Unable to play DVD on new machine

[mrgooch]

I recorded a dvd on my last recorder in VR format and my new recorder wont allow playback. Is there anyway to salvage the disk?

[Krispy Kritter]

What type of hardware are we talking about? PC or standalone? What brand and model#?

If you are referring to a standalone, most likely the disc session is not closed or your old recorder uses encryption. So most likely the disc is only playable in the original machine.

[mrgooch]

I used a Go Video dvd recorder. Made a disk using VR mode to record. I am now using a Toshiba, but it didn't work on a Sony also.

[mrgooch]

Is there a way of having the disk recopied so that I could use it [ I have 4 of them ].

[hech54]

I used a Go Video dvd recorder. Made a disk using VR mode to record. I am now using a Toshiba, but it didn't work on a Sony also.

Toshiba what?
Sony what?
DVDRom in a computer?
DVD player?

Did you finalize the disc?

NEED MORE INFO

[BobK]

If you have a DVD burner in your computer then you should be able to copy the contents onto your hard drive and author a new disk in video-mode.

[LloydAZ]

I recorded a dvd on my last recorder in VR format and my new recorder wont allow playback. Is there anyway to salvage the disk?

VR mode is not compatible with many DVD players. Check the manual that came with your new DVD player to see if it will play a disc recorded in VR mode. If you want compatibilty with all of your DVD players, then you'll need to record in Video Mode, not VR. Also make sure that you finalize the disc.

I have a Pioneer DVD Recorder that I mostly use VR mode on. It's great for editing on RW discs, watching other recorded content on the disc while recording another program, or for time shifting.

You can pull the VRO file off of the disc onto your computer, rename the extension as VOB and reauthor the disc as a compliant DVD disc.

[mrgooch]

I do have a dvd burner on my computer. What software do I need to do whats required?

[lordsmurf]

Stop using VR mode. Use DVD-Video mode.

[BobK]

I do have a dvd burner on my computer. What software do I need to do whats required?

I believe DVD Decrypter will read VR mode disks. DVDFab Decrypter might, but I've never tried.

You also need an authoring program such as TMGEnc DVD Author (which I use). There are a few free authoring programs, but many of the paid ones have a free trial which should be more than enough to convert one disk.

Actually you could just use the TMGEnc DVD Author and use it to read the disk directly into the authoring program.

[LloydAZ]

I do have a dvd burner on my computer. What software do I need to do whats required?

First of all, I'm not an expert. I'm a pure novice to DVD authoring and video encoding, but I'm getting better with the help of the other users here, and all of the fantastic tutorials on this site. Please check them out, it'll make things a lot easier for you, and you can always ask questions if you don't understand what is going on in the tutorial.


Now, my .02 cents worth....


Do you want quick and easy or something a little more professional?


Quick and easy would be to import the VOB file into NeroVision Express and author that way. Nero will do most of the work for you, but it will reencode the video as part of it's process. If I need something quick and easy this is the method that I use.

But be warned.... A large majority of users here hate NeroVision and will tell you not to use it. I like it for the quick and easy stuff, but it's not the best authoring tool available.


If I want something a little more professional, I use DVD-Lab. But your files need to be compliant before you can import them in to author.

On that note: When I use the VRO files from my DVD recorder, I notice that the video resolution is 544x480, that's something like 3/4 D1 which I don't think is truly a valid DVD resolution (please someone correct me if I'm wrong). So, you may have to reencode the video anyway to get it to the correct resolution. Check the tutorials and tools on this site for help with this.

The minimum set of tools that you would need are an MPG2 encoder such as TMPGEnc, CCE, or many of the others listed in the tools section, and an authoring program such as DVD-Lab or something similar, and of course your burn software.

More advanced tools that are extremely useful are:

AVISynth
BeSweet (Plus BeLight)
DGIndex
DGPulldown
VirtualDub (MPG2 or Mod)
GSpot
MediaInfo
One of the Bitrate Calculators (very important!)

There are lots of great tutorials here on this site to use any of these tools. Please check them out. A lot of hard work went into them! I'm thankful to each and every author of these tutorials, they are a godsend!

Happy Authoring!

[LloydAZ]

I do have a dvd burner on my computer. What software do I need to do whats required?

I believe DVD Decrypter will read VR mode disks. DVDFab Decrypter might, but I've never tried.

You also need an authoring program such as TMGEnc DVD Author (which I use). There are a few free authoring programs, but many of the paid ones have a free trial which should be more than enough to convert one disk.

Actually you could just use the TMGEnc DVD Author and use it to read the disk directly into the authoring program.

The disc isn't encrypted, so why would you need to use either one of those? I just open the disc in Windows Explorer, find the VRO file on the disc, and drag-and-drop it in the folder on the hard drive that I want.

[BobK]

The disc isn't encrypted, so why would you need to use either one of those? I just open the disc in Windows Explorer, find the VRO file on the disc, and drag-and-drop it in the folder on the hard drive that I want.

Good point. I guess that didn't occur to me because I'm in the habit of either using decrypter to create an iso, or for disks made on my standalone I always use TDA or Mpeg Editor to extra the mpeg directly from the disk.

[ZippyP.]

The disc isn't encrypted, so why would you need to use either one of those?

Because it's much faster to rip the disk with DVDdecrypter than just dragging and dropping. There are several other reasons you might choose DVDDecrypter but that's the most obvious. Try it, you'll like it.

[mrgooch]

The dvd is not seen by the computer.

[RDS1955]

If it's a VR or VRO format, only a few DVD Burners will read that format..I believe what you have done is copied it as a type of DVD-RAM format (If I'm wrong, I'm certain someone in here will correct me..) Only way to copy it to your PC, is to find a DVD Burner that'll play DVD-RAM..LG has a couple of models which will play RAM disks..I have a Panasonic Standalone I use and it copies everything I record onto DVD Ram as VOR files..DVD-R's it copies VOB Files, only on a RAM disk will it make the VOR files.. I then just use my LG burner, copy it to my Hard Drive, rename it MPEG and use a Program to cut out the Commercials or scenes..Then re-author it as DVD compliant files..This is what works for me anyway..

[mrgooch]

The disk that was used is dvd-R and I only want to use it on my Toshiba DVD recorder.

[FulciLives]

The disk that was used is dvd-R and I only want to use it on my Toshiba DVD recorder.

As already mentioned you need to re-author it.

Best way to do that is on your computer.

Best software for this is TMPGEnc DVD Author OR the new version which is called TSUNAMI MPEG DVD AUTHOR PRO ... either will do.

In the future always use DVD Video mode instead of DVD VR mode.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
I know your said your computer cannot "see" the DVD disc but re-author is your only choice and you need to do that on a computer. Sounds like it is time that you buy a new DVD burner. Lucky for you they are so cheap these days.

[mrgooch]

My burner is new. Nec 3550a. It came without software.

[kato51]

Can you see the directories/files on your DVD-VR disc in your NEC using Windows Explorer?

[mrgooch]

NO

[kato51]

Was the disc finalized on your orginal recorder? I think dvd-r disc in VR mode requires finalization before it can be read by other players/readers.

[trhouse]

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:4yglYeDM3bsJ:www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/t2353...s&ct=clnk&cd=1

[FulciLives]

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:4yglYeDM3bsJ:www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/t235300.html+go+video+vr+mode&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

So according to that thread the simple act of installing Cyberlink PowerProducer can have the effect of making DVD VR files usable since Cyberlink PowerProducer apparently includes some driver etc. that makes it so.

Maybe it will do the trick. *shrug*

- John "FulciLives" Coleman