Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[gpvillamil]

I'm using a new Sony DRU530A on my HTPC, this is an 8x DVD burner + 40x CD burner. It works fine with Windows XP built-in CD & DVD burning. It also works fine for DVD playback with Intervideo WinDVD and Theatertek DVD.

However, it doesn't work with MC10. I can enqueue files to burn, and MC recognizes the media type and capacity. However, pressing the "Burn" button brings up the progress dialog (though only partially drawn) then locks up the computer.

DVD playback does the same thing. The DVD title appears in the tree, double clicking on it leads to a complete freeze-up as well.

I was able to get DVD playback to work once - accidentally. MC was running, I started Theatertek, and inserted a DVD. MC and Theatertek both started trying to play the DVD simultaneously, and MC was able to play something - albeit with a lot of stuttering, since TT was running as well!

What could be the cause of the problem? What factors should I explore?

Media Center 10.0.16 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 2565 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1014 MB, Free - 669 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1276 / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive F:   Copy mode:Normal   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  Drive F: SONY     DVD RW DRU-530A    Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:40  MaxSpeed:40  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
  Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

[gpvillamil]

Well, I replaced the new Sony drive with an older Plextor with known performance. This actually fixed DVD playback in MC, that now works.

However, MC still locks up when burning CDs. Windows XP built-in CD burning works fine on the same drive, same media.

Media Center 10.0.16 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 2564 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1014 MB, Free - 750 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1276 / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive D:   Copy mode:Normal   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  Drive D: PLEXTOR  DVDR   PX-708A     Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:40  MaxSpeed:40  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
  Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

[JimH]

Try disabling XP burning.

Try uninstalling any other CD burning software.  Nero's INCD was a problem at one point.  Nero's updates may have fixed that.

[gpvillamil]

No joy. I tried disabling the Win XP built-in burning. No other CD burners installed.Then, in Media Center I selected an existing playlist, right-click, send to D: (the CD burner). Click on Burn CD in the action window. Queue shows up fine. Click "Burn" - half-drawn progress dialog, a few flickers of disk activity, then lockup. Mouse cursor not moving, no ctrl-alt-del, no disk activity.

Thinking that this might have something to do with new high-speed drive, restarted, then changed the maximum speed in MC10 to 24x. Went to same playlist, right-click, send to D:. Some flicker of disk activity, the message "Initializing writer" in the status bar, then complete lockup.

Media Center 10.0.16 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\

Microsoft Windows XP  Workstation 5.1 Service Pack 1 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 2570 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1014 MB, Free - 750 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2800.1106 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82 (xpsp1.020828-1920) / Shlwapi.dll: 6.00.2800.1276 / Shell32.dll: 6.00.2800.1233 (xpsp2.030604-1804) / wnaspi32.dll: N/A
Ripping /   Drive D:   Copy mode:Normal   CD Type:Auto   Read speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: No /  Play sound after ripping: No  

Burning /  Drive D: PLEXTOR  DVDR   PX-708A     Addr: 1:0:0  Speed:24  MaxSpeed:40  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: No
  Use playback settings: No /  Normalization: None

[gpvillamil]

Still no joy. Reverted back to 9.1.316 which has worked before. Same behavior as before - everything is fine up until I push the "Burn" button, then I get the half-drawn progress dialog (window frame draws, but the progress bars and captions are blank, the area where the animation goes shows the underlying window). Cursor freezes, system locks up.

Another jukebox program (with a fruity logo) burned the same playlist at 40X, no problem. In fact, it worked with with the Sony drive as well.

However, it made me realize how much more I prefer MC's CD burning.

[JimH]

Still no joy. Reverted back to 9.1.316 which has worked before. Same behavior as before - everything is fine up until I push the "Burn" button, then I get the half-drawn progress dialog (window frame draws, but the progress bars and captions are blank, the area where the animation goes shows the underlying window). Cursor freezes, system locks up.

Another jukebox program (with a fruity logo) burned the same playlist at 40X, no problem. In fact, it worked with with the Sony drive as well.

However, it made me realize how much more I prefer MC's CD burning.

Uninstall the fruity logo software and reboot.  It may be the cause of the problem.

Several burning programs install little pieces of software that grab hold of the drive and won't let go.  Nero did this for a while.  So did Roxio.  Updating the software may help.

Try a google search for similar problems.

[gpvillamil]

Actually I installed the other software *after* trying everything else. This stuff all coexisted on my previous machine, last month. The only major change is moving to a new optical drive. Right now MC is the only program having problems with DVD playback and CD burning. (I've tried MC10 and 9.1.316).

Theatertek and WinDVD both work fine for playback.

WinXP built-in, iTunes, B's recorder, all work fine.

There was no ASPI layer installed, I tried installing the latest from Adaptec (v 4.71).

Since the Sony DRU530A and the Plextor 708A are relatively new drives, do you have any info of anyone successfully using them with MC? I realize that it is quite a complicated task to try to support many different peripherals.

As I mentioned before, it might be a good idea to have a list of known good configurations. Since I have the option to build the hardware to support MC, it would be good to know what has worked in the past, so I can just buy a known working drive.

I think that might be something that the forum members might be able to contribute to - a database of known functioning hardware?

[gpvillamil]

Well, I reformatted, reinstalled Windows XP SP1 and then installed only Media Center 9.1.316. CD burning worked fine, for both audio and data CDs. I installed some of the security updates from Microsoft and WMP9 via Windows Update. Still OK for CD burning with MC.

I installed Theatertek DVD, which installs the Sonic Cinemaster codecs. It works fine. However, MC crashes when trying to play DVDs. ("Analysing devices" message, then system locks up, have to cycle power.)

Now MC burning is not working again. Same symptoms as described earlier in this thread (half-drawn progress dialog, computer freezes up.)

CD burning programs installed *after* MC9 all work fine - without exception. WMP9 uses the Theatertek codecs to play DVDs - no problem.

I don't really think it is a hardware problem, since I'm using a newly built PC that has passed a bunch of tests (RAM, optical drives, hard drives). I suspect a lingering incompatibility with either Theatertek or some of the Windows security updates.

I really, really want all this stuff to work. I really like MC's approach to burning (when it works), miles better than others. I even really like the DVD playback interface - simple & easy (when it works!). What can I do to help J River sort this out?