Empty DVD Disc with a movie on it ???

[macbuz]

This disc has a movie on it that plays on my home dvd player.

Nothing on my computer recognizes anything on this disc. No application on my cp 'sees the files' on this disc except the finder shows a disc on the desktop. Double clicking the disc icon opens an empty window. No files.

Need help understanding what this is about please. I even took it to my sister's house, popped it in her window pc laptop (Windows XP) to see how it behaved and the same ..... empty, no files, no play, nothing.

Really more curious than anything. Does this make sense to anyone?

[tomlee59]

Sounds like an interesting form of copy protection. Something similar was used in old floppy-disk software, as well as more recently with VCDs (particularly ones from India). The trick seems to be to corrupt the file system in some specific way(s) that cause computer operating systems not to see the files. Standalone players, however, being different beasts, can (at least some can, anyway).

It would be a fun exercise to use ISObuster on that disc. My guess is that you will then be able to extract the streams, but not having such a disc to play with, I'm only guessing.

[macbuz]

My thought exactly - would be a good copy protection routine. Don't know enough (anything) about ISObuster soooo ..... guess it'll remain a mystery.

[terryj]

If you use Toast, can you extract the Mpeg-2 files from the disc?
If you use MacTheRipper, does it scan the disc and enable you
to rip it?

Almost sounds like a not finalized DVD-Recorded disc,
one that was created in a DVD Recorder, but not finalized
to give it proper structure to be read by a computer.
curious.

[macbuz]

Yeah, don't have toast and MTR doesn't 'see' it, DVD Player doesn't see it, RipIt doesn't 'see' it - nothing I have - <smiling> seems Digital Rights is missing the obvious.

[tmw]

My ignorant guess would be that the disc probably has both UDF 2.0 and ISO 9660 directory structures on it. The computer O/S is likely using the newer UDF file system to show that no files exist on the disc. The home DVD player may not like the new UDF, and reverts to the ISO 9660 file directory (which by design leaves the first 32k unused to allow for multiple directory structures) to "see" the video files stored on the disc.

It's really not an empty DVD, but rather an empty file directory being read by the O/S.

That's just my guess. If you wanted to read it, I'd select something like ISObuster or something that can manually look at the directories. Or, try an older O/S like Win98 or Max OS 9 that don't support UDF 2.0, and see if they will use the ISO 9660 structure like the home DVD player.

If I wanted to duplicate your experience, that would be how I would design it. I could be way off. I'm far from expert.

[macbuz]

Good guess - but, no. At least regarding OS9. Have a classic iMac (Lime green - yuck!) running OS9 and same .... empty disc. I noticed however that DVD Player controller was able to see it enough to eject it.

[irongang]

That sounds like a disc that was recorded on a set-top DVD recorder and not finalized. If you recorded it, put it back in the set-top box and finalize it. If you got it from someone else they'll have to do it.

[macbuz]

As good a guess as any I guess - lotta guessing goin' on - LOL. Yeah, don't know it's origin. Belongs to my sister and I was making backups for her, apparently not this one tho.