[lighthouse]

I thought I'd begin a thread where subscribers can report any faulty DVDs they might have bought. This is just so the Manufactureres are aware that some of their Products might not be 100% and can remedy the Issue.

I bought the very beautiful Film 'Tristan and Isolde' in a boxed set of DVDs - accompanied by 'Braveheart' and 'Kingdom of Heaven'.and while the superb last 2 Films play properly the T and I Film doesn't. I have had 2 Copies of this and they both pause at the same parts of the Film which then completely freezes the Computer (using Power DVD) to the point where you have to use Windoes Task Manager to re-enable your PC.. It's a shame because this is a beautiful Film combining Romance with Action, some lovely Music and where Ridley Scott shows that he isn't just a Shoot 'em up Aliens Film Maker! This is a Glitch on the part of the Disc Manufacturer not a Computer Error!

[cwwozniak]

Originally Posted by lighthouse

This is a Glitch on the part of the Disc Manufacturer not a Computer Error!

What makes you so sure? Have you tried the discs on a stand alone DVD player or another computer using a different brand of DVD drive and different playing software?

EDIT:
FWiW, I have heard commercial DVDs using slightly modified video data on them that is intended as an extra level of copy protection. A regular DVD player would just skip or ignore the bad data and continue playing while a program trying to rip the video would get lost. It is possible that this could cause a software player player to crash.

[lighthouse]

So why does it pause at the same part of the Film? If it were the Disc Programming it'd pause randomly, crash completely or not play at all!

[cwwozniak]

I do not claim to be an expert on anti-copying technology and the following is pure conjecture on my part. I welcome any expert here to correct me if I am wrong.

I could see some type of anti-copying gimmick being used at the point where the video needs to transition from the end of one VOB file to the beginning of the next VOB file. The gimmick could trick the DVD ripping/copying (and playing) software to jump to some non-existent or corrupted VOB file while still allowing a simple hardware DVD player to ignore the bad jump and continue to the next correct VOB file. This would cause a hang in the player at the exact same place every time on every disc of that particular movie.

There could also be some trickery where the indicated playing time of the VOB file does not match the actual playing time of the file. A software based player may stop at the indicated time every time while a hardware player would just continue playing.

[JohnWill]

The question that remains open, did you play it on a standard DVD player?

[lighthouse]

Nope - played it on my DVD Rom - which has played any Audio CD, DVD, CD Rom and DVD Rom with no problem at all.

[JohnWill]

Well, until you attempt to play it on a stand-alone DVD player, you won't answer the question that keeps getting asked.

[lighthouse]

Fine - then send me one that I can plug into my Monitor!

[JohnWill]

Originally Posted by lighthouse

Fine - then send me one that I can plug into my Monitor!

Well, you have the problem, not me. If you can't be bothered to test it, I guess you'll forever have the problem.

[lighthouse]

Most of those DVD Players plug into a TV but not a Monitor - meaning that I would have to have a TV to do it................which implies having to have a TV Liciense and I don't have either - analogue or digital! (An Irony for someone who grew up with the Industry) Seem to have subsidised them with just about everything else - I don't see why I should give them my Money every Year as well!

If they made one that had a VGA Socket like a PC or Portable then I would have one - it'd save resources on the Computer and as you say probably prevent any Programming Issues with any DVD Software!

But then if they made Programmes worth watching instead of the crap they churn out these days I'd probably have a TV anyway!

[lighthouse]

What a subscriber to this is saying - without saying it - is that you can't trust your Computer. If you went to the Cinema you bought a Ticket went in and watched the Film. If there were any special features you would see them as the support Movie. Then you could buy the Film on VHS or Beta and see it on your Video Player. If it didn;t work you could take it back to the Retailer and get a replacement Item or a Refund. Now - with DVD - you are reliant on whether your Programme reads the Disc - and then is it going to objectively anyway? At least with VHS your VCR would do this - but what are the plethora of DVD Programmes up to in this Process? The VHS Tape wouldn't somehow say "Oh cripes - this is only supposed to work on a Sony Machine and I'm a Ferguson so I'm not going to play properly - if at all!" I'm sorry, but when I worked in a Record Shop and a Customer came in and told me that this Album or that Cassette didn't play at all - or only played certain Songs - I would have to re-imburse them. So what makes DVD somehow exempt from this?

If I buy a DVD that says "Tristan and Isolde" I expect to watch Tristan and Isolde - not have to grapple with Software or my DVD Player so I can see even some of the Film.