Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with windows and dvd

CD manufacturer identification on the Mac?

ignignokt — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:18:38 -0800

Is there a Mac equivalent to CDR Media Code Identifier. This could be run in Parallels, but I'm not sure it'll be able to get what it needs out of the DVD drive. And of course, it'd be nice to not have to run Parallels.

DVD Filesystems

claudius — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:53:10 -0800

What would cause certain folders to show up when a DVD is mounted under Windows (XP, FWIW), but not to show up under Linux (Ubuntu Intrepid)? I was given the wonderful New York Times Complete Front Pages as a birthday present, but I can't see all the folders when running in Linux (when it is automounted, or the ripped image is mounted loopback). I'm aware of Rock Ridge and Joliet extensions, but AFAIR, these are for POSIX permissions and Unicode filenames respectively (and are for CDROMS).

What could be going on?

And as an addendum, how are .idx and .pdx files (indices, I presume) handled by Acrobat?

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.

Why can’t my movies be as convenient as my music?

arniec — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:06:24 -0800

DVDs and Blu Ray discs are such a pain with their ability to be scratched and the need to find where a disc is, is it in the right case, etc. I find myself often drawn to standard definition “on demand” movies on cable (free ones) instead of searching my own high definition or DVD movies. Is there a way to have the convenience of “on demand” and the quality of the original media? We have sold off many of our DVDs with the intent of rebuying the movies on Blu Ray, but we still have about 100 DVDs and maybe 20 Blu Ray discs. What we’re looking for is a way to have those all perhaps ripped to a hard drive that we could then navigate to play the movies. I’m not interested in additional features, deleted scenes, commentaries, just the actual video itself (if I want the others I’ll grab the disc).

I know we can rip the standard def DVDs, but if I bought a Blu Ray drive can those discs be ripped at 1080p quality? If so, how much storage is involved, and what device will play it back at best quality with 7.1 surround sound? Do any media centers do HDMI?

We currently have in our house a 4TB Drobo (2.7TB actual storage space), and I have a Mac Mini that I know many people use as a media center; but if we can get this functionality we would not be opposed to buying Apple TV or some other device. We are a mixed PC/Mac household so software and hardware on either platform will work. Mostly we want easy-to-rip, easy-to-play.

Any suggestions?

How do I get rid of the file that won't go away?

champthom — Sat, 24 May 2008 20:46:29 -0800

Why won't this file go away in Vista's DVD burner? I'm running Vista and I'm trying to burn a DVD using the built in DVD burner. I burnt this one DVD a month ago or so, but for some reason this on DVD .vob file won't burn. I try to remove it but it keeps saying I don't have permission. Every DVD I've tried to burn since I've been having problems as it insists there is no DVD or that there's something wrong with the disk and it says I don't have permission when I just try to burn that file itself.

My question is - how do I get rid of this file so I can burn other DVDs?

Automatic Screenshots from a DVD

muckster — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:46:34 -0800

Automatic screenshots from a DVD? I know how to take individual screengrabs from a a movie with VLC or Media Player Classic -- but I'd like to get a whole bunch at once. Is there windows software that will let me set an interval and extract a series of screenshots automatically?

Software-only Upscaling?

Nelsormensch — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:59:10 -0800

How can I "upscale" DVD/DivX video on my Windows PC and display it on the HDTV I've got setup as a second monitor? Currently, when I play a DVD on my PC using either Windows Media Player or VLC and output it to my HDTV, it looks awful. As bad, if not worse, than SD programming. I've got to change the TV's aspect ratio to 4:3, or the video looks stretched. Either way, there's a lot of horizontal letterboxing and with the aspect ratio at 4:3, the actual video plays amid a sea of blackness.

Putting the DVD in my LG upscaling player, it fill the entire TV at 16:9 (and looks pretty good too). I want the media player software on my PC to do that. (With all the normal assumptions about the source material actually being 16:9, of course)

The box itself has a Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz processor, 3 GB of RAM and a GeForce 8800 so I'd think it can keep up with the decoding/transcoding/scaling. Doing some Google, I saw ffdshow come up a bit, but all the posts seemed to be at least 2 years old. Considering the rise in popularity of HDTVs, I figure this would be a relatively common thing folks who hook their PCs up to their TVs would want to do.

Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

What's the best way of distributing a DVD over the Internet?

amcewen — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:37:06 -0800

What's the best way of distributing a DVD over the Internet? I'm thinking probably bittorrent for transmission, but what format? ISO? A set of VOBs, etc.? Basically, I decided to make a DVD of some of the excellent TED Talks to give to a friend - I figured a DVD would be better as it wouldn't require him to sit in front of his computer to watch them.

As the TED Talks are creative commons, I thought other people on t'Internet might like a copy and so I'm looking at how to share it with everyone.

I'm trying to make it easy for people to use (it's going to be tricky enough if they have to install a bittorrent client), so want to distribute it in a format that can be burnt to DVD easily on Windows, Mac and Linux. Preferably where I can provide a short set of instructions and pointers to suitable software for each platform.

The easiest for me would be a mirror of the DVD structure - so AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders containing .VOB files - but I've also come across ISO files or .CUE/.BIN files.

Which should I pick? (and if it's one of the latter, does anyone have any recommendations for software to create them on Windows XP?)

I need to backup a website to DVD.

asuh — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:06:46 -0800

What's the best software and method for completely backing up a website to DVD? I need to archive a website completely to DVD. My dad's cousin passed away and his website is still online so his widow wants a complete backup of his writings and comments.

I have tested software for both Windows and OS X including SurfOffline and Blue Crab but there are usually invalid links, missing images or no @import css files. Once I find the right software, I want to burn the backed up website to DVD and have a cross platform autorun for the index file (so that you don't have to open up Finder or Explorer to find it).

What solutions are there for offline website backups and cross platform dvd backups?

DVD me.

BackwardsCity — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:18:27 -0800

When playing a DVD on my boss's computer, we get sound but no image in both WinDVD and Windows Media Player. Although the computer's DVD player used to work fine, now there's no image when playing DVDs. We tried both Region 1 and Region 2 DVDs and had the same issue with each; the only thing that worked was a burned DVD with the region coding stripped out of the file.

On the Region 2 we get no image at all, only sound.
On the Region 1 DVD, we get image for the FBI warning, but not the menus or the movie, just the sound.

On one occasion she put the DVD in and it randomly worked perfectly, but we've never been able to replicate that feat.

I tried installing Windows Media Player 11, but that had no effect. Now I'm out of things to try. Any ideas?

My dad wants to turn his home movies into DVDs. Might win an Oscar, you can never tell.

IvyMike — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 22:49:56 -0800

What's the best Windows software package to edit video and create DVDs? My Dad's got a bunch of tapes from his JVC GR-D72U digital video camera. He has proven to me that can transfer the data into the computer, but the bundled software he has has never been very easy to use nor has it been reliable at being able to create DVDs.

What's the favored Windows solution at the moment? He doesn't need to do anything particularly fancy, but being able to cut scenes together, add music, put little "Happy Birthday" text on the screen, and create DVD menus from templates are probably all things he would want to do.

Also, keep in mind that the fewer times my dad calls me from two time zones away with crazy questions, the better. (I would normally provide support via VNC, but I suspect that won't work well during video editing.)

And yes, I know that one answer is "Get a Mac and iMovie", but that's out of the question for now. Maybe next time.

Scanning XBox disc for bad sectors

Aanidaani — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 14:37:26 -0800

Is there any software (preferably for OSX) that I can use to scan a used XBox disc for bad sectors? The format is DVD, so I suppose a normal DVD scanning program could do the job. I just want to be sure that the whole game works before my guarantee expires and I'm unable to return it.

I'm trying to get a DVD-+RW drive working with Windows 98.

Nikolai — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:04:06 -0800

I'm trying to get a DVD-+RW drive working with Windows 98 (first editon). While doing this, I noticed some issues this computer is having with other drives too. DVD-+RW (I/O Magic IDVD168DL): Appears to write CDs okay using Nero Express, but thinks every non-blank DVD and data CD inserted, including ones it wrote, is an audio CD with one track.
DVD-ROM (EPO DVD-8216): Thinks every non-blank DVD and data CD inserted is an audio CD with one track.
CD-RW (Yamaha CRW2216): Doesn't read anything.
CD-ROM (some old one): Can't read burned CDs, does okay with all other CDs.

Any ideas how to get any of these drives working properly?

Non-empty CDs/DVDs appear empty in WinXP

Songdog — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 16:57:17 -0800

Why does my Windows XP installation suddenly see every data CD or DVD as empty? I'm running Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 2. I have an internal [IDE] DVD+/-RW drive with a Sony badge on it. Everything was working fine, but recently this drive started ignoring discs with application software. I can still access audio CDs and regular movie DVDs, but whenever I put an install disc in there for a [legitimately purchased and owned] commercial application not only does autoplay fail to do anything but when I look at the disc in Windows Explorer the disc appears to be entirely empty. What gives, and how can I fix it?

How do I easily record a Windows session (with audio) to DVD?

fsmontenegro — Tue, 23 May 2006 19:28:45 -0800

How do I easily record a Windows session (with audio) to DVD? a friend of mine is a golf instructor. He uses one particular app (V1) to show students their golf swings. Right now he records the video output of the PC and the audio from a microphone straight to a VHS tape. A lesson is about 45-50 minutes.

What would be the best way of setting this up so that he could record directly to DVD instead?

Looking for XP software designed to rip DVDs of episodic TV?

lukeomalley — Thu, 04 May 2006 09:48:39 -0800

I own all of the southpark dvds and I want to rip each episode to an individual file for my media center. I know I can do this manually but it is tedious. Is there any Rip software that can do a batch conversion?

Converting a DVD to high-quality WMV?

robbie01 — Sun, 12 Feb 2006 12:28:48 -0800

Converting a DVD to high-quality WMV? I want to experiment with the idea of having digital copies of my (original, legal) DVDs transferred onto my network for playback via Windows Media Center Edition (mostly with Extenders througout my home.)

I'm a stickler for audio/video quality, so I will likely want the video uncompressed from its original source and full surround sound, which I understand will result in huge, multi-gigabyte files. If I can find an acceptable process, I'd consider investing in a multi-terabyte network hard drive to store my 200+ DVD collection. I also understand this would entail a significant commitment in time, but I'm willing to do it if it works.

I've looked online and easily found a number of commercial (and a couple of shareware) DVD rippers and converters, but the choices are just too overwhelming.

Is there a defacto standard process that those "in the know" use to convert DVDs to WMV with essentially lossless compression? (I used the combo of Exact Audio Copy and RazorLAME when I converted my CD collection to MP3.)

I need a system for ripping a DVD (either the entire disc with menus or just the movie itself) and converting it into a WMV file (non-negotiable, since this is one of the few formats that will actually play back on Windows Media Center Extenders, an Xbox 360 and Xbox Classic with Extender software in this case. So unfortunately I can't consider formats like xVid or DiVX) Just to be clear, the final WMV file will live on a network hard drive, and will not ever be re-burned onto a DVD-R, so I have no need to make the file size arbitrarily smaller.

I'll assume a PC solution is the preferred method given the final output file, but Mac software can also be considered if there's something amazing available.

Alternatively, I've also been considering a physical DVD changer such as the Niveus DVD Changer that interfaces with Windows Media Center, but my ulterior motive is to begin phasing out the DVD as a physical medium for eventual conversion of my entire library to HD-DVD and/or Blu-ray. I'd like to keep access available to all my DVD titles until an HD version is available, at which time I would sell the standard definition version.

I mention this because although it would be easier and less time-intensive to make my DVD collection available over a network with a changer, I don't like the idea of investing several thousand dollars in a piece of hardware that is designed for standard-definition DVDs, whereas at least I know a multi-terabyte hard drive could be re-used for something else.

Any such thing as a free DVD/CD writing software?

sublivious — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 14:56:38 -0800

Any such thing as a free DVD/CD writing software for Windows? What I'd really like is an application that works a lot like Nero in its CD/DVD burning functions but free. It should be easy to use, have the ability to burn DVD movies, data DVDs, data CDs, Audio CDs, and Dual Layer support would be a plus. Also it should support newish drives with support for the latest drives always getting attention.

I believe DVD Decrypter could do this, but it's been acquired by Macrovision Europe and distribution has been ended. So far I've found ImgBurn (which apparently is by the folks that brought us DVD Decrypter), DeepBurner (the free version doesn't do DVD video), and CDBurnerXP Pro (may not do DVD video nor support the drive in question). None of them meet my requirements.

EyeCandy.

grahamwell — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 05:28:25 -0800

EyeCandyFilter: I'm looking for some stunning CGI visuals to show off a new A/V system. Psychedelic computer graphics a-la X-mix are what I have in mind - a shrine to the pulsating, shiny, magic thing. Any suggestions? I still love my X-Mix videos but surely this is 2005, there must be something exponentially more amazing? Another old favourite is Milkdrop for Winamp. I'm a child who loves flashing colours and bright lights ... please feed me. Download is best (for Windows) but DVD is cool too. (WXGA from a capable PC and DVD to drive the display - 5.1 Sound). It just needs to be beautiful. Oh, and if you know the true name of the 'pulsating, shiny, magic thing', please let me know.

Which DVD software package?

selfnoise — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 11:16:09 -0800

I like watching DVDs on my PC. What program should I use for greatest enjoyment? I'm running Windows 2000. I currently have Windvd 5, which came with my video card, and I've tried out Windvd 7. The interface in Windvd 7 seems much, much improved. But is there anything else I should try before plunking down a slightly excessive 70 bucks on Windvd?

Why can't I burn a Knoppix DVD ISO on a WinXP laptop?

rwhe — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 04:29:54 -0800

I'm trying to burn the Knoppix 4.0 DVD ISO on my wife's second-hand Averatec Windows XP laptop. I have tried almost a dozen DVD burning programs without success. Most of them can't see there's a blank DVD in the drive. What's up? It seems to be at least partly an ASPI thing, but I went to Adaptec, got the drivers, installed them, and now their utility says the laptop is up to date. (ASPI was completely missing before.) I've tried both DVD+R and DVD-R with identical results. Even Microsoft's own dvdburn.exe command-line utility can't see the drive. FWIW, we have burned CDs with no problem, and DVD burning software came with the machine, so it's capable in theory.

I'm really lost here. I hate Windows. I'd burn the DVD on my latest Linux box, except that the DVD drive is currently occupied by a Knoppix CD, which can't be removed while the computer is running. The plan is to burn the Knoppix DVD somewhere else, so I can boot from that instead of the CD, and install it forevermore. Your assistance in this enterprise would be appreciated.

XP won't CD or DVD!

WolfDaddy — Thu, 24 Feb 2005 11:02:32 -0800

Whenever I insert a new disc into either my (internal) DVD drive or my (USB external) CD-burner, Windows XP Explorer refuses to refresh itself with information about the new disc: still shows the old disc's name, double-clicking brings up the content of the old disc (or tries to autorun), etc. Only thing that fixes the problem is to reboot with the new disc inserted. Why, and what's the solution?

Video Editing

benjh — Fri, 31 Dec 2004 07:30:49 -0800

Video Editing. What is the best solution on a Windows platform for video editing and burning to DVD? I am considering purchasing a Mac for this function, but if I could do it on Windows, it would be good as well.

Burning DVDs with Subtitles

signal — Sat, 26 Jun 2004 09:01:41 -0800

What windows app will allow me to take an AVI or MOV file and .SUB or .SSA or other subtitle file and burn it onto a DVD+R or -R with the subtitles either burnt-in or generated by the dvd player?

How do I rip a DVD into MPEG or AVI?

vraxoin — Sat, 24 Apr 2004 14:39:21 -0800

Best way to rip video from a DVD into MPEG or AVI? I need to grab scenes from a movie and monkey with them in Premiere (Windows).