Okay the first thing I should say is that the primary objective is to burn DVD media so that it will play properly on whatever "standalone" DVD player you insert it into. Meaning "compatiblity" is what's most important. I can use ConvertXtoDVD, DVD Shrink and/or Nero 7 to burn DVD media. Because of problems with ConvertXtoDVD, I tried to use Nero 7 to burn a DVD and it gives me the options that cause me to have to choose between a "data" DVD and a "Video" DVD. With "Video DVD" as the choice, Nero did not want to select both the Audio_TS and Video_TS folders; instead it wanted to grab all the individual files in the Video_TX folder which felt more like it was trying to do a "data" burn rather than a video burn. I thought I read somewhere that the "Audio_TS" folder has no relevant data in it, but it needs to be included on the DVd if it is to be played on a "standalone" DVD player, and also I suspect that the "Video_TS" folder also needs to be there with the data inside it in order for the DVD to be able to play correctly. Is this true ? If so, why was Nero ignoring these two folders ? Was I doing something wrong ? Any help appreciated & thanks in advance.
I assume you're using Nero Express to burn VIDEO_TS folders, and all you have to do is go into the VIDEO_TS folder and select all the VTS_XX_X files and click Add. You don't need to do anything with the AUDIO_TS folder if it is there. Also burn the DVD at 4x if you didn't already know
Just to add to what vtowner said, the Video_TS folder is the only folder you need to worry about. If you are worried about compatibility, try setting your options to burn your disc as DVD-ROM. This works with DVD+R media and allows for more compability with older standalone players.
ConvertX does not give me these options. What is ConvertX's "default" ? I assume you mean to set Nero to burn as DVD-ROM. Is DVD-ROM "universal" ? Do I need to worry about region codes if I use DVD-ROM ?
If you use Nero Express to burn the DVD+R then it should automatically set the book type to DVD-ROM. It will say so in the log when you are burning.
not all dvdrw drives are capable of bitsetting (booktyping as dvd-rom). some that are include lite-on's (not the notebook slimdrives), benq's, plextors, some LG's, some sony's, and some NEC's. some can be made bitset capable with hacked firmware including late model pioneers, and some NEC's that aren't already bitset ready. you can only booktype dvd+r (not dvd-r) media to dvd-rom.
I appreciate all the informed help. Rather than asking question after question, is there a guide or tutorial I can read first ? I have a BenQ 1640, and need to know what all this means to me. Basically, I want to make sure that whatever ._TS DVD's I burn will be able to be played on any and all standalone DVD player. I know I don't have to "do anything" with the AUDIO_TS folder, but I DO have to include it, right ? And yes I keep hearing to burn at 4X but don't know why. Makes no sense to spend good money on a high-speed DVD burner, and then slow the thing to a crawl at 4X.
no. the folder is empty. don't do anything with it. all you need to load into your burning rom or compression software is the video_ts folder.
It's been a widely accepted rule to burn at no more than 1/2 of the rated speed of your discs. For instance, if you are using 16x discs, do not burn over 8x. The same for 8x discs, 4x should be the maximum. Some brand of burners do fine at a higher speed, while some do not. This has been shown to reduce the risk of write errors. Most of the problems people experience during writing to DVD is due to excessive speed. But usually, this speed recommendation does for movies, not data. Many factors play into a successful burn, including media quality (which was discussed above), burner manufacturer, etc. This recommendation just seems to be "all-inclusive" and a relatively good rule of thumb to remember.
