Straight to disc with MF5

ando775 · Post by **ando775** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:00 pm

Has anyone used the Straight to Disc from DV feature in MF5 with any success. I was using it last night and the results were less than desirable. When I played the DVD back in Windows Media Player full screen the video was only in a small section of the top left corner of my monitor. ???

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:45 pm

I've never tried it, but I still have an opinion!

I don't understand the small window... but I'm not surprised there are problems. I think it's a dumb idea!

The main issue is MPEG encoding in real-time. Windows is a multitasking operating system. Even if you're only running one program, Windows is doing lots of stuff in the background... keeping track of time, displaying video, keeping data flowing to the disk drive or burner, checking for mouse movements or clicks... and all kinds of other stuff. On average, your CPU is probably fast enough to do all this stuff at once. But, "on average" is not good enough! If it's doing something else and the input buffer overflows for a tiny fraction of a second, you'll drop a frame. Windows is not designed to be a real-time operating system. So, you just use a really fast processor and hope for the best!

I guess they include the straight to DVD feature to compete with stand-alone recorders.

A stand-alone DVD recorder has a dedicated MPEG-2 encoder chip. It doesn't have to multitask and it probably has it's own databus to the burner. The burner's main CPU can take care of all the other non-critical overhead stuff... remote-control commands, front panel display, etc.

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 4:42 pm

I think it may just be windows media player?

I've used staight to dvd and it worked.

Doug,
Today's processors are fast. One can easily record direct to DVD. With MF5's new timer function this is a nice feature to pre-record something without having to buy a dvd recorder.

I do admit my dvd recorders are nice. Set them up and leave. No windows hassles.
>>>It doesn't have to multitask and it probably has
>>>it's own databus to the burner
Windows doesn't multi-task, it tries to.
When using windows better to have a Intel-D processor.

MD

ando775 · Post by **ando775** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 5:09 pm

I've acutally had WMP do that corner thing on other files not related to the Straight to Disc utility. I'll have to give it another try.

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:36 pm

Windows media player is good for windows encoded material or audio and internet stuff.

Use a good software player like "Ulead Dvd Player", "Power_Dvd", Windvd etc

MD