DVD will not play

jrusher wrote on 5/13/2007, 12:24 PM
I have created a .dar file in DVD Architect Studio, and when I click "Burn DVD" all appears to go well with "prepare" and "burn" and there are tracks on the DVD. But when I attempt to play the DVD it shows up as a "blank disc" on my PC and I get a read error on my DVD player. Any suggestions? I am using TDK DVD-R to record on.

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 5/14/2007, 3:56 AM
Have you successfully burned other discs before? Have you tried this one again? Sometimes a burn just doesn't work and you get a coaster. Do you have any other burning software? I usually prepare my DVDs in DVD Architect but then burn the disc with Nero.
MPM wrote on 5/14/2007, 12:47 PM
with full apologies for what may be a stupid question -- You're not trying to burn the dar file?

At any rate, you might try to prepare or render the dvd to your hard drive -- that way you can see if everything works in something like Power DVD. If it does, then your problem's in the burning -- if it doesn't, the problem's in creating the DVD layout or files.
jrusher wrote on 5/14/2007, 9:32 PM
Yes, I have used DVDA before, but on a different computer - I was always able to "send to DVDA" from Vegas and everything worked fine, but not this time. I tried your suggestion of saving to the hard drive as an avi and that worked! - thanks. There was some loss of resolution, however.

Thanks again for all your help - this forum has been great. One last question: What is the best format to preserve video quality?
jrusher wrote on 5/14/2007, 10:40 PM
Oops- maybe I spoke too soon - The DVD worked fine on my PC, but will not play in the DVD player that I have used before. I have tried with both avi and mpeg formats. Your ideas are appreciated.

Thanks
MPM wrote on 5/16/2007, 8:27 AM
If it helps...

A DVD will have mpg2 video, usually along with AC3 audio (.MP2 works), enclosed in .VOB files -- there will also be .IFO files containing directions for the player, and all this will be in a VIDEO_TS folder. Some software players like Power DVD will open a VIDEO_TS stored on your hard drive and play it as if it were an actual DVD disc. Burning software set to DVD VIdeo (not data) can transfer that folder to a blank disc.

DVDA is designed to create the necessary .VOB & .IFO files, and then burn them onto a blank disc for you, but if you browse the forum there have been reports of the burning process not working on certain drives -- you'll also find reports in this and other forums regarding media compatibility... Some players just will not play some discs.

One way to narrow it down is if the contents of a VIDEO_TS folder play on your PC from the hard drive [using DVD player software], the DVD's good. If it also plays on your PC after being burned to disc, you likely don't have a problem with the burning process. To get the VIDEO_TS folder & contents on your hard drive, render the DVD as normal except choose the hard drive rather than a disc as the target.

"What is the best format to preserve video quality?"
For DVDs you're pretty much limited to mpg2 video... Encoding to mpg2 in Vegas gives you more control over bit-rate: in a nutshell the higher the bit rate the better the quality, but the larger the file -- you generally don't want to go higher than 9, and usually 8 will work nicely. Many use a bit rate calculator to determine the highest bit rate they can use while keeping the file size small enough to fit on a DVD. Avi files should be restricted to video you import into Vegas for editing/encoding.

For DVD audio tracks AC3 is normally best -- if you can't encode AC3 in your version of Vegas, perhaps check out free encoders at places like videohelp.com. The smaller the audio files, the more room you have left for the video, and that means you can use higher bit rates, increasing ultimately picture quality.