Arghh! Getting annoyed, did the research but dvds still stutter/skip!

andy

My info

Sony 530a dvd writer with updated 2.1a flash

tried Memorex 4x media (dvd-r), these were the Prodisk not the cheap CMC but still had problems so i switched to Maxwell made in Japan dvd-r RG02 which are recommended over at AVS.

I am trying to make some dvd backups of my collection but out of maybe 10-12 disks i only have 1 perfect copy. All the others have momentary pauses/skips and a couple even have some pixelisation. I have done some research and have tried burning at 4x and at 2 x with the same results. I am getting very frustrated.

This is time consuming and i want the highest quality possible but all this archiving is for nothing if the dvds just skip. Some skip every minute, some only once or twice per movie.

I use the latest dvdShrink and dvd decryptor to burn the image, Windows XP, 750 Duron CPU and 384Megs of Ram. I first i though my CPU might be a bit slow for 4x burn so i tried 2x. I feel like i am doing this for nothing...i have tried different media, upgraded my firmware, flashed my BIOS recently with no other problems/stability issues. It can get pretty expensive if all i burn is full/partial coasters.  The dvd is no good in my book if it's only perfect for half the disk and with random skips on the other half.

Any help would be appreciated. I am ready to pull my hair out. By the way, the image plays fine when playing off the hard drive so it's something else. The burner is 1-2 months old with 1 dozen or so attempted burns and only one good copy. Sigh

power, just some info from things i've read.  The Sony DRU-530A is one of the worst dvd writers you can buy.  It is a rebadged Optorite which the Optorite isn't really a good drive either.  The first Sony burners were manufactured by Sony, but the 530A was outsourced.  The same is true with their newest DRU-700A dual format, Double Layer drive, but that's a rebadged Lite-On so the drive is excellent from everything i've read.  
Now as far as pixelation, pauses, skipping go, this is usually a DVD Media issue.  However, having one of the lesser drives doesn't make the issue any better.  It's very possible you have an uncalibrated laser in your drive if this issue is happening with various types of media, even high quality media.  If you have your receipt and recently purchased the drive, i'd exchange it for the Plextor, or at the least a new 530A as the Laser may very well be the issue.

The quot;MAXELLquot; disks should be great, the even the Memorex Prodiscs have been known to be bad at times.

wiki,

thanks for the reply. I thought the Sony would be a good buy but if i am going to have problems then why bother. I will try the exchange and report back.

by the way, i tried the disks on 3 dvd-rom drives, the Sony 530A, Pioneer 104s and Toshiba 1712 with the same results. The title plays fine on the hard drive, i defrag on a regular basis and i did the Nero cd test and obviously had disk errors. I also downloaded the Sony Drive Test utility and it reported errors when writing to a cd-rw. I think it's the drive...

yea sounds like the drive....
you shouldn't have to defrag your hard drive and do all that stuff just to get a decent burn.  Sorry you're having such a bad time just starting out, but once you get a decent drive and good media you'll enjoy it.

well,

Staples customer service was very good after owning the Sony for 6 weeks and troubleshooting the drive from day 1. They gave me full credit, i could have exchanged to the same drive with a $30 added credit but i opted for a new Lite-on SOHW 1213S instead. I have no problems from what i can see. I use verify with my burn and then skip from chapter to chapter, fwd through the disk for any sign of stutters and took the time to watch some of the media and all is well so far. I'm glad i scrapped the Sony or should i say rebadged cheap burner. Thanks Wiki for the info.

Though it may be your drive (I have a friend who also owned that drive model and exchanged it for a Pioneer later on after having problems with his Sony DVD changer not reading the discs from his Sony DVD burner), it might not hurt to try Samsung BeALL 4X DVD-R media and a new burner that writes either format. I have not had one return since switching to the Samsung brand. Sure, they cost more, but not having to deal with the returns and exchanges has been a big plus.

@BassPig,

has you ever checked reading the Beall/Samsungs 4x -R media after
a period of time (lets say some weeks)?
My experience is that this media is destroying itself VERY SOON!
Would be glad to share your experience!

I use the latest dvdShrink and dvd decryptor to burn the image
Are you possibly having anything else on the PC while making the copy. Could it be getting hung up on another process and getting buffer underrun problems. I think these use the Nero api. I use the full  Nero burner software and you can see the internal burner and PC buffer levels drop when other things happen, even loading up IE for example causes those buffer levels to start dropping.

Nero claims to have buffer underrun protection but I really don't know happens to the burn if the buffers drain out. Does it make the disc skip, I don't know but maybe that could be something to look at.

I have scores of BeAll discs in customers' hands for over 18 months now and have not had one complain about deterioration. Meritline quotes that the US government trusts their date to these discs, so if that's true, they would have to be quite reliable. But as with anything, there's no garantee you won't get a bad disc. Being the 1 in 10,000 is always unhappy.

Things are slightly differnt that quot;1 out of 10000quot;.
I have some dozens burned, printable as well as normal ones,
and all of them shows this behavior  
I seems more like either a faked charge or some really production problems (SAMSUNG changed it supplier later year away from Beall).
Anyway, really annoying.

That's interesting. I wonder if they are all from the same batch? Ours so far are lasting and no one complaint from a client about a disc gone bad.

I don't know if this is the case but I have read in some of the other forums that the earlier AMD processors had some issues with video processing and that this was not corrected until the Barton core was released.  I used the Tbird 1400 mhz for a long period of time and got good results with Shrink and DVD2ONE but never with any of the more advanced programs.  Just built a new computer with a 3200+ AMD Barton and the results  have been outstanding.  Put this computer together when the subject came up again in the early DVD-RB development and been smoothe sailing ever since.

Have you tried playing these DVD's on different players?  It may not of been your drive or you media.  It may be your player.  All my dvd's play fine on my comps, portable player, friends players but has skips and pixelations on my stand alone.  I went to BEST BUY to try one in a TV that has a build in DVD player and it worked fine.  So if you have not tried other dvd players and have the same problem with your new drive it may be your dvd player.