Hi All,

I have created an MP3 DVD as per the following thread, http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=45638&st=0, and sometimes it works sometimes it pauses and skips. I have checked the bitrate and all tracks are 192 so the only other thing I can think of is that the DVD lens needs a good clean. Is this possible? I don't want to put a standard DVD lens cleaner disc in the drive just in case it eats it and doesn't spit it out!

Has anyone done this? Any recommendations?

thanks.

Cojo

 

It's more likely the disc than the reader. Try burning at a slower burn rate (say, 4x instead of 16x for example), or try a different brand of disc. Branded / more expensive discs DO tend to be better quality. I would also recommend avoiding ones with "sticky labels" on them ... if one of those comes loose in your player it's be very messy

 

My bet is that the lens is fine. MP3 DVDs can work but there are many variables involved to make them work perfectly. I'd be interested in knowing if the pauses and skips occur on some songs more frequently than others. If the disc is of marginal burn quality, you may find that some songs play well and some don't depending on whether or not the songs are located at the beginning of the disc or at the end. (The disc spins at different speeds depending on the location of the track so if there's marginal quality, you'll find variances in how well songs play.)

If the lens was dirty, you'd probably see more consistent problems and the Nav disc would likely error too. In my experiences over many years with optical disc technologies, I don't think I've ever had an issue that was fixed by a lens cleaning alone. Problems are way more likely to be related to the disc media itself...

EDIT: Since Russ squeezed his reply in while I was typing, I'll only add that the paper labels can also shrink over time causing the disc to warp and become unplayable...

 

Thanks for the lens info. I'm using Imation DVD-Rs with no labels and I burn them at the lowest speed, 2X. I'm not sure whether there is a pattern with which tracks play and which don't as I've only tried it on a couple of journeys so far. I'll try again on my commute this week and see if there is a trend.

I may try burning a DVD with less on it too as I've seen a suggestion that this may impact playback.

 

Possibly a silly question, but have you checked the playback the songs/tracks directly on your computer? I ask this because, after having spent lots of time ripping CDs to load tracks onto my iPod, I found that some tracks played back poorly, distorted or skipped ... and the point of failure was the ripping of the CD's. In all cases, I deleted the files, re-ripped the CDs and all was fine.

Not saying that this is the definitive solution, but it is one potential variable here.

 

If you're burning them at 2x, you might want to try burning them at a faster speed. In the old days, slower burning was always better but nowadays, slower can sometimes cause problems.

Also, MacSid is correct that sometimes the RIP process can cause errors. If that's what's happening to you, then I imagine the same songs would skip in the same places etc. If you're seeing more of a random skipping/pausing, then it might be the burning process (or both, I guess.)

 

I would buy some different brand discs first. That is usually the problem. Some website offer "sample packs" where you get one or two of the different brands they sell so you can see which ones work best for you.

 

Great tip, thanks Russ. I'll burn some identical DVDs and report back.

 

Exactly. Get better branded DVD. I've found that Verbatim has been one of the best working brands out there for me. Not for mp3 DVD but just over all... general. Dont use those cheap no name brands.

 

I'd agree with this - I've had the same problem ripping CDs.

I've heard good reports about Exact Audio Copy to reduce ripping errors. Not tried it myself yet, but will probably give it a go next time I have a batch of CDs to rip.

Andrew