I use DVD Shrink (latest version) and to burn either ULEAD software (I believe it is actually a lite version of NERO) or NERO recode to burn dual layer discs.
1. For single layer discs I burn to MAXIM DVD-R discs bought from SHOP4TECH
2. All my discs play fine at home on my SONY stand alone players
3. I burn the single layer discs in a Pioneer A106 internal DVD burner
4. I burn the Dual layer discs to DVD+R (usually MEMORX)in a Sony DV Direct burner via USB
5. DVD Shrink creates a Video_TS file for me with the .VOB .IFO .BUP files which I burn these to the DVD media whether it is a single layer or dual layer disc
My problem is that these discs will play about half way thru on my laptop or on a different stand alone DVD player (like a Zenith or such like) but after about half way thru the movie they start to skip and finally after a lot of skipping then they freeze and that's it. No more playback after that.
Is the problem with the file types? Should I be imaging the original discs as an ISO?
1. Does this burn better than the .VOB .BUP .IFO file types??
2. I burn at slow speeds like 2X believing that this burns better more consistent pits and grooves etc....IS THIS TRUE???
3. Is there anything else I should do to be able to take my back-ups anywhere with me and be able to watch them on the stand alone players or off the DVD drive in my laptop???
4. It seems the fact that I have the same problem with my laptop trying to play these discs back as with the other model(s) of stand alone players is a big clue to either a BURNING ISSUE or a RIPPING ISSUE.
Please help.
Thanks,
Dean
I use only Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden discs. For DL i only use the Verbs and they all work fine. I used to use CMC discs thinking all DVD media was the same and that the lowest price was the best way to go. Then one day i noticed the same issue you stated on a disc i had backed up on a CMC. Funny thing was, it played back perfectly once before. I checked the rest of my CMCs using Nero cd/dvd drive speed and the disc quality test. Most of them were down to 70% quality or less and they were only a year or less old. I switched to Tys and that problem went away. Test your surviving disc with Nero or something like DVD Info Pro, and see what kind of errors it reports back, or the quality score you get.
Burning at slower speeds doesnt always give you better quality, and in some cases, it actually reduces quality. One of my drives gives better quality with an 8x burn vs a 4x burn. PI/PIF PO tests will give you an idea as to the quality of your burns both now, and later. 4x to 8x burns is the max i suggest, but some burn faster.
I know for computer chip manufacture the dose is a formula of laser energy vs amount of time. For DVDs laser energy should be constant, either on, or off, but speed is the variable we can control. The Nero tool is the way to test to see what speed works best for you. Use good media and burn at "safe" speeds, and you should be fine. Also if you can booktype your DVD+R to DVD-ROM, it will be more compatible with stand alones and multiple players.
Here is a blog i did on how to do that with various programs:
http://my.afterdawn.com/maxburn/blog_entry.cfm/236/booktypesettings
