 How do I make DVDs that run every
time?
Your Guide to Trouble-free DVD and CD Copying and Duplication
by Ray Williamson
We have already discussed why DVDs sometimes fail to run,
particularly in some DVD players. Here are specific instructions to make
sure that your DVDs will run every time and avoid the embarassment too often
experienced at festivals (and elsewhere) of finding eminent judges tempted
to drum their fingers with impatience in front of a blank screen! Of course,
that never actually happens - IAC judges are far too polite!
 The reason for failure
is that the file system is wrong. To avoid this most "paid-for" video-editing
software has DVD burning software as part of the package. Use
it.
Do not be tempted by the wide range of "freeware" burning
software to make your master copies. I have tried some and while those I
tried are good in some respects, they all have the same fault: they all fail
to create the essential UDF file system. In fact they provide no UDF file
systems at all, let alone the correct version (UDF 1.02).
Why is this? I can only guess that the UDF system, or
the software "engine" that creates it, are subject to intellectual rights
and money has to change hands if they are incorporated in a program. If that
is the case, then obviously they will not be part of any free software
programs!
However, "paid-for" does not mean "expensive".
One of the cheapest, the Ulead VideoStudio editing
package, is available in several versions. All those I have tried, from version
6 onwards, provide all the necessary file systems and are very keenly priced
from online suppliers such as Amazon. There are many others equally suitable
but never assume that "more expensive" automatically means "better". In the
ultra-competitive world of computer software things are never that
simple.
| Step 1 |
Burn your master disc. If, exceptionally, you are given a choice, make
sure that burning options or modes are set to "mastered", "burn-at-once",
"disc-at-once", or "no multisession" mode. |
| Step 2 |
Play your master DVD to check that it plays correctly, then check the
disc's file systems using IsoBuster, a free program from
www.isobuster.com . Normally you need
check this only once, to make sure your master has the correct file systems.
The three file systems, as revealed by IsoBuster (for instructions see the
link above), that you should have are these:
-
UDF 1.02 This is absolutely essential.
-
ISO 9660 This is mainly for running your DVD on computers using Windows
98 and some other operating systems.
-
IFO/VOB This is called a pseudo-file system, and is an addition to
ISO 9660. It is used by a only few older-type DVD players. If you have it,
it is a useful bonus.
In addition:
-
Joliet This is not essential but if it appears it will certainly do
no harm.
|
| Step 3 |
Prepare to make your copies. However, do not use Microsoft's InstantWrite,
or Windows Explorer, or similar methods to copy files to a blank DVD. This
is where many people go wrong. Even if "Help" files say you can do it,
they are wrong. Resulting DVDs may run on computers, but not on all players.
It is true that Windows Vista will produce UDF 1.02 copies on its "Mastered"
setting, but no other file systems. This will be satisfactory in most cases,
but belt-and-braces are always to be preferred when the playing equipment
is unknown!
Instead, you need to make a special copy, usually called an .iso file,
which resides on your hard drive and from which you can clone - or burn -
as many identical DVD copies as you like at any time, each one complete with
the identical set of file systems in place.
"Iso" in this context is nothing to do with ISO 9660 (which refers to a
specification from the International Standards Organization). Instead, it
is more like an isomer in organic chemistry. An isomer of a compound, as
you will remember from your schooldays, is another compound containing the
same elements in exactly the same proportions, but arranged differently.
An .iso file is just the same: it contains all the elements your original
disc contains, except they are arranged in one single file, instead of on
one disc.
All the free burning programs I have tried (and rejected for making master
DVDs) do provide this facility. They copy existing file systems, not provide
new ones, which is exactly what we want. Two of these programs are listed
at the end of this page. In addition, when I bought a new computer earlier
this year, the computer manufacturer, Gateway, had added some extra programs,
including Cyberlink PowerDVD and Cyberlink Power2Go.
Power2Go has a very good copying facility, similar to those listed,
except that the special file has the filename extension .p2i instead
of .iso . Whether the files are identical or not I have not yet
discovered. Power2Go, by default, names the file Image.p2i and
puts it into the Documents folder. I recommend you create a separate folder
and give the file a more recognisable name, but, of course, you must keep
the filename extension .p2i .
When burning your copies, you are usually asked if you want to perform
"Simulating writing data". I can see no point in this. Presumably it is to
check if there is sufficient space for the files, but if it is a blank disc,
of course there is. The time this process takes doubles the time needed to
burn the disc.
There may be an advantage in verifying the data on the new disc. This process
adds 50% to the time taken to burn the disc.
Another point: when burning DVDs, whether a master or a copy, the DVD gets
hot and expands. The tracks on a DVD are extremely narrow, so from time to
time the process will stop to re-align the laser. Although this process usually
works well, there is sometimes an advantage in not burning a DVD at the maximum
speed. Power2Go does not offer the facility to reduce speed, but all
the other programs listed below do so.
Speed reduction is not normally necessary on CDs, where the tracks are much
larger. |
I hope that after studying this, we will have no more audiences staring at
blank screens!
Appendix:
Some Freeware .iso file duplication programs for DVDs and CDs (not recommended
for making your original masters):
-
DeepBurner v 1.8.0.224
www.deepburner.com offers several
language options, but the Help file is not helpful. Unusually, it has a "Full
Erase" facility for writing over tracks you want to obliterate. It includes
label-printing software. The 2.7 MB download takes around 12 minutes on dialup.
There is a powerful menu-creation utility but as it creates no UDF file I
cannot see how this could be used. However, it does save and burn .iso files
successfully.
Anton Soluyanov of the DeepBurner support team has told me that they plan
soon to release DeepBurner version 2.0 which will have UDF support. I did
point out that UDF 1.02 was essential, but we will have to see if it
materialises.
-
Clone2Burner from
www.binartisan.com is a 1.33 MB file
(download time about 6 minutes on dialup) which is broadly similar. There
is no Help file. There is a very good menu-creation utility but as it creates
no UDF file I cannot see how this could be used. However, it does save and
burn .iso files successfully, with its quickly-accessible Save ISO
and Burn ISO buttons.
-
Burn4Free v. 3.7.0.0 from
www.burn4free.com is one I have not
tried, because the 4.3 MB download was taking too long (over an hour on dialup).
It has been well received by the computer press, so it could be worth a try
if you can download it when the lines are less busy. I did look at an earlier
version whose help file was on the internet: it was not very good at explaining
to beginners how to use the program.
-
BurnOnCDDVD 3.1 is another I have not tried. Its 6.72 MB download
was also too slow!
Ray Williamson is also a member of
Creative View Productions
www.creativeviewproductions.org
and the the Baird Film & TV Initiative
www.bairdfilmandtv.com
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