Rivergate Software Inc. - makers of DVDAfterEdit

Posted Jul 11,2005 8:59 AM LIBEO

Is it true that we can have differences between DVD R (or RW) and a Mastered DVD (A final DVD in the box). What kind of difference can appear between this twoo DVD.
When we produce a CDROM, the Mastered CDROM and the CDR are exactly the same, and you can't have bugs on the CDR that is not on the Mastered Edition. Why are these differences in the DVD.
Thank You

Posted Jul 11,2005 4:20 PM larryapple

Hi Libeo,

A DVD-R does not allow for region coding, CSS, or Macrovision encryption. This information is usually supplied to the replicator on DLT tape, and is provided in files that never appear directly in the main DVD file, and in an extra 6 bytes prepended to each sector in the main file.

So the short answer is that you can't send a replicator an exact image of how the mastered DVD will look, except with an Authoring DVD drive, which were very expensive and haven't been manufactured for years.

You can, however, send a replicator a DDP image, which is really a folder for each layer to appear on the DVD containing all of the necessary files. You can write these images to a regular DVD-R with DVDAfterEdit, one layer per disc, as data discs. But you must make sure that the replicator understands what he is getting, and not try to master directly from the DVD-R.

If you use Toast 6 to write the DDP images, you must select DVD-ROM (UDF), and Data (not Video) to get a data disc that is readable by both PC's and Macs. DVDAfterEdit does not write directly to DVD-R, so you must write it to a hard drive tape image first, and then use Toast.

Hope this helps,

Larry

Posted Jul 12,2005 4:04 AM LIBEO

This is not exactly my question. Some times you test a DVD R on one player and this DVD R don't work( some feature don't play). You test the same DVD R on another Player and the DVD R work fine. I know that some features can work on one player and don't work on another player. But if send a DLT tape with the data to a replicator, the replicator send us the final DVD. If we test the final DVD to our two players, the problems can disapear or not?. For example the seamless capacity of a DVD can't be tested on DVD R, this feature work only on Mastered DVD. If we have a problem on a DVD R, this problem can disepear on final version of the DVD or not???

Posted Jul 12,2005 8:07 AM ianshepherd

Hi Libeo,

Say for example you write a DLT, restore it to hard drive and write a test DVD-R. Larry will correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know this should work in exactly the same way as a pressed disc, apart from copy protection, region coding and the layer-break. If there are any other differences, something is wrong somewhere.

Behaviour of non-seamless cells is tricky to troubleshoot. Some players will play smoothly through a non-seamless cell, others will pause - regardless of whether it's a pressed disc or not, and regardless of whether the non-seamless cell is the layer-break or not. Before being able to write dual-layer discs, I used to send DVD-9 test copies on a DVD-5, with reduced quality video so it would all fit. I made the layer-break cell non-seamless, so the customer could see how it would look on the final disc, and this worked fine.

But as far as everything else goes, it should be the same as CD-ROM - the test disc should work exactly as the pressed disc does. Does this help ? What differences are you seeing between the test copy and pressed disc ?

Ian

Posted Jul 12,2005 12:12 PM LIBEO

You answer exactly at my question.
In your example you write a DLT but if i directly write de VIDEO_TS forlder to a DVD-R, is it the same thing or writing to a DLT is mandatory.

Posted Jul 13,2005 5:05 AM ianshepherd

Hi Libeo,

You can use DVD-R if your disc is not Region Coded ( see this article : http://www.dvdafteredit.com/public/91.cfm ) and doesn't need Macrovision and CSS.

I personally prefer to use DLT though, because the format's error-correction is 100% reliable and it's not susceptible to physical damage, dirt dust, fingerprints etc.

( If you don't have DLT, a better option is to supply the project as a DDP image on a DVD-ROM, as Larry mentioned. You must use DDP image or DLT if you want Region Coding, Macrovision or CSS, though. )

Ian