Burning a DVD with WTV files - this works best for me

[bb193]

I have been a loyal Nero Vision user for years, using it to burn Windows media center recorded TV to DVDs to play on a normal DVD player, having cut out the adverts etc. I have hundreds of DVDs made like this. I used Nero 7 with XP MCE for about 5 years and when I moved to Windows 7, I bought Nero 10 so I could import .WTV files. However, I have long had problems with Nero 10 processing .WTV files, including:-

1. audio badly out of sync
2. adverts bleeding back into the DVD when you use transitions in the gap when an advert has been cut out
3. imprecision about where adverts start and finish - if you go forwards through the video, it is at one point - go back and it is at a different point
4. slow burn time
5. even slower burn time when you cut adverts out (this used to shorten burn time with Nero 7)

Having all but resigned myself to these problems, I seem to have found a solution that works most of the time now. Before I use Nero 10, I convert the file from.WTV format to .MPG (in rare circumstances where this doesn't work, I use Win 7 to convert to DVR-MS first and then MPG). I do this by using the free tool MC-TVConverter - http://mctvconverter.vivolum.net/It isnt particularly quick. However, Nero can then use smartencoding, and is very, very fast - DVDs are burned in minutes. So all in all, the end result seems quite quick and much better.

I still haven't dared go back to using transitions. But the other problems seem much rarer (I haven't experienced them at all yet).

Of course, it would be so much better if Nero 10 handled .WTV files properly, and maybe it accepted that it can't handle WTV files and converted them to MPG files first itself.

However, I thought I'd share a workaround that works for me. So much better than burning a favourite film or TV programme, only to find it is ruined by the fact that the sound is out of synch!

[wither]

You should work with tech support on these kinds of problems.

Why not use Recode to recode to mpeg-4?

[bb193]

Thanks for the reply

TBH, I did try it, but with all the posting video files, which are hundreds of MBs in size and take hours to upload on ADSL, and it seeming like I am the only person who tries to use Nero to burn decent, Ad free DVDs, it just seemed fruitless. If I could find one person who is using Nero to burn WTV files, who doesn't have the sorts of problems I have, then I would probably try harder. As it is, since Nero generates these problems with WTV files, but they all disappear when I convert the files to MPG, I'm left thinking that Nero 10 just doesn't handle WTV files well. I'd happily try updates from Nero to try to get to the bottom of the problem, but I just don't think they have it as a core part of what they are trying to do. It is a shame - with Nero 7 and xp media center, I got it down to a fine art and the disks were great. But the move to Windows 7, WTV files and Nero 10 was really very dispiriting.

I use Recode a lot to recode DVDs to files for my daughter's Ipods - it is absolutely great and works fantastically well. However, I just don't seem to be able to import a WTV file and then recode it to anything. I guess I should use one of the bottom two options to 'recode..... to Nero Digital'? I then click on 'Import files'? I have to click on the 'Data files' tab to import WTV. Then it doesn't enable the Next button. So I don't seem able to do anything with it. Maybe I'm missing something obvious - or it is another situation where Nero doesn't really support WTV files?

[wither]

Are the WTV files personal files, not commercial?

Is your copy of v10 up to date, i.e., have you run the check for updates lately?

Are you using Recode DVD's and Videos to Nero Digital? That's what you should use.

I don't have my Win 7 machine fired up right now (it's got v10 and v11 on it).

I also don't have any WTV files.

[bb193]

The WTV files are standard Windows 7 Media Center Recorded TV files. I live in the UK and they are recorded from the free to air Freeview DVB-T service, so there is no encryption or protection.

Yep, my Nero is up to date. I last ran the update scan on the 15th and I have just done it again - nothing. I'm quite obsessive about it - Nero is so close to working is so many areas, I keep hoping that an update will just make some of the problems go away.

Yes, I can use 'Recode DVDs and Videos to Nero digital'. I get two tabs, one called Nero Digital Titles and one called Data files. If I select the first one, it shows me a list of files that only include .MPG and DVR-MS files (the old XP MCE recorded TV format). So I can't select WTV files. If I select the second tab, I get all files listed and can select WTV files. But then I can't click next - it won't let me do anything with it.

My loyalty to Nero made me quite excited to realise that there was actually a newer version - 11. I had missed that. And it said 'Nero 11 provides advanced video transcoding that converts virtually any DVD-Video or video file' - so it must support WTV, Microsoft's recorded TV format, surely? It is very difficult to find anything that says what formats are supported, and a big play of Nero 10 was that it supported Windows 7 and WTV files. However, in Nero 11, the only list of supported files I can find says:-

'Nero Recode supports the following decoding file formats: 3GP, AIFF, AMR, APE, ASF, AVI, FLAC, M2TS, MKV, MOV, MP3, MP3HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, OGG Vorbis, TOD, TRP, VOB, WAVE, WMA, WMV'

So unless there is something hiding away that I have missed, Nero 11 has now decided to accept that it doesn't really support WTV files. Come to that it doesn't mention DVR-MS files either despite me using Nero 7 to produce 5-600 DVDs from that format quite satisfactorily.

It's a shame, but I guess I'll still have to keep going with my slightly cobbled workaround, converting these files into a format Nero does support.

[wither]

Unfortunately, I don't have any .wtv files to work with so I can't test. In general, Recode handles all files handled by Nero Vision. I looked at v10 but the only choice is "all files" when selecting a file to recode.

I recommend that you send an e-mail to tech support for a definitive answer about WTV in Nero and a possible solution to your problems. If you do, let us know their response.

[bb193]

You see, this is the problem. I sent an email to Nero, explaining that I'm using Windows 7 media center and burning WTV files. I included a link to this thread. It was quite clear what the situatiuon was and what I was asking. I asked if WTV files were compatible with Nero 10. I just wanted a yes or no. So in response they sent an automatic email (copied below) asking me all sorts of questions that I have already answered in the original email. I'm afraid I'm left thinking they just send a complicated email to get rid of 99% of people who email them. The question is, if it is so obvious they haven't read what I sent, and won't answer a simple yes or no question, is it worth jumping through all the hoops they have put in the way?

Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for contacting the Nero Support Center.

[/size]The problem you describe can have several causes. As aresult, we require specific information for further analysis.

Please reproduce the problem in Nero Vision, then send usthe following information:

1. The NeroSupport.cab log archive.

2. A step-by-step description on how you proceeded.

3. Information on your source video file.

1.

The NeroSupport.cab log archive.

Click the following link to download the"GetSupportFiles.zip" file to your hard drive:

http://www.nero.com/link.php?topic_id=209&gen_id=8

Extract the zipped file on your hard drive using WinZipor WinRAR. Start the tool by double-clicking the EXE-file.

-> The "C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe" windowopens.

The tool may take several minutes.

You can track the single steps in the displayed window.

After the tool has successfully run you will find a filenamed "NeroSupport.cab" on your desktop.

Please send us this file as an e-mail attachment.

Additionally, we would like to point out some details ofthe "GetSupportFiles" tool.

The following information will be gathered:

- All available log files of different Nero applications.

- System information gathered by the Windows tool"MSInfo32".

- Information on the installed DirectX version. For this,the Windows application

"DXDiag" will be used.

- The "SchedLgU.txt" log file. This filecontains information on currently scheduled

tasks (e.g. the JobScheduler in Nero BackItUp).

- Extracts from the registry:

a. Information on the settings with which Neroapplications run.

b. Information on how the CD/DVD drives have beeninstalled.

Please note:

If the "GetSupportFiles" tool crashes thensimply start it again.

When the tool is started again it will automaticallyrecognize the particular program that caused the crash. As a result, thatdiagnostics program will be omitted.

2.

A step-by-step description on how you proceeded.

How did you start Nero Vision?

Did you start it by clicking the "Start" buttonin the Windows Start menu, followed by selecting the entries"Programs"-"Nero"-"Nero StartSmart" and clickingthe respective icon?

Or did you go via the Windows Start Menu by clicking on"Start", then subsequently selecting the entries"Programs"-"Nero"-"Nero Vision"?

If you get the error message while compiling or editingthe video files, please let us know when exactly you did receive the errormessage.

Please provide a step-by-step description on how youproceeded and specify each button you selected in Nero Vision.

3.

Information on your source video file.

a. What format does the source video file have?

(AVI, MPEG, VOB,...)

If the file type of the video file is not apparent,right-click the "Start" button in the Windows start menu and select"Explorer". Open the folder in which your video file is saved.

Right-click the video file in Windows Explorer

-> The context menu will open.

Proceed by selecting the "Preferences" entry.The format will now be listed in the input field of the "General"tab.

b. Is the source video file saved on your hard drive oris it accessed from CD/DVD (or another external device)?

c. Where does the source video file come from?

From an original store bought DVD, a downloaded videofile from the Internet, recorded with a standalone DVD recorder, a recordingfrom a TV capture card, a camcorder,...?

d. Does the error occur with other video files in thisformat as well or just with this particular video file?

e. Can you play back the video file on your PC? If youcan, which player was used?

(Nero ShowTime, Windows Media Player, PowerDVD,…)

Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitateto contact us again.

Thank you!

Best regards,

Your Nero Support Team

Nero Development and Services GmbH

Im Stoeckmaedle 18

76307 Karlsbad

Germany

www.nero.com

[size="3"]NERO – SIMPLY ENJOY™

[bb193]

OK, had a go at answering those questions. We'll see what comes back. Not optimistic.

[wither]

That's a standard form that they use. I'm guessing they just hit a button and it's sent. What they really want is the nerosupport.cab, if you already gave them the other requested information.

[bb193]

I have sent them that, and also had a stab of answering the questions in the order they asked, with the labels they put on. They read it yesterday.... still no response yet......

In the meantime, I'm still continuing with my converting WTV to MPG and then using Nero. It adds another step and a reasonable delay into the process. However, Nero then behaves very well and is very responsive, and delivers a good quality DVD in the end. The fact that it can use Smartencoding, which brings the DVD burn down from about 90-120 minutes all the way down to 15-20 minutes reduces the annoyance at the extra step necessary and delay at the start.

The thing I don't understand is that I thought WTV (and DVR-MS) are MPG files in MS wrappers, also holding all the recorded TV metadata etc. So it feels like it ought ot be fairly straightforward for Nero to import WTV and access the MPG data, rather than me having to have that first step. However, it has always been like that with Nero - so maybe I ought to just stop wishing for the unachievable and just be grateful I have found a workaround that is pretty good for what I want to do.

[wither]

One person in the forum right now can't export or burn mpeg-2 from Nero Video (v11). Since WTV is mpeg-2, I'm wondering if the problems are related. Some of the changes to v11 are also made to v10.

[bb193]

It is possible - certainly, when Nero is processing .MPG files directly, it is fantastic - all the problems I describe disappear. As you say, as WTV and DVR-MS are both MPG files in a wrapper, it seems to take a shockingly long time to unwrap them, but it is worth it.

I replied to the long, standard email from Nero tech support, providing the file they wanted and tryign to answer the questions they asked. I also reiterated my basic question of whether Nero 10 is fully compatible with .WTV files. I got the read receipt last Sunday - but have has no other acknowledgement or reply to that email. :(

[hg-dude]

Again a thread with the "dead end road" option due to non-acceptance of protection issues. Also free media may be protected (in the most cases). They can be used only for playback. Creating new media with them (e.g. DVDs) is blocked by the Nero applications to avoid violation of the authors rights based on the legal rules.

wither, we should urgently demand from Nero development that a msg is displayed when the program has detected protection and therefore is interrupting the process. That for clarifying the situation from the beginning to avoid endless discussions in the threads and, last but not least, wasting our time.

[bb193]

Again a thread with the "dead end road" option due to non-acceptance of protection issues. Also free media may be protected (in the most cases). They can be used only for playback. Creating new media with them (e.g. DVDs) is blocked by the Nero applications to avoid violation of the authors rights based on the legal rules.

wither, we should urgently demand from Nero development that a msg is displayed when the program has detected protection and therefore is interrupting the process. That for clarifying the situation from the beginning to avoid endless discussions in the threads and, last but not least, wasting our time.

Interesting view, if completely wrong in this case. How odd it would be if Nero decided not to allow protected video by ensuring slow burn or periodic out of sync audio. No, this is UK Freeview, with no protection unless you are using HD or a topup channel - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_(UK). The fact that I can produce high quality output by simply stripping out the MPG content shows it is not protection - it is the fact that Nero 10 does not handling unprotected WTV files properly. I did this for 5 years using DVR-MS files and Nero 7 - it worked perfectly. I move to Wondows 7 and Nero 10 and it is rubbish. Nope - not protection - Nero 10. I've asked Nero tech support if Nero 10 supports WTV correctly - no answer. If the answer was 'Yes' how easy would it be for them to say that?

As a slight update, I've now found RemuxTool_1.2.5 - http://www.mediafire.com/?r3cw1twutcwb7md. This is a small (~500kb!) java programme that strips out the the unprotected MPG content from WTV format in double quick time - for example, a 4 Gb recording took 2 mins 45 seconds to create a MPG file. Nero can then use that to produce a DVD in about 15 minutes. Just a shame that Nero can't insert the same process in its huge code, to do it all in one.

[wither]

It is quite possible that there is a problem with the WTV video and remuxing fixed it, not just stripped it. Some mp4 files are like that and we recommend that people first try Recode to recode it to mpeg-4. You can try Recode with one of your files to recode it to mpeg-2 and test it in NV.

As always, you can get the tech support ID off the automated response and go to the chat line and ask the status of that ID. The chat line is on GMT Berlin so timing is everything.

hg-dude, there are some cases in Nero where the copy protection message does appear. Unfortunately, it's not universal.

[hg-dude]

Hi all,

For your information. I was reading this on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_(UK) under "Copy protection":

This technology would control the way HD films and TV shows are copied onto, for example Blu-ray discs, and shared with others over the internet.

Still doubts ?

This is confirming my experience with Nero 8 (copying possible) and Nero 10 (impossible due to protection detection).

I think that's the reason for "the silence in the air" of NTS.

Regards and bye-bye

Hans-Gerhard

This post has been edited by hg-dude: Jan 28 2012, 07:48 PM

[bb193]

The article makes it clear that the only application of copy protection is for HD services. It says 'No restrictions will be placed on standard-definition services'. I'm not using HD services, just standard. Therefore, there is and will not be copy protection.

[wither]

Have you tried using Recode, as I suggested?

[bb193]

I tried to find a way, but it seems as though Recode doesn't support WTV files:-

Yes, I can use 'Recode DVDs and Videos to Nero digital'. I get two tabs, one called Nero Digital Titles and one called Data files. If I select the first one, it shows me a list of files that only include .MPG and DVR-MS files (the old XP MCE recorded TV format). So I can't select WTV files. If I select the second tab, I get all files listed and can select WTV files. But then I can't click next - it won't let me do anything with it.

......

However, in Nero 11, the only list of supported files I can find says:-
'Nero Recode supports the following decoding file formats: 3GP, AIFF, AMR, APE, ASF, AVI, FLAC, M2TS, MKV, MOV, MP3, MP3HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, OGG Vorbis, TOD, TRP, VOB, WAVE, WMA, WMV'

So unless there is something hiding away that I have missed, Nero 11 has now decided to accept that it doesn't really support WTV files.

Are you suggesting a different way to use Recode?

On the whole, I'm actually quite hppy with the solution I have found, to use Remuxtool to convert to MPG (or TS), import that into Nero and then burn the DVD. It takes 2-3 minutes to convert the file, a minute to import the file into Nero and then 10-15 minutes to burn the DVD (if it is less than a couple of hours and can use SmartEncoding - if it has to compress the file, it takes a lot longer). Either way, I get responsive and accurate cutting and audio and video in sync. I just thought I'd mention it to other people in case they are wrestling with Nero and WTV files and it helps them. The only shame is that it is a two stage process and Nero can't do it all with a WTV file.

[wither]

You should be able to import a .wtv into Recode and recode it. If that doesn't work, then you have another issue for tech support.

I understand what you're saying but I think you should continue to work with tech support on this issue. Maybe they can tell you at the chat line if the issue has gone to development.

I think that there's a significant update to v11 coming soon. I might be wrong, but, if they do issue one, maybe it will fix some of the things we're seeing in the forum.