Problems playing DVD's on DVD recorders

Dazza wrote on 5/27/2006, 4:58 PM

I have several DVDs made up of Mpeg files created in Vegas 6 and menus/burning done in Sony DVD Architect 3c to a DVD-R disc. There is a lead up sequence and a scene selection menu. The DVDs play perfectly well in the many normal players that I have tried but when I try to play them a Recorder/Player (i.e. a DVD player that is also a recorder) the lead in sequence and the menu play ok but when play or scene selection are selected the disc is rejected with an error - "cannot play disc due to navigation error". I have tried the discs in three different recorder/players with the same result. I then re-created the DVDs with another software (Pinnacle Studio 10) using the same Mpeg's with similar lead in and menu with the result that the discs play perfectly well. Unfortunately I have only been able to try the discs in LG recorders and as a result there is an assumption that the problem is with LG. I am not convinced that the problem is with the player particularly since the discs play fine if created using a different application. Rather I am of the opinion that either there is a problem with DVD-A or I am doing something wrong. Has anyone else had a similar experience with DVD recorder/players please? Any help would be much appreciated as I am at my wits end and becoming quite frustrated. BTW the discs have been burnt on my computer, not in the recorder. Thanks

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Dazza wrote on 7/31/2006, 4:08 AM

It has only just come to my attention that my posting to this forum has received such a great response, all the time I thought I was a lone voice. Particularly, unlike Newhope, my approaches to Sony
have been met with a flat "nothing we can, or will do, about it, you'll just have to live with a software package that does not deliver". They even suggested that all other application have similar problems, Clearly Sony were not listening! My concern was not so much with clients who currently own LG recorder/players because I can author the discs for them using different, and cheaper software, it is more with those clients who may purchase an LG later only to find that their precious memories are no longer able to be viewed! Reluctantly I have mothballed DVDA with a view to, in the future warning my clients to not purchase an LG recorder. Now perhaps I can bring DVDA out of the closet again. Pity Sony have not seen fit to inform me of this new development!

Dan Sherman wrote on 7/31/2006, 8:22 AM

When preparing to burn, click on "optimize".
You will find a slider. Choose about 4.800 for the bit rate.
It defaults at 8.000, but I find that too high for some machines to play back.
Simple solution that works for us when we encounter this sort of problem.

originalbob wrote on 7/31/2006, 10:29 AM

Dazza said:- "...a great response,"
You don't know half of it. This thread has been, politely, 'hi-jacked' by the folks on the 'Vegas' forum. DVDA bug and fix

For an extensive discussion of this issue.
Bob

ForumAdmin wrote on 9/20/2006, 12:36 PM

We have been looking into this issue and it has proven more involved than originally thought. Unfortunately we will not be able to resolve it in time for a 4.0a update release.

If this is something we fix in a future update, I will post to this thread and let everyone know.

I do want to thank those who brought this issue to our attention.

I will also post this info in the related Vegas thread.

Regards,
DaveS

ScottW wrote on 9/20/2006, 12:43 PM

I would think that if PGCedit could fix the problem after the fact that you could as well, even if you cannot easily address the underlying reason why it happens in the first place.

--Scott

stilltrying wrote on 9/25/2006, 4:51 AM

Really glad I found this thread, as I have had the same compatabitity problem more than a year ago......see thread below

http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=22&MessageID=386002

The only way I can use DVDA is to prepare my DVD in DVDA & then drag the files into NERO & burn the video there. It comes up with an error message, but the resulting DVD works just fine on all the players I have tested...about 24 different ones.

I hope the "fix" comes soon.

engr wrote on 10/1/2006, 8:51 AM

I'm having a similar problem with DVD A3 menu based disc with my new Samsung DVD-HR730 DVD recorder. The PC DVD burner is a liteON SHM-165H6S. I once had a compatibility issue with common DVD players which was solved after a firmware update.

I was thinking of returning the machine tomorrow but I would like to try out PCGedit first. Newhope, could u share with me what exactly did u do to have it working?

ScottW wrote on 10/1/2006, 9:35 AM

All you have to do is open the DVD in PGCedit and it will offer to fix the issue - click "yes" and then save the corrected project.

newhope wrote on 10/2/2006, 4:56 AM

As ScottW said it's fairly simple.
Render the DVD in DVDA then before burning run PCGEdit and use "Open DVD" to open the DVD folders created by DVDA. PCGEdit will idenify the problems and fix them and then you click save.
You can now return to DVDA and burn your DVD or useany other program that can burn DVDs from their folders.

A note for DVDA4 users...

PCGEdit now finds a few more errors with DVDA4 created DVDs than it did with earlier DVDA versions. It still fixes them but this could possibly be the reason that Sony is delaying the fix we have all been waiting for that will eliminate this bug in DVDA for good...

....well maybe ;-}

Regards
Stephen Hope
New Hope Media

engr wrote on 10/2/2006, 9:09 AM

Thanks guys. I tried, it fixed one erro and still refused to work in my Samsung player. It doesnt even play! I'm going to the store with my A3 created DVD tomorrow to try out other DVD recorders to see if they can work.

engr wrote on 10/3/2006, 8:23 AM

Took the DVD-R disc to the shops and tested in 5 portable DVDs player. They all worked fine. It didnt work on a Samsung & Philips DVD recorder. Worked on a 2x LGs and 2x Pioneer DVD recorders.

newhope wrote on 10/5/2006, 7:42 AM

I discovered that DVDA4 produces 'Single Movie' DVDS that won't play on my LG DVD Recorder.
Until now I thought the problem only related to Menu based DVDs and even then the first item would play but the subsequent menu items would not.
I had occasion to produce a 'Single Movie" DVD recently and it would not play at all.
I cured the problem by running PCGEdit over the DVD folders and burning a new disk but I hadn't though that this type of DVD would present a problem on the DVD Recorder.

Regards
Stephen Hope
New Hope Media

Aje wrote on 10/7/2006, 9:11 AM

Thanks for the tip of PgcEdit program seems to fix many incompatibilityproblems especially with LG´s players which
my clients also have reported problems with.
Have just downloaded PgcEdit and used it as suggested.
I wonder if the folder , PgcEdit_backup, that comes up at top
in the , VIDEO_TS folder , can be there when burned in Nero
which I use to do or if it should be removed?
Ive been told that no other maps should be in the VIDEO_TS folder.
Regards
/Aje

ScottW wrote on 10/7/2006, 9:31 AM

There shouldn't be anything else in the VIDEO_TS folder except the files that DVDA normally puts there. While many players would probably ignore any extra files, there are no doubt a few players that would have issues.

--Scott

QueenGeek wrote on 10/8/2006, 5:03 AM

I am so glad I found this thread. I've been having quirky problems with various players for years using DVDA. Been pulling my hair out! Yes, NERO burns/works fine. Kinda bites, given the cost difference! I love the capability of DVDA, but the FIRST and FOREMOST feature it MUST have is reliability/compatibility on players. Otherwise, it's pretty useless except for my pet projects at home. So much for "professional" software. I am very disappointed in Sony. I would have expected more.

ScottW wrote on 10/8/2006, 8:01 AM

As soon as you find something that provides 100% reliability and player compatability for burned media, you be sure to let the rest of us know.

Aje wrote on 10/8/2006, 9:07 AM

I wrote

"Have just downloaded PgcEdit and used it as suggested.
I wonder if the folder , PgcEdit_backup, that comes up at top
in the , VIDEO_TS folder , can be there when burned in Nero
which I use to do or if it should be removed?"

This folder PgcEdit_backup that is present in the VIDEO_TS folder
in the image after using PcgEdit program is suddenly not present when I burned the image to disc and opened the VIDEO_TS folder from disc to check.
I always burn DVDA images in Nero.
How come Nero has not burned the backup folder when it was present in the image?
Whats the purpose of the PgcEdit_backup folder?
Shall it be removed before burning?
/Aje

GeorgeW wrote on 10/8/2006, 4:53 PM

The PGCedit backup folder is created so you have a chance to "backout" any changes you make with PGCedit. There's a setting in OPTIONS/Input-Output -- where you can select to put the backup folder at a higher level...

You could move the folder somehwere else before burning the VIDEO_TS folder (which is what I do after applying my PGCedits).

Aje wrote on 10/9/2006, 2:23 AM

OK
Thanks a lot
/Aje

Richman wrote on 10/13/2006, 8:36 AM

Has anyone tested DVDA 4a to see if this problem has been fixed?

Richman

ScottW wrote on 10/13/2006, 8:52 AM

From an earlier response
---------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: RE: Problems playing DVD's on DVD recorders
Reply by: ForumAdmin Sony Media Software Moderator
Date: 9/20/2006 1:36:02 PM

We have been looking into this issue and it has proven more involved than originally thought. Unfortunately we will not be able to resolve it in time for a 4.0a update release.

If this is something we fix in a future update, I will post to this thread and let everyone know.

I do want to thank those who brought this issue to our attention.

I will also post this info in the related Vegas thread.

Regards,
DaveS

ForumAdmin wrote on 2/27/2007, 7:20 AM

Digging this thread up from the dead:

For those interested, the "unreferenced stream" issue that folks were seeing on some DVD recorders (LG) has been fixed in the 4.0b update.

Just wanted to thank those on this thread who helped us track this down and fix it.

Regards,
DaveS

Dazza wrote on 5/13/2007, 2:24 PM

I am not entirelly convinced that the issue has been completely fixed with the latest update to DVDA 4.0b. Although the 'navigation error' is no longer apparent there is now an issue in moving from an introduction media to the menu on some players. In some instances the DVD freezes following the introduction and will only move on to the menu if the play button is pressed in other instances the DVD refuses to play past the introduction at all! In yet other instances the DVD plays perfectly. Each instance is in a different player.

DigitalSteve wrote on 5/13/2007, 6:56 PM

I have had precisely the same problem you describe. Last year, I made a band banquet DVD with a "run once" video to a meny containing four buttons. I did not get a single complaint from 150 people except 1 - that pweson had a digital video recorder and the menu would come up but the button would not activate. I am about to run into the same problem this year. I made two versions of a DVD with DVDA4b, I am making a second version which I run through PGCEDIT and see how both work. I will know in a day or two and post results here.

Digital Steve