Playing unfinalised DVDs

Gillor

A friend of of mine has several DVD compilations recorded on an old Wharfedale DVD recorder which has now packed up and is beyond repair.

Unfortunately he didn't finalise them after recording and consequently they won't play either on his computer or his new Panasonic recorder.

Is there any way to finalise DVDd on another machine or at least recover the video contents from the unfinalised discs?

googler

I'd get a working Wharfedale from eBay or similar, finalise the discs, then sell it on again, hopefully for same price.

spheric

I used to use a program called IsoBuster for doing this sort of thing... Its shareware, but on installation you were able to select a "free functionality only" option, which as the name suggests meant that you could use part of the program functionality for free... A quick google seems to suggest though, that the bit you'd need here isn't one of the free bits.

Whilst looking for that, though, it appears that DvdDecrypter has an option on the tools menu to finalise a disk for you -- that looks like a better option

Gillor

Thanks for the suggestions.

I did have a look at IsoBuster but to be honest I didn't really understand what I was supposed to do with it. I'll give it another go this afternoon and have a look at DvdDecrypter as well.

So far I have tried extracting the video files with DvdShrink but it doesn't recognise anything on the disc. Copying the DVD to my hard disc and then copying it back to DVD doesn't work either.

googler

If you browse the DVD through Windows Explorer, what folders and files are there?

Dave_C_2

+1 for Isobuster.

It's a complex program, but the bits you want are included in the free version and simple to use.
Look at the help section in getting started.
Extract the bits that you are interested in to your hard drive then burn a fresh DVD.

I haven't used it to extract DVD files, but it works a treat recovering data files from corrupted DVDs.

Dave

Gillor

googler wrote: »

If you browse the DVD through Windows Explorer, what folders and files are there?

VIDEO_RM
VIDEO_RM DAT file
VIDEO_RM IFO file
VIDEO_RM BUP file

VIDEO_TS
VIDEO_TS IFO file
VIDEO_TS MPEG file
VIDEO_TS.BUP BUP file
VTS_01_0 IFO file
VTS_01_0 BUP file
VTS_01_1 MPEG file
VTS_01_2 MPEG file
VTS_01_3 MPEG file
VTS_01_4 MPEG file

Have been playing around with DvdDecrypter all afternoon with limited success. I have managed to extract the video files and can play them in the correct sequence on my desktop using VLC Media Player but can't burn the images to DVD - one of the Nero error messages reads "video files compliance test failed".

I will have a serious look at Isobuster tomorrow if I can understand it.

santer_2

Do they load in to AVC Free

http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

Maybe just load the MPEG ones, there is an option to merge files

TakeThis

Is this a DVD+RW disc?

If you wish to create DVD Video, you can do so by eliminating these files:

VIDEO_RM
VIDEO_RM DAT file
VIDEO_RM IFO file
VIDEO_RM BUP file

You don't need them. It is those files which are failing the compliance test.

Just use the VIDEO_TS folder.

Gillor

TakeThis wrote: »

Is this a DVD+RW disc?

The original unfinalised disc is a DVD+R but I am trying now to burn to a DVD+RW as it is costing me a fortune in DVD-R blanks.

TakeThis wrote: »

If you wish to create DVD Video, you can do so by eliminating these files:

VIDEO_RM......................it is those files which are failing the compliance test.

Just use the VIDEO_TS folder.

That is what I am now doing. In fact it is the TS IFO file and the TS BUP file which seem to be failing the compliance test (whatever that is) but if I don't include them in the burn process I get other error messages (can't remember exactly what as I didn't make a note at the time).

TakeThis

But they are already DVD Video files, so what are you trying to do? Perhaps just rename the MPEG files to VOB.

Perhaps this way;

VTS_01_1.VOB
VTS_01_2.VOB
VTS_01_3.VOB
VTS_01_4.VOB
VTS_01_5.VOB

So perhaps make a copy of the files and experiment in this way.