I am using AnyDVD (most recent) and CloneDVD2 (most recent) to make backup copies of my commercial DVDs for use in the car player. After saving a cloned DVD copy to my hard drive I use Ulead Video Studio 9 to reauthor my DVD+R (single layer) disks. I have just started having video stuttering problems while the audio continues normally (the video halts and jerks forward). In some cases, the new DVD video/sound becomes permanently out of sync. In some cases the video freezes permanently while the sound continues normally. In some cases the video and sound will come back into sync after the video skips and catches up. Another symptom is that (after the new burn) CloneDVD2 reports that the total time for the new video segment is significantly less than it was on the original DVD. The hard disk DVD clone plays with no errors; the MPG file captured (by VS9) from the hard disk DVD clone also plays with no problem. It is only after I use VS9 to burn a new DVD that the problem shows up. I think this is actually a multiplexing problem that is related to a new AC-3 (sound) add-in (when I use VS9 to burn the new DVD, the multiplexing seems to take longer than it used to). I am not asking for specific product help here; this is more of a general question: has anyone ever had experience with the sort of symptoms I am describing? And did it seem to be a multiplexing issue? To the experts among you, does this sound like it might be a multiplexing issue? I think the new AC-3 sound driver is causing it, but the symptoms are all video. Thanks!
Do you specifically have to use DVD+R media, or are you able to utilize both + and -? What type of media are you using? I have had problems with what seems to be newer more advanced DVD players where some of my burns play choppy and checkerboard and such with - media. However, on older players I have absolutely no problems at all with the media. In the past I used + media and always had all kinds of problems with it. I dumped that burner and purchased a - only burner with lossless technology and advanced buffer underrun technology. Wasn't much, only about $60. Was well worth it though. Really don't have any problems since and am able to backup all of my backups routinely.
Yes, my burner is only +. It's about 3 years old. But I have previously burned many backups successfully (which also play on my settop and car players), so I don't think it's the drive. In fact I'm almost positive that this problem started because I committed a mortal sin of software: between my last successful burn and my next unsuccessful burn I installed (1) a patch to Video Studio 9; (2) a patch to Movie Factory 4; (3) PhotoImpact 11; (4) Photo Explorer 8.5; (5) an AC-3 add-in (driver?) [all 5 previous are Ulead products]; and (6) an updated AnyDVD version. It was a stupid move. If I had half a brain I would know that if you want to be able to track down a problem, you should install only one thing at a time and make sure that your computer is still functioning properly between each install. So now I don't know for sure which thing I installed is causing the problem. Guess I'll just have to uninstall everything and start from scratch. I wasted all day yesterday because at first I thought I was dealing with a new form of copy protection. But eventually I discovered that the problem even occured on DVDs I have successfully backed up before. I'm pretty sure it is a Ulead problem because when I use CloneDVD2 to burn a single-layer compressed DVD, I do not have the problem (but then, of course, the content is pretty heavily compressed). I guess my interest is mostly in the technical aspect of multiplexing. I'm wondering if anyone has identified a similar problem as being caused during the multiplexing step, when (as I understand it) the audio and video are being interleaved in the data stream. Thanks a lot for your feedback!
Wait a minute! before you go that route, have you a backup partition on your drive? Maybe you can restore from your last known properly functioning date. I too have very many programs installed, as I routinely install and test all kinds of programs which somehow find their way into my hands. I personally do not install any patches if my programs are functioning properly. AnyDVD gets updated every week as they come out with changes. Now that you've informed of the patches, then I would have to agree it's probably one of the video editing programs. AnyDVD however I don't believe has anything to do with it. Good luck.
Re: "I personally do not install any patches if my programs are functioning properly." Excellent advice! Patching a functioning program is just asking for trouble! Thanks for the other feedback.
