Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with burning

Have you had success returning blank CD (or DVD) media for credit or replacement?

jeremias — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:26:34 -0800

Have you had success returning blank CD (or DVD) media for credit or replacement? So I have these relatively expensive blank "vinyl" cd's from Verbatim. It seems 25% of them are burning coasters which is very frustrating. I'm using the usually reliable Toast Titanium, burning far below the maximum speed, etc. There is a "Limited Lifetime Warranty", but I don't know how Verbatim might interpret that: blame my cd burner, etc.

Hunk of Burning Love Needed

cazoo — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:30:36 -0800

How do I burn a dvd on a mac from an iso file with subtitles? I have folder which contains a film in iso format. The iso includes two folders, AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS. I would like to burn this on dvd. There are also several other files, srt., sfv., md5., and nfo.

I already tried burning it to a dvd using the built in mac Disk Utility but the subtitles do not seem to work.

What am I doing wrong? Please hope me.

Do we need to evacuate?

serazin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:36:31 -0800

name that mysterious acrid smell/taste! Over the last few weeks, my roommate and I have occasionally noticed a sort of smokey smell near the side of our house. Its nothing we can pin down exactly, and not very strong.

Tonight I was lying in bed and I had this sensation in my mouth as if it was being irritated by a chemical or smoke. Eventually my eyes felt irritated as well. I asked my roommate to smell my room and she said she smelled nothing. Then, 10 minutes later, she came to my room complaining that her eyes were itching and she could feel an irritating sensation/smell/taste in the her nose and throat.

We called the fire department and they've just left. They were only here for about 3 minutes and said they couldn't smell anything. Now PG&E (gas company) is here, and his little sniffer wand says there's no gas leak. The thing is, this sensation takes time to notice, so these folks aren't noticing anything in the short time they're staying.

What else should we consider might be causing the problem? Neighborhood meth lab? Broken sewer line? I'm at a loss. We're all asthmatics here - my roommate and I and each of our kids. I felt short of breath when I was lying in bed, but I know there's a certain power of suggestion that might partially be at work here...

How to physically speed up MP3s for CD burning?

querty — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:28:05 -0800

How can I speed up the tempo of some MP3 files and burn them onto a CD for faster playback? For audio books / podcasts, I play them in Winamp with the Pacemaker plugin setting the tempo 20% ~ 30% faster as I can comprehend much faster speaking.

How can I do this for off-computer use? Specifically, make an MP3 disc to play in my car. I'm sure the MP3 file would have to be physically altered before it is burned onto a CD, so what tools are out there that will do this?

Here is one answer I found on the Winamp forum but it is not a viable solution because some the audio books I have are over 12 hours long.

How to save our skillets

specialagentwebb — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:36:51 -0800

Our cast iron skillets caught fire. Can they ever be used again? We have 2 cast iron skillets, and in the process of re-seasoning them after a washing mishap, the oil in them caught fire. We put out the flames with an A,B,C dry chemical fire extinguisher, then put the pans outside to cool down (and not smoke up the house any more).

The chemical extinguisher mixed with the oil, and it seems like it's not coming off of the skillets.

What's the best route to take from here. Can the skillets be saved? If so, what's the best way to go about cleaning them?

Would hanging a wet sheet somewhere in the room help?

halogen — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:01:26 -0800

Another West Coast heat wave question. Beside eating ice cream and drinking ouzo straight from the freezer, what are some good ways to cool down? I'm in Seattle, and temperatures this week are likely to reach 102°F/39°C. This is the first time I've lived in a home without A/C, and since I don't have a place of work yet to go chill or a lot of money to spend on outside activities, I'm mostly stuck in a hot apartment. Even the building pool is unpleasantly warm to swim in, and the ice cream machine is failing me because it's so hot and humid! The library is nice and cool, but it closes at 6pm, and since the outside of our apartment is mostly made of windows and faces the north and the west, late afternoons and evenings are almost unbearable despite the blinds. Showers are nice, but the "cold" tap water is tepid at best these days.

So, hive mind, what are your secret yet brilliant ways to cool down?

How to Handle Partial Subtitles with Handbrake

snap_dragon — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:52:54 -0800

Using Handbrake, is there a way to put subtitles onto DVD when they are interspersed in the real movie? Example: the movie Defiance had some English subtitles when characters spoke Russian/German. These didn't come through when I made my first trial run disc. So basically I'm asking for situational subtitles if I can call them that and not the full movie-lenght subtitle added throughout the whole movie. Thanks for your input.

Why won't all my DVDs play as they should?

hippybear — Sun, 03 May 2009 11:29:37 -0800

How do I burn VIDEO_TS folders to DVD Video discs that work on standalone players? I'm using an iMac, Leopard 10.5.6, internal SuperDrive for DVD burning. These are not copies of for-sale DVDs; they are fan-generated content or abandonware porting of 1970s quadraphonic recordings to modern surround systems.

I found a Terminal command line using hdiutil which is supposed to work... [hdiutil makehybrid -udf -udf-volume-name VOLNAME \ -o MY_DVD.iso /Volumes/File/Location]. I've tried using both BURN and Disk Utility to burn the resulting disk image. This doesn't seem to be doing the job, however.

I've tried using Disk Utility to make disk image DVD/CD Master of the VIDEO_TS folder and burning that, doesn't work...

The confusing thing is, the disks seem to be recognized by the iMac's DVD Player software and will boot that up and run just fine, but the discs won't play in my standalone Panasonic DMR-EZ17.

Even more confusing -- sometimes the DVDs I make using the above methods play in the standalone, sometimes not. This seems to be based on the VIDEO_TS folder I am using, as if I cannot get it to convert / burn / play under one system, it is unlikely I will get it to work at all.

(Complicating this even more, ALL of the VIDEO_TS folders that I mount using the File -> Open DVD Media... menu selection inside DVD Player work. This seems to have no bearing on whether the files will burn into a standalone DVD Video disk.)

Does anyone have any suggestions for me, short of $pending to get Toast or some other non-free solution?

Ripping a TV series in Handbrake

snap_dragon — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:52:59 -0800

I can rip movies to Xvid using Handbrake and it is all good....it rips the movie but no special features which is fine....But lately, when I tried John Adams (miniseries) or the TV show the 4400, it only took one chunk out of the whole disc and ignored the other episodes. Is there a way around this so I can get all the episodes even if they are lumped into one .avi file? (I really don't mind all the fast-forwarding). Thanks...and to all of those reading/responding...have a great weekend.

Space Heater Improvement

gzimmer — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:44:00 -0800

I have an electric space heater that makes a mild burning smell and the fan makes too much noise, any ideas on how an adventurous engineering student might be able to make the unit better than out of the box? I have this unit specifically. There doesn't appear to be anything solid inside (as seen through the grill) that might be causing a burning smell, and I have no idea where the fan even is. I have a few assorted enthusiast grade computer fans that might be quieter, but i have no idea what to expect once I crack the case.

Help me offload my movies offshore to DVDs

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:23:22 -0800

Hi everyone. I have a some of movie files that I'd like to transder to DVD. However... I have a DVD burner on my computer, however, my MacBook Pro (OS 10.5) will not give me the option of burning the file directly onto the blank DVD. When I try to do so, all it does is make a shortcut to the movie rather than to the movie itself.

The only other option it gives me when I insert the DVD is to create a movie through iMovie, which won't let me transfer the file either.

Why yes, these are downloaded BitTorrent files. Are there fundamental barriers to burning them coded into the files? Is my only option to transfer them to an external hard drive?

I've found some answers on burning DVDs on a Mac generally, but not with these specifics. Will Mac the Ripper (currently unavailable online) or Handbrake solve my problem?

Thanks for your help!

Seems like there should be one around here somewhere....

Large Marge — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:58:31 -0800

I live in the East Bay, and I'd like to get my new moleskine notebook laser etched with my own design. There has got to be somewhere in the bay I can go get this done for a reasonable price (I'm not paying 40 bucks for a modofly job). I know at the maker faire shopbot had a whole station set up for stuff like this and it was free there. Any ideas?

Why Can't I burn a DVD?

tamarack — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:24:29 -0800

Why can't I burn a DVD using my DVD+-RW drive? [details within] I am totally stumped trying to figure out why I can't burn a DVD on my laptop. This is a second-hand Dell Inspiron 9300 running WinXP, and has a DVD+-RW drive (as per msinfo32). I can read DVDs, and I can burn CDs. I have tried with 'Sonic RecordNow!', 'DeepBurner' (free edition), and 'CDBurnXP'. I have tried two different brands of DVD-R (HP and a house brand). I have tried burning different files (once, software program files which I later gave up and burnt to CD; then a collection of avi files). The fail messages are vague, but like to suggest my DVD is either bunk or the 'media is not supported'. Laptop is from Craigslist, so no warranty. But no other problems! It seems to be a sound machine.

What is going on?! I considered that maybe msinfo is lying and I need to only use DVD+R, but that seems weird, and expensive... and is that even possible? Suggestions of possible issue and/or troubleshooting much appreciated.

Please Walk Me Through the Steps in Making a Divx DVD

UnholyJudas — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:59:08 -0800

Well, something is wrong...I use Mac the Ripper to rip the DVDs...then I am not sure what to do. I turned them into mp4s in Handbrake and then burnt them in Toast under the Divx tab. I get a lot (maybe 6?) movies to a disc (dual layer)and the picture is decent BUT it takes several days...a day to encode the files through Handbrake and then 2 whole days to burn the disc in Toast. Am I doing things completely wrong? I would appreciate a step by step walkthrough if there is a much easier and more efficient way to make Divx discs primarily because I have a huge spindle of DVD-DLs that I don't want to waste on one movie at a time. Thanks for your help and happy holidays! By the way I am using a brand new IMac running OS 10.5.5

DVD/Handbrake Divx Burning Woes

snap_dragon — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:59:36 -0800

I using Mac the Ripper than Handbrake to turn DVDs into mp4 files. (I use DVD dual layer)...When I use Roxio Popcorn, I can fit several movies on a disc (4) but it takes honestly a day and a half to burn on DVD !!!! But the DVD plays perfectly in my cheap player. Trying a different route, I tried dragging the mp4s to a blank DVD disc and then clicking "Burn" -- it burns and takes only 30-40 minutes but this version will not play on my DVD player. Anybody out there have an idea what I can do to make the process more efficient? Different software or different method? I appreciate your insight. By the way, I am running Mac OX X 10.5.5.

DVD Burning & Compression -- 2 for 1?

snap_dragon — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:02:37 -0800

I am using Mac the Ripper and Roxio Popcorn successfully to rip, compress, and burn DVDs. I have leftover DVD-R Dual Layer DVDs -- is it possible to fit to movies on a DVD? I tried a few ways and it only shows one movie. Any settings I could change? Any other software? Thanks.

Burning CD/DVDs on Laptop

zzazazz — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:14:50 -0800

I own this laptop and I love it except I am having trouble with the cd/dvd burner. It reads just fine but when I try to burn, no matter what program I use, it doesn't burn properly. Sometimes it leaves the disc blank or leaves a song here and there blank while other songs are burned properly. Do you think it's a defective burner or something to do with how it communicates with the OS?

it burns, it burns!

number9dream — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:11:08 -0800

I just went to the bathroom to pee, and seconds after finishing I realized that I must have unwittingly touched some hot peppers when I was in the kitchen. Please help me stop this unholy burning. I suppose it's relevant that I am male. I looked at a bunch of other threads on capsaicin-induced burning, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to douse my genitalia in a bleach solution, or with rubbing alcohol, or ammonia. Does anybody know how to fix this without resort to harsh chemicals?

Also... HOLY SHIT THIS HURTS MORE THAN ANYTHING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED! PLEASE HELP ME SO I DON'T HAVE TO KILL MYSELF.

Sorry to yell at you all. Please help.

WinAVI crapped out on Vista Premium 64-bit. What other friendly converter such as WinAVI can I use instead to convert xvid/divx/etc to .vob files so I can burn them as a DVD with Nero and such.

cheero — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:28:37 -0800

WinAVI crapped out on Vista Premium 64-bit. What other friendly converter such as WinAVI can I use instead to convert xvid/divx/etc to .vob files so I can burn them as a DVD with Nero and such? Thanks in advance WinAVI crapped out on Vista 64-bit. What other friendly converter such as WinAVI can I use instead to convert xvid/divx/etc to .vob files so I can burn them as a DVD with Nero and such?

Thanks in advance

Coolest burning bulbs?

caveat empress — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:56:24 -0800

Help finding the coolest burning bulbs for my bathroom vanity... My upstairs is a pretty dark place, and it is necessary to have lights on anytime I am in the bathroom. Problem is the heat that the bulbs in the vanity gives off is pretty nasty.

What is/are the best option(s) for replacement bulbs (I believe you would call the base size 'Candelabra') that will give off the least amount of heat, yet provide sufficient light for a very small and dark room?

DVD Burning 101 for Macintosh

snap_dragon — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:52:36 -0800

I was hoping someone could recommend a one-stop DVD burning software for my Mac. I am wanting to make dvds that will work on my regular home player...I am running the latest operating system. My hopes are to have it be able to put a movie on a DVD-R and not invest in more expensive DVD-dual layer discs. Unfortunately, I am not good at using three different types of software to rip, edit, and burn, and hence the request for one all in one package. I know Wondershare does only dvd burning to dual layer. I have seen Fast DVD Copy but not sure how good it works, though it looks nice. Any suggestions? I appreciate all advice and wish all respondents and awesome week. Thanks.

Who put clorox in my food?

strangeguitars — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:41:48 -0800

What is causing this? Sometimes I get a strange burning feeling (for lack of a better expression; it's kind of an acid burn sort of sensation) on the roof of my mouth sometimes when I put the first bite of the day in my mouth. It especially seems strong with bread, but has also happened with orange juice, milk and other things that seem to have no relation to each other. It subsides after about 15 minutes. Does anyone know what this is, or have had similar experiences? It doesn't happen regularly, or even that often, but just now and then, and it's been happening for as long as I can remember (I'm in my early 40s). It doesn't seem threatening in any way, just annoying and puzzling, so I've never gone to a doctor about it. And now, I can't go to a doctor about it, because I live in China, and the doctors around here generally are not too knowledgeable, especially about strange things.

When I feel that sensation, the more I put in my mouth (other than water), the stronger the feeling gets, until it gradually subsides after the fifteen minutes are up.

Why is my laptop so hot, and what laptop can I buy that won't burn me?

BuddhaInABucket — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 15:21:22 -0800

Do all laptops get this hot? I currently own a 15" powerbook g4 that gets so hot I can't actually put it on my lap. I had the same problem with my previous computer, a 12" powerbook g4. Does this happen with all Apple laptops, or is it just powerbooks that end up like this? It's bad enough that I'm considering buying a new computer, but I don't want to get burned (no pun intended) again. What's the coolest computer I can get?

How stupid would it be to trash the old financial stuff?

paultopia — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:39:49 -0800

How dangerous is throwing out old financial records, really? Don't want to pay to shred, and lots of peoples' trash is mixed with mine... I'm a student at a major university with many, many people's trash mixed together into large dumpsters. I'm trying to get rid of several years of old financial records, just full of things like SSNs, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, etc.

Does anyone have a sense as to how dangerous it really is to just toss it all into one of the big bins? Do people really go rooting through them? Is it more or less dangerous to throw it into the paper recycling one?

Alternatively, does anyone have any quick and easy destruction method for about 50 pounds of paper that doesn't require the ability to burn or shred and can happen without paying some professional?

What software will help make efficient use of DVD space?

mithiirym — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 03:32:55 -0800

Where can I find free Linux or Windows DVD organizer software to efficiently make the best use of space on discs? I often burn thousands of files onto discs and have to figure out which files to exclude to try to use the most space on each disc so I'm not wasting much so I can--sometimes it'll save me from using an extra disc. I'd much rather have this process be somewhat automated. Does anyone know of any software to help out?