Sony camcorder dvd problem

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PMU

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[FONT=&quot]I’ve a dvd shot on a Sony camcorder (a Handycam ? (i.e. directly to a mini dvd)); the dvd plays fine in my dvd player; I can copy it to the dvd player’s hard disk, play it from there; and copy it to a blank dvd and play it. But when I try to play it on my PC the PC doesn’t recognise any file and says the disk is empty (properties shows: used space 0 bytes, free space 0 bytes, total space 0 bytes) etc. As there is definitely a file of some sort (a VOB ?) on the dvd I assume that this is some sort of copy protection that fools Windows into thinking that the dvd is empty. Is there anyway around this? The dvd is of a family event – it’s not a commercial dvd. Surely copy protection is not enforced on home dvds shot on a camcorder?
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PMU said:
[FONT=&quot]I’ve a dvd shot on a Sony camcorder (a Handycam ? (i.e. directly to a mini dvd)); the dvd plays fine in my dvd player; I can copy it to the dvd player’s hard disk, play it from there; and copy it to a blank dvd and play it. But when I try to play it on my PC the PC doesn’t recognise any file and says the disk is empty (properties shows: used space 0 bytes, free space 0 bytes, total space 0 bytes) etc. As there is definitely a file of some sort (a VOB ?) on the dvd I assume that this is some sort of copy protection that fools Windows into thinking that the dvd is empty. Is there anyway around this? The dvd is of a family event – it’s not a commercial dvd. Surely copy protection is not enforced on home dvds shot on a camcorder?
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I doubt this is a copy protection feature.

Firstly - and don't shoot me for suggesting this - are you sure the PC has a DVD drive and not a CD drive?


Secondly, you might need to Finalise the disc before it will play on a DVD-ROM drive.

Thirdly, it is possible (though unlikely) that your PC's DVD drive prefers DVD-Rs to DVD+Rs. Your dedicated DVD player under your tellie might prefer DVD+Rs or accept both.

So, you might want to try copying to a DVD-R and finalising the disc.
 
This is not a copyright protection....The VOB file you mentioned is the actual video recording and can only be opened with a DVD player program on your PC. How did you discover this VOB file? Was it contained in a VIDEO_TS folder?
 
Thanks for the advice. It was a ‘finalisation’ problem, so when I finalised the copy on my HD DVD recorder the copy was recognised on the PC, and I could see the VOB files, in the VIDEO_TS folder. (I couldn't see the VOB files befoe the disk was finalised). However, then my PC DVD player (PowerDVD) didn’t like the disk, i.e. said it has errors reading it. This could be due to me using a cheapo disk (+R). I’ll try, as MonsieurBond suggested a –R disk and see what happens. But the main problem was not finalising the disk.
 
PMU - slightly off topic - which Sony DVD camcorder do you have - I am looking to buy one and was wondering about your experiences with it ?
 
Hi, I bought a Sony DVD camcorder last year. At the time I found the Sony branded 8cm DVDs were very expensive so I bought DVDs from another brand on the web to use instead. When I put the other branded DVDs in the camcorder displays a message "Sony Disc Recommended". The other brand DVDs have "failed" twice in the camcorder and on both occasions I lost loads of footage. I don't believe there is a problem with the other discs as they have worked fine when used for other purposes. I think Sony do this deliberately to make sure you use their own discs. It's a bloody nuisance. Apart form that the DVD camcorder is fine. However the most you can fit on one disc is 60mins in long play mode. Once full the discs need to be finalized so they will play on a DVD player etc. This process can take up to 5 mins to complete before you can insert and use a new disc. This could be a limitation for some people.
 
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