DVD Doesnt Play Correctly On Stand-alone Player! (Skips)

[Ace-Of-Spades]

Ok, heres a problem ive been having for ages. I am using ConvertXToDVD to convert my avi movies to dvd, now this seems to work with no worries, its the burning that i am having problems with.

When i actually burn the movies, they dont seem to play correctly when i watch them on my stand-alone dvd player. I have tried a few different methods of burning - burning the VIDEO_TS folder straight to dvd using Nero, converting the folder to an ISO then burning it using ImgBurn, but no luck.

Someone suggested to me that it was due to my computer running out of ram while it was burning, so i set up a 4.5GB paging file on my other hard-disk (slave drive) that doesnt get used, apart from storing files, but during the burning process doesnt get used. After doing this, i was able to burn a dvd without errors, however, once again, i cant.

The disks i am using are Ritek DVD-R, but since i was able to burn a good disc, makes me think its not the media.

Any suggestions?

[FulciLives]

1.) Use ImgBurn to make the ISO file then also burn with ImgBurn
2.) Burn at 4x speed (not slower ... not faster)

If the above doesn't work then it could be the DVD burner is dying or your stand alone DVD player is dying. To test the DVD player for it's ability to properly read a DVD-R try to find a DVD-R you burned a long time ago that worked for you before and try it now. If it still works then chances are the DVD player is A-OK but if it doesn't work now and it once did then you know the DVD player is dying. When a DVD player is starting "to go" the first sign is an inability to properly read burned DVD discs even if it plays back commercially made DVD discs A-OK.

If you find out that it isn't the DVD player then the next step is to try different media. If you still have trouble with something like Taiyo Yuden DVD media then it is time to chuck the burner for a new one. If Taiyo Yuden works then you know it was the media.

I mention Taiyo Yuden media because it is the best you can buy. Using it and properly burning it (using ImgBurn) allows you to "troubleshoot" as it is the only media that is more-or-less "perfect" so it takes the question of "Is it the media?" out of the equation. Of course you may get the odd bad burn or a bad disc here or there but Taiyo Yuden is as good as it gets and it is very good.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Bjs]

More likely the home player dislikes the brand of media, not how it was burnt or what is on it, try a different brand

Convertxtodvd could introduce possibilities but depends on the source being converted.

There is nothing wrong with burning to media slower than 4x, it depends on the system hardware available.

Ever tried updating the burners firmware?

There is no such thing as "perfect" media.

[Ace-Of-Spades]

Heres the thing, both my DVD player and my DVD Burner are new (DVD Player is a Samsung and the burner is a LG, so both reputable brands).
I havent updated any firmware, as i dont think that would make a difference on the burning of the DVDs.

As for my dvd player not liking the media, i dont think thats it either, as i have had successful burnnings in the past using the same media.

I am damn sure it has got something to do with the actual burning of the dvd files. After i convert the AVI to DVD it plays fine (then again, computer software is capable of skipping errors). I am pretty sure, that it is my computer running out or ram . . .

[VegasBud]

Ace-Of-Spades,

Since you're "damn sure it has got something to do with the actual burning of the dvd files", we can check that out if you'll post a burn log. It will show any problems (or lack thereof) with the burning part. It would be best to use ImgBurn to get the log, and use "Build" mode to go straight from the VIDEO_TS - AUDIO_TS folders (no ISO involved). Also, you should make sure "Verify" is enabled before the burn that produces the log.

[Ace-Of-Spades]

What does you mean by; "and use "Build" mode to go straight from the VIDEO_TS - AUDIO_TS folders (no ISO involved)."

The way i do a burn is, i use ImgBurn to create a ISO then i switch it over to "Write" mode, then burn from there. . .

[Jim44]

Change to "Build" mode in the "Mode" menu. Add the Video_ts & Audio_ts folders, or their parent folder, and burn directly to disc.

[redwudz]

Ace-Of-Spades, I'm also thinking you are making a big assumption that the Ritek media you are using now is the same as what you used successfully in the past. Their 'formula' may have changed or they may have outsourced that media to a different manufacturer. This is very common. TY isn't usually available at local stores, but Verbatim usually is and almost always performs better than Ritek.

With a new burner, player, ConvertX and ImgBurn, you shouldn't be getting errors unless there is a hardware problem or a major problem somewhere in your computer or OS. Skips are most commonly a media related problem, though, especially towards the end of the disc.

I agree creating a ISO doesn't make much difference anymore unless you want to use it as an archive, especially with ImgBurn. The ISO is just another folder with the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders inside, IMO. And a burn log would help.

[VegasBud]

Ace-Of-Spades,

Sorry about that. Here are the complete instructions to post a burn log like I need to see:

Start ImgBurn
In the menus click "Mode" then "Build"
In the menus click "Output" then "Device"
In the menus click "Tools" then "Setting"
In the dialog box that pops up, on the "Build" tab, lower left, make sure there is a checkmark next to "Create AUDIO_TS folder", then click "OK" to close the window
Click the folder icon next to the window in the upper left, and select your VIDEO_TS folder
Make sure there's a checkmark next to "Verify" (just above the "do-it" icon)
Click the "do-it" icon

When the burn is complete...
In the "ImgBurn Log" window menus, click "Edit" then "Select All"
In the "ImgBurn Log" window menus, click "Edit" then "Copy"
Paste into a post here

By the way, I also think the media is the most likely source of your problem, but analyzing the burn log will show what the problem is without ambiguity.

[Ace-Of-Spades]

Heres the thing, the Ritek disc that successfully worked, came from the same batch/container as the other discs that arnt working. Like you have been saying, the skipping usually occurs towards the end, the first half of the disc usually seems fine.

I will attempt another burn, using the Ritek discs, and i will post up a burn log.

[VegasBud]

Ace-Of-Spades,

A defining characteristic of not-so-good media is inconsistency. Even in the same pack, some are okay, some aren't. The proportions of good to bad will vary, but not the characteristic. Sometimes you'll get an entire pack where every burn is good, but the next pack gives you coasters. It's why you see time and time again people advising others to use Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim. They aren't the only disks that work...but if you're using them, you can pretty much rely on each and every disk burned to be good.

Only really, really bad media skips near the hub. Only the best media is reliable all the way to the outer edge. In between the two, there's the media that is right on the border...this disk is bad...the next is good.

Even though it sounds more and more like the media you're using is the problem, a burn log is the only way to really be sure. It's also a good way to uncover little things you could improve on in your burning technique. I'm willing to go through a log if you're willing to post one.

[terjeber]

the skipping usually occurs towards the end, the first half of the disc usually seems fine.

As VegasBud says, bad media is not characterized by being bad all the time, it is characterized by being inconsistent. In other words, the fact that you were able to burn one good disk and the others were coasters is a strong indication that it is a problem with your media, not the other way around.

The quote above is also a strong indication that you have a media issue. Bad media tends to show it self towards the outer parts of the disk, which is what would be the last part of your movie. In other words, all the symptoms you are giving points to bad media.

[Ace-Of-Spades]

People;

As i have a little bit of time today, i am going to be trying to burning a dvd, and we'll see how it goes. Later i am going to convert the avi's and then i will burn the actual dvd (to one of the normal discs that ive been using). I will also, go and buy a Verbatin disc and see how that goes. I will post up a burn-log later on today, so we'll see how it all goes.

[Ace-Of-Spades]

Ok, so i have burnt the dvd using the above method posted by VegasBud, i used the same Ritek discs i have always used, although i havent watched it yet, i'd be pretty sure that it will still be skipping towards the end of playback. Either way, here is the burn log, tell me what you think (keeping in mind, i have a Page File of approx. 4GB on a second hard drive)...

I 22:38:06 ImgBurn Version 2.3.2.0 started!
I 22:38:06 Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600 : Service Pack 2)
I 22:38:06 Total Physical Memory: 523,800 KB - Available: 174,240 KB
I 22:38:06 Initialising SPTI...
I 22:38:06 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices...
I 22:38:06 Found 1 CD-RW and 1 DVD±RW/RAM!
I 22:43:07 Operation Started!
I 22:43:07 Building Image Tree...
I 22:43:07 Checking Directory Depth...
I 22:43:07 Calculating Totals...
I 22:43:07 Preparing Image...
I 22:43:07 Checking Path Length...
I 22:43:07 Image Size: 4,591,157,248 bytes
I 22:43:07 Image Sectors: 2,241,776
I 22:43:12 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:00:05
I 22:43:12 Operation Started!
I 22:43:12 Source File: -==/\/[BUILD IMAGE]\/\==-
I 22:43:12 Source File Sectors: 2,241,776 (MODE1/2048)
I 22:43:12 Source File Size: 4,591,157,248 bytes
I 22:43:12 Source File Volume Identifier: MOVIE1
I 22:43:12 Source File Application Identifier: IMGBURN V2.3.2.0 - THE ULTIMATE IMAGE BURNER!
I 22:43:12 Source File Implementation Identifier: ImgBurn
I 22:43:12 Source File File System(s): ISO9660, UDF (1.02)
I 22:43:12 Destination Device: [1:1:0] HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H55N 1.03 (F (ATA)
I 22:43:12 Destination Media Type: DVD-R (Disc ID: RITEKG05) (Speeds: 4x, 8x)
I 22:43:12 Destination Media Sectors: 2,297,888
I 22:43:12 Write Mode: DVD
I 22:43:12 Write Type: DAO
I 22:43:12 Write Speed: 2x
I 22:43:12 Link Size: Auto
I 22:43:12 Test Mode: No
I 22:43:12 BURN-Proof: Enabled
I 22:43:13 Filling Buffer... (20 MB)
I 22:43:14 Writing LeadIn...
I 22:43:34 Writing Image... (LBA: 0 - 2241775)
I 22:57:31 Synchronising Cache...
I 22:58:01 Image MD5: 188120dc66f321ca40a107d21013082d
I 22:58:01 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:14:49
I 22:58:01 Average Write Rate: 5,363 KB/s (3.9x) - Maximum Write Rate: 5,592 KB/s (4.0x)
I 22:58:01 Cycling Tray before Verify...
W 22:58:12 Waiting for device to become ready...
I 22:58:57 Device Ready!
I 22:58:57 Operation Started!
I 22:58:57 Source Device: [1:1:0] HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H55N 1.03 (F (ATA)
I 22:58:57 Source Media Type: DVD-R (Book Type: DVD-R) (Disc ID: RITEKG05) (Speeds: 4x, 8x)
I 22:58:57 Image File: -==/\/[BUILD IMAGE]\/\==-
I 22:58:57 Image File Sectors: 2,241,776 (MODE1/2048)
I 22:58:57 Image File Size: 4,591,157,248 bytes
I 22:58:57 Image File Volume Identifier: MOVIE1
I 22:58:57 Image File Application Identifier: IMGBURN V2.3.2.0 - THE ULTIMATE IMAGE BURNER!
I 22:58:57 Image File Implementation Identifier: ImgBurn
I 22:58:57 Image File File System(s): ISO9660, UDF (1.02)
I 22:58:57 Verifying Sectors... (LBA: 0 - 2241775)
I 23:11:54 Device MD5: 188120dc66f321ca40a107d21013082d
I 23:11:54 Image MD5: 188120dc66f321ca40a107d21013082d
I 23:11:54 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:12:57
I 23:11:54 Average Verify Rate: 5,770 KB/s (4.2x) - Maximum Verify Rate: 8,375 KB/s (6.0x)

[VegasBud]

Ace-Of-Spades,

The burn log shows that there was no error during burning or verification. There is an accurate copy of the source material on the burned disk, at least when it's accessed from the burner in your computer.

If the burned disk skips during playback in your stand-alone, try playing the source material on your computer. If that skips, the problem was introduced during the processing that produced the source material, and the burning process just dutifully carried over the error. If the source material plays back on your computer without skipping, it comes down to the interaction between your player and the burned disk.

If that's the case, burn the exact same source material, in the exact same way, to a Verbatim disk. If the resulting disk also skips in the stand-alone player, the player is the problem. If the Verbatim plays fine in the stand-alone player, the Ritek media isn't a good choice of media for that player.

Other (non-connected) things in the burn log:

ImgBurn was set to request:

Write Speed: 2x

but the drive you're burning with doesn't have a 2x write strategy for that media...all it has is 4x or 8x

Destination Media Type: DVD-R (Disc ID: RITEKG05) (Speeds: 4x, 8x)

so the drive went with the 4x write strategy. It wouldn't have had an effect on the burn, but you're not going to get a 2x burn from that drive-media combination, so there isn't much point in asking for it.

The last line of the log you posted says:

Average Verify Rate: 5,770 KB/s (4.2x) - Maximum Verify Rate: 8,375 KB/s (6.0x)

That's a pretty slow verification rate. It might be that the burner was having a hard time reading a borderline disk, but it could also be an indication that the source material on your hard drive was seriously fragmented. It wouldn't hurt to defragment that drive, just to be sure.

[Ace-Of-Spades]

Alright, i'm back again, and in the time i've been gone, i have tried Verbatim DVD+R discs.

Firstly, i used ImgBurn to build the disc and i burnt at 4x (the discs are up to 16x compatible). I fit about 4 episodes on the disc, each one about 45min long. Now, the disc played pretty well, in fact it would have been perfect except for the ONE skip that occurred during the 3rd episode (i think it was). Now, im not sure if that was the disc playing up, or how i burnt it, generally i try to close all processes/applications when burning.

Anyway, i can live with one error on a disc, but i have burnt another 4 episodes onto another Verbatim DVD+R, again, each episode 45min long, so i will watch these and see how it goes.

Any idea why that one glitch occurred, and ruined a 'almost' perfect DVD?

[redwudz]

May be a error in the file. Not many ways to check it. I've opened questionable MPEG files with VirtualDub Mod and moved to the problem area, then stepped through one frame at a time using the arrow keys. You should be able to do this with other editors. When you hit the exact time/frame, look for a problem. It may be an error or a short missing section.

ImgBurn is just going to copy what you gave it, so more likely a problem with the file than ImgBurn if you are using good media.