My DVD Film backups are 'freezing up' near end of Film

[Artom]

Hello, this is my first post, I am pretty much non-technical with computers so please be tolerant, especially if this post is considered off topic.
I decided to try and backup my film/DVD's following advice on using 'ripit4me + DVD Shrink & DVD Decrypter. I burnt the DVD's using Nero.
I also tried using DVDFab Platinum. The films played ok on my computer.
However, when played via my DVD player/TV they 'freeze up' when near to the end of the film? I am totally confused,I believe that I did everything right.
is there anything that will answer this problem please? I have Win XP on a Medion 8800 PC. Any helpful advice will be truly appreciated.
Thank you.
Allen

[handyguy]

Cheap media is my guess. Use some better stuff or you're writing too fast.

[VegasBud]

Artom,

The short answer - disks are more prone to error at the outer edge. As a result, if the disks aren't good quality, devices may not be able to read the last part. handyguy's recommendation to use better media is the best all around solution. Here's a guide to help you figure out what is (and isn't) good media.

A little more detail - NIST researchers (in their testing) found that 76% of burn failures occur in the outer 10% of the disk, and named the phenomenon "the edge effect". They theorize it's because "a spinning disk wobbles more at the edges, leading to the misreading of the material". They also found that "there was a big difference between the failure rates among the different brands. The best disks worked in all the available players, whereas lower quality disks only worked 80.5 percent of the time". By combining lesser quality media with burns that use the outer 10% of the disk, the problem you're seeing is much more likely to occur. Once again, the best solution is to use better quality media.

Since this is your first post here...welcome to VideoHelp.

[Artom]

Hmmm, I reckon you have both hit on the problem. I will have to buy some better quality discs. This is probably the reason why some of my earlier 'very cheap' DVD Films would seize up!
I live in Yorkshire. UK, and we Yorkshire men are notorious for being very tight with our spending.
Anyway, will do as suggested and try some better quality discs. Thank you both again!
Allen

[steveryan]

A Yorkshireman not wanting to part with his brass - never! Try these - http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=1217 best discs i've ever used.

[Nilfennasion]

One thing you want to watch out for is the fact that the brand on the discs' labels and packaging is often a different thing from who actually manufactures them. Programs like DVDDecrypter, as an example, will show the manufacturer ID of the media when you load them into the drive. There is a database on this site that gives some clues as to who makes the best discs by manufacturer ID.

As far as the not wishing to expend more money than you have to goes, I can understand that. But in burning, money is more than just the cash you pay for the discs. It is also the time you spend encoding the image files, the wear on your burner, and so forth. Spending a little extra at one stage can save you expending more time (and more money) later.

One solution to the edge problem that I recommend, as I used to have problems with discs freezing for a split second every time I played them in random places, is to burn the discs at slightly less than their capacity. If burning to a 4.35 gig disc, limit your image file size to 4.25 or even 4.10 gigs. I am not sure how you do this in programs other than DVDShrink, but it has improved the quality of my burns quite a bit.