IDVD 5.01 Sony DVD players

Just used iDVD 5.01 for building a DVD project. Many of the duplicates were returned as they did not play with many Sony brand DVD players. This product should not be used for any commerical purposes.

I stand my review of iDVD5.01. Do not use this
product for any commerical project, no matter how
basic the DVD authoring controls need to be. It will
fail to play on many DVD players, including DVD
players that have been recently purchased.
If you intend to use an application for maximum compatibility in a commercial setting, regardless of how many times you will use it each year, then buy a professional application.
This isn't word processing.
It's part art and part science.
It's not a question about being fancy. The issues are compatibility and controls to maximize it.
You are correct in your assertion to not use it for a commercial purpose.
That's why its price and market target are not for commercial purposes.
best of luck

Similar Messages

DVD made with iDVD not playing in DVD players

I have a iMac G5 and iDVD 4. I use FCP to edit. I have made many DVDs from exporting my sequences to quicktime. Then I import that export into iDVD, and this has always been fine. For some reason, my latest project will only play on my computer using this method, not any of my 3 DVD players. What could be causing this? Did I change a setting I'm unaware of? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I've watsed a good many blank DVDs from this glitch. Thank you!

I have a similar problem having to do with the menu.
I have a client who needs dvds burned with their logo as a background. When I import a tiff (or any other format) into iDVD4.0.1 on the simplest template available (brushed metal 2) everything burns fine, the disk plays on a computer, but on commercial dvd deck it freezes when you hit play (one unit indicates "pause" on the display). If I remove the graphic from the background, and burn that to disk
, it plays fine.
The iDVD help says you can drag your own photos to a menu, so if this is causing a problem, they certainly aren't aware of it. What bugs me, is why isn't there a "blank" template (or is there one that I've missed)?
BTW this has also happened to me at work two years ago with an earlier version of iDVD. Yet it doesn't happen on my client's version of iDVD (I have a call in to see what version they have). And who do you call when Apple only refers you to forums?
Thanks for any info, and please excuse any ignorance on my part.
G-5 Mac OS X (10.3.9) FCP HD, DVDSP 3

Sony DVD Drive Problems

At our school we have a number of iMacs (flat screen with round base) of varying varieties. We've found a problem with a select number of them after upgrading the software from 10.3 to 10.4 (Tiger). 1ghz and 1.25ghz models (later iMacs)
All of our iMacs with Sony DVD Combo or Super drives no longer recognize DVD's - commercial video or data. Those iMacs with Pioneer Combo or Super drives still work just fine.
When a DVD is put in the Sony machines - nothing happens and it is ejected about 45 seconds later. Preferences are set to run DVD Player. When we start DVD player before hand and insert a DVD, clicking Title or Menu options give the "no available disk" message.
We've tried trashing the com.apple.DVDPLAYER.plist file and restarting the machine (worked in another discussion thread - no player brand mentioned - Sony?) this made no difference.
Any info on this? The upgrades appear to have rendered these Sony DVD players just a CD player (in function - About This Mac shows them as DVD RW's, etc.) Again, this only affected those iMacs with the Sony brand drives, and we don't expect we had 14 DVD drives go bad in one weekend.
Thanks for any info.
- Tom

HI Tom,
In your original post you indicated you upgraded to 10.4 Make sure every single iMac has the same version number. Click the Apple logo top left in your Desktop, then click, "About This Mac". When the pane opens the Mac OS X version numbers will be displayed. They need to all be at: 10.4.11
And... make sure all the possible Software Updates have been done.
After I did the 10.4.11 update, I couldn't use Sony media to burn CD or DVD on my Macs. Specialist at a nearby Apple store suggested I used Verbatim. Sure enough... works like a charm. For whatever reason, the most recent 10.4.11 version just doesn't like Sony and you aren't the only Mac user experiencing this issue.
" Again, this only affected those iMacs with the Sony brand drives, and we don't expect we had 14 DVD drives go bad in one weekend." I hope you mean DVD as in disks not hard drives ????
Something else to try. Open Disk Utility from the Applications/Utilities folder. Insert one of the DVD's and see if Disk Utility sees it in the panel on the left.
And... My CD or DVD doesn't appear on my desktop
If you insert a disc into your optical drive and nothing seems to happen, try the following:
Open a Finder window to see if the disc appears there. If it does, your Finder preferences are set not to show CDs and DVDs on the desktop.
To change this setting, choose Finder > Preferences, click General, and select the "CDs, DVDs, and iPods" checkbox.
Check your CD & DVD preferences by choosing Apple menu > System Preferences and clicking CDs & DVDs. If you've set the computer to ignore a CD or DVD when it's inserted, you won't see your disc on the desktop or in a Finder window. Change the appropriate setting to open the Finder when a disc is inserted.
One last thought. DVD's and CD's... all it takes is a thumbprint and the laser can't read the disk. Try cleaning the disks and see if that makes a difference. You'd be surprised. Here's tips on how to do that: http://www.ehow.com/how2049991clean-dvd.html
Carolyn

IDVD created DVD plays on some DVD players and not others, HELP!

Hi everyone,
I just finished a huge wedding photo montage and burned it using iDVD to a standard DVD-R. I popped it into a Sony home DVD player and all went well, and looked great. Next I tried the DVD in a Mintek portable DVD player (so it's easier to take to the wedding and connect to the LCD projector) and the DVD is not recognized. I tested another computer burned DVD (from a wedding video that was burned on a PC) in the mintek and it does work. I also tested the mintek using a standard store bought DVD movie and it worked fine.
Any thoughts on why this might be happening? I've browsed through the prefs for iDVD in search of some "compatibility" options but there aren't any.
The wedding is Saturday so I'm really hoping to get this sorted out quickly.
BTW I'm using the MATSHITA DVD-R UJ-815 (the one that came standard in the original 1GHz, 17" Powerbook)
Thanks everyone!
Dave-G

Your problem is the Mintek portable DVD player.
Some older DVD players will not play the newer burned media.
This is by design to force conusmers to always upgrade and update there equipment to stay a head of the technology curve.
I had the same problem with a 2 year old stand alone player wouldn't play anything I burned. It would play on other computers and on newer stand alone players but not on a 2 year old player. (VERY FRUSTRATING) I bought a new cheap stand alone and quess what , All was good it played.
There are different codes that are on these players that distingish the players capability.
Good Luck.
Don

Dvd players won't read iDVD 6 burned dvd...

My recent DVD of photos burned with iDVD 6 on 2 different DVD-R (Verbatim and Maxwell) is readable on Apple computers (tried on 3 different G4 powerbooks) but not readable in the severeal home dvd players I've tried (3 different makers: 3 year old Panasonic, 2 year old Samsung, 2 year old Sony, all compatible with DVD-R format). I will try as suggested in many forums to burn at slower speed. Any other suggestion on what is causing this?

Hello,
I have the opposite problem. DVDs made with iDVD6 play fine on my Samsung combo DVD/VCR and my Sony Windows notebook -- but they DON'T PLAY BACK on the Apple iMac that burned them or on my iBook -- both the Apples return a message that the media cannot be read in this computer (great: it can be burned but not read!).
Did you find any answer? if so, I'd appreciate your sharing it.

DVD's created from iDVD 6.0.2 won't play in other DVD players

I currently purchased a MacBook Pro with the new iLife, I am running iDVD 6.0.2 and have created a DVD of a home movie. I have tested the playback of the DVD in the Mac and it works perfectly; however, I have now tried it in 3 other DVD players (a home DVD player that is 2 years old, a PC DVD player that is less than 6months old, and a Laptop DVD player less than 2 months old) and all of them refuse the DVD.
I built the DVD using NTSC (not PAL), and I have tried it in 16:9 and 4:3 formats using a DVD-R and DVD+R disc.
Any suggestions or thoughts as to why this is happening?
Mike

Hello Mike,
a DVD burned on a mac is likely to play there - your burner should recognize it's work.... there are, however often compatibility issues with other DVD players, especially set-top players. these problems are most commonly related to DVD-brand quality/compatibility issues or burn speed issues.
to try and solve the problem try the following:
1. do not burn your DVD using iDVD. instead create a disc image on your hard drive
2. burn the disc image to disc using Toast's "DVD from VIDEO_TS" option (you could use disc utility but it doesn't give you burn speed control).
3. choose a good quality DVD. if you check around on this board you'll find that most of the knowledgable users recommend Verbatim and i'll second that.
4. burn at slow speed. i personally burn at 2x but you could give it a try at 4x.
5. use DVD-R in order to avoid compatibility problems. never use rewritable media.
hope this helps
viva la mela

TS2180 DVDs won't play in regular DVD players iDVD burns with no errors the DVDs always get out into a folder ???

Dear Apple friends The iDVD burns DVDs with-out any error messages but DVDs dont play in regular DVD players I notice that the DVD burns to a folder and there is no setting to prevent this How do you burn the DVD with-out it getting put into a folder ??? Thanks Mike

That often is a result of using inferior DVD disks and burning at too high a speed. What brand and type of disk did you use and what speed did you burn at?
Follow this workflow to help ensure the best quality video DVD:
Once you have the project as you want it save it as a disk image via the File ➙ Save as Disk Image menu option. This will separate the encoding process from the burn process.
To check the encoding mount the disk image and launch DVD Player and play it. If it plays OK with DVD Player the encoding was good.
Then burn to disk with Disk Utility or Toast at the slowest speed available (2x-4x) to assure the best burn quality. Always use top quality media: Verbatim, Maxell or Taiyo Yuden DVD-R are the most recommended in these forums.
OT

Movie created in iDVD 7.01 won't play in any DVD Players at all

I created a movie in iMovie HD 6 and mastered in iDVD 7.01 it plays OK on my computer but,
it wont play on any other DVD players at all, mine or my friend's, I just get the "Loading" message on my TV. Could this be related to the brand of DVD's I'm using or the encoding that older DVD players are not able to read?
If any one knows what the problem is, Please HELP!!
Thank you so much.
Josh

+Could this be related to the brand of DVD's I'm using or the encoding that older DVD players are not able to read?+
Yes and yes. If it plays in your Mac, it should play in a DVD player. Use DVD-R, not any other format. Verbatim works flawlessly for me.
I recommend a disk image burned to Verbatim DVD-R at 4X or slower using Toast or Disk Utility. You can set burn speed in iDVD '08 if not creating a disc image.
David Pogue also recommends Verbatim on page 356 of his iDVD 6 book:
iMovie HD & iDVD 6: The Missing Manual
Quoting David: "Cheaper brands don't use the same amount of organic dyes and are more likely to suffer premature deaths."
iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual.
I buy Verbatim white inkjet printable in stacks of 50. Verbatim's part number: 94971. They have been flawless for me.

DVD created in iDVD don't run well in some DVD players

I recently edited a two hour wedding in Final Cut Pro 5.11 then made the DVD on iDVD using a Memorex DVD-R, after burning I tested in my DVD player and iMac and it ran well, then I took it to a TV/DVD combo and it freezed in several parts of the movie?
Why did this happened? Does it have to do with the export settings in Final Cut, or the burning settings on iDVD? or what?

Basically, you want to burn at 4x or lower for your DVD disk in order to minimize errors and be campatible with the most consumer DVD players. Some of the older DVD players have trouble with the higher burn speeds, and sometimes poor disk media can cause difficulties. Maxell or Verbatim DVD-R disks are the recommended media.
iDVD doesn't let you set burn speeds, but you can do it by using Roxio Toast or by burning your iDVD project via the Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility application on your iMac hard disk. The recommended procedure is to save your iDVD project to a disk image (an option in the File menu). All the encoding will take place as if you were burning a disk. When the disk image is completed, you can play it back on your screen using the DVD player application on your hard disk. The playback will display exactly as it would if you had burned a DVD disk. If everything is satisfactory, open your Disk Utility application in the Utilities folder. You will see your newly created disk image as an .img file in the pane that pops up. If it's not there, drag your disk image into the pane. Then select the disk image. Insert a DVD-R disk. The "Burn Options" will change to 4x speed. (Use 2x if it offers that option.) Click "Burn", and the disk will burn fairly quickly, because all of the encoding already has been done. Then see if your disk will play on your TV/DVD combo. You could also take it to a consumer electronics store (like Frys or Circuit City) and try playing the disk in several DVD players to check for compatibility.
I don't know anything about Final Cut, but I doubt that your use of that program is causing any problem because you were able to create a successful disk that played on your iMac DVD player. The issue is probably with your TV/DVD combo player.
There are experts on this forum more knowledgeable than I, and perhaps they will offer additional comment.

Imovie iDVD finished but DVD does not Play in ALL DVD players?

I have made several DVD movies over the years and sometimes when i go from imovie> idvd> finished DVD
1. it does not play in ALL dvd players? why?
2. or sometimes plays in some DVD players?
3. sometimes plays in computer( apple) dvd but not always?
Is there something i have to due before, after or during rendering so that the finished DVD plays in all DVD players
thanks

Hi
*I do put paper labes on discs --*
NEVER DO THAT - The ability to get them perfectly centered is near to impossibly
DVDs are many tims more sencitive to missaligmement by 1/100 or 1/1000 of a millimeter.
CDs often can handle this - but still not advicably.
I do.
• Use only Verbatim (Taiyo Yuden - also recommended by many - no own experience)
• DVD-R (no +R or +/-RW)
• Burn at an as slow speed possibly eg x1 with iDVD08 or higher or Roxio Toast™
or Apple Disk Util tool
• NEVER under 25Gb free space on internal boot hard disk (others not important)
• I use a Cleaning-DVD from time to time
• I burn max 3 DVD at a time then cool for 20min
• I use the Cleaning DVD on my other players as well
On Quality.
*DVD quality*
1. iDVD 8 has three levels of qualities.
iDVD 6 has the two last ones
• Professional Quality (movies up to 120 min.) - BEST
• Best Performances (movies less than 60 min.) - High quality on final DVD
• High Quality (in iDVD08) / Best Quality (in iDVD6) (movies up to 120 min.) - slightly lower quality than above
2. From
• FCE/P - Export out as full quality QuickTime.mov (not selfcontaining, no conversion)
• iMovie x-6 - Don't use ”Share/Export to iDVD” = destructive even to movie project and especially so
when the movie includes photos. Instead just drop or import the iMovie movie project icon (with a Star on it) into iDVD theme window.
• iMovie’08 not meant to go to iDVD. Go via Media Browser or rather use iMovie HD 6 from start.
3. I use Roxio Toast™ to make an as slow burn as possibly eg x1 (in iDVD’08 this can also be set)
This can also be done with (Apple) Disk Util tool.
4. There has to be about or more than 25Gb free space on internal (start-up) hard disk. iDVD can't
use an external one as scratch disk (if it is not start-up disc).
5. Verbatim ( also recommended by many - Taiyo Yuden DVDs - I can’t get hold of it to test )
6. DVD-R (no +R or +/-RW)
7. Keep NTSC to NTSC - or - PAL to PAL when going from iMovie to iDVD
8. Don’t burn more than three DVD at a time - but let the laser cool off for a while befor next batch.
iDVD quality also depends on:
• HOW much free space is there on Your internal (start-up) hard disk. Go for approx 25Gb.
less than 5Gb and Your result will most probably not play.
• What kind of movie project You drop into it. MPEG4 seems to be a bad choice.
other strange formats are .avi, .wmv, .flash etc. Convert to streamingDV first
Also audio formats matters. I use only .aiff or from miniDV tape Camera 16-bit
strange formats often problematic are .avi, .wmv, audio from iTunes, .mp3 etc
Convert to .aiff first and use this in movie project
• What kind of standard - NTSC movie and NTSC DVD or PAL to PAL - no mix.
(If You need to change to do a NTSC DVD from PAL material let JESDeinterlacer3.2.2 do the conversion)
(Dropping a PAL movie into a NTSC iDVD project
(US) NTSC DVDs most often are playable in EU
(EU) PAL DVDs most often needs to be converted to play in US
UNLESS: They are plabacked by a Mac - then You need not to care
• What kind of DVDs You are using. I use Verbatim DVD-R (this brand AND no +R or +/-RW)
• How You encode and burn it. Two settings prior iDVD08
Pro Quality (only in iDVD08)
Best / High Quality (not always - most often not)
Best / High Performances (most often my choise)
1. go to iDVD pref. menu and select tab far right and set burn speed to x1 (less errors = plays better) - only in iDVD08
2. Project info: Select Professional Encoding - only in iDVD08.
Region codes:
iDVD - only burn Region = 0 - meaning - DVDs are playable everywhere
DVD Studio pro can set Region codes:
1 = US
2 = EU
Yours Bengt W

How do you convert sony dvd camera to IDVD

how do you convert sony dvd camera to IDVD

Your problem is not exactly the same as that of the original poster of this thread, and it can be very confusing for everybody if we try to answer more than one question in each thread.
In order for us to give your problem our undivided attention to try to solve it, would you kindly start your own thread, describing the trouble you are having in the fullest detail, including completing your details to show what Mac you are using, what operating system, what camera and what version of the iMovie in question.

Problems viewing finished burned iDVD on home DVD players

I just created a simple slideshow for Father's Day with iDVD08 and burned it to a Maxell DVD-R DVD. No problem. Then played the burned DVD on my iMAC G5 and again no problem. I have three songs that play throughout the 110 slide show.
Then I played the DVD on our Blue Ray DVD player. Initially it worked fine, then all of a sudden, I get a bright green screen inbetween each slide. I had the cube effect going then suddenly 25 slides into the "show", this bright green screen fills the space, then the next slide appears (no cube effect now) and then green, and then the next slide. The music continues to play.
I then took the DVD downstairs to play on our regular Toshiba DVD player. and this time I get DISK ERROR and it won't play at all.
I burned the DVD using default settings (and Region 1) -- what should I do differently.
Please advise!

The Green Screen problem is a know issue and can be fixed by not letting your computers screen go to sleep or screen saver activate which the DVD is being burned.
Here is the Apple article that covers the issue :-
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1044
As to your DVD not playing at all in one of your DVD players, that can sometimes be the case as all DVD players do not follow the DVD standard and can be incompatible with self burned DVD's.

DVD Plays on computer drives, but not on dvd players

iDVD 06 - This is a new problem, just happened two days ago. Previous dvd's burned with idvd 06 work just fine on old and new dvd players. I always test them after burning. However this new project will only play on computer dvd drives (mac or pc) but not on my dvd players. The menu screen shows up, but when the play button is pushed it never starts. Disk is clean, re-burned dvd, re-exported the video and re-did the entire dvd, same issue. I have not changed any settings in iDVD 06.
Yes, I even re-installed idvd 06, but then somehow I lost some of my old themes (which happened to be the ones I wanted to use) I did back up my previous copy of idvd 06 which has my old plain themes that I love to use in the package, so I do have those. But if I bring them into the newley re-installed idvd 06, all the features do not work. Such as being able to change the type size on that paticular menu.
I am using Verbatim 8X DVD-R's and have successfully used these just the other day on another project! And those work just fine on an old and new dvd player!
I had to get these dvd's because my burner would not burn on the 16X DVD-R's that I recently bought.
DVD Burner information is:
SONY DVD RW DW-U10A:
Firmware Revision: A43h
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 0 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media: No
Computer information:
Machine Name: Power Mac G5
Machine Model: PowerMac7,2
CPU Type: PowerPC 970 (2.2)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.8 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 1.5 GB
Bus Speed: 900 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 5.0.7f0
Any suggestions???
G-5 Mac OS X (10.4.9)

No rhyme or reason... but tried one more time after putting back my old copy of idvd 06 with my oldest themes in it, and I now have DVD's that will play on regular DVD players!
Now, if Apple could just get us a firmware update for the SONY DVD RW DW-U10A which came with my G-5 and then maybe we could all burn disks at the new 16X speed! Instead of limiting our possibilites.
Oh and yes, I did contact Sony about firmware updates. They informed me that this is really an OEM drive (whatever that is) and that Sony does not support it!

Burned DVD glitches in some DVD players

Any answers to this one. I burn my 45 minute program to DVD using idvd. It plays fine on computers, also in some DVD players(Sony) but glitches out and stops playing on many lower end DVD players. Why?

Well that is the first time I have heard all that (not saying it isn't true, just that I have never heard that). My reading suggests that DVD-R are more compatible. In any case, here are my tips for a more reliable burn:
Remember that the DVD is the final product. The last step in a long series of steps. Keep this in mind when taping and editing. Use SP mode, not LP mode on the camcorder. Use 16-bit/48KHz audio. I have read that some image stabilizers offered on camcorders can cause editing problems. The best image stabilizer is a tripod. Keep in mind that MPEG2 compression does not like fast motion, so keep your pans & zooms slow and steady... use that tripod.
Note any problems you had capturing or editing. Double-check the material in the timeline. Gaps in audio or video are bad- fill with slugs if nothing else.
Use good quality blank media. The flavor of choice right now are Verbatims but in the end, you need to find one that works best for you.
NEVER put a label on a DVD. Kiss of Death. Enocurage your competition to label their DVDs!!!! As mentioned, DVDs have alot of information on them, labeling them will throw them off balance in many DVD players. Not good.
Use something like an Epson R200 if you want to put a pretty face on the DVD.
Also mentioned was using a slower burn. Your computer will cache information better than a tabletop DVD player. If the tabletop doesn't have what it needs when it needs it... it will choke.
Try to keep all content under 90-minutes. The longer the content, the lower the bit-rate used to encode and the more chances for problems.
Finally, if you have examined all your options and you still aren't happy- move on to a new tool for Authoring your DVDs. iDVD is part of iLife for for $79. DVDSP is $499.
Good Luck,
Mike

DVD Plays on DVD Players But not on computers- not even mine!

HELP!
I burned a DVD for a client using DVDSP 3 ( i know it's old...but it's what I've got) and the DVD works fine on all the Standard desktop DVD players we've tried them on but when the client put it in her laptop, the computer rejected it. I burned her a new one myself and tried it on MY G5, which burned it (I didn't check the first time to see if it would work on a G5) and my computer rejected it too! I've burned dozens of DVD's before using the same version of DVDSP and haven't had this problem before...
what am I missing? Could it be something in my preferences or something that i forgot to click?
My DVD drive is a Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-106D and reads other dvd's with no problem...

No rhyme or reason... but tried one more time after putting back my old copy of idvd 06 with my oldest themes in it, and I now have DVD's that will play on regular DVD players!
Now, if Apple could just get us a firmware update for the SONY DVD RW DW-U10A which came with my G-5 and then maybe we could all burn disks at the new 16X speed! Instead of limiting our possibilites.
Oh and yes, I did contact Sony about firmware updates. They informed me that this is really an OEM drive (whatever that is) and that Sony does not support it!

IDVD 5.01 Sony DVD players

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