I recently started burning dvd's to back up my collection(i have kids that are starting to use them)and I think sometimes the label causes sluggish play. Is this possible or is it in the recording? I can play movie and it will play o.k. one time but the next it will be sluggish in some parts. If I shut the dvd player off for a while it starts playing fine again. If this is the case I am going to stop making labels. Any help would be great. Also does anyone know a great program for making home DVD's? I want to convert my digital pics and home movies into slideshows on dvd. Thanks for the help
dvd labeling is not recommended because it can cause alot of problems such as what you are experiencing I don't think it has been proven a fact yet, but ALOT of people that have problems have labeled discs so it gets narrowed down to that printable discs are what is recommended if you still want something on the disc
The symptoms you describe could also be caused by other things, such as the quality of the media you're using. That said, labels does sound like the most likely cause. Basically the problems with labels is that they can cause balancing problems, ie. that the disc will wobble in the player (because the label makes one side heavier than the other). You can, as kchev mention, get quite nice-looking results by using printable discs. Personally I just use a marker to write directly on the disc (I don't do moviebackups, though).
Thanks for all the info. I'll know better form now on. I was thinking of getting a printer that prints directly onto the dvd. Any suggestions? Thanks again
robnikki, Although it is not recommended here, I put labels on all my backups and then print on them with my Epson R200. I don't have any problems whatsoever but I use a label applicator and good, proven, quality media. I can't tell the backup from the original in most cases. One way to determine if your problem is media or label, would be to watch the backup a few times without a label and if it plays ok put a label on it and watch it again.
I have seen the epson printers that print directly on the dvd. I was thinking about getting one. I wish they made one that was wireless. Thanks for the help.
I believe the Label issue has to do more with the DVD player you are playing them in. I have about 200 labeled DVD's and they work perfect in my DVD players, but when my buddy borrows a disk to watch he has problems when his DVD player gets hot. Whhen he uses the same movie, and same brand media without the label it plays perfect. I now use the Epson r200 and print directly on my disks and he can play those fine. So if you want your disks to be able to play in all different players I would say don't put the labels on them, and if you really like the cool pictures on the disk (like I do) then go ahead and get a printer to print on the disk, this method prduces better quality anyway. Cheers
Get rid of your labelling kit & remove labels off your dvds, one of the chaps here has said he got read errors with labels, since he stopped labelling the problem evaporated! A marker pen is quicker & cheaper!
i just started labelling dvd's today, put them in the player and they were terrible quality unwatchable. I peeled the stickers off and they worked fine again. Dont believe its a media or player thing. I think its the result of applying the label which throws the balance of the disc out. Back to using the felt tip pen.
If you want to print directly on your backups, but you're having problems with the stick on labels, buy some good quality inkjet printable media eg: Taiyo Yuden's.
Thanks for the info on removing labels. I just posted a thread on DVD playback freeze ups caused by labels and I also agree removing the label cures the problem.
Here try the Epson R200 I have it and LOVE IT!! http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=28-103-160&DEPA=1
Id go for the R200 brilliant quality prints to disk,pretty cheap at the moment too, also i wouldnt use sticky labels as i tried that when i was new to all this and it screwed up most of my dvd collection
One huge factor is the adhesive on the labels themselves; ever take a piece of tape and place it on the wall and then peel it off? If you have it peels off quickly with no damage to the wall. Now let’s take another piece of tape and place it on the same wall, only this time leave the tape on the wall for a few months then peel it off; usually after 2 months when you finally take off the piece of tape you peel off some of the wall paper with it causing damage. Case in point, leaving a cd label on the dvd/cd for a period of time will bind itself to the disc and in turn degrade the layer the data is written to or make it more difficult for cheaper lasers to read properly. I have found that even after years, if you have a good laser (console/stand alone) the disc with the label should still read the disc perfectly as if a label was not there. If you buy a quality DVD player or one of the better ps2 units you shouldn’t have a problem with labeling.
Wow, I think I finally figured out what the heck has been going on with my burned DVDs!!! Thank god I found this thread. But now I have a question about Sharpies. I've heard they can be bad for burned DVDs/CDs as well and that you should use special pens. Anybody know anything about this?
I used to label my discs, then I ran out of labels and have been using a sharpie ever since. I never had a problem with the labels, but the added expense and hassle is not worth it for me. I do however have to do something to tell my discs apart, which is the sharpie.
