A Good Lesson in Burning DVDs: Quality Check Before Duplication

[Jason Dunn]

I just finished making three DVDs using Nero Vision , and after burning the third one I thought "I guess I should make sure they turned out ok before I give them away". I didn't expect to have any problems, because the three source WMV files were perfect. Imagine my surprise when I tested the first DVD with Nero Showtime and discovered that the audio drops out after the first 90 seconds. I tested the DVD again inside Windows Media Player, and the results were the same. GAH! I hate it when software fails to produce the results it's supposed to - Nero Vision gave me no indication of a problem with the transcoding, the preview was perfect, and all three burns completed without error. And, yes, I checked two of the three discs and the problem was the same on both. I'm now re-doing the project with Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0...and if that doesn't work, I swear I'll switch to Sony Vegas right away!

[Jason Dunn]

I just finished making three DVDs using Nero Vision , and after burning the third one I thought "I guess I should make sure they turned out ok before I give them away". I didn't expect to have any problems, because the three source WMV files were perfect. Imagine my surprise when I tested the first DVD with Nero Showtime and discovered that the audio drops out after the first 90 seconds. I tested the DVD again inside Windows Media Player, and the results were the same. GAH! I hate it when software fails to produce the results it's supposed to - Nero Vision gave me no indication of a problem with the transcoding, the preview was perfect, and all three burns completed without error. And, yes, I checked two of the three discs and the problem was the same on both. I'm now re-doing the project with Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0...and if that doesn't work, I swear I'll switch to Sony Vegas right away!

[jeffd]

yea, I have to quality check all the time when transfering media files to a dvd movie. My most problematic issue is getting the pulldown and fps Vs Source set correctly. Had many dvds play smooth on pc but choppy on a standalone dvd player. Tmpg express handles most avi files fine, but still having issues with MKV/x264 movies. Tried one program but its output was choppy as heck. I used ConvertXtoDVD and it worked pretty well except that its using bi-linear resizing which loses ALOT of detail. Most of my family didn't notice much of a difference but I sure did. ^^ Theres gotta be a way to force that resize mode.

[Phronetix]

Being aware of just how often I chime in and say that my Mac experience is superior, I feel obliged to share that is definitely NOT the case in this regard.

Burning to DVD from iMovie, or using iDVD, while an elegant experience, is sullied by the poor outcomes. My biggest issue is with discs that are burned, recognized by my Mac, then nowhere else. They are meant to be read by DVD players and drives. The other error I have encountered, again like Jason's occurs without mention by the software there are errors, but when played I find there is NO sound.

And don't get me started on quicktime formats that don't seem to be recognized by PCs.

I feel your pain, Jason.

[flooder]

I find the latest version of Nero Vision to be much more forgiving then previous versions. That said, I got in the habit a long time ago of burning to a folder first and then if that is good, burning that folder to the media.

[Jason Dunn]

It's funny, the burning process was successful in Premiere Elements 4.0, but when I helpfully tried to create chapter markers, I must have screwed up somehow, because the final DVD started playing at the 36 minute mark!