to be fine then maybe an hour into a movie you'll start seeing random bursts of pixilation (at least I did.)

Humm.

Thats what I am using Dragon Burn 4.0. My steps are:

First I use:
MTR
DvD2one
Dragon Burn 4.0

On setting on Dragon Burn I do dvd backups in DVD movie mode.

I see no pixelation on my dvd of Catwoman.

I also select the speed of burn what the dvd+rs I use. I never select what Dragon Burn suggests.

-------------
Something odd that I dound out, but w/ my PC w/ NERO.

I did a movie backup w/ Nero 6, but I did DVD+r in Data mode. Once movie was done being burned, I played it in my Toshiba and I did see bad pixelations like stars coming on my TV screen. I then research NERO and it has a folder tab to do dvd burn in DVD MOVIE also. Now all my dvd backups in NERO in DVD movie mode, works perfect everytime.

So what I am saying is you might be selecting the wrong setting in Dragon burn when doing movie backups. Try using DVD MOVIE in dragon burn. I bet it be fine then. Good luck, oh wait, you removed it .

If you want to try again, do it the way I said. All should be great. Take care

[chikanakan]

I would be very careful with Dragon Burn. They have lots of problems, especailly burning DVD. I would never burn a Dual Layer with it, because it doesn't create the Layer Break correctly. It also doesn't verify that a Video_TS folder is valid. On my system it always crashes and hangs and I have to reboot. Toast works prefectly fine on the same system.

I too have heard NTI was getting out of the Mac game. They only had 2 people working on the product in their Taiwan office anyway, that's why it's cheap.

[alkaline]

I often use Dragon Burn V.4.1.14, on my Power Mac running under OS X 10.3.7.

All I have to say is Dragon Burn works fine for DVD-R burning.

Just try it.

[Spoffo]

I was using the right mode. Anything else, and you don't get a disk that will play in a stand-alone DVD player.

The difference might be burning speed. Maybe it works OK at 1x or 2x? I never tried anything slower than 4x, and most of my bad disks were made at 8x. A failure to keep up with faster burning would be consistent with random pixelation, which could be caused by buffer under-run.

[Regal]

Well I will say this.

I own TY dvd+r 8x. On Dragon Burn it suggests 12X. I did not do 12x and I stayed at 8x which the dvdr's states its stable speed. I have not had any problem w/ my movies so far.

But hey since I have not done a whole bunch of burning, I cannot confirm its 100% perfect. Heck even my Nero6 crashes and I ruin about 4 dvdr's

[looper00]

I have had the same problem with some of my backups (I'm also using dragon burn and dvd2one. HAve you found a solution or another application other than dragon burn that works? I'm not sure I'm willing to pay the big $$$$ for toast.

[Spoffo]

At various times, Toast has had an unannounced onlinne special for $50. Keep checking their website. I too was initially put off by their price, but having lived with Toast Titanium now for a few months, it really is an essential product.

In addition to burning really reliable backups, it's MUCH simpler and faster than iDVD when you just want to author a quick and simple disk with a menu and couple of videos on it.

[sjk]

Or if you're buying a new burner look for one like the LaCie d2 DVD±RW with LightScribe that comes bundled with Toast.

I agree with Spoffo. Toast quickly became pretty essential even though I was relucant to buy it, but Amazon.com had a decent discount (with rebates) when I did. Still can't justify buying Jam, tho'.

[NightWing]

Trying to grapple with the concept of buying Toast since its a Roxio product! I hate that company!

But since it looks like DB is dead. And Nero does not have a Mac version. Look like I will pick up a copy from them. UGH!

Actually buy.com has a better deal right now than Amazon.

Be intersting to see how it handles the DVR-KL04 just droped into my Mini.

[sjk]

Actually buy.com has a better deal right now than Amazon.

A better deal on the mainland, with free ground shipping. No tax and free shipping usually makes Amazon cheaper for where I live.

[NightWing]

Amazon has a 20 dollar off while Buy.com has a 30 dollar off. Add in tax for buy.com makes the difference around 8 in Buy.com favior.

Odd are will go with Amazon since I got the Mini from them.

[chikanakan]

Nero once had a Mac product. It sucked so bad it was only released in Germany and had a fast death. You could always try one of the other quality products from BHA or Discribe

[NightWing]

Oh well. Tnks for the info on Mac-Nero.

Did see MacBurn.

BHA look intersting! Not bad price. I think it came with some Sony drives in the past. Never heard of the other.

Tnks for the info!

[chikanakan]

Well, BHA is really, really bad. They use a specail driver that loads everytime you burn. I had so many problems, I just got trashed. Words can't even start to explain how bad it is.

They have pretty much stopped mac development also. They have updates one and a while, but are pretty much out of the game because Toast 6 really put the smack down on them.

Discribe is just as bad and hasn't been updated for a long time. They are DOA.

MacBurn=DiscBlaze which is just a UI for Apples built in stuff. There is no UDF support because the DiscRecording framework does not support it, so MacBurn can't do DVD-Video AT ALL.

Toast is the only way to go.

[NightWing]

I guess will bite the bullet and put a copy of Toast on order.

Tnks for the Help!