Problems Burning Movie Files onto blank Dvds-RW disks

[tealmarlin]

I seem to have no problem copying Movie files onto CDs. Realplayer/Windows media player seem unable to copy movie files onto DVD disks.

Everytime I try to Burn A movie file (mpeg format) onto a DVD blank disk using nero, I get that the burn was successfull..

But..After the burn, I put the dvd back into my pc to see If I can start to play the movie, only to get a list of programs that I have the options to use to burn the Dvd again. ??

The dvd disks im using are (DVD-RW) (2x) (4.7mb) (120 min long) The movie im trying to burn in question is only 55 min long. Any Advise Please. Thank you.

In Nero, I always Choose > Video CD.

''Create a video cd from your video and/or picture files that can be played on most VCD and dvd players
the files are automatically converted to the correct format durning the burn process.''


Does that mean I only need to put a Blank CD-R /or CD-RW in my D: drive to burn a movie, and then I can watch it on a Regular dvd player?

Disclaimer- The Dvds Are only for my own Personel use.

UPDATE: Fixed Problem. Ended up being my DVD writer that was the problem, only burned cds, not dvds. I went out and got a Very nice LG DVD burner.And Burned a movie onto a dvd with success. Thank you for the help everyone.

[usually_quiet]

Realplayer and WMP have some limitations. Download VLC. It is free and can play most kinds of video.

If that does not work, we'll need more information, such as: Did you close the session when you wrote files to these discs? What kind of movie files? (avi, divx, etc.) Are the files copy protected in some way?

You will not be able to watch a DVD using a regular DVD player unless it is in a compatible format. Some newer players will play some divx and avi formats, but not all of them. Most will only play DVDs that have been properly authored, not data files.

[jman98]

You cannot burn VCD format onto DVD discs, so that's your main problem. If you want to burn to DVD discs, you either need to burn the source video files unchanged as data discs or convert to DVD format. Your conversion to VCD works with CDs because VCD format can be burned only to CD discs. Whether or not your DVD player will play a VCD you make yourself is a question I cannot answer (no details on your player). Most likely, yes, but you could always have a piece of crap player that doesn't support the format, is fussy about PAL or NTSC, and so on.

[PuzZLeR]

Are you trying to burn an authored video disc or a data disc?

Nevertheless, the error you describe is a testament of Nero's flakiness at times when toggling from CD to DvD or vice-versa. I don't know why it takes up some time to burn, then spits out "unsuccessful" whatever. On my end, I believe, it's a bug in NeroStart.

I now just use ImgBurn (free) for my final burns for DvD.

If you want an authored production, just author it with NeroVision, output as an image file, then burn that to disc with ImgBurn (Image file to disc).

If it's a data DvD, then just burn the contents onto it straight with ImgBurn. (Files/folders to disc).

[tealmarlin]

Yes, I did close the session.

As Far as I know, they are not copy Protected in any way.Also like I said, I can copy the movie ok with Realplayer on a CD.

The Movie file was a .flv format I converted the file myself to mpeg.

To the post above, Im trying to Burn a Free online Video that I saved as a File on my pc. Then Burn that video(file) on a DVD-RW Disk using Nero.

[usually_quiet]

Maybe the mpeg file isn't being written to the DVD. Have you previously been able to sucessfully copy other kinds of files to a DVD-RW?

[PuzZLeR]

To the post above, Im trying to Burn a Free online Video that I saved as a File on my pc. Then Burn that video(file) on a DVD-RW Disk using Nero.

Data I assume. Then just use ImgBurn, or any burning tool, if Nero is misbehaving.

The dvd disks im using are (DVD-RW) (2x) (4.7mb) (120 min long) The movie im trying to burn in question is only 55 min long.

Let me just clarify here (in case you're a newbie) :P . The "4.7" "120 min long" is just blah for consumers who are still used to the VHS concept. It is not a hard standard in any way for DvD video.

Video is complex. You can get great quality with, for example, a static sit-com with 3 hours on one disc. Yet you may struggle to get decent quality with, for example, a sports game with lots of movement, with even less than 2 hours per disc. (Then again, if your movie is 55 minutes long, then pretty much any DvD video, encoded to the full bitrate to fit 4.7 GB, can look its best.)

The "120 minutes" is just a token cookie-cutter amount that will work, but not produce an optimum balance between quality/bitrate for most projects. (You would need quantizers or constant quality encoding for that optimization.)

[tealmarlin]

In ImgBurn, it says at the botton left -Device not Ready (medium not present)

[tealmarlin]

is there a chance that I could be having these problems because my DVD/Cd drive is not a burning device in the first place. Can any Dvd/Cd drive be used as a Burner?

[PuzZLeR]

It's either the drive, or the disc itself, that is the problem it seems.

Personally I've never tried these features, but there must be some sort of verification utilities within ImgBurn, or even Nero (InfoTool maybe) that can detect something.

Can any Dvd/Cd drive be used as a Burner?

No. Only those that have physical burn properties, not just those that read. Although today most have burning features, and have never been cheaper to replace if you have a faulty burner. You can always try a new one with a money back guarantee if it still doesn't work.

I had a failing CD burner about 5 years ago and struggled with it needlessly till I found out it was defective. I bought a new one and it solved the problem and saw what a waste of time it was to fiddle around with a bum-burner.

[jman98]

Well, since you don't state whether or not you actually placed a blank disc in the drive, it could be that ImgBurn is trying to tell you that there's nothing in the drive. You have to put blank media in the drive BEFORE you try to burn with ImgBurn. It's not like Nero where it opens the drive for disc when you click to burn. There are such things as read only drives though and those can't burn. InfoTool in Nero will tell you what all of your drives are and aren't capable of doing.

[tealmarlin]

Thank you for all your answers.

Iv checked to see if my dvd/cd drive is RW, and it is, its a Burner. No problem there. So it must be the disk. Still trying

[usually_quiet]

Sometimes the optical drive that comes with a computer is a CD/CD-RW read/write and DVD-ROM. I thought it was a possibility that this is the first time you have tried writing to a DVD, and your drive was not a DVD burner. ImgBurn Tools->Drive->Capabilities should tell you what it can do.

[Edit] I see you already did that while I was writing this.

[PuzZLeR]

Is your burner an older one which does not support both "-" and "+"? Newer drives don't usually have this limitation but older drives a few years old, and more, do.

I still say start thinking of a new burner if your luck doesn't improve soon enough. Due to the sensitivity of the components, burners fail often. And you have nothing to lose when they're dirt-cheap today and offer a money back guarantee if it doesn't solve your problem.

If it does solve your problem you'll be glad you invested a small bit of $. Life's too short.

[usually_quiet]

If your drive can burn both DVD+RW and DVD-RW media, then perhaps it just can't successfully write to the brand of disc you are using. Some burners just don't like certain brands. Also, disc manufacturers keep changing how they make media, and older burners sometimes can't cope very well with the changes.

The brand is only half the story anyway. Discs sold under the same brand are often actually made by different companies, or in different countries, and are not identical, even if the packages say they are the same item.

[tealmarlin]

I got ImgBurn to Burn for me. I open the Movie file, put in a different dvd, and go through the steps, it starts to burn, then it says burn completed successfully. So I take the dvd out, there are now two new files on my desktop. So I put the dvd back in to see what I get, and still nothing new. I check on my Computer >D drive, and there is nothing in there. So nothing playing, and I dont even see anything on the D drive. Im I missing a step?? before or after the burn, what should happen after a successfull burn?? (when I take the dvd, and put it back in)

The PC is about 2 1/2 years old. The D drive has been acting up within the last few months, such as the tray wont come out right away, you have to wait a while after you press the eject button, sometimes you even have to press it a few times, not sure if that has anything to do with it though.

I just put the dvd that I burned into a different pc, and once again nothing opened up.

So it that tells me (correct me if im wrong) that Nothing was burned on the disk..even though imgburn informed me that it was a successfull burn. Iv been trouble shooting computers for 12 years, I know that its a simple problem, just not sure what it is..

BTW, in Imgburn The file source was C:\ owner\desktop\movie.mpeg.mds <does this sound right?

and the file sys ISO9660 (just making sure that i opened the right files, and that all the formats are correct))

[Nelson37]

It is possible that your drive will burn to RW CD disks, but not DVD disks. Such drives exist. It is also possible for a burner to fail in such a way that CD will still burn, but no longer DVD.

Have you EVER, AT ANY TIME, burnt a DVD with this drive?

Next, stop screwing with video, just pick a DATA file and burn it to DVD. Test that.

Also, what exactly are these two files on your desktop that IMGBURN created? The prog has two functions, one to CREATE disk images and a second function to burn them. Normally, no files are created on the desktop.

So far, no valid data on which to base a diagnosis of any kind. Equipment failure, program failure, or user error all possible.

And NO, that definitely does not sound right.

[tealmarlin]

''C:\ owner\desktop\movie.mpeg.mds <does this sound right?''

What should the path look like?, because I have a funny feeling myself that something aint right there.

What format should I convert the file to.

And what directory should I save in.

[Nelson37]

Convert NOTHING.

Simplify the problem for the purpose of better identifying it.

Simply burn a data file, of any kind, and verify that burning is possible.

Later on will be time to get the files properly converted and authored, AFTER it has been verified that the drive in your PC can actually burn a DVD.

As for the path, it should be pointing to wherever the files you want to burn are located. These will start with an MPG file, which is then authored into VOB files in a VIDEO_TS directory. None of that is necessary to verfy the functionality of your burner, and is, in fact, seriously confusing the issue.

You can't burn a DVD Video disk without the proper files. You also can't do it without a burner that works. Getting the files right will take quite some time. Determining if the burner works should be a less than 5 minute job. BUT, everything else is a total waste of time until the burner is verified.

[tealmarlin]

I just Burned A data file using a CD with Nero. First I tried to Burn the file with a CD-RW, without success, then I tried it with a CD-R With success.

So I CAN Burn a CD..

So why cant I Burn with a DVD-RW disk? (wrong type of disk?) and/or The process of how im burning the movie file?

Now Im trying to Burn the same data file with a DVD-RW disk, It spits the disk out and tells me to (please insert a writable disk) Even though its Blank, and there is nothing in Drive D.

so.. am I right in saying that ill have to go out and get some DVD-R disks before I go any further?

[usually_quiet]

If you can burn CD-Rs but not CD-RWs, then it is looking more likely that your burner is about to die than that the DVD-RW discs you are using is incompatible. Multifunctioin burners can retain the ability to burn write-once CDs when they are going bad, even if they refuse to burn DVDs or re-witable CD media. You could try DVD-R, but there's no way to tell if that will work any better than burning DVD-RW.

If you have a desktop, it isn't difficult or expensive to replace an internal burner. ...or you could get an external burner for a bit more.

[PuzZLeR]

I'm no expert, but, assuming your burner is fully compatible with all media (CD, DvD, R, RW, +, -, etc) then to me it's obviously failing. It even shows shifty behavior as well, much like mine use to before I replaced it. Burners fail alot. And OEM burners are usually even worse - cheap components put together by a non-specialized manufacturer to produce a whole.

I hate to sound repetitive, and this is the last time I repeat this. Promise (and it's up to you after).

You owe yourself a trip to your electronics chain and plunk down what would be less than £10 in your currency and buy a new drive. For a small amount of money you can quickly determine whether it's equipment failure or not.

If it still fails, you have killed off one possibility quite likely that is causing the problems and you can still get your money back.

If it works fluidly, well, for some measly coffee money you've solved your problem and can go out and enjoy some fresh air when your work is done.

Anyway, that's what I would do for peace of mind. Good luck. 8)

[tealmarlin]

I agree puzzler, Im going to my local pc store today to take a look at a few Burners, ill be back later today to give you an update, and to move forward with the project.

thank you for all your answers, be back in abit

[Nelson37]

So why cant I Burn with a DVD-RW disk? (wrong type of disk?) and/or The process of how im burning the movie file?


Help me to understand something. Did I not make it abundantly clear that eliminating the second part of this question was the whole point of using a data file for a simple burn test?

ISOLATE and IDENTIFY. Say it with me.

Also, look into Authoring, it does not appear that you are performing this necessary step. This has no effect whatsoever on the actual burn process, but will affect player compatibility.

[DarrellS]

What is your computer make and model number? The specs should tell you what the drive is and what it is able to do.

Sounds to me like the drive is not made to burn DVD of any type.

You never did answer the question of whether you've ever successfully burnt a DVD with this drive. You said that you verified that that your drive was a burner but that doesn't neccessarily mean that it's a DVD burner. By spitting the DVD out of the drive with an error that it needs a writable disc tells me that it is looking for a CD-R instead of a DVD-R.

[tealmarlin]

No, I have never Burnt a DVD with my pc.

Here is what my drive looks like in hardware manager. HL-DT-St RW/DVD GCC-4481b

The make is a Dell Dimention 3000, got it about 3 years ago

Model No. Dmc

I was at my local pc shop today, the DVD burners that I want are out, and wont be in for another few days. So At the same time I thought id get a pack of DVD-R disks, and try that too. I get the same problem, even with DVD-R, when trying to burn data file, it spits the Disk out, and says (once again) ''Please insert writable disk'' I tried a different program today too, that will burn dvds, when it came to burn the dvd, it said ''please insert writable disk'' and the burn Button was greyed out.(could not click the Burn button) So all im waiting for now is the New DVD burner, and try again with that. Trial and error I guess.

[PuzZLeR]

Interesting. I would assume that 3 years ago all PCs came with both CD and DvD features on the built-in burners.

If indeed your burner doesn't do DvD, only CD, then it would further justify an upgrade purchase - DvD-R(W) can store over 6x the data.

Another thing you can try - if you have a good friend with a working internal DvD burner, is try his/her burner installed on your PC. See if that helps. Worth a shot.

[PuzZLeR]

ISOLATE and IDENTIFY. Say it with me.

ISOLATE and IDENTIFY!

I agree.

[DarrellS]

Everything that I can find suggests that this PC did not come with a DVD-RW drive but only a CD-RW drive depending on country and CD-RW/DVDROM in some countries. The only way this PC came with a DVD-RW drive is if you paid for the upgrade.

I've known a few people that have had this type of drive in their PCs. One that will burn CDs and play DVDs but won't write to DVD.

Every thread I can find on CDFreaks say it is a CD-RW/DVD ROM, not a DVD burner and a couple of people are talking about it losing the capability to write to CD-RW.

[minidv2dvd]

start imgburn, click on tools/drive/capabilities. it will list what the drive can burn.