Erasable DVD's & .vob files

[LumenLux]

1. In recent testing of PTE/Video Builder, I have often used DVD+RW disks. Often I want to temporarily keep several versions and therefor my erasable disks accumulate without being erased. Now, in trying to record over these, they often fail to complete a burn. I have a hunch that the "erase" function of my burner programs may not be doing a complete job. I can not isolate the problem to Video Builder or other burn programs. Is this a well known problem with a well known solution? If it is any clue - it seems that desired new burn, makes it nearly to the end of the process before giving me an error message and an ejected disk.

2. The second part of this topic:

Microsoft Media Center recordings are .dvr-ms format. I want to convert the file to a normal DVD. One of the conversion programs that I am trying, offers to convert to .vob file. The program produces only the single "main" .vob file, not the several related files that I am used to seeing. What is the best program to use to burn the .vob file and add the necessary files so a TV DVD player will play the disk and not just decide the .vob is a "data" file?

[Peter S]

Hi Lumenlux,

I have been doing quite a bit of testing with burning DVDs and have had some email exchanges with Igor. Here is an extract from the last message I sent. As you can see I suspect there is a problem with erasing/re-burning although the problem seems worse with +RW. This may however be a function of my particular set up. I had some problems burning different formats and Igor provideed a burning utility that I tested. There are some earlier posts under "How to Create Video" "More DVD woes".

With the latest beta 8z I ran some more tests but had problems with previously used Philips +RW discs. I bought some new Verbatim +RW discs and my first test burn was perfect.

I thought the problem must be with the erasing of the +RW disc produced by Philips as I had previously burned new discs successfully. To check this I erased and tried to reburn the Verbatim +RW and it did not work. The first try it gave an error message and the second try it hung the PC completely. So I have been able to reburn erased DVD -RW but NOT +RW. New discs I can burn either version.

I erased (using Nero) and reburned a -RW disc and although this failed at the first try it succeeded when I tried a second time. These have worked OK before as well.

I have now succeeded in burning every type of disc +R, +RW, -R, -RW. The only small problem is the erased and reburned +RW.

I did not want to throw away the RW discs that would not burn a second time so I erased them and tried to use them to act as back ups for my images stored on my hard drive. I was surprised to find they worked perfectly for this purpose. So these DVDs will not burn video using either Video Builder or Nero but they work as DVD data discs with over 3GB data.

I don't know if this helps but at least you know you are not the only one experiencing this (and so do I!).

I have successfuly burned vob files using Nero Vision 4 which comes packaged with the full version of Nero.

Peter

[Ken Cox]

re re writeable disks

see

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=Er...blems&meta=

also my standby sources

http://www.mrichter.com/cdr/welcome.htm

http://www.cdrfaq.org/

ken

[Peter S]

Igor has recently told me that trying to erase DVD +RW can damage the media. I looked on Wikipedia and found some information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD%2BRW

This points out the difference between +RWs that can be treated as a removable hard drive that is randomly written to and -RW that needs to be erased before re-use. Talk about learn something every day!

I have since tried simply re-using DVD +RWs and it has worked fine.

Peter

[LumenLux]

Thank you Peter, Tom, Ken, Igor. All very helpful. I too had been unaware of the distinction between +RW and -RW as to "erase" vs. "re-use". I was using the term "erase" in a generic way, synonomous with r-use. But I know sometimes, when a re-write failed with Video Builder, I would then use Record Now to "erase" the disk - and it would still not work. I now understand why the "erased" disk would not work, but not why it had also not worked as a "re-write." With the new info, I will re-test.

As to the .vob issue, it was VideoReDo I was using. Your guidance Tom to the specific forums provided direction.