Help!!! Most difficult DVD issue I ever dealt with...

[Doug Johnston]

Setup:
1 DVD including: 6 Menus (1 Main, 1 Commentary Select, 4 Chapter Select), 3 Timelines (1 movie letterbox [32min], 1 movie anamorphic [32min], 1 behind-the-scenes [13min]), 5 video files (2 mpeg, 3 Avi), and 4 audio files (1 - movie, 2 - Commentary 1, 3 - Commentary 2, 4 - Behind the Scenes).

Backstory:
I'm getting a DVD replicated professionally with a place in Hollywood, CA. I've been trying to send them a working master that they can create a "glass master" with. I've sent them 3 copies of a finished DVD (on DVD-R), and they have informed me that none of them work. I don't know what the exact error is, but they said it was something to do with a bad .vob file (which I know is a DVD video file).

The Issue:
When I burn it onto a regular DVD-R and play it in a DVD player, it plays fine. But the guy from the DVD place, said that when you go to create a "glass master" the data on the DVD needs to be organized correctly - to where none of the Title Sets (?) are exceeding a certain capacity? He also said something about putting things columns B or C (versus everything in column A?)?

I'm using Adobe Encore 2.0, which probably isn't the best software for professionally replicated DVDs...but it's all I got.

The Question:
Is there a way that I can tell Encore 2.0 (or override Encore) to organize it's Data correctly so that it would be perfectly prepared for replication? If so, what are the best settings to use?


Any help on this issue is GREATLY appreciated. This has been an extremely long process that I can't afford to allow to go on much longer.

Thanks,
Doug J.
www.pretendmovie.com
www.freshcreations.com

[Ryan Merrick]

Doug, this is probably a bit late but I saw your post and thought I'd comment. I work for a company that puts out DVDs and I use Encore 2.0. When I output my masters I just create an image file (and then burn to disc) or disc directly from Encore and I never have problems with our replicator. In the beginning I was using a DLT drive but discovered my replicator had changed it's delivery preference to just DVD-R. So there's nothing special you should need to do for Encore to output a replicatable master. Maybe you need to retranscode your materials or try a different replicator. There's no reason Encore would output the data "incorrectly".

"He also said something about putting things columns B or C (versus everything in column A?)?"

I've been doing this for a couple of years and I have no idea what this means.

[Denis Danatzko]

but I hope it's helpful. Found it at and a lonnggg essay about it at a site named dvdafteredit.com. While it may be helpful, I don't think it provides a definitive solution to your problem. However, if you did resolve it, I'm sure others would like to know how. Please post your findings.

Just so you know, a Disc Image is not the same as a DVD Video Disc created by a replication house from a glass master. DVD-Recordables' lead-in is glossed over (unwritable to), purposely to make sure it can't masquerade as a true replicated DVD-Video (although the DVD+R format does allow it's discs to be recognized as a DVD-Rom by the player, with a certain setting that must be supported by the DVD+R writer, which is very handy for increasing compatibility in players out there).