Audio & video software forum: Why won't my slideshow burned on DVDs play on DVD players?

i had the same problem, what i did was just to burn as a dvd after i finished. I also had to do the same with movies or it would not work at friends homes

specky

To be able to play a dvd on a set top box, you must close the write session. There should be an option to close the session in the software you use. This may also be called finalizing the disk.

In some versions of Nero Express you needed to uncheck a box called multisession disk or something to that effect. To close a disk that has multisession recordings or was left not finalized you can do this in nero smart start:

Place the unfinalized DVD into the computer DVD tray and open "Nero StartSmart."
Click "Create and Edit" at the top of the screen.Click "Author, edit and capture video.""NeroVision" will open.Click on the "Disc Tools" drop down menu then click "Finalize Disc."
In the option box that appears you can
choose No Menus or Preserve Menus it is relatively unimportant as there
are most likely no menus anyway. Let it run and hopefully you will now
have a fully finalized disc that is readable.

Rclarke250 didn't notice that the dvds played on some players and not on others. If the dvd was not finalized it would not have played on any other dvd player other than the original one.

PC is a very powerful media player cause it is installed with many kind of AV codec. Unfortunately our AV DVD player is normally produced to decoding MPEG II, Motion JPEG, some with divx. So it's possible you burn your slideshow on DVD with a encoding that normal DVD player not capable to decode. The best solution is ask them to play it on a internet linked PC. If PC not capable to decode your DVD they can find codec on internet and download, install it.

So sad, it's the only way to solve the problem.

I am using this software too for some years now, and all my DVD's play at home and on most DVD players, but at least one friend can't play them, although he can play other home burned DVD's.

I agree strongly that most of the problems on playback are old DVD players.The first thing i do before giving away a dvd to a friend, is try it on my personal dvd player to confirm that it plays.
Many times people will say it won't play. And yes, many elderly people have outdated dvd players.

If you want it to work on the widest variety of devices despite age; converting to VCD format will work the best. All of the OEM freebee softwares that come with burners and/or PCs will burn in this format. I've used Roxio on my laptop, Nero with my first DVD burner, and Cyberlink on my newest blu-ray combo burner, and they ALL work, as long as you use a good CD or DVD disc.

Many of the old DVD players would play CDs if they were burned in the right format. I use CDs for small presentations or movie collections. You can also burn mixed content on the same CD/DVD, and the OEM program should cover that too.

The only other process, I've occasionally needed was Microsoft encoder, which is a free download from MS. This is for cameras that use proprietary or goofy codecs. It has never failed for me. Sometimes knowledge can save you money. Although a newer DVD player is always nice, sometimes I just don't have the time to go shopping for one - let alone spend the money. Times is hard!

I'm agreeing with Jerry. I have a similar problem as well. The resolution is rendering the file, not just compatibility. Not all new players play everything. Name brands do (Sony is the best one). But your market may not have those (post 2005) players. Most people shop price, not features.
So when you render your slide shows, render at the highest (over 8000kbs) setting you can. You may have to force it. Nero isn't the greatest program for burning shared video, it likes to keep everything on the computer, for computers, not set tops.
I strongly suggest using another program, along with updating your computer (or be well, above the specs). Any video is taxing on the system. You have to turn everything but that program.
There are other tricks, but that should get you going with out making you a competitor (smirk).

Many older drives wont even recognise a slide show because it's only the more modern drives that have started to include JPEG image viewers in them, and most of them seem to be the cheaper makes, the more expensive brands like Panasonic and Sony seem very resilient at putting JPEG viewers into their drives.

Nero is good for some things, but this is not one of them. If your using Windows Movie Maker to render your slideshows, this will also cause you some difficulty, as they will only produce the one type of video file for burning, because it offers to burn them for you also, and it most usually will not work on a regular DVD player for television.

I make my own slideshows as well and burn them to DVD's with Express Burn Disc Burning Software from NCH Software. It is relatively inexpensive when you compare it to Nero which will not work and so makes the money and time spent worth nothing. This is the link to their home page and I have included what the website has to report that this software can do for you.


NCH Software

Express Burn Disc Burning Software Discount price of 59.00 until August 15th 2011.

Video DVD Authoring - To play on a DVD player

Video files will be re-encoded and made in to a standard DVD Movie disk Video burning supports avi, mpg, vob, asf, wmv, mp4, ogm and all video formats that have a DirectShow based codec Widescreen or standard formats for video dvd burning Record video files to PAL or NTSC.

Good Luck
Lockerridge

There are many free choices.
I like the oddly-named but easy to use
CDBURNER XP
which despite its name
works on all Windows versions (with NET)
and burns DVDs as well as CDs.

Its interface resembles Nero's.

One of the safest sites to download it from is
https://ninite.com/
under "Utilities."

I can create the needed image with DVD FLICK and burn with CDBURNERXP or ImgBurn.

There's always a solution.
Bob

You are most likely burning your DVDs on the DVD-ROM (iso) setting. I burn these all the time and have no problem. You have to burn your DVDs on the DVD-VIDEO setting and they will play on stand alone DVD players. Also some DVD players play DVD- and others play DVD+.. The newer DVD players over the last couple of years will play both - and +. Use Nero Burning Rom which is included in Nero Software. I gurantee that if you use the DVD-Video setting when burning your DVDs you will not have a problem.

I too have used Nero and is the WORST software that I've ever used. I now use AVS4YOU,their programs are faultless,there is approx 20 different programs and all can be activated by purchasing just one.Their Video converter gives the option to convert to any format and profiles such as PAL & NTSL etc; I create movies and slideshows all the time and have never had playback problems with this software.The Windows DVD Maker that is pre-installed on W7 is very unreliable,you can download and install Windows Movie Maker 2.6 and Photo Story 3 for Windows on the Microsoft Download Center,free.I also use Powerpoint to insert animated images and the presentations are very professional.Try the AVS as a trial. http://www.avs4you.com/video.aspx

I had the problem for a long while.

I changed 3 DVD writers with no effect

I ONLY used recommended DVDs so did not suspect them

I burn through nero

It turned out to be Maxell DVDs causing the problem and they are recommended by everyone.

The cause was the DVDs not being smooth around the edges causing possible wobble and spurious laser reflections..... when looking at a spindle of new DVDs the edges should appear smooth ALL THE WAY AROUND with NO imperfections, the problem DVDs lokked "rough" giving an "unsmooth" reflective edge.

I cured it by turning them carefuly on a lathe en masse with wet and dry paper followed by plastics rouge - I CANNOT RECOMMEND IT to anyone.

However I now get the shop to remove the shrink wrap and check the edges for imperfections.

I've never had a problem with Verbatim but have found imperfections with a number of other "major" brands but not consistently, I have had many "low price" brands that were perfect especially "infinity"

+R -R etc make no difference
Burn with Nero
Close session before burning "no multisession" in nero properties
Burn at 1 speed below writer maximum
generally UDF is more reliable than ISO, IF the player supports it (make a disk and try it)