So I've been using Imitation 8x DVD-Rs for a long time and never had any problems with playback on my crappy DVD player (that one from Wal-Mart with the DVD/VCR combo). I recently switched to Memorex (Ritek) 16x DVD-Rs. As I've watched movies I've recorded, they seem to skip or pause slightly occasionally during the movies. Is it because of the DVD player? Could it be the Memorex discs? I'm not sure... but it pisses me off.
It's probably the media you burn onto, or the speeds you burn at. What speed are you burning your DVD's with and is that the same speed as on the previous discs?
brink22, Welcome to the forum. Sounds like the media to me. Both DVD's you mentioned are on the lower end for quality. If you are in the US look for Verbatim as BestBuy usually has them on sale at least once a month for prices that are less than the Memorex. Also slow the burn down to 4X as you are doing a movie and not copying spreadsheets. Also do no multitasking while you are compiling the DVD. Most of the cheap DVD Player play just about everything fine but you can try a play a DVD that you know plays fine to see if you can duplicate the problem w/in the player. If it does have a problem then it probably is the laser that is out of alignment. If it is under warranty then send it back but if not under warranty buy another as it would cost as much to repair it as buying another.
I could possibly be the write speed. I was writing at 8x before on the 8x discs... but I wrote at 12x or 16x on the 16x discs. Maybe I'll go back to 8x.
It is strongly suggested to write at a 4x speed, with no multi-tasking. I had the same problems as you when I started out and I found out it was because I was burning too fast (8x), and also still using my computer. DVD's are much more temperamental than CD's. You can get ahold of some Verbatim DVD's rather cheaply and if you burn at 4x, without multi-tasking, I would promise you could get 95% burn success, if not higher.
it's definately a media problem not a hardware problem! Pixelations, skipping and freezing are from crappy media...... Keep in mind, Brinkn22, that you might not have problems with your imation disks or your memorex disks NOW, but more than likely have problems down the road.... try them out next year or next month...... I've seen memorex crap go bad after watching it the second time! The crappy media just don't last! If you're having fun with them now...... enjoy rebacking up the same movies later! Next time use better disks.
