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[Will_L.]

Hi All,

I just got an HP dvd300i DVD Burner for work and I'm tryin to get MC to play DVD's. The image pops up fine but I get no audio. I don't think it's a bug because Windows Media does the same thing.

So do I need to install some new DVD playback software? I'm leery of this because I have a dual monitor setup and when I tried this with a DVD-ROM drive nothing would play on the TV (just the monitor) and I read that was a copy-protection thing (long suffering groan). So is there some DVD playback software that MC can use and will still let me watch on the TV AND let me hear the audio?

This copy-protection stuff really sucks as I have 2 stand alone DVD players neither of which will play burned DVD's. All I need is something to view DVD's I burn (which are movies MY company makes and doesn't prevent people from copying - there is no copy protection).

Thanks a bundle for any input,

Will
www.thrillahill.com

[JimH]

The first thing to check is the Windows volume control.  Double click on the speaker icon in the lower right corner of the desktop and make sure nothing is muted.

Did you install the software that came with the drive?  Does it work?

[Will_L.]

I just installed PowerDVD and that fixed my audio problem right up. Now hopefully it'll play on the TV as well.

I have to move the DVD Burner downstairs to test that out but when I am done I'll post a message here.

Will
www.thrillahill.com

[Will_L.]

OK Everything is setup and running but DVD playback seems to be a bit buggy... at least on my end.

First MC tends to lock up when playing DVD's. I suspect this has more to do with the fact that this pc has only 128mb of ram.

More importantly though the image is not trimmed. When shooting a movie the camera guys assume a 10% loss of image size due to TV trim (that's the black plastic that runs around the glass of your tv screen). Hence some things may be in the shot but are 'trimmed out' when viewed on a TV.

For some reason though MC is not trimming the image. Meaning I can see boom guys and mic stands in the image but when viewed on the TV screen via a normal DVD player they are trimmed out.

Would it be possible for MC9 to increase the image size by ten percent? That's all it takes to fix this.

BTW What's the problem with DVD+RWs. Nothing plays them. Even the drive that burned the RWs I have locks up when you get to the menu screens. Has anyone had any luck with these things?

Will
www.thrillahill.com

[xen-uno]

> Meaning I can see boom guys and mic stands in the image but when viewed on the TV screen via a normal DVD player they are trimmed out

No way! Really? I wonder what happens when viewing the movie in true letterbox format (where even on a widescreen (16x9) TV you have a slight amount of black borders top and bottom...and no trimming). Never noticed this before under those conditions.

10^-27

[Griff]

Hello

BTW What's the problem with DVD+RWs. Nothing plays them. Even the drive that burned the RWs I have locks up when you get to the menu screens. Has anyone had any luck with these things

I bought a Memorex, last Dec.. No prob. with burned r or rw on anything. (knock on wood)

Burned around 80 r's and some rw's and they play on every unit I could find.


Check the type of DVD media that is compatable with the HP300i.


Also:

I just installed PowerDVD

Are you also using Arcsoft Showbiz, which comes with the HP?

If so, its a piece of garbage.

Try the Demo "DVD Moviefactory 2" from Ulead.

Hope this helps
Griff

[PhatPhreddy]

The phenomenon of TV's cutting part of the image is called overscan and is a fault of the setup of the TV and not the mastering process...

Correctly mastered DVD's should not show any boom mikes etc (though TV will sometimes show a data line that is not intended for viewing)... Any visibility of boom mikes etc is the fault of the director / mastering house...

there are a couple of ntable examples whereby films that were designed for a soft matte showing (filmed in 4:3 with an intended letterboxing to 16:9 or less.. Note this is not Pan and Scan but an artifact of the directors intended viewable area being filmed on a 4:3 format) are mistakenly transfered on a 4:3 full frame release...

IIRC Pee Wee's big adventure (one of his anyway) had some funny mistakes along this vien where he was pulling a chain up and you could see the chain coil on the floor when it should have been out of frame... this along with the boom mikes etc...

Any others I am curious to hear about...  

[Will_L.]

Correctly mastered DVD's should not show any boom mikes etc (though TV will sometimes show a data line that is not intended for viewing)... Any visibility of boom mikes etc is the fault of the director / mastering house...  

Well ain't he sweet!

OK well since we are spinning way into the depths of OT how do these pros (which I do declare I am not) master these things out? Since MC has implemented Macrovision I can't watch anything from Hollywood on the DVD drive (boy that's got to be the most popular feature in the world) so I couldn't investigate what those DVD are up to. I just figured I'd tell After FX to increase the size of those shots by a smidge and get rid of it that way.

Or is there some better method? Black Matte around the safe bars? Sounds hopefull at least.

Check the type of DVD media that is compatable with the HP300i.

I'm working my way through a 15 pack of Verbatim DVD + R's and the only RW I have is the one that came with the drive. Any suggestions? Maybe I'll try the Memorex (always did love my Memorex CD Burner).

Are you also using Arcsoft Showbiz, which comes with the HP?

If so, its a piece of garbage.

Never even installed it. After dropping 800.00 bucks for Vegas/DVD Architect I haven't even looked at any other authoring software....

Thanks for all the input guys. Perhaps I will just matte the thing to the safe bars and if anyone is certain that these Verbatim discs are crap PLEASE let me know.

[xen-uno]

You can't go wrong with Verbatim. One of the best brands out there. I've used their DAT tapes, QIC-80's, floppies, CD-R & RW's and they've been fine so far.

10^-27

[PhatPhreddy]

Sorry if you thought my comment was barbed... I took your explanation to mean that you were re-encoding previously released DVD's, am I correct in now thinking you are doing your own encoding of your own shot material ??

Also I am confused by your macrovision comments... Macrovision should have no effect on watching a DVD on your computer... It would only start to have effect when piping that out to a VCR (what about TV over S-Vid ??) IIRC...

[Will_L.]

am I correct in now thinking you are doing your own encoding of your own shot material ??

Yeah I am a director for Thrillahill Productions (www.thrillahill.com) and we're about to release a DVD of last year's shorts. Problem is Media Center is the only device (vs. traditional DVD players) that shows stuff beyond the trim. My Phillips DVD player shows it ok and the theatre we show our stuff at has an Apex 900 connected to a Christie DLP and we had no problems with that.

I've got premiere adding a black matte at the safe line and I am hoping that will fix things. Odd that MC would basically reduce the image size like this but I figure the matte will fix any such probs on any device. I'd rather the audience see black bars than the boom....


Macrovision is a problem as I am out of rca ports for the computer to connect through so yeah it is connected to the VCR. Plus I find this convenient for dubbing OUR DVD's to tape for film fests, friends,  or whenever I don't feel like sending a DVD. I understand the intent of Macrovision I just think it's poorly implemented and so easy to get around that it's a waste of money. Thrillahill's License Agreement basically allows VHS copies of our DVD's (Noncommercial Noderivative policy in legalese) because, well, VHS sux...

And we all know how easy it is to copy DVDs (if you're willing to wait for all that re-compression) but personally I'd rather spend ten bucks and buy the DVD...

Will.