So I had tried Nero (takes way too long and doesn't always work) and ConvertXtoDVD to put video files on DVD with menus and stuff. I have had more luck with ConvertXtoDVD than anything else but many of the videos I burn sometimes start to skip in my Toshiba DVD player, but they play perfectly in my portable Polaroid DVD player. Has anyone else had trouble with these two? Is there anything better that can also have menus added like these two?
I was reading that the thing ConvertXtoDVD uses to burn DVDs isnt the best. So what could I use to burn the converted files once it is done? I have InterVideo DVDCopy5, DVD Shrink, and ImgBurn. Are any of these able to burn the files, or what would be better?
this could be a media problem and not burning problem! If you get pixelation, skipping, freezing and bad contrast then it could mean you are using crappy media. A good indication is when you can't play your disk in some of your players and why it plays perfectly fine in others! there are plenty of reasons why certain dvds won't play in other players: 1. burning speeds: burn at 4x so there will be less writing errors (rule of thumb is to burn at half the rated speed of the disk--8X disk burn at 4x). 2. read manual for your stand alone player and use the disks that will play in your player. If your player is less than 2 yrs old then it should play the + or - R disks! I said SHOULD that's why you read the manual. 3. try booktyping your drive to DVd-ROM so it will make your +R disks more compatible to players. Read this: http://k-probe.com/bitsetting-booktype-faq.php 4. make sure that there are no finger prints or scratches on your disk that make it hard for the player to read the disk! 5. use good quality media (rule of thumb....buy the ones that are Made in Japan.) Verbatim is a top notch disk and is the only exception to this rule....some Verbatims are made in Taiwan and they are top notch! 6. and don't burn too close to the outer edge of the disk ..... which will make the disk unreadable! but using good media you will be able to burn close to the edge better than lesser quality media. Just in case I only burn no closer than 4400MB, so if you can set your programs to that, all the better! follow these little tips of the trade and you'll have better success! good luck. also read this: http://www.cdfreaks.com/reviews/Why-DVDRW-is-superior-to-DVD-RW/ why the +R media is better than the -R media also I use ConvertXToDVD over Nero..... but that's my preference! other's like Nero over ConvertXToDVD. And the speed of these programs depends on your computer!
You sure it depends on the computer on how fast these programs burn? ConvertXtoDVD takes about 1 hour 15mins, while Nero takes about 2-3 hours burning at 4X....And I sometimes even burn at 1X but still sometimes have trouble and adds like 30mins to burning time....Is there any possibility of screwing up my DVD burner if I do that booktyping thing? And it sucks I only have -R DVDs right now.
I'm sure that the speed of the programs to convert your files to DVD compliant files will depend on processing power that your computer has! So if your computer is old or it's not very powerful (low in RAM and old processor)... it will take a while to convert to DVD! Same thing with Nero! you can only booktype +R media ...... and you can only booktype the +R media if your drive allows it! I hope you read the links I gave you in the above reply. good luck. welcome to AfterDawn.
Don't worry about booktyping hurting your drive. It changes back and forth, but why you'd want to I wouldn't know. When I got my Plextor drive over a year ago I set it to booktype to DVD ROM and left it there. You can still use up your stack of -R, they just won't booktype. That's mostly for compatibility over playability. I own both ConvertXtoDVD and Nero. I've not noticed that much difference between the 2 on my system. They're similar to me and I've had no problems with either not producing a successful output. I've never had Nerovision take 2 hours for a conversion. As Ihoe pointed out though, a lot depends on the speed of the CPU and the system resources.
