Andy Wilkinson
October 15th, 2009, 02:47 PM
OK, I've searched around and not come across any thread which might help so here goes. I've always tried to help people here on DVinfo as I was given a lot of great help when I first started. Now I need your help again please!
I've a client that cannot play all 5 copies of DVD-Video discs I gave them last week (or if they can play them, it's only with picture but without any sound - not much good!). This happens on ALL their corporate HP PC's (using either WMP to play or Intervideo DVD player on the same PCs...later gives a "create overlay failed" error message or sometimes a "BUP missing"). However, these very same DVDs play fine on all their Macs and on the only non Hewlitt Packard PC they have.
I've never come across this type of situation before and obviously need to find a solution so my client can play the DVD version of the film easily - we're at near final edit and he's just about to pay me for this work! They have been very happy with it up to now, but we've always viewed edits on my Mac Book Pro or, as it happens, the only non-HP PC in their facility that seems to play DVDs I've authored, the one in their conference room with the projector.
The DVDs (Verbatim printable DVD+Rs, single layer) were made on my 2009 Mac Pro (FCS2 on Leopard, I'm not upgrading to SL/FCS3 for a few weeks as some big jobs on the go at present). They were made with Compressor to get to the .m2V video file (using the standard best quality Apple 6.2 Mbps etc. template, no alterations) and also the Dolby 2.0 Professional AC3 file for audio, again a standard template. Then it was pretty simple authoring in DVDSP4 (no menu, auto play and loop play with just a chapter marker 1/2 way through as the content is only 10 minutes and consists of 2 edit variants on a near final cut for them to choose, then a marker and then an end jump) and that's it. Like I said, all 5 copies play fine on everything I own but only on about 1/2 everything my client owns. Why???
I've double checked (I always check before anything goes out the door and checked them again when I got them back), the very same DVDs play on EVERY single DVD playing device I own which is 2 Macs, 5 Windows PCs from a recent laptop to some old ones, 2 DVD players (top end Pioneer and bottom end LG) and a small portable DVD player and even my PS3. They play beautifully and have sound in every case (in my house!). The auto start to playing, chapter marker and end jump/loop play all work exactly as expected too.
Any ideas/suggestions much appreciated! Next thing I'm going to try is authoring the disks on a PC with Vegas/DVDA (I can do this easily from a 720p QT master) and also perhaps try one with a menu as I did wonder if their very low length (run time) might be a factor. I was also wondering if the auto play/loop play without a menu was a factor but, like I said, everything else seems to find it OK and I've never had this issue with that set-up in the past with stuff made in Vegas/DVDA on a PC. I did wonder about trying DVD-Rs but PC are always happy with +Rs so I thought (it's just some TV set top type DVD players do not like them, only very occasionally now I'm finding, here in the UK anyway). Next visit I'm taking a shop bought DVD just to check that will play on their HPs too!
One other thing, the HPs the client has are all running XP (not Vista, I checked that as soon as I heard of the problem!). The IT Manager did admit they may not be fully up to date, especially the WMPlayer (I think it's 9 they have) as it's been "a long time before he updated anything".
Client is being very amicable about it but obviously wants it resolved. Over to you guys!
I've a client that cannot play all 5 copies of DVD-Video discs I gave them last week (or if they can play them, it's only with picture but without any sound - not much good!). This happens on ALL their corporate HP PC's (using either WMP to play or Intervideo DVD player on the same PCs...later gives a "create overlay failed" error message or sometimes a "BUP missing"). However, these very same DVDs play fine on all their Macs and on the only non Hewlitt Packard PC they have.
I've never come across this type of situation before and obviously need to find a solution so my client can play the DVD version of the film easily - we're at near final edit and he's just about to pay me for this work! They have been very happy with it up to now, but we've always viewed edits on my Mac Book Pro or, as it happens, the only non-HP PC in their facility that seems to play DVDs I've authored, the one in their conference room with the projector.
The DVDs (Verbatim printable DVD+Rs, single layer) were made on my 2009 Mac Pro (FCS2 on Leopard, I'm not upgrading to SL/FCS3 for a few weeks as some big jobs on the go at present). They were made with Compressor to get to the .m2V video file (using the standard best quality Apple 6.2 Mbps etc. template, no alterations) and also the Dolby 2.0 Professional AC3 file for audio, again a standard template. Then it was pretty simple authoring in DVDSP4 (no menu, auto play and loop play with just a chapter marker 1/2 way through as the content is only 10 minutes and consists of 2 edit variants on a near final cut for them to choose, then a marker and then an end jump) and that's it. Like I said, all 5 copies play fine on everything I own but only on about 1/2 everything my client owns. Why???
I've double checked (I always check before anything goes out the door and checked them again when I got them back), the very same DVDs play on EVERY single DVD playing device I own which is 2 Macs, 5 Windows PCs from a recent laptop to some old ones, 2 DVD players (top end Pioneer and bottom end LG) and a small portable DVD player and even my PS3. They play beautifully and have sound in every case (in my house!). The auto start to playing, chapter marker and end jump/loop play all work exactly as expected too.
Any ideas/suggestions much appreciated! Next thing I'm going to try is authoring the disks on a PC with Vegas/DVDA (I can do this easily from a 720p QT master) and also perhaps try one with a menu as I did wonder if their very low length (run time) might be a factor. I was also wondering if the auto play/loop play without a menu was a factor but, like I said, everything else seems to find it OK and I've never had this issue with that set-up in the past with stuff made in Vegas/DVDA on a PC. I did wonder about trying DVD-Rs but PC are always happy with +Rs so I thought (it's just some TV set top type DVD players do not like them, only very occasionally now I'm finding, here in the UK anyway). Next visit I'm taking a shop bought DVD just to check that will play on their HPs too!
One other thing, the HPs the client has are all running XP (not Vista, I checked that as soon as I heard of the problem!). The IT Manager did admit they may not be fully up to date, especially the WMPlayer (I think it's 9 they have) as it's been "a long time before he updated anything".
Client is being very amicable about it but obviously wants it resolved. Over to you guys!