Hi, First, I'm going to apologize in advance, as I realize this post is going to be very lengthy. However, I want to include as much detail as possible, as I really want to find a solution for this problem that has been plaguing my homemade DVDs. The problem: When playing back homemade DVDRs, the picture will occasionally “freeze”. Perhaps stutter is a better word. What I’m seeing is the picture freezing momentarily, and usually resuming after a second or two. Occasionally, my DVD player (a Sony) will get hung up on a frozen frame for so long that it will actually skip back to an earlier portion of the DVDR and resume playback. What I’m doing: I’m transferring home videos and VHS recordings of TV shows to DVDR. I have an ATI All in Wonder video card and the accompanying software. The problem doesn’t seem to be with the capture itself (I’m assuming), so I won’t go into too much detail there. Anyway, I’m using TMPEGEnc DVD Author version 1.6.34.89 to edit the MPEG 2 file, insert chapters, design the menu, and finally encode. I used to use TMPEGEnc to do the burn utilizing the Sony burner that came installed with my computer. I do all my burns at 2x to keep compatibility issues to a minimum. However, after making about 40 or so discs that were perfect, I started noticing this problem. The first thing I did was install a second DVDR drive (a TDK). I had wanted a second drive anyway, so I did not buy it solely to try to stop this problem. Anyhow, I made some DVDRs on the new drive. I didn’t see any freezing, so I figured I had the problem licked. Low and behold, the freezing started again. I tried using a different program for burning – Nero Burning Rom Ultra Edition 6.0. Again, I made some discs that did not freeze, and I thought I had the problem licked. Again, I was wrong, as I started turning out coasters after some time. The Nero Rom program came with a CD/DVD speed program that tested the DVDR media. I used it to check some of the coasters I had made, and it didn’t detect a thing. I also tried enabling the “verify disc” in Nero that compared the newly burned DVDR with the data in the Video_TS file. Again, no problems were being detected on discs that would eventually freeze on my DVD player. By this time, you’re probably wondering what type of media I’m using. I began using Sony, then Maxell, then TDK – DVD-R media. These were legitimate discs purchased from retail stores like Circuit City, Best Buy etc. so I doubt any of the media I’ve tried using is fake. In time, all these brands would yield the same problematic results. Another oddity – I’ve noticed that some times if I play a problematic disc a second or third time (on my DVD player), the freezing will not occur at all. Of course, the freezing does not occur if I play the discs on my computer’s drive, but I’ve read computer drives have a lot more tolerance for homemade discs – specifically discs that it burned itself. So, just to recap: -I’m using name brand, real (I presume), DVD-R media. Testing using Nero CD/DVD speed before and after burning is not detecting any problems. -I kill all running programs and tasks on my computer before capturing, encoding, and burning. Nothing is running. -I burn at 2x every time. -I use the “verify disc” feature on Nero and it is saying the burned discs are fine, even that will freeze later on. -The freezing occurs on my DVD player. Sometimes if I play the same disc a second or third time, it will NOT freeze. Basically, this problem is really starting to piss me off (excuse my language), and I want to be ensure that it never happens again. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Justin
i have had the same problem as you and never really found out whats wrong.my burner is a sony and iv used sony disc and my dvd player is a sony surround system and iv seem to think that the better dvd player you have the more it dont play the discs were i hve plyed them on my panosonic dvd recorder. its as thow sony is trying to stop recorded disc playing, i might be wrong but iv tried every think i can think of. will keep trying to solve the problem good luck you are not on your own. i use nero legally brought, shrink
Hi Justin, I have had that very same problem, I wanted to transfer VHS recordings to DVD and everytime I'd burn the video, it would freeze. I got annoyed aswell, and tried everything to fix this problem. I used to stop running progams on my PC, I even cancelled Screen Saver, lol, thinking it would take up memory. I used to burn it at x2 speed and verify disc but the same thing always occured, the DVD will freeze in the end even though it said it had burned successfully. I don't have that problem anymore but I'm not quite sure how I solved it. I now buy TDK DVD-R 16x Speed, but I think it should work with less expensive brands aswell. What I did was I burned the DVD at Maximum Speed using Nero, and to my surprise it burned perfectly. Since then, I never had a problem bruning DVDs. I'm not sure that this is the solution to the problem but it worked for me. I suggest you try this and hope this fixes your problem
Hey Guys, It seems I too have the freezing problem, stuttering, or movie just shuts down. what really bugs me is it comes and go's it comes more than it go's. I have used all the good dvd's, shut down all background stuff. It works once then kaboom a coaster is created. I am trying to back up my daughters dvd collection. I have used dvd shrink, dvd decryptor, nero and even dvdcopy2 which worked once. I'm beginning to think it is something in the computer but what? IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?
Well, I just purchased a new DVD player (my Sony was five years old) and it seems to play the stuttering DVDRs without issue. I wonder if this is simply a compatibility issue between older DVD players and current DVDR burning methods and media.
If a DVD plays on a computer but not a standalone player there are a few possibilities. 1. The media: If you actually want to find out what kind of media you have you generally can't go by the brand on the package. Unless it's a manufacturer's brand like Ritek or TY you need to use a program like DVDInfoPro(http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_tools/dvdinfopro.cfm) to find out what kind of media you actually have. 2. The player: It could be that your player has a dirty laser or just doesn't read recordable media (or certain recordable media) very well. 3. The video/audio bitrate: DVD-Video can have a video bitrate up to 9,800kbps and a combined audio and video bitrate up to 10,080kbps but some standalones have problems with recordable media unless the bitrates are lower than that. 4. The authoring process: If the authoring software doesn't create the VOBs exactly to DVD specs there may be playback problems. 5. The burning software: Most burning software today should work fine for DVD-Video. When in doubt you could try different software or at least make sure you have the latest version of whatever software you're using. 6. The burner: Aside from a burner that's just going bad, you can also have problems from a dirty laser. You should also make sure you have the most recent firmware.
I've also experienced the same skip/freeze problems, and I would say that Vurbal covered just about everything that could and does happen. These skips/freezes can also be a moving target, and not always caused by the same thing. The only thing I would add to vurbal's list is to make sure your HDD is defragged, and that nothing is running in the background when burning. For troubleshooting files, I would suggest using a freeware program called CDCheck http://www.elpros.si/CDCheck/ . It will compare the HDD files to the DVD disc. It goes beyond just the file compare that Nero Verify does in that it will also tell you if you have corrupted source or disc files.
I began to the have the described problem just recently and all of a sudden on all my discs even the ones I played before a few times without any trouble. Could it be dirty laser? But then again. it happens on all DVD players in the house. How do I clean the laser anyway?? Thanks
Hello everyone, I was the guy who began this thread in early October. I think I have solved this problem. The solution came through lots of experimenting with different types of media, and all I can say is that I've found one that works. I'm currently using Maxell (Media ID MXL RG02). These are DVD-Rs with a bright yellow face. You can find them at most electronic stores. The discs I've bought come in spindle packs of 25 or 50. I even re-burned some of my older, problematic discs, and the skipping does not occur. I don't know if this will work for everybody, but it is worth a shot. Here is a site explaining some of the different types of media out there, as well as quality control issues: http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm Justin
