Is there Any software that will correct for tracking errors on a DVD?

[hitechluddite]

I have a Samsung DVD recorder that can record + - DVD and DVD RAM discs. I use decent quality discs, mostly Sony or Memorex and store them in black library style latching cases. I started to archive some of my favorite movies to HDD only to find they will not read all the way through on my LG-4167 DVD RAM drive in my computer. They also will not completely read on my Wife's computer, my laptop or my other DVD player hooked to my TV. Sometimes they will play for 20 minutes then freeze sometimes an hour sometimes they will play all the way through. On the Samsung they will play with little or no error detected on nearly every disc. The discs are COMPLETELY scratch free having been immediately put away after recording. At this point the only option I see is to buy another recorder and move the samsung to my Computer and dub them to my HDD then burn new copies for TV viewing. I think there is a tracking error of some sort in the Samsung that is causing other players not to read it's discs. Is there software out there that can dynamically adjust for this error?

[minidv2dvd]

the track of a dvd is embedded into a physical groove in the disc so there isn't any alignment other than it works or it doesn't.

what you can try is software that will try to read a sector many times to try and recover hard to read data. isobuster or cdroller are worth a try.

just to let you know sony and memorex are not good dvdr blanks. use only verbatim or taiyo yuden if you wish to avoid problems like this.

[hitechluddite]

Thanks! I'm running a session of isobuster now, if it works I will gladly give them some $ When I started recording DVD's in 2005 I did check manf codes for Taiyo made in Japan discs but after awhile I couldn't find them anymore

[minidv2dvd]

i usually buy t.y. online at meritline or shop4tech. even with t.y. you need to be careful and avoid buying the stock they call "valueline".

verbatim i normally wait for decent prices at buy.com or newegg. their free shipping specials help out if you catch them.

[hitechluddite]

isobuster is allowing me to pull corupted files by filling the bad data with zeros or dummy data but the process is a slow one, probably no quicker than real time capture and re-burn. I'm still not quite sure why media quality would affect all the other players to such a degree compared to the original recording device. I understand about diode wavelengths and media composistion having some affect on readability but if it won't read on 4 seperate players all from different manf that tells me something with the samsung isn't right regardless of media used. What can be done to guarentee cross player compatability?

[minidv2dvd]

you are probably right and the samsung is out of spec enough that it is creating the problems. it could be using the wrong write strategy on the discs or have a bad wavelength laser or any number of other things. replacing it wouldn't be a bad idea.

[yoda313]

@hitechluddite - just curious have you tried the samsung recorded dvd on a normal non dvdrecorder samsung dvd player?

I don't know if that would make any difference.

However in the vhs days it was often the case that tracking would be a problem on different brands of vcrs for homemade tapes. But of course they'd play just fine on the one it was recorded on or a similar model. I'm wondering if the same thing might be in play here. Perhaps a standard non-recording samsung dvd player might like your discs better.

Aside from that minidv2dvd is right in suggesting using different brands of discs and considering a replacement for the unit.

[hitechluddite]

I may end up buying another Samsung DVD Recorder to replace this one, It's almost 4yrs old and I've burnt alot with it. The compatability issue is the only problem I have with it. I will use the links minidvd provided to order some made in JApan Taiyo. All my recordings are for archive purposes.

By the way can anybody decipher what this Manf code means

ZD4136-DVR-147C

I took it from the center Spool

THANKS GUYS!