PRE 13 not recognizing DVD Recorders

[Photochief]

Hi,
I recently purchased both the PRE 13 bundle and Steve's Guide to Adobe Premiere Elements 13. I am experiencing problems having the program recognize either of my 2 DVD players installed on my DELL XPS 8500 computer running Win 8.1 Pro. My Device manager indicates that both units are working and I am not having problems recording or playing other discs, but when I go to record my video to DVD nothing comes up in the Burner Location box. Is there any place in the Guide that addresses that problem or can someone give me a way to solve my problem so that the DVD Recorders show up where they are suppose to? I notice on pages 248, 249 a two step process is suggested but is that because the program normally has problems recognizing installed recorders? Respectfully, Photochief

[Bob]

When Premiere Elements cannot find the burner, more often than not, the reason is that another program is affecting how the burner is being seen by the Operating System. Premiere Elements is a well behaved application. By that, I mean that it goes through the Operating System interfaces rather than bypassing the Operating System and going directly to the hardware. The problem is that certain programs can change how the Operating System sees the burner. If it doesn't look like a burner, Premiere Elements can't find it. For example, packet writing software, such as InCD or DLA, makes the burner look like a hard disk drive so you can drag and drop files to the burner without going through a burning program. Other programs can do similar things. I don't know if it still does, but Quicken was known for doing this. Sometimes, other burning programs can change the order of registry entries relating to the burner and that can sometimes cause problems like this. Generally, burning software that goes directly to the burner can still find it and will continue to work.

If you can avoid using packet writing software, that will help. Sometimes you can uninstall Pre, run a registry cleaner, and reinstall Pre and that will fix the registry order issue, but it won't always solve the problem as other things may be interfering. If you can't find what's causing the issue, the best bet is to write the dvd to a folder and then burn the folder to a dvd using a burning software that accesses the burner at the hardware level.

FYI, Adobe does not write their own burning software for PrE. Instead, they license the Authorcore modules from Sonic to do the dvd authoring and burning.

[Photochief]

Hi Bob,

Thank you for the speedy reply. I downloaded CCleaner, un-installed PRE, ran a Registry clean-up scan and re-installed PRE but nothing changed. You suggested that I 'write the dvd to a folder and then burn the folder to a dvd using burning software'. Where can I find out how to do this? I have Nero 2015 but when I tried writing video information to it on a DVD-RW disc using Nero 2015 Video the disc would only play on about half of my 6 DVD players. I need the disc to play on any and all, if this is possible. I use VLC Media Player to watch videos on my PC but I don't know if that program records or only plays. Are there other FREE DVD recorders I can download that will work and most of all how do I find out how to do it? Sorry to ask so many questions but this is all new to a 80 year old newbie to PRE. Thanks for any assistance you can offer. Respectfully, Photochief

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

...Are there other FREE DVD recorders I can download that will work ...

A lot of us write DVDs to a folder then use the free ImgBurn to make the final write to the DVD.

http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

[Peru]

A lot of us write DVDs to a folder then use the free ImgBurn to make the final write to the DVD.

http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

See here before downloading ImgBurn:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=13443&p=113831&hilit=opencandy#p113831

[Chuck Engels]

Welcome to Muvipix PhotoChief, you are in very good hands here

[Photochief]

Thanks to all that took the time to respond, I do appreciate it.

As per your suggestions I downloaded ImgBurn and managed to install it without adding anything else to my computer.
I checked my ‘Programs & Features’ and found only ImgBurn installed and did not find ‘OpenCandy’ listed so I guess I am safe.
My problem now is how do I create a file in PRE 13 that ImgBurn will recognize. For a test, I downloaded a video clip from the internet. I opened it in PRE 13, removed what I didn’t want from the beginning and end, opened it in ‘Tools > Menu’ and chose one and changed the title, then clicked on ‘Publish + Share’. I chose ‘Computer > mpeg’ and saved the file. I then started ImgBurn but ‘mpeg’ was NOT listed in ‘Supported Files’, and when I selected ‘All Files’ and clicked on my mpeg file I got an Error message ‘ Invalid of unsupported image file format’ so it would not burn the file. Can someone assist me as to what I did wrong or what settings I should have changed in order for PRE 13 to create a file that will burn in ImgBurn? If this is an ImgBurn problem and not PRE 13 and you feel I should contact them, I do apologize for taking up your time but responses to my previous questions on this forum gave me the impression that everyone was ready and willing to help a newbie with Premiere Elements. Respectfully, Photochief

[Bob]

For a test, I downloaded a video clip from the internet. I opened it in PRE 13, removed what I didn’t want from the beginning and end, opened it in ‘Tools > Menu’ and chose one and changed the title, then clicked on ‘Publish + Share’. I chose ‘Computer > mpeg’ and saved the file.

That was almost right. You need to create DVD compliant files. After you click on publish and share, choose "Disc". From the Burn To menu, select one of the Folder options as your destination for the project -- for a standard DVD, select Folder (4.7 GB). Type a name for the folder and click Browse to specify a location for the folder. Click Burn to begin creating the folder. This will create a folder containing dvd compliant folders and files that you can burn to a dvd.

The folder will contain a VIDEO_TS folder and an OpenDVD folder. I'd recommend deleting the OPENDVD folder. It isn't necessary and some DVD players (ones that don't support the DVD-V specification) will not recognize the DVD if it is present. It shouldn't cause a problem on most dvd players though.

Once you have created the folder containing the dvd complaint files, you can burn them to a dvd using ImgBurn. Make sure there is a blank dvd in the burner. Start ImgBurn. Click the icon labeled "Write files/folders to disc." Now you need to specify the source folder to Burn. This is the folder you just created containing the VIDEO_TS folder. At the upper left of the ImgBurn screen you should see a box Labeled "Source" in the upper left corner. Just to the right of that are some icons - the first icon looks like a plus sign. Click the 3rd one down -- the one that looks like a folder -- and browse to the name of the folder that you created. Click the "select folder" button to select the folder and return to the previous screen. Now you should be able to burn the dvd. At the bottom of the ImgBurn panel, click on the icon at the bottom that depicts the folder going to the disc to initiate the burn.

In regards to your problems playing the dvd on all your dvd players, be aware that there may be compatibility issues. First of all, dvd players are designed to play commercial dvds. Commercial DVDs are made differently from home burned DVDs and some DVD players may have difficulty reading a home burned DVD. This incompatibility arises from the different way the digital signal is recorded and from the format of the disc. You said you were using a DVD RW disc. These types of disks are good for making a test disk to verify how the dvd is going to turn out (playing it on your computer). But, they aren't good for making your final DVD. DVD RW discs are probably the least compatible of the various types of DVD blank discs and many DVD players can have problems playing them. Use a DVD-R or DVD+R instead. If some of your DVD players are very old, try DVD-R discs. If they are relatively recent models, they will probably play both DVD-R and DVD+R discs although some older ones may need a firmware update. Another source of problems is the disc itself. Avoid the cheap bargain basement priced discs. Poor quality discs have high failure rates. Stick to a quality brand name. Verbatim (not the value line though) is good. Taiyo Yuden is also excellent, but they have announced that they will be ceasing production this year. But, even brand names can be using poor quality 3rd party discs. Be wary.

[Photochief]

Hi Bob,
Thank you ever so much for taking the time out from your Holiday to create a response to my questions. It was much appreciated. I followed your suggestions and everything went almost as you predicted. I produced a video that played on the 2 DVD players that I needed but haven’t tried it on any of my others.
As to using DVD+RW I have over 200 Memorex RW discs that I use to ‘time shift’ TV programs that I record and watch at more convenient times.
BTW: I never found the point where a folder contained both a VIDEO_TS and OpenDVD files. The folder I created was an ISO that would not open on my computer but worked well in creating a disc.
A little background: My wife just discovered a program “Cold Justice” on TNT Drama that she enjoys; so I went to their site and downloaded both Seasons 2 & 3 to my computer (30 + 1 hour programs). Neither of us like watching a movie sitting at a small computer screen so I decided to put each one on a DVD that can be played on our normal TV for one time viewing then erased. DVD+RW discs are the cheapest solution.

I also would like to impose on you to ask some questions on Trimming recorded video clips. I understand moving the cursor to the beginning of the clip and clicking on the little icon and moving it to where I want the video to begin. My question is if the clip is two hours but I only want the first hour how do I delete all of the video I don't want? I have been Splitting the clip at the desired End point, then going to the very end and trying to move the Trim icon backwards to where I want to edit but it hasn’t been working too good. Isn’t here a better way?

Thanks again for all your help and please let me know when this Senior Citizen Premiere newbie gets to be a PITA and I will stop bothering you.
Respectfully, Photochief

[Dave McElderry]

I also would like to impose on you to ask some questions on Trimming recorded video clips. I understand moving the cursor to the beginning of the clip and clicking on the little icon and moving it to where I want the video to begin. My question is if the clip is two hours but I only want the first hour how do I delete all of the video I don't want? I have been Splitting the clip at the desired End point, then going to the very end and trying to move the Trim icon backwards to where I want to edit but it hasn’t been working too good. Isn’t here a better way?

I'm not Bob, but I can help with this. Once you've split the clip just select the part that you want to delete by clicking on it, then press Delete on your keyboard.Voila! If you had small sections that you want to delete, such as commercials, just split the clip on both sides of the unwanted section, then select and delete.

[Bob]

When you're in Share to Disc, the "Burn to" drop down menu has entries for both ISO and Folders. If you got an ISO file, you must have selected that instead of the folder option. That's OK, but you won't be able to delete the OpenDVD folder because it's contained inside the ISO file. ImgBurn has an icon to burn a dvd disc from an image file too.

I can see why you would want to use RW discs. That's fine, just remember that they are the least compatible disc format and may not be able to be played on all your DVD players. The recordings are also prone to degrading faster than a non-rewritable disc so they are not a good format for something you want to keep.

Just to add to Dave's reply, if you should end up with a gap when you delete a portion in the middle, right click on the gap in the timeline and select Delete and Close Gap to remove it. Don't leave the gap.

[Dave McElderry]

Just to add to Dave's reply, if you should end up with a gap when you delete a portion in the middle, right click on the gap in the timeline and select Delete and Close Gap to remove it. Don't leave the gap.

I think he'll find that PrEl 13 won't leave a gap in a simple single track timeline such as a recorded show. Gaps should only be an issue when dealing with multiple tracks.

[Photochief]

Hi to all,
Many thanks to all that took the time to reply.
Thank you for the tip on removing excess or unwanted imagery. It worked great and far simpler than what I was doing or tried to do.
I am not sure this is what you are referring to but when I deleted a portion out of the middle there appeared to be a small gap at the point of the 2 edits but it played right through it all right at least in the Pre 13 program Editor.

As for ISO vs. Folder option – as long as ISO copies play on my required DVD players I am going to continue doing it that way, but I am going to try the Folder option so I can better learn and understand the program. I have learned a lot this weekend just puttering around and with the help of this forum. I purchased a copy of Steve’s book last fall when I purchased the program but when I tried to read it to learn the program a lot didn’t make sense to me. I figured that I needed to learn the basics by ‘hands on’ and then read his book to polish my skills and pick up tips like the Trimming one. The next thing up is to figure out how to install and customize menus. Thanks again.
Respectfully, Photochief

[Dave McElderry]

If you're working with one simple track PrEl shouldn't have left a gap. However, when doing cuts and deletes it's sometimes easy to unintentionally create gaps. PrEl will play through them, but gaps in the timeline are known to cause problems when rendering or burning, so it's always best to make every effort to avoid them. Even a gap of one single frame can cause issues. The best thing to do is to put the timeline marker at the point in question and then zoom in to see exactly what's going on. If there's a gap you should use Bob's method to delete it.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

...please let me know when this Senior Citizen Premiere newbie gets to be a PITA and I will stop bothering you...

That just does not happen on this forum. Welcome to Muvipix.