DVD burner won't burn video DVD or data 2GB+

[Schmakt]

I just burned a data DVD backup around 2.5 GB without an issue, and I'm able to burn data or audio CD's all day with no problem.

If, however, I try to burn a video DVD, the DVD burn completes successfully (no error messages from multiple software packages including Nero, AVS, et al), but the DVD will never play more than about 12 minutes.

If I look at the back of the DVD, I can clearly see an area where where it appears the laser simply skipped over while writing. The "blank" area is about 1/4" wide and begins just under a 1/4" in from the beginning of the writable area on the DVD.

This happens regardless of software or brand of DVD I use.

I also just used Windows (Vista) to drag&drop a bunch of files to a DVD (just over 4GB this time). While this worked before with the smaller file size, this time Windows was unable to close session (nothing ever happened), and the same "blank" area appeared on the DVD, thus making the backup useless.

I used to burn video DVD's on this machine relatively often, but I haven't done so in several months. I relatively recently formatted the drive; it has definitely not worked since then, but it maybe have breen broken prior to that.

Device Manager shows no problem; I've tried removing and reseating the drive (I'm using a Dell Latitude D820 laptop)... Attempted to run the Nero Info Tool, but it crashed (no error message)...

Anyone ever seen this before or have any troubleshooting ideas?
Thanks...

[kes166]

What are you using to rip the DVD?

[Schmakt]

I recorded my friends playing a concert, and I'm trying to burn the .dv file to the DVD. (have tried .mov and .mpg as well... .dv has worked fine in the past tho) Nero Burning Rom is the most recent software I've attempted to use.

Also have tried burning other concert videos, but they all have the same problem regardless of software, DVD, or source file. That plus the fact that the data DVD did the same thing makes me think it's an issue with the burner; I'm hoping that it might be software related instead of hardware, but I can't figure out my next step for troubleshooting

[kes166]

I've only ever burned .ISO files, I've never worked with .DV's. Check the nero site, or call their support line to see if there are any known issues with burning .DV's ... You could also try converting the .DV to a .ISO and burn it through NERO as an ISO image. There are some applications, free and paid for, that will allow you to do that. DVDDecypter is another good program that is good at burning .iso files once you've converted the .dv file.

[Schmakt]

I just tried that this afternoon actually... doesn't seem to be an issue with file type or software. The ISO appeared to successfully burn just like everything else but then also had that blank spot just like everything else. Naturally my warranty ran out 2 months ago - trying to avoid buying a new drive especially if it's a driver or OS issue