DVD Multi-sessions - How to Do?

[markannab]

I'm brand new to this, so if you can help me, please do so in layman's terms & step by step. That would be appreciated!

I create AVI's from my camcorder using Videostudio 7, then use NeroVision Express Version 3.1.0.16 to burn to DVD. Now I know many don't like Nero - I appreciate that, but that's what I have - so please don't reply just to bag Nero. I already know it has weaknesses.

This is what I want to do (in my layman's terms):

After capturing some video footage, I want to edit it & burn it to a DVD in DVD format (not AVI, etc as I want to have it run on my DVD player). But that footage may only be five or 10 minutes in length. A couple of weeks later, I capture more footage & would like to add that to the same DVD. This process, I would like to repeat over & over for maybe one year, then close it off and it contains all my footage for 2007 or 2008.

How do I do this? For example,
In NeroVision Express, do I click "Editable DVD"?
Do I use a DVD-RW?
Will my cheap DVD player recognise an RW (it's not printed on the front)?
And can an RW have the multi-session 'closed' or do I copy it all to a regular disk when the year is up?

Your help would be much appreciated,
Mark.

[FallenAngel10]

Short answer
I really don't think it will work -- usually keeping a dvd open (non formalized) means it will only play in the package/dvd recorder on which its being edited. Non formalized DVD's aren't actually DVD's at all -- many files are missing thats what formalizing is.



Why not just record a DVD on RW and see if it will play in your player before you step right off a lot of cliffs

[t0nee1]

fallenAngel10 wrote" Why not just record a DVD on RW and see if it will play in your player before you step right off a lot of cliffs ."
Good point
And Markannab, why not just save all your clips on PC, and view as much as you want, then when done use shrink in re-author to join to one DVD..... cuz as far as I know you have to finalize disk to view in other players as Fallenangel10 stated.....

[Abond]

In NeroVision Express, do I click "Editable DVD"?

Most probably Nero would create an I frames only DVD. So, no, it is not what you want and additionaly it would greatly reduce the duration of the video which Nero would allow you to have in a DVD.

Do I use a DVD-RW?

No, it would not allow you to add more videos in the DVD. Maybe even worst, Nero would erase the RW without telling you, so you would lose the videos you already have in it.

Will my cheap DVD player recognise an RW (it's not printed on the front)?

Well, read your manual. Or make a short video to DVD RW and test.

And can an RW have the multi-session 'closed' or do I copy it all to a regular disk when the year is up?

No, definitely not. At least as Video DVD. I don't know how it is as data DVD, but Nero Vision Express doesn't got to create data DVDs.

How do I do this?

Nero Vision is biased to 2 hrs duration to fill a DVD (AFAIK). So you accumulate your videos until they are short before 2 hrs (120 min) duration all together. Then you import them to Nero Vision add menu and burn.

Now I know many don't like Nero - I appreciate that, but that's what I have - so please don't reply just to bag Nero. I already know it has weaknesses.

The greatest weakness is that it create DVDs which mostly do not play in DVD Players. I even wonder these DVDs play in your SAP. Though one day this player will go to an end and then you may be doomed - the DVDs would not play in your new DVD Player.

[guns1inger]

The DVD specification doesn't support multi-session - period. Most players that support avi playback don't support it either, and will only see the last session written.

[sub0]

How do I do this? For example,
In NeroVision Express, do I click "Editable DVD"?
Do I use a DVD-RW?
Will my cheap DVD player recognise an RW (it's not printed on the front)?
And can an RW have the multi-session 'closed' or do I copy it all to a regular disk when the year is up?

Mark.

Of 'cos you can do multisession dvds playable on standalone players with Nero. Nerovision is one of the first to offer that feature. I hv been doing that for years for music video compilations. Nerovision is NOT my usual authoring app, but I keep it around just to do multisession dvds. {note I finally felt compelled to register just to dispell this "no multisession dvd" myth after years of lurking).

In Nerovision, choose DVD+VR (after choosing "Editable DVD", I think, can't remember the exact text on the menu). DO NOT choose DVD-VR. DVD+VR is fully compatible with DVD-Video. DVD-VR is not. This also means you HAVE to use DVD+RW discs and NOT USE DVD-RW discs.

As long as your standalone player can physically read a DVD+RW, it will play a DVD+VR created in Nerovision. I believe Nerovision automaticaly finalize the disc when you select "burn" after adding your mpg/vob files. Your mpg/vob files must conform to DVD resolution specs and audio specs ie audio must be 48kHz, ac3 or mp2 if you do not want Nerovision to reencode.

When you want to add more mpg/vobs to the DVD+VR disc you hv previously created, first put the disc into your dvd-burner. Then start Nerovision and select "create/modify" editable disc (can't remember the exact text on the menu). Nerovision will then IMPORT the disc contents, after which it presents you with the menu to ADD/DELETED contents.

Besides adding new mpgs, you can also rearrange their order in the menu, change menu background, text etc.

DVD+VR discs that I hv created/modified in Nerovision hv played faultlessly in my vintage year 2000 Apex AD-700, Norcent DP-300 (both "golden" and non), LG-7832 upconverting player, Toshiba XS-34 recorder (a dvd-r machine) and various noname portable players. The standalone players thinks it is a dvd-video discs. Even your pc's software player think it is a dvd-video disc. About the only times your pc knows it is dvd+vr is when importing into Nerovision, or TDA.

When the DVD+VR is full, usually around 4Gb, I suggest you convert it to DVD-video on a DVD-R. Enjoy adding videos to your disc as and when you like!

[jman98]

In NeroVision Express, do I click "Editable DVD"?

Most probably Nero would create an I frames only DVD.

Given that I frames only is invalid for DVD, I don't think Nero will probably do that, but I have no idea what Nero means by "Editable DVD". It may possibly refer to DVD-RAM or even DVD+RW, but I'm just guessing.

I would not recommend doing a multisession burn. I may well be wrong, but I thought hardware players only saw the first session burned, not the last as guns1inger says. They definitely only see one session. You need to save up your video clips until you have enough to fill up a DVD in a single session burn. Anything else is just wasting your time and discs.

[sub0]

I would not recommend doing a multisession burn.... Anything else is just wasting your time and discs.

Read my previous post. Google on DVD+VR and learn its specs. Just 'cos most "experts" don't know how to do it, doesn't mean it can't be done. After years of lurking here, my conclusion is the experts here are so well versed and knowledgeable in their particular nich, they put blinders on their eyes (brains?) and never see or explore areas outside their nich.

Enough said. As mentioned b4, I finally registered to post just to dispell this particular myth. My advice to the original poster is: ignore the naysayer, go ahead and do a DVD+VR with nerovision, and like me, enjoy years of multisession dvds on standalone players.

[markannab]

Thanks to all of you who took the time to reply to my question - especially sub0.

I will have to buy some DVD+VR (DVD+WR) and try it out. To me, I couldn't understand why, with modern technology, such a thing wouldn't be possible when it would have so many advantages. Out of your whole detailed post, sub0, there was just one query:

In audio, I can select 48.000 kHz. But the default format is PCM. Other options are available but none that you specified (MP2 or ac3). The closest is MP3. I've already created a couple of regular DVD's using PCM. So I guess I can continue using that?

Thanks again,
Mark.

[sub0]

In audio, I can select 48.000 kHz. But the default format is PCM.

Sorry, my bad. Forgot pcm is also a valid dvd audio format. Penalty is big file size; pro is high quality audio. May be overkill for home video, if I recall correctly your original intent.

You can demux your mpg into elementary video and audio, then you can encode the pcm wave file into ac3 with Aften or one of its gui (suggest EncWAVtoAC3). Then remux the video and ac3 back into a new mpg. Lots of infor here on how to demux/remux.

Otherwise, use the mpg with pcm as is, if you don't mind the relatively big file size.

[lordsmurf]

{note I finally felt compelled to register just to dispell this "no multisession dvd" myth after years of lurking).... Just 'cos most "experts" don't know how to do it, doesn't mean it can't be done. After years of lurking here, my conclusion is the experts here are so well versed and knowledgeable in their particular nich, they put blinders on their eyes (brains?) and never see or explore areas outside their nich.

You're being a jerk.

You're not entirely correct with everything you just said either. This is a complicated matter, so much that I don't remember all the rules on it. They have entire books that control how these things work. Multi-session is not supported, except under some conditions.

Most people would do best to avoid multi-session on the computer. DVD recorders and their specs sort of changed how everything operated. It's a big mess, to be honest.

[BJ_M]

from the horses mouth (dvdforum.org)

The DVD-Video format was initially designed to place static material on disc and not to seamlessly manage successive real time recording and editing from cable, satellite and other live video sources (like a VCR). To address this, several additional application formats were developed for use by consumer devices including writable DVD camcorders and consumer electronics (CE) recorders.
The first of these is the DVD Video Recording (DVD-VR) format released by the DVD Forum in 1999 for DVD-RW and DVD-RAM and later updated in 2000 to accommodate DVD-R (General). Philips Electronics then followed in 2001 and 2002 with its own DVD+RW Video (DVD+VR) and DVD+R Video formats for DVD+RW and DVD+R discs. Since many DVD-Video format features are not required for home recording applications, these formats offer an abridged selection of capabilities while adding some of their own.

Typically, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM capable recorders offer a “VR mode” selection to write those discs in DVD-VR format while DVD+RW and DVD+R recorders automatically write DVD+RW and DVD+R discs in the appropriate DVD+VR and DVD+R Video format.
However, DVD-VR differs significantly from the original DVD-Video format. As a result, only devices specifically designed to be DVD-VR compatible (for example, units marked “RW compatible” and “DVD Multi”) can play DVD-VR recorded discs. DVD+VR and DVD+R Video closely resemble the DVD-Video format and, as such, maintain playback compatibility with most - but not all DVD devices. Keep in mind that not all products exploit the full range of features offered by these formats and that there may be additional restrictions to consider. Un-finalized disks are NOT to be considered DVD-Video disks, but may be played in some players Check with the manufacturer for specific details.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Multi-session should only be used with data on DVD+R/RW.
As BJ_M pointed outVD+VR is NOT the same as DVD-Video and will playback on most DVD recorders and some DVD players.

[edong]

I have a LiteOn DVD recorder for almost two years now. And I have the same DVD+RW media that I use to record ELLEN every afternoon and watch it when I come home from work. I set the speed at LP so I erase it every three days when it's full. I can watch this recording in any player I have at home, be it PC or stand-alone and be it full or not. The durability of the recorder and the media amazes me that I do not know which one will give up first. Question - doesn't this count as multi-session recording? Thanks.

[t0nee1]

Hey BJ_M , how in heavens sake were you able to find that with "blinders on your eyes (brains)" ,did you have to see and explore areas outside your nich " ? what gives? LOL........

[markannab]

SubO, I thought I'd just let you know that I finally got around to following your instructions on multi-session DVD's. It worked like a treat! Thankyou very much!

I do have one question though. I had three files - two were 4:3, the other 16:9. Those files, as AVI's played fine on the computer, but the 16:9, once on my TV (which isn't widescreen) was stretched vertically. Any idea how I overcome that, using Nerovision 6?

Also, what's the difference between Titles & Chapters when burning to DVD?

Thanks,
Mark.

[markannab]

I should say, I also ran it on my computers DVD player. The 16:9 was also stretched there.

[lordsmurf]

Nerovision probably does not understand 16:9 and messed up your file.

[markannab]

As I import the different files, they appear as thumbnails one below the other. To the right of each, it specifies either 4:3 or 16:9. So I would have thought that it picked up on that?

[markannab]

SubO - HELP! Your recommendations for mult-sessions on RW's has worked fantastically. All of a sudden, it's stopped working. When I re-isert the DVD, Nero starts to import the DVD files, gets part way on the progress bar & stops. No errors or messages appear.

I've tried new disks, I've restored my computer to an earlier time when it did work, I've used different video files. A few minutes ago, I did a test with just one tiny file & it worked - once. The second time, it stopped again. Do you have any idea what's happened?

Mark.

[markannab]

UPDATE

Sub0 sent me a PM & suggested that Nero was saving the temp files to a location that had limited space assigned. So I chose a different location - an area on a separate partition. It now seems to be working.

Mark.