Sticky labels can screwup the playback of your DVDR's

[miketree]

I removed the label and it plays fine.

I'm off to re-burn about 25 family home movie DVDs....

Why not remove the labels?

[hxc3634]

I labeled all my DVDs with Neato but only several DVDs have problems. Specially those DVDs are encoded at low bit rate (~2500). Other high bit rate ( over 3500 - 4000) didn't cause any problem. I believe this label problem come from the disk rotating speed and data-read problem of DVD player.

[herbapou]

The number one cause of this problem is a too sensitive player. Hell, some player are so sensitive they even have problems with commercial DVD`s.

Some labels glue also dont react very well to heat. That can cause minor problems with the spinning of the DVD. Again, too sensitive players will have this problem.

Its also possible the coating on the top of the DVD is cheap. Some lasers may "see" the colors of the label right though the dvd and it confuses them. Thats because some companies put the reflective coating on the upper side of the disk. If you scratch the top side of those disk with a pen, you will see through them.

I personnally dont have any problems with my disk/labels/player. My DVDR are no-name with all white top side coating. I am using a tool to put my labels on my disk. My labels are thick enough that I barely see the colors print on the label from the bottom.

[dood]

I removed the label and it plays fine.

I'm off to re-burn about 25 family home movie DVDs....

Why not remove the labels?

I tried that on one....what a mess! Even soaked it in hot water for a half hour. Still never got all the glue off. At $1 a piece ($25 total), I'll just copy the discs to new blanks. No big deal, and this is archival stuff I don't want to take chances with.

BTW, I ordered a hub label kit and 600 labels from surething.com for $25.

[thxkid]

I have used over 200 labels on DVD+R' without a prob, I do use the super thin Merritline glossy lables only, also Everyone that I have heard that has had problem has been on the -R burned disc, which in my opinion based on what I have read is not as realiable as the +R format, just look on this forum for proof, see massvive more problems with pioneer and Sony drives than ove the HP's and the labels that would not work all came from pioneer drives.

[Super Warrior]

FINALLY !!!.... someone has the same problem has I !!!!
This is important!!!.. I'v burned more than 40 discs and label them all and could not understand why the movies failed in same point... this hapends with ALL media discs with several autoring programs; I realy tested EVERYTHING diferent movies, diferent players, diferent editing programs and discovered that the ONLY real problem is the labels !!

DON'T LABEL YOUR MOVIES !!!!

"this hapends with ALL media discs"

If by all media discs you are includeing VCDs too,then you are wrong.I've many VCDs in my collection and i put white labels on all of them and they've always worked fine.

[Craig Tucker]

I have never had problems with labelling CDR media only DVD-R

[ajpdias]

Craig, you are right, i have many problems with labels in my authored DVD's, but no problem with CDR's!
Not only one of my DVD's have played fine after i have applied one label...but i have burned once again the same movies, on the same media, with the same tools, and i dont have a single problem with my movies!
guess what...

[lewijo]

Here's some more fuel for the fire...

The Video Rental place I go to labels ALL of their original DVDs with a transparent "Property of ..." sticky label. Most of the time it's not evenly applied either. Hmmm... Maybe we're seeing a thick vs thin label problem here.

[alhall]

I have over 200 DVDRs with labels and never had a problem. I really believe it has more to do with the quality of the DVDR.

[letgoofmyears]

I've been labeling all of my dvd-r movies since I started doing them. I get the images from cdcovers.cc, print them on my deskjet 940c, using cd stomper pro applicator and labels. I've never had a problem. However, I've loaned them to people who DID have trouble getting them to play correctly. Their complaint was what you described above. But, they work fine for me, so I'm going to keep doing it.

[redcell34]

My 2 cents
I was having this same problem with certain media. I would check the dvd before I spent the time labeling and it worked perfect. Put a label on and halfway through pixels, stop playing you name it. Took some nail polish remover to take off label and wham. Played perfect. The ones that I had a problem with were Princo white face. I had some Memorex that had labels and still play perfect. So I think it is just a combination of media and the labels. I am just looking at getting a printer that prints directly on the media.

[Sakuya]

May I ask what kind of labels you guys are using? Is it those special CD labels or is it the normal square kinds of labels?

[Craig Tucker]

Special CD labels applied with an applicator, to make sure they are central.

[joerusso]

I had the same problem with using sticky labels on my DVDs. Always it would foul up near the end portion of the disk, roughly at 2/3 of the recording. I didn't have any problems with labeling the disks until I switched from Verbatim to Memorex disks. The Memorex disks played fine until I installed a sticky label & then it wouldn't play on the 5th menu, the disk having 6 menus. This occurred on four connective disks. By the way, the labels were installed with a centering tool and the labels appeared near perfect in the center of the disks.

I have a new JVC DVD player and I decided to try my 4 non functioning disks on my friend's new Philip's player. To my surprise the 4 labeled disks played fine on my friend's player. Then we tried them on another DVD player, a year & half old, and again they failed on the 5th menu.

As a test we stripped off half of the label on one of my non functioning disks to create a unbalanced DVD disks. Then the unbalanced disk was installed in his Philips player, which played fine earlier, and the Philips player continued to play the unbalanced disk w/o any problems.

Conclusions from these experiments... both DVD disk manufacturers (Memorex vs. Verbatim) & DVD players (JVC vs. Philips) are a factor on playing disks properly when installing sticky labels, and finally, certain DVD players will even play unbalanced disks perfectly with sticky labels.

[coda304]

It seems fairly obvious that the problems with labels are directly related to the design of the standalone player.

How about software DVD players, are the people who have troubles with standalones having the same effect on their PC’s?

[joerusso]

It's been my experience if the Memorex DVD disks with sticky labels do not play properly on my JVC standalone player they do not play properly on my computer when using PowerDVD software.

My Pioneer DVD burner uses DVD-R disks. It would be very informative if users with DVD+R disks have experienced the same problem when they label their disks.

[LanEvo7]

Maybe the problem is because your labeling the wrong DVDs? What I mean by that is some DVD-Rs, can be labeled and some can't. I haven't had experiences with DVD-rs, but I had some CD-R that wouldn't read correctly after I labeled them. Others were fine using the same labels.

[Erica]

Why not just use a thermal printer like I do?

It prints directly onto my DVDs and its great with no problems. Recieved mine the day after ordering online too!

90 bucks and worth every penny!

check here:

http://store.yahoo.com/digitally-unique/cw50.html

[marco_the_boy]

I used to label my PSX backups, but after a while playing the game, it used to skip and not be able to read the disk any longer. When I took the disk out, it was warm and slightly warped (because of the label).

Look at the disk 'sideways on' to see if it is perfectly flat. If not, the drive will have trouble reading it.

In my experience, only disks with labels will warp when they get warm.

[Rogue3]

I've labeled all of my dvd's and have yet to have a problem. I don't use inkjet however, I use laser printers. Maybe that makes a difference since there is no ink to bleed through.

I use Ritek unbranded media (I've also heard you shouldnt label branded media because they already have a 'label' on them).

I've labeled about 20 dvd's personally and have labeled 60+ for friends without any complaints.

I use Neato brand labels and label applicator (the 2-piece, older version).

My standalone player is a pioneer dv-444.

[thegig]

Just to throw my two cents in. I too had a DVD that would freeze consistantly, I chalked it up to the player until just recently. I removed the label, and whala, Works like a charm. I was using Neato also, but no longer. I may just have to get the Casio cw50, or just use a sharpie.

[SergeantD]

You guys are missing the boat!! Are you making sure everything on the label is spelled correctly? If not then that is your problem. I accidently misspelled the name of a movie once and the damn DVD refused to play. I then caught my mistake and PRESTO, the problem was solved!!!

[disturbed1]

I have a crap load of DVD-R's (60% Princo, & 40% Ritek), everyone is labeled with cheap 3 up labels from Meritline. Printed in black and white by an injet printer.

Every disc plays fine, on Apex players, PS2s, XBox, Philips etc.....

After 4 hours of play any machine would overheat, even our DVD players that don't have vents, nor fans. Heat would cause slight condensation on the discs more like a fog, that hinders the laser's ability to read the disc.

A disc can also become a magnet for dust once it starts to spin, if your DVD player, or area, is dusty, it can clutter the lens. Most manufactures recomend a cleaning after every 6 hours of use.

I've only had a couple of friends that had problems, they all 3 had older Toshiba DVD players that wouldn't load the discs.

I believe this label thing nothing more than a myth. Much like burning CDs at a slower speed was an excuse for burners with weak lasers.

[Craig Tucker]

Well it is obviously not a myth as there are many people who suffer the same problems (just read this thread). It seems to me that some DVD player are more sensivive to the type of media they will play.

Forget about overheating condensation or any other time related problem. I can put a brand new burned DVD-R in my DVD player (which has been switched off overnight) with no label and it will play fine. Take the disc out a few seconds later apply a lablel and play again, now the DVD skips stops and generally plays like crap.

It seems to me to be a combination of budget media (which the DVD player is just managing to read correctly without a label) and DVD players which are over-sensitive about the type of media they will read.

Adding a label to the combination of cheap DVD-R's and an oversensitive player is enough to send this finely balanced pairing over the edge and render the disc unplayable in a sensitive player.

Well this is my opinion anyway.

[dcsos]

CRAIG: EXCELLENT HEADS UP! this topic

now for this guy who says:
I have over 200 DVDRs with labels and never had a problem. I really believe it has more to do with the quality of the DVDR.

NOT TRUE
DVD+R's also suffer the same. When using sticky labes, please confine your activity to CD MEDIA

DVD-+R cannot be labelled. PERIOD

The people who invented the MEDIA have cautioned us not to label our burns with sticky labels.....NOW DON"T DO IT!!!


now the words from the PROFESSIONALS
(the chief engineer at SONIC SOLUTIONS which makes Scenerist and Creator as well as REEL DVD and My DVD and DVDit )
From The DVD DEMYSTIFIED website
Is it ok to put labels or magnetic strips on DVDs?
Labels and adhesive strips are a bad idea since they can unbalance the disc and cause errors, or even damage a player, especially if they peel off while the disc is spinning. Pressure-sensitive adhesives break down over time, so it's possible for labels to come loose after a few years. Libraries and DVD rental outlets often want to label discs or attach magnetic strips for security, but it's best not to use them at all. If you must, use a ring-shaped "donut" label that goes around the center of the disc. As long as the circular label doesn't interfere with the player clamping onto the hub, it should be ok. If you have to use a non-circular sticker, place it as close to the center as possible to minimize unbalancing. Placing a second sticker straight across from the center will also help. Writing with a marker in the clear (not reflective) area at the hub is better than using a sticker, although there's not much room to write. Write only in the area inside a 44-mm diameter. Writing anywhere else on the disc is risky, since the ink could possibly eat away the protective coating and damage the data layer underneath.

In most cases a better alternative is a security case that can only be opened with special equipment at the register or checkout counter. Barcodes, stickers, and security strips can be placed on the case without endangering discs (or players). This is especially good for double-sided discs, which have no space for stickers.

Full-size round labels designed to go on recordable DVDs may work, but have been known to cause problems. A better (but more expensive) solution is to use an inkjet disc printer


I like the guy who said you just need to spell it rightand it'll work!:)

[SergeantD]

CRAIG: EXCELLENT HEADS UP! this topic

I like the guy who said you just need to spell it rightand it'll work!

You are not so bad yourself

[sterno]

DVD+R's also suffer the same. When using sticky labes, please confine your activity to CD MEDIA

DVD-+R cannot be labelled. PERIOD

The people who invented the MEDIA have cautioned us not to label our burns with sticky labels.....NOW DON"T DO IT!!!

Actually CD-R makers also tell you not to put sticky labels on the discs (read the warnings on the package sometime). It's just that the problems that result from labeling CDs aren't quite as common, at least not with current hardware.

[Espen]

Hmmm I have only labeld about 10 of my dvds so far, no problems yet though, but after reading this I get a little worried. I would really like to continue laeling my dvds, but I guess I will have to be careful and consider the risks.

My conclusion anyway is, that if you have a good player and don't use cheap media, dvds with label will work to 95%!

[Espen]

Let's make a poll a see what result it gives. It would be intresting to see how many people having problems with there labels!