Arghghg, Acers and DVDs, where am I going wrong?

frivolous_fay

As if I have nothing better to do, one of my managers has been hassling me for a couple of days to burn some videos from her digi camcorder onto DVD for her. (sigh)

We went through the grief of getting them off the little mini disc thingies on to my Acer.... but I'm repeatedly coming to grief when I try to get them onto disc. I've had the same problem in the past trying to burn other files to DVD... although I managed to save my system backup to DVD when I first got the laptop.

Here's the problem:



Basically, when I try to drag the files to a window, I get this error every time. I've tried a different Acer, same problem. On mine, some software pops up to help me burn a movie disc (Powerproducer) but that won't even recognise the files I've got! It recognised the VoB files we got of the minidiscs yesterday, but today she announced that she'd formatted the DVD disc and it would all now be fine... gave me a DVD she'd burned on her home DVD recorder and asked me to make a copy of it... THOSE are the files the software won't recognise (and I get the same error in pic when I try to drag them to disc manually.)

Help please? What am I doing wrong? I'm sure it's something obvious and/or stupid but I haven't used DVDs much, although I have no probs with CDs!

Keldin

You can't use WindowsXP to burn files to a dvd only to cd. You will have to use a 3rd party program to burn to a dvd. The reason you can burn to dvd when doing a system backup is most likey that Acer have dvd burning capabilities in their backup software that it uses.
Get a trial version of Nero or something similar or get cdburnerxp (google it). It's free and can burn to DVD as well - so I've been told)

K

frivolous_fay

Thank you, having a play with it now - it's offering to do a Data CD / DVD - will that work on a DVD player?

BillScarab

A lot depends on the DVD player, some will play avi's etc, some won't. For the best compatibility you need to create a proper DVD from the video files on your computer. I find DVDFlick works pretty well.

What format are the files on your computer that you are trying to burn?

Keldin

It shoudl as long as you structure teh files correclty
If you have the vob files etc from a video dvd and make sure the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS foldersare there and the vob files (and the others - can't remember what they are offhand) are in teh video_ts folder it will work.
DVD movies are just data discs with a specific structure that teh player understands
Oh and teh AUDIO_TS folder is meant to be empty in case you were wondering. The audio is part of the vob file but it's good practice to still have the Audio_TS folder as some old players still need it to be there even if it is empty

K

Keldin

BillScarab wrote: »

A lot depends on the DVD player, some will play avi's etc, some won't. For the best compatibility you need to create a proper DVD from the video files on your computer. I find DVDFlick works pretty well.

What format are the files on your computer that you are trying to burn?

I'm assuming the files are correct format as they're being copied from a camcorder dvd? I may be wrong as I don't have a camcorder myself.

Donnie

Is the Mini DVD a DVD-RAM or DVD-RW from a Sony?

http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/kevin.j.mullarkey/docs/PCtoDVDRGuide.pdf

Otherwise, it may be easier to copy the .vro file over to your pc, rename the file .mpg and use the trial version of the Nero 7 Suite's Nero Vision 4 to make the dvd as normal.

frivolous_fay

Ok, in terms of format:

'Powerproducer' recognises the files we got off the small discs yesterday - at least, the three that are .VOB. It doesn't recognise the one with a VRO extension. (I'd kind of figured out for myself that the VRO would be a problem)

The DVD she gave me today which she did at home last night and wants me to copy, has a folder DVD_RTAV containing VR_MANGR.BUP, VR_MANG.IFO and VR_MOVIE.VRO. Powerproducer doesn't recongise any of them.

I haven't yet finished playing with cdburnerxp as I actually have work to do today as well! (whatever my manager seems to think) but I will persist and see what I get. Just wanted to post again to add any poignant info for all you genius(es? i?)

Donnie

As I wrote...copy the .vro file to your computer and then change the .vro to .mpg