Copying discs made in Sony DVD Recorder from firewire at DVinfo.net

Ron Cooper · April 12th, 2009, 08:56 PM

I use a Sony RDR-GX7 to make my DVD's direct from firewire. However, I find that DVD's made this way will not copy in PC burners using Roxio or Nero. - It gets to about 87% & then crashes leaving a coaster ! As there may be a different file structure, I tried using DVD decryptor and this didn't work either. Is there any other programs out there which when you click "Copy DVD" it does just that, regardless of any file structure differences etc.

I also tried it in a friends PC and got the same result and he has never had a DVD burn, fail. In his case he had to copy the master to his HDD first as he only has a single drive. In my case I was copying direct from one drive to another without copying it to the HDD first.

Curiously, another friend was able to make copies in his commercial multi-DVD copier without any problems. This is a standalone unit, with multiple drives in the front and simply an OK button after you put in the discs. I am now considering building one of these units as I have always made my own PC's but I have had no experience with them otherwise.

Any ideas please as I find this recorder very convenient to make masters on.

RonC.

Jack Bellford · April 12th, 2009, 09:26 PM

Sounds like a bad disk.

Try roadkil's unstoppable disk copier:

Roadkil.Net

Ron Cooper · April 12th, 2009, 10:08 PM

Thanks Jack, but I think this program is just this for copying Data from HDD's not video stuff on DVD, and when I went on their site nothing came up about DVD copying. Also the discs were all the same TDK's including the master and I now have 3 coasters, so I don't think it's a disc problem.

RonC.

Marcus Martell · April 13th, 2009, 03:56 AM

Hi,here's my try!Let me guess:are you using Dvd+r?Cause i had the same issue with my Pioneer, once i put a dvd-r on the burner it worked like a charm!
Let me know

Mike Kujbida · April 13th, 2009, 05:25 AM

Ron, when you think about it, the information on a DVD is just data so your friend's solution of copying it to his HDD first is the way I would do it.
I do do something similar when I burn my original DVDs.
I use DVD Architect to Prepare the DVD and then use RecordNow to burn it as a data DVD.
I've been doing it this way for several years now and it's never failed me.

Steve Renouf · April 13th, 2009, 07:21 AM

Hmmm...... It sounds like... The DVD Recorder isn't finalising the disc, which is confusing the copy/burn programmes - apart from the commercial copier.

Have you tried making sure that you finalise the disc properly?

Marcus: I don't think DVD+R is the issue, I use them all the time - it's the only DL ones I can currently get hold of.

Ron Cooper · April 13th, 2009, 07:27 AM

Thanks Marcus & Mike. All the discs were TDK -R, and yes Mike, I thought about the data issue, and after my friend copied the disc to his drive (successfully) and it then failed on copying back after about 80%, he suggested that maybe there is a different file structure recorded by the Sony writing program. Incidentally he is a pro I.T. person who knows his stuff yet he was quite puzzled by all this and as I mentioned previously, he has never had a failed burn.

I don't know about " Record Now", is it a freebie ?

All very puzzling.

RonC.

Ron Cooper · April 13th, 2009, 07:40 AM

Finalizing, - oh yes (forgot to mention), I found this out years ago, but I also check my masters on another stand alone Denon DVD player before it is passed as a true master.
RonC.

Steve Renouf · April 13th, 2009, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Cooper

and after my friend copied the disc to his drive (successfully) and it then failed on copying back after about 80%, he suggested that maybe there is a different file structure recorded by the Sony writing program.
RonC.

Hmm..... Maybe we're getting closer to the issue... I wonder if it could be some kind of Sony DRM - which allows you to record the programmes but prevents you from copying that recording...

Marcus Martell · April 13th, 2009, 08:07 AM

Steve unfortunately i have to tell you that here in europe (pal) if we record from memoy to disc with a few recorders model you ca use only he dvd-r, on the other side you can read both -r or +r. Check the Pioneer model of 2 o 3 years ago!
I was thinking too about the finalize button...maybe the issue could be over there!

Mike Kujbida · April 13th, 2009, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Cooper

... maybe there is a different file structure recorded by the Sony writing program. Incidentally he is a pro I.T. person who knows his stuff yet he was quite puzzled by all this and as I mentioned previously, he has never had a failed burn.

Not to put friend #1 down but a lot of the IT folks where I work are completely clueless when it comes to anything to do with video.
The fact that it worked just fine for friend #2 with a commercial duplicator tells me that the file structure is fine and there's something wrong with the method friend #1 was using.

Quote:

I don't know about " Record Now", is it a freebie ?

Nope. It used to be sold by a different company but was recently taken over by Roxio.
I use an older version which meets my needs and have no desire to upgrade to the latest version.
I find that a lot of them try to tell me what I should do as opposed to doing what I want them to do :-(

Steve Renouf · April 13th, 2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Martell

Steve unfortunately i have to tell you that here in europe (pal) if we record from memoy to disc with a few recorders model you ca use only he dvd-r, on the other side you can read both -r or +r. Check the Pioneer model of 2 o 3 years ago!
I was thinking too about the finalize button...maybe the issue could be over there!

Marcus, I'm here in PAL land too.

Just out of interest, my DVD Recorder (Sony RDR HXD995) can use all the following formats:

DVD+RW - 8x
DVD-RW - 6x (Ver. 1.1, Ver. 1.2 with CPRM*)
DVD+R - 16x
DVD-R - 16x (Ver. 2.0, Ver. 2.1 with CPRM*)
DVD+R DL - 8x
DVD-R DL - 8x (Ver. 3.0 with CPRM*)

* CPRM = Content Protection for Recordable Media (which is why I mentioned copy protection)

Also, (as with most other systems) it explicitly sates "DVDs that were recorded on a different recorder and not correctly finalised will not play on this system". That applies to most (if not all) systems and is the problem in 99% of cases where discs won't play on a different system.

Ron Cooper · April 13th, 2009, 07:35 PM

Point taken Mike. Yes he is not really a video guy. However, the fact that the master disc and the multiple copies, play perfectly in my very finnicky Denon as well as a few others, leaves me in no doubt that it is not a finalization problem but perhaps a file problem.

I am certainly not aware that the Sony puts on any copy protect as this was recorded via firewire which is usually straight from domestic cameras. Surely any copy protect would be to stop copying from a DVD, plus the fact that my other friend had no trouble copying them on his multiple machine.

One other thing that I notice with my Roxio is that it says that the source disc files, (3.7g), (Master Disc), are "too large to fit on a DVD - do you wish to compress"! Now I have had this type of message come up before on some occasions with Roxio, and when this nonsense appeared again I simply fired up Nero, - no immediate problem, just that it failed after burning 87% ! - Isn't this about the time when the burn is writing the file structure ? I may be wrong.

RonC.

Dave Stern · April 18th, 2009, 10:12 PM

ron, I use my RDR-GX7 to create DVDs, then rip them to my PC to re-author them, and have no problems at all doing that or using DVD decrypter to extract a single VOB file from the DVD. (all my own content, but am using the sony for real time encoding, basically). I use sony +RW's to record on the rdr-gx7. when I eject the disk, it finalizes, then I can extract the vob file on my PC (then unrwap the mpeg file from the vob file). if dvd decrypter is failing, does it tell you why? This sounds to me like a media or finalization issue, not a workflow issue and nothing with content protection unless they added that later, but I've never encountered this.

Ron Cooper · April 19th, 2009, 05:45 AM

Thanks Dave.

It looks like you are doing it somewhat differently and use +RW's whereas I use -R/RW's. I would have thought that it shouldn't matter.
You say you eject the disc and then it finalizes. - ?? I simply finalize the disc as soon as I stop the recording & it takes about 4 minutes. If you eject the disc you would have to re-insert it for it to finalize but this is not automatic, you would have to instigate this.

I don't know how to extract the vob file and it shouldn't be necessary for me as I just want full copies un-altered.

RonC.

April 12th, 2009, 08:56 PM	#1
Ron Cooper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 481	Copying discs made in Sony DVD Recorder from firewire I use a Sony RDR-GX7 to make my DVD's direct from firewire. However, I find that DVD's made this way will not copy in PC burners using Roxio or Nero. - It gets to about 87% & then crashes leaving a coaster ! As there may be a different file structure, I tried using DVD decryptor and this didn't work either. Is there any other programs out there which when you click "Copy DVD" it does just that, regardless of any file structure differences etc. I also tried it in a friends PC and got the same result and he has never had a DVD burn, fail. In his case he had to copy the master to his HDD first as he only has a single drive. In my case I was copying direct from one drive to another without copying it to the HDD first. Curiously, another friend was able to make copies in his commercial multi-DVD copier without any problems. This is a standalone unit, with multiple drives in the front and simply an OK button after you put in the discs. I am now considering building one of these units as I have always made my own PC's but I have had no experience with them otherwise. Any ideas please as I find this recorder very convenient to make masters on. RonC.

April 12th, 2009, 09:26 PM	#2
Jack Bellford Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Winnipeg Canada Posts: 68	Sounds like a bad disk. Try roadkil's unstoppable disk copier: Roadkil.Net

April 12th, 2009, 10:08 PM	#3
Ron Cooper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 481	Thanks Jack, but I think this program is just this for copying Data from HDD's not video stuff on DVD, and when I went on their site nothing came up about DVD copying. Also the discs were all the same TDK's including the master and I now have 3 coasters, so I don't think it's a disc problem. RonC.

April 13th, 2009, 03:56 AM	#4
Marcus Martell Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: spain Posts: 1,202	Hi,here's my try!Let me guess:are you using Dvd+r?Cause i had the same issue with my Pioneer, once i put a dvd-r on the burner it worked like a charm! Let me know

April 13th, 2009, 05:25 AM	#5
Mike Kujbida Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Windsor, ON Canada Posts: 2,770	Ron, when you think about it, the information on a DVD is just data so your friend's solution of copying it to his HDD first is the way I would do it. I do do something similar when I burn my original DVDs. I use DVD Architect to Prepare the DVD and then use RecordNow to burn it as a data DVD. I've been doing it this way for several years now and it's never failed me.

April 13th, 2009, 07:21 AM	#6
Steve Renouf Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Jersey, GB Posts: 182	Hmmm...... It sounds like... The DVD Recorder isn't finalising the disc, which is confusing the copy/burn programmes - apart from the commercial copier. Have you tried making sure that you finalise the disc properly? Marcus: I don't think DVD+R is the issue, I use them all the time - it's the only DL ones I can currently get hold of.

April 13th, 2009, 07:27 AM	#7
Ron Cooper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 481	Thanks Marcus & Mike. All the discs were TDK -R, and yes Mike, I thought about the data issue, and after my friend copied the disc to his drive (successfully) and it then failed on copying back after about 80%, he suggested that maybe there is a different file structure recorded by the Sony writing program. Incidentally he is a pro I.T. person who knows his stuff yet he was quite puzzled by all this and as I mentioned previously, he has never had a failed burn. I don't know about " Record Now", is it a freebie ? All very puzzling. RonC.

April 13th, 2009, 07:40 AM	#8
Ron Cooper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 481	Finalizing, - oh yes (forgot to mention), I found this out years ago, but I also check my masters on another stand alone Denon DVD player before it is passed as a true master. RonC.

April 13th, 2009, 08:07 AM	#10
Marcus Martell Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: spain Posts: 1,202	Steve unfortunately i have to tell you that here in europe (pal) if we record from memoy to disc with a few recorders model you ca use only he dvd-r, on the other side you can read both -r or +r. Check the Pioneer model of 2 o 3 years ago! I was thinking too about the finalize button...maybe the issue could be over there!

April 13th, 2009, 07:35 PM	#13
Ron Cooper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 481	Point taken Mike. Yes he is not really a video guy. However, the fact that the master disc and the multiple copies, play perfectly in my very finnicky Denon as well as a few others, leaves me in no doubt that it is not a finalization problem but perhaps a file problem. I am certainly not aware that the Sony puts on any copy protect as this was recorded via firewire which is usually straight from domestic cameras. Surely any copy protect would be to stop copying from a DVD, plus the fact that my other friend had no trouble copying them on his multiple machine. One other thing that I notice with my Roxio is that it says that the source disc files, (3.7g), (Master Disc), are "too large to fit on a DVD - do you wish to compress"! Now I have had this type of message come up before on some occasions with Roxio, and when this nonsense appeared again I simply fired up Nero, - no immediate problem, just that it failed after burning 87% ! - Isn't this about the time when the burn is writing the file structure ? I may be wrong. RonC.

April 18th, 2009, 10:12 PM	#14
Dave Stern Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Northern New Jersey Posts: 391	ron, I use my RDR-GX7 to create DVDs, then rip them to my PC to re-author them, and have no problems at all doing that or using DVD decrypter to extract a single VOB file from the DVD. (all my own content, but am using the sony for real time encoding, basically). I use sony +RW's to record on the rdr-gx7. when I eject the disk, it finalizes, then I can extract the vob file on my PC (then unrwap the mpeg file from the vob file). if dvd decrypter is failing, does it tell you why? This sounds to me like a media or finalization issue, not a workflow issue and nothing with content protection unless they added that later, but I've never encountered this.

April 19th, 2009, 05:45 AM	#15
Ron Cooper Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 481	Thanks Dave. It looks like you are doing it somewhat differently and use +RW's whereas I use -R/RW's. I would have thought that it shouldn't matter. You say you eject the disc and then it finalizes. - ?? I simply finalize the disc as soon as I stop the recording & it takes about 4 minutes. If you eject the disc you would have to re-insert it for it to finalize but this is not automatic, you would have to instigate this. I don't know how to extract the vob file and it shouldn't be necessary for me as I just want full copies un-altered. RonC.