The problem -- as you found out -- is that if you don't point to the correct directory, DVD-A will burn a blank disk. This just shouldn't happen.

SoFo are you listening?

What is the CORRECT procedure for duplicating a disc this way?

In answer to kleb's question above, the help file states:

"From the File menu, choose Make DVD. Click the Burn button. In the Prepare folder box, type the path to the prepared project you want to burn, or click Browse to choose a folder."

The problem I found is that the "path to the prepared project" is the path to directory that has the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, and the VIDEO_TS folder has to have all your VOB, IFO files, etc. The problem is, if you create these folders after getting an error message that the "the selected path is not valid," and then forget to move your project files into the VIDEO_TS directory, DVD-A will just charge ahead and create a blank DVD.

The one good thing about this is that it doesn't take DVD-A very long to finish creating a blank DVD. ;)

Yep, coasters are quick.

Well according to those instructions, I did everything right!

Maybe this is OT. But I could've encountered a bad disk(?) I've been using Verbatim DVD+RW for burning various sinlge short projects with no problems. I learned how to fit 110 minutes of video on one disk (using variable bit rate, which took DVDA 11.5 hours to render & burn). The disk was the Verbatim +RW. I then decided to make a backup on a Memorex DVD+R. But this was a few days after cleaning the disk space. I thought I could use the Audio & Video files from my ORIGINAL MASTER dvd disk. In other words I am ripping and burning, which I see posted in another message is NOT OFFICIALLY SUPPORTED! Needless to say, DVDA acted like it burned my second (the Memorex) disk successfully, using "Burn" only. It gave me a success message at the end of the burn also took ony 22 minutes! However, the disk is totally unreadable. I'll try the whole process again this time with an RW (of which I'm out presently & have to restock...)

I'm getting a little frustrated...

Yes this is a little OT, but what the heck ...

I know that SoFo has said that they don't support ripping, BUT they had better be careful not to carry that attitude too far. It is fine if they don't want to support illegal copying of commercial DVDs but, in my opinion, the MUST support the ability to take bits a pieces of DVDs that I have created and allow me to re-use those bits -- without degrading them through re-compression -- in a new project. I mean, let's face it: DVD is a much better long-term storage and distribution medium than tape (please don't flame me -- I know the picture quality of DV tape is better than even the best MPEG-2 encode). DVD is cheaper, easier to navigate, takes up very little space, and (probably) is more stable in the long term.

Therefore, why doesn't SoFo make it EASY for me to re-author the content on my own DVDs?

The new Sony ownership may blind those making the decisions to this obvious need. Sony has a big problem protecting its media assets, and I don't have a good solution to their problem. However, we users will increasingly demand the ability to re-author their own DVD content, and the only way to stay viable in this market is to provide features that let us do this.

Hmm...

I can make as many copies as I want and all I do is push the burn button and tell DVD-A what directory to find the files.

Maybe some confusion between RAW files used in to build the project and the image files DVD-A and every other DVD Authoring application makes?

We're not talking recompression either.

My process is pretty much this:

a. drag and drop files in work area.
b. add chapters
c. test in DVD-A built-in previewer
d. pretty up the menu system.
e. run optimize, just in case I screwed up
f. click on burn button, SELECT PREPARE DVD

Once DVD-A is done everything it needs to make a DVD is in one folder. I have this folder on a removable drive. I take it to my upstairs PC. I open up DVD-A. I click on Burn and this time I SELECT BURN. I can repeat this last step as many times as I need to make extra copies.

Yes, it would be nice if you could pop in a already burned DVD and re edit directly in DVD-a to make minor changes. You can't yet, but its easy to do with other software like FLASK. Takes awhile...

Thanks for the replies...

BillyBoy,

I guess I must have had a bad disk. The only thing different in my situation is that I copied the Audio and Video directories from my master dvd back to the HD. Should I use "Prepare and Burn" in this case? I'll get another box of DVD RWs and try again...

Thanks again, Kleb

If you've already done the prepare stage you don't have to and shouldn't repeat prepare again. Just click on burn

If you have a directory that contains the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, and if these folders are blanks, DVD-A will let you burn a blank DVD, resulting in a coaster.

What idiot would do this? Well, as I admitted in my original post, me for one. How? If you are moving files from another location, and first create the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, but then forget to move the VOB, IFO, etc. files, or if you drop them in the wrong directory, you get the result I've already described.

But you shouldn't be making blank folders. <wink>

I can understand why you may want to and sure, DVD-A could see the folder is empty and say what's up, but it doesn't.