Adding Extra Folders to video disc

GlenL wrote on 8/9/2004, 11:43 AM

I'd like to send out a disc with a video and an extra folder with family pictures. I understand DVDA2 won't do this and I have another utility to burn the discs.

My Sony player will play a video from a disc with the extra folder (must appear on the disk after the audio_ts and video_ts folders - VERY IMPORTANT), but my brother's Sony will not recognize the disk nor my father's.

Am I missing something? Is there a different spec for DVD discs with extra folders?

Thanks!

Comments

ScottW wrote on 8/9/2004, 1:14 PM

Will these other players recognize a disk you burn without the extra folder?

There's a whole multitude of potential compatability issues, which may or may not be related to the fact that you burned a hybrid DVD.

What media did you use (+R or -R), what burning app, was it quality media, or cheapest you could purchase, how old are these other players (older players may have issues)? These are all things that can impact the playability of the DVD.

I don't think the DVD spec specifically disallows additional material or folders from being on the DVD, however, at that point it becomes a choice as to whether or not the player must be able to support such a thing (since support for this isn't explicitly required either). That's if I'm remembering things I've read correctly.

--Scott

johnmeyer wrote on 8/9/2004, 2:02 PM

I use Nero to add extras all the time and have sent out close to 100 "hybrid" DVDs to various people without any problem. I am using DVD-R, but I don't think that is relevant.

Make sure the "extra" folder is not in the VIDEO_TS or AUDIO_TS dirrectory, i.e., it should be an additional folder directly under the root. Also, I have created DVDs that contain many, many additional folders, that is, these discs have directories labeled PICS, VIDEO, DOCS, etc.in addition to the the VIDEO_TS or AUDIO_TS directories.

I would recommend that you limit these folder names to eight characters or less.

Click here for more information:

Nero to Burn DVD

GlenL wrote on 8/9/2004, 3:52 PM

I'm using good grade DVD-R media (for increased compatibility). The two players I have data points for do play a disc without the extra folders, so it's not purely a recordable media issue. Both of these players are about 2 years old and mine is less than a year.

I'm using Roxio's Easy CD Creator V6. V7 won't let you add any extra folders. BTW for anyone else using the Roxio product to do just the burning, the disc created using your project file is not necessarily the same as what you burned the first time. There's something about pulling back in the project file that makes coasters. (Found this out at midnight when two discs played and five did not - all five had been created from the project file.)

Scott, thanks for your input.

GlenL wrote on 8/9/2004, 4:00 PM

John,
Thanks for the info on Nero and the other post. Very helpful. I've got Roxio and Pinnacle, but Nero sounds like it does the job properly.

I have a separate folder for "pictures" and "music" under the root. The order of the folders seems to be important. The Roxio product seems to change the order (my hunch) when a project file is saved so this created a few coasters.

Thanks again.
Glen

vb1966 wrote on 8/10/2004, 2:26 AM

Roxio does not write a DVD-Video properly. I even had problems with it with no extra content at all. Use a different software (such as Nero).

johnmeyer wrote on 8/10/2004, 8:50 AM

I doubt that your coaster problem is due to the extra folders. It sounds like the burning software is probably the problem. Try the Nero route. As I indicated in my previous posts, and the links from that post, you can get Nero 5.x on eBay for less than $5, and upgrade to the latest 5.x for free. You will be very happy with the results.

GlenL wrote on 8/10/2004, 12:53 PM

John,
I've got a copy of Nero headed my way and I'll use the update from the link you provided.

Thank you again. Now if I'd only posted this a couple of weeks ago...

Glen

GlenL wrote on 8/13/2004, 9:44 AM

Hi johnmeyer,

Nero arrived and I was able to install the update. Thanks for getting me headed in the right direction.

I followed your well written instructions, but Nero hangs on the Burn tab displaying "checking files". I'm sure this is an issue with my system, not Nero. I had two versions of Roxio and Pinnacle Instant CD/DVD installed so I uninstalled those. BTW, Pinnacle has a crappy uninstaller and leaves stuff all over. Their Tech Support guy sent me a link to a freeware registry cleaner to use to clean up their own product! Even after using that I had to go in and clean the registry by hand.

After cleaning up, Nero still hangs. So having used the $5 approach, there's no tech support from Nero. I was planning to purchase a copy of V6 just to have a license to validate my copy of V5.5, and that way I will be able to get some tech support too.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

Just in case someone might see something unusual, here's my system (hoping to update soon): P4, 1.8Ghz, 512MB, WinXP SP2, 2x 7200RPM 8MB cache 120GB Maxtors, 2x smaller HD, Plextor 708A, VV5b, DVDA2a, SF7a.

My thanks again.
Glen

cworld29 wrote on 8/13/2004, 1:13 PM

I use Nero for this also. No problems yet.

I find this useful for archiving DVD project files like dars, button masks, screen images etc. to the master. I just create a new folder and name it Project fils or something like that.

GlenL wrote on 8/13/2004, 1:41 PM

Anybody else trying to use Nero 5.5.10.56 on WinXP SP2, or am I the first?

I may need to uninstall it to learn if that is the issue.

bStro wrote on 8/13/2004, 2:46 PM

Probably at least one of the first. I didn't know SP2 had made the rounds just yet.

Rob

planders wrote on 8/13/2004, 6:08 PM

You can download the network install version--only 266 MB. Yikes!

As for the thread topic, I was looking for an answer to the same question today--weird. Based on what's been said, I bought a download copy of Nero 6; works like a charm. Nice to be back with a CD burning program that doesn't prevent access to the more "advanced" features, as Roxio does more and more with each new version.

GlenL wrote on 8/15/2004, 6:37 AM

I purchased the downloadable copy of Nero and it also hung. But based on planders' post, I figured it was my system configuration, not a Nero problem. Uninstalled SP2, still hung.

Then I remembered that my Soyo motherboard has RAID on IDE channels 3 and 4 (which can configure to IDE). These did not support ATAPI so I had purchased a Promise Ultra DMA controller for the CD-ROM and the Plextor burner went onto this controller as well.

So I had a hunch that because Nero used ASPI that I had better try getting the burner on a standard IDE controller/driver. Took about 10 minutes to reconfigure the burner and 2 HDs and NERO WORKED!!!! Burned the DVD and it plays in my player. I'll have to get the disc into a couple other players to verify compatibility with the extra folders, but at least now Nero is working.

I'll do a little investigation and post back about V6.3.1.20 vs. V5.5.10.56 (recommended by johnmeyer) and about WinXP SP2.

Hope this helps anyone else trying to install Nero and having it hang.

Glen

johnmeyer wrote on 8/15/2004, 12:05 PM

Always useful to find out how a problem is finally solved. I would never have been able to help you figure this one out, since I don't have any computers with RAID.

GlenL wrote on 8/16/2004, 6:13 AM

Actually don't use the RAID function, but the multipurpose driver for those two channels (IDE or RAID) somehow got in the way at first and then the Promise add-in IDE adapter got in the way for the ASPI drivers. I was starting to feel like I was set up for that fall.

I did go back and install Nero 5.5.10.56 with WinXP SP1 and it ran fine. Then installed WinXP SP2 and Nero was still OK. That should be good news for everyone else following along.

Also did a quick test with Vegas and DVDA2a: rendered a region to DV to get an avi copy, did some editing, rendered to DVDA video stream (default) and audio (PCM), and prepared with DVDA. All worked fine with WinXP SP2. This is not an exhaustive test, of course, but at least says it won't be DOA.

Thanks again everyone for the help on this thread. I really enjoy this forum.

Glen