Pixelation In Burned Dvd's

[robbyd23]

I have recently bought a 50 pack of -R maxell and attempted to make a few copies of some of my movies, however everything has gone to crap. The end results are skipping, stopping, getting error msgs on my dvd player (could not read disc)...everything. My favorite trusted blank media has been VERBATIM till now, and still is...however i couldnt find it at the store so i slacked and bought whatever the store had.
I also updated my firmware from the version which it came with to the next available one, which NEC had at the moment. I have the NEC 3520A and it came w/ version 1.0...and upgraded to 3.0 or the one right after it.
My question is, could it be the media that is crappy and its making coasters or is it my burner and the new firmware that is making me waste discs? I've used VERBATIM to start my collection and i've had no such problems... but ever since i bought Maxell i havent made a single good disc. ANY HELP IS HIGHLY APPRECIATED... all my ULTRA DMA SETTINGS ARE RIGHT in case anyone suggests that. Im pretty good w/comps..i put mine together. So im pretty good with these things. PLEASE HELP

[blutach]

See here. Also, read the Golden Rules of Burning in my signature.

Regards

[Chewy]

translated to layman's terms: slow your burn speed down for the crappy? media,
maxell used to be some of the best. Not at all happy with my latest ones.

[BR7]

I agree Maxell sucks lately.If you want some good discs get Sony AccuCore they are very dependable.Read here if you like http://www.sony.net/Products/Media/d...e/index_f.html
I am not scared to burn at 8x with these So far I have done close to 100 backup discs and I have not had a glitch yet and they look just as good as the originals

[jmet]

If your backup freezes, stutters, skips, or has some pixelation, it is more than likely due to poor quality media being used. Cheap media is poorly manufactured around the edge of the disc, hence the reason why it mostly skips or freezes from the middle toward the end of the movie. The two main things to consider first are:

1. Is it cheap media that you are using? (ie. some off brand you bought at a local computer store/fair, even a store like Circuit City or Best Buy sells cheap low quality media.)

2. How fast are you burning? - Burn no faster than 4X, might have to go down to 2X with really cheap media.

Also, are you using adhesive labels on your back ups? If so, try removing the labels (if you can) and playing them again. Go here for more info on why not to use labels. - http://forum.digital-digest.com/show...threadid=28604

You can go here for some other possible solutions: http://forum.digital-digest.com/show...threadid=44912


Also try lowering outcome the "Target DVD size".

Open DVD Shrink. Click "Edit", then "Preferences". On the first tab at the top in the drop down box, change it from "DVD-5 (4.7GB) to "Custom" and enter a number of 4200MB (4464MB is burning to the edge of the disc, you want to stay away from the edge as the edge of cheap media (disc's) are poorly manufactured). Screen Shot Below:

[cynthia]

I have the NEC 3520A and it came w/ version 1.0...and upgraded to 3.0 or the one right after it.

Original firmware installed?

[Chewy]

The real test of media used, is to try to copy on the fly(4x) from your backup
after some time has passed, playing on a settop is not valid measure of data
intactness.
Jmet is absolutely right=DON'T USE BAD MEDIA,
NEVER MAKE A MASTER BACKUP AT 8X,12X,16X(sorry cynthia)
My philosopy: when you consider your time and your computer's time,
TIME IS MONEY, the master backup is more valuable than the original,
do it right, protect it.

[robbyd23]

Thanks Alot Guys...every Piece Of Advice Has Been More Than Helpful... I Really Couldnt Believe At Some Of The Things You Guys Have Recommended. To Burn At Lower Than 8x Is Incredible. Isnt That What 16x Burners Were Created For? To Get Rid Of That Problem? Since My Last Posting, Stating My Problem, I've Gotten Rid Of That Crappy A$$ Maxell Media And Contacted My Hook Up At A Store And Got Myself Some More Reliable Verbatim -r 16x. So Far Absolutely Noooooooooo Problems. What Do I Do With The Old Media? Do I Really Slow Down The Burn To Really Get More Success Out Of The Copy? Is That A Guarantee? I Also Upgraded With A Newer Firmware From Nec. Its The 3.05 Vers. I Guess I'll Take Some Of Your Advice And Go Down To 4x With The Old Media... Speaking Of Which, Should I Also Slow Down My Burn W/ The New 16x Media Im Using Now In Order To Prevent Any Problems?
Yes Cynthia...original Firmware Installed. Also One More Thing, Is Anyone Aware How To Work Around "the Hulk's" Protection? I Tried Decrypter, I Installed Dvd4free...still Gets Frozen Half Way Through. Thanks Guys..

[cynthia]

If you can post the media code of your bad discs - there might be a modified firmware that supports them better than the original one.

You can use this program to get the media code:

https://www.dvdinfopro.com

[2COOL]

Thanks Alot Guys...every Piece Of Advice Has Been More Than Helpful... I Really Couldnt Believe At Some Of The Things You Guys Have Recommended. To Burn At Lower Than 8x Is Incredible. Isnt That What 16x Burners Were Created For? To Get Rid Of That Problem? Since My Last Posting, Stating My Problem, I've Gotten Rid Of That Crappy A$$ Maxell Media And Contacted My Hook Up At A Store And Got Myself Some More Reliable Verbatim -r 16x. So Far Absolutely Noooooooooo Problems. What Do I Do With The Old Media? Do I Really Slow Down The Burn To Really Get More Success Out Of The Copy? Is That A Guarantee? I Also Upgraded With A Newer Firmware From Nec. Its The 3.05 Vers. I Guess I'll Take Some Of Your Advice And Go Down To 4x With The Old Media... Speaking Of Which, Should I Also Slow Down My Burn W/ The New 16x Media Im Using Now In Order To Prevent Any Problems?
Yes Cynthia...original Firmware Installed. Also One More Thing, Is Anyone Aware How To Work Around "the Hulk's" Protection? I Tried Decrypter, I Installed Dvd4free...still Gets Frozen Half Way Through. Thanks Guys..

I see a trend here with the caps.

http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?postid=290705#post290705

[robbyd23]

Hahaha...that Is Not How I Typed It..i Think It Came Out Like That Cause I Typed It All In Big Caps. Thats Weird....ooo And About The Older Bad Discs...i Threw Those Out. So It Looks Like I Wont Be Able To Test Them, However I Will Try Slowing Down The Burn. Does Anyone Recommend Using Decrypter To Burn Over "roxio Easy Media Creator"?

[2COOL]

I Typed It All In Big Caps. Thats Weird

So the mystery unfolds, it looks like a vBulletin script.

Does Anyone Recommend Using Decrypter To Burn Over "roxio Easy Media Creator"?

Always for me.