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Most DVD players are compatible with VCD's. Before DVD discs, VCD's using a standard CD disc (around 700mb) was the only way to go. There's still some minor benefits to VCD's:
Cheaper Discs
For a average standard (non-HD television), they look just fine.
VCD uses MPEG1 standards (smaller files)
You can create on without any special authoring software
Of course there are just as many disadvantages.
Interestingly, many newer DVD players will now playback either video or audio files by themselves (MP3, Xvid, Divx, MP4/H.264, WMV/WMA).
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Also see this: http://store.cyberlink.com/DRHM/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayERefundInstructionsPage&SiteID=clinkus&Locale=en_US&Env=BASE&resid=KBxAtgoBAksAAFItpg4AAAAN&rests=1232862444739
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Sorry Moore:
I'm just as confused as you. I looked through the entire online manual and couldn't find anything. What I probably did was type in a keyword in the search box here on the main page and got some other product's specs.
In any case, I can find no mention of widescreen 16:9 support for Power2Go.
The widescreen is available in other CyberLink products......especially the "video editing" ones which makes sense since Power2go is more of a backup program.
I'm curious what your procedure is for transferring the 16:9 video you have to Power2go? Is your original 16:9 file a MPEG2 file or some other format?
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TCA:
I looked up your model and it seems that it's a DVD unit that Dell has installed in their Laptops. Is this correct? If it is, then your absolute best bet is to work with Dell on this issue.......especially if updating the firmware is an issue. I checked the Dell support website for the model and a firmware update did come up. However, the update was for something entirely else (but still recommended). My feeling on firmware updates is: "If it ain't broke, don't update". So, what I'm saying is that calling Dell support may be your best answer, unless you want to "wing" it.
If this isn't anything to do with Dell, then I'm at a loss, because the number doesn't come up at the Philips support website.
On the other hand, this may be totally an issue with Power2Go in how you have things setup to burn the DVD. Things like the method of file naming can cause problems like this (ISO9660 vs UDF...etc) All that stuff is in the disc burning settings.
And.....if that's not enough, it could be a problem with Explorer and the OS (Vista?). Have you tried looking at the disc using "My Computer"?
Finally, (I'm not sure about this), some programs don't even "see" a disc unless the session has been finalized or closed. But that doesn't make much sense for a RW disc.
So those are things to ponder, in no particular order. Really, investigate those settings first in Power2Go. You might also want to burn the disc and take it to another computer. That would certainly verify if it's Power2Go, Explorer, Vista, or the drive.
This link to Dell support will provide you with a ton of stuff (comments, problems, updates...etc) Again, it may be better to call Dell, but the reading may narrow things down. Notice at the top of the list is the link for the firmware update. Farther down are people having similar? problems.
http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?s=gen&c=us&l=en&cs=&k=SDVD8820&cat=sup&x=8&y=3
Just about everything you'd want to read for fun?
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Not all players/software can handle the various format options you have for the RW's. It might be the type of RW recording method........VR that can be incompatible.......especially with Vista.
Solutions?
Possible configuration for burning the DVD RW disc in Power2Go configs.
or
Firmware update for you DVD/CD burner
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More than likely you'll have to use your recovery disc that came with your computer. If you don't have one, then you'll have to either call the company that made your computer and ask or for or order on.........or just purchase the full edition of Power2Go.
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It's going to be for long as you own the product. Standard EULA. Sometimes you can transfer the license if you give the product to someone else.
Here it is if you want to read it:
End User License Agreement ("EULA") Do not install or use the software until you have read and accepted all of the license terms. Permission to use the software is conditional upon your agreeing to the license terms. Installation or use of the software by you will be deemed to be acceptance of the license terms. Acceptance will bind you to the license terms in a legally enforceable contract with CyberLink Corp. * SOFTWARE LICENSE AND LIMITED WARRANTY This is an agreement between you, the end user, and CyberLink Corp. ("CyberLink"). By using this software, you agree to become bound by the terms of this agreement. If you agree to abide by these conditions, please click "Yes". IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS SOFTWARE AND PROMPTLY REMOVE IT FROM YOUR COMPUTER. * GRANT OF LICENSE CyberLink, as licensor, grants to you, the licensee, a non-exclusive right to install the accompanying software program(s) (hereinafter the "SOFTWARE") on a certain number of computer(s) in accordance with the number of the license you purchase and use the SOFTWARE in accordance with the terms contained in this license. You shall not rent, lease, sublicense, modify, alter, reverse engineer, disassemble, decomplie, or create any derivative work of the SOFTWARE, or remove any copyright notice or proprietary legend contained in the Software. You shall not reproduce the SOFTWARE unless for backup purpose and limited to one copy only. Except for the Software marked "Not for Resale" or the like, you may transfer the Software on a permanent basis to another person or entity accompanying the Documentation and the license agreement, provided that you retain no copies of the Software and the transferee agrees to the terms of this agreement. Such transfer will cause an automatic termination of your license to use the Software. * OWNERSHIP OF SOFTWARE CyberLink retains the copyright, title and ownership of the SOFTWARE and the written materials ("Documentation") regardless of the form or media in or on which the original and other copies may exist. * UPGRADES If this copy of the Software is an upgrade from an earlier version of the Software, it is provided to you on a license exchange basis. Upon your installation and use of this copy of the Software, you agree to voluntarily terminate your earlier EULA and you will not continue to use the earlier version of the Software or transfer it to another person or entity. * USE OF PICTURES LICENSED BY THIRD PARTIES You may use pictures, if any, provided in the SOFTWARE, which may be licensed from third parties, to demonstrate or complete your work created by the use of the SOFTWARE; provided that you should not use the pictures in any illegal or immoral manners, nor shall you grant your right to use to any third party. CyberLink does not provide any warranty or representation to these pictures from third parties. * LIMITED WARRANTY CyberLink warrants the media on which the SOFTWARE is furnished to be free of defects in material and workmanship, under normal use, for a period of ninety (90) days following the date of delivery to you. If there is defect in the media, CyberLink's sole liability shall be to replace the defective media, which has been returned to CyberLink or the supplier with your dated invoice and is shown to be defective. In the event that CyberLink is unable to replace defective media, CyberLink shall at its sole discretion either refund your money upon your termination of this license or replace with the newer version of the same software. THIS SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATAION (INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE) ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. FURTHER, CYBERLINK DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE, OR THE RESULTS OF USE, OF THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, CURRENTNESS, OR OTHERWISE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU. IF THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION IS DEFECTIVE, YOU, AND NOT CYBERLINK OR ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS, OR EMPLOYEES, ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICE, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. CYBERLINK DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT IS MADE BY CYBERLINK, ON THIS CYBERLINK PRODUCT. CYBERLINK DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY CYBERLINK, ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY AND YOU MAY NOT RELY ON ANY SUCH INFORMATION OR ADVICE. NEITHER CYBERLINK NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION OR DELIVERY OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH PRODUCT EVEN IF CYBERLINK HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Should any other warranties be found to exist, such warranties shall be limited in duration to ninety (90) days following the date of delivery to you. In no event will CyberLink's liability for any damages to you or any other person exceed the amount paid for the license to use the SOFTWARE. You agree to bear the full, complete, and sole responsibility for using the Software of any purpose. You also agree to indemnify and hold CyberLink harmless from any claims, proceedings, damages, costs, and expenses resulting from your use of the SOFTWARE for any illegal purpose. Upon termination of this Agreement, you should destroy the Software and the Documentation and all the copies thereof and remove and delete the Software from your hard disk or other storage device. This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and CyberLink Corp. This agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of Taiwan and shall benefit CyberLink, its successors and assigns. Any claim or dispute between you and CyberLink or against any agent, employee, successor or assign of CyberLink, whether related to this agreement or otherwise, and any claim or dispute related to this agreement or the relationship or duties contemplated under this agreement, including the validity of this arbitration clause, shall be resolved in Taipei, Taiwan, pursuant to the Taiwan Arbitration Act. This localized version of the EULA is for reference only. In case of inconsistencies between the localized version and the English version, the English version will prevail.
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If you have the option of widescreen 16:9 then you'll need to setup the options in the configuration file (settings/preferences). It shows this in the manual (which I looked at online in the Support section here).
DVD's use the MPEG2 standards where the aspect ratio is determined by the original encoded MPEG2 video. So, if your original was 16:9, and encoded as MPEG2 that way, it should work.
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I think your problem is that in the "Configuration" section of the software you have the "File System" set for ISO9660. This standard has a 2GB limit. You can write 4 gb to DVD if you use UDF . Not sure which one, since there are several there to choose from........probably the latest version. Note: Not all computer DVD drives will support UDF.
I'm not entirely sure about all this because that's what used to happen to me a few years ago.
Google search for: 2GB limit on DVD discs
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Not all home players (in fact very few) will support RW discs. Most home players will only support +R or -R DVD discs and usually those have to be finalized or closed. Check your DVD home player instructions for formats and media types that can be played.
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You didn't say what type of TV? Is it a wide screen or standard. Wide screen televisions have a aspect ratio of 16x9 and standards have a aspect ratio of 4x3.
So, when you burn a video DVD you have to make sure your aspect ratio is the same as what TV you're going to playback on. This also goes for the original source material and the final converted material. The only way to get around this is to crop or fill or totally resample.
A great example of this is trying to put a 16x9 movie on a 4x3 TV. It will be chopped off.
Not sure if this all applies to you........just a guess.
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If you are wondering if you can run the program (PowerToGo) from the USB thumb drive.......I would say: Probably not.
But, if you are wondering if you can download the program to your USB thumb drive and then install it to your computer hard drive........sure that is fine.
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Sometimes DVD's have to be closed and finalized to be recognized by the player. When you finalize a DVD, you can't add any more material.........in your case more MP3's so keep that in mind.
To finalize a DVD (or CD) disc, re-insert your disc and start your "burning" or recording software. Add whatever additional files you want and then make sure you select the "Finalize" or "Close disc" selection. Then proceed with the "burn".
If you've already done all this, then the likely cause is that your DVD with MP3's isn't supported in whatever player you're trying to play it back in.
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Haven't tried it, but check the manual online. I think close to page 22 talks about this.
Below is the link for version 5.5 manual
http://download.cyberlink.com/ftpdload/user_guide/power2go/5/Enu/Power2GO_UG.pdf
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If you can't add more data or close (finalize) the DVD, then maybe it's all ready closed????? Like I said, not all DVD players can read mutisession DVD discs..........regardless of being closed.
One way around your problem is to copy all the files on the DVD to your computer's hard drive and then make another DVD with the same files all at once and close it.
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When you close or "Finalize" a DVD, you can't add any more files. This option should be in the "Options". On mine, it's in the "burning" tab as an option that you check. "Close disc: Checking this option write-protects the disc. No further data can be appended to the disc after the current burning session."
When you add files to a disc that already had something on it, you create a "multisession" disc.
The problem with "Multisession" discs/DVD's regardless of whether or not they are finalized or closed, is that not all DVD players will recognize them because they are multisession. The only way to find out is try the disc or read the owners manual for player.
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Then Movie Maker (and the process of using it) is degrading your original video. By the time you burn the DVD you are using a second or third generation. And....if you are altering the picture size, colors....etc using movie maker, then you lose even more quality.
So, the only way to eliminate these problems (using your current programs) is to:
1. Alter the original video as little as possible doing only simple changes.
2. Make sure your settings are for MPEG2 not MPEG1 and high quality, which means a high video bitrate.
3. Since the DVD burning software seems to "force" the DVD standards, then that program will also lower the quality, when your existing video is different.
The only other alternative is to purchase another program that will accept the AVI/DV files directly to burn to a DVD or........pre convert the AVI/DV files to a non-compressed or lossless format like AVI/Huffyuv and then use Movie Make and burn later. That's the way I do it.
There is a open source free program called MediaCoder that will do that. But you'd be introducing another learning process.
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DV is an AVI format that is pretty darn good for quality (and editing). Converting any file to and other type will cause some degrading. This is especially true if you change things like picture size/resolution.....anything to do with the picture.
DVD standards are based on MPEG2 which is also a very good format. However, DVD standards (standards that allow you to playback a DVD on your home DVD player), require certain specifications.
Burning software will "force" these standards in order to make things work.
So, what is happening is that your original AVI/DV file is being converted to MPEG2 with a certain picture size/resolution (720x480) and at 29.97 frames per second. The software also considers what amount of compression to use to make all the video/file on one DVD. If your original isn't the same specifications, then it gets converted with some loss.
The best way to avoid poor quality and loss during conversion is to start with the best "first" generation and then convert that. Also, if there are settings for video bitrate or video quality, then you want to increase those to maximum for the conversion.....however, this will produce a larger file that may not fit on the DVD. It's a trade off then.
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I bailed on this program for converting MP3's and use MediaCoder (open source and free). Of course, you can't get something from nothing by converting a 128 kb/s to say 320 kb/s. Garbage In = Garbage Out. It only works the other way around.
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More than likely one of two things:
1. Poor quality media....your DVD or CD is bad or going bad, is not readable in your or other DVD players.
2. The DVD disc is unreadable because it has open or unreadable multiple sessions. Sometimes you have to close all sessions and finalize the disc in order to read the data files in the last session.
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