- #1
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Does anyone know why the DVD made in our livingroom [-RW] recorder isn't even seen by my laptop's +- RW compatible DVD player/recorder? XP only sees it as an unformatted disk. It plays rented movies just fine.
Why is my DVD not compatible with my laptop's DVD player/recorder?
- Thread starter Ivan Seeking
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around compatibility issues between DVDs created on a home recorder and playback on a laptop's DVD player/recorder. Participants explore technical aspects of DVD formatting, playback software, and potential solutions for viewing homemade DVDs.
Discussion Character
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
- Experimental/applied
Main Points Raised
- One participant notes that their laptop's DVD player does not recognize a DVD created on a home recorder, indicating it appears as an unformatted disk.
- Another participant identifies that the initial issue was due to the DVD not being finalized, which was resolved by re-selecting the finalize option.
- It is mentioned that the video files are stored as VOB files, and there are issues with Windows Media Player's ability to read these files correctly, particularly in later versions.
- One participant shares that Cyberlink PowerDVD was the only software that could play the entire disk, while standalone DVD players had varying success based on their specific capabilities.
- Some participants recommend using DVDdecrypter and DVDshrink for better compatibility, although one notes encountering an "Invalid Disk Structure" error.
- There are mentions of issues with menu blocks not being standard and VOB files not being written sequentially, which complicates playback.
- Another participant discusses the peculiar behavior of PowerDVD in handling bad pointers on scratched disks, leading to unexpected playback results.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express a range of experiences and solutions regarding DVD playback issues, with no consensus on a single solution or approach. Multiple competing views on software effectiveness and DVD formatting challenges remain present.
Contextual Notes
Limitations include potential dependencies on specific software versions, variations in DVD recorder settings, and the impact of disk condition on playback success.
- #2
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For anyone interested: The first problem was that the formatting on the disc wasn't complete. I thought I had clicked the finalize DVD box but must have missed it. After selecting "finalize" again the disc could be seen.
From there, the video was stored as a VOB file. By calling up Win Media player 6.4, I was able to view part of the video, but the player could only find the first chapter and wouldn't play the rest. It appears that later Windows Media Player releases are unable to read these files correctly and there are no codecs available.
There is freeware available for converting these to an mpeg, avi etc but I haven't tried it yet.
http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/terms/vob.cfm
From there, the video was stored as a VOB file. By calling up Win Media player 6.4, I was able to view part of the video, but the player could only find the first chapter and wouldn't play the rest. It appears that later Windows Media Player releases are unable to read these files correctly and there are no codecs available.
There is freeware available for converting these to an mpeg, avi etc but I haven't tried it yet.
http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/terms/vob.cfm
- #3
NoTime
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Those things are a PITA.
Dealt with one once for a friend making a movie.
He deleted a source file by accident
He also should have bought a writer for the PC, but...
On the plus side he does do nice work.
They menu blocks they write are not quite standard.
They also don't seem to write the .vob sequentially.
For the Disk I was working with.
The only thing I found that would play the entire disk was Cyberlink PowerDVD, which is often free with purchase of a DVD drive. A regular standalone DVD player either wouldn't or might play one or two segments depending on the specific player.
I was able to edit the menu by hand so that a vob ripper could pull the needed segment out.
It was an educational experience.
Dealt with one once for a friend making a movie.
He deleted a source file by accident
He also should have bought a writer for the PC, but...
On the plus side he does do nice work.
They menu blocks they write are not quite standard.
They also don't seem to write the .vob sequentially.
For the Disk I was working with.
The only thing I found that would play the entire disk was Cyberlink PowerDVD, which is often free with purchase of a DVD drive. A regular standalone DVD player either wouldn't or might play one or two segments depending on the specific player.
I was able to edit the menu by hand so that a vob ripper could pull the needed segment out.
It was an educational experience.
- #4
J77
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I always use DVDdecyptor and DVDshrink - there are options which allow all compatibility 
- #5
NoTime
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There is no encrypting on these disks.J77 said:I always use DVDdecyptor and DVDshrink - there are options which allow all compatibility
I couldn't find any options that kept them from saying "Invalid Disk Structure"
PowerDVD seems to work by simply ignoring a bad pointer and going on to the next one.
On another(badly scratched) disk I found this feature to produce really weird results.
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