extremeinstability

No I haven't but I think I have it sorted out. I wish I had read the thing about Verbatim from the get go and not so far into this after ordering a bunch of ridata pro...errr "pro". When last night the Verbatims I picked up after a drive to Omaha acted the same way in the LG, I figured they weren't then going to be the fix(so I made this post after I tried the Verbatim trick). But I just now went to my parent's to try their old Apex player that was glitching all over. First put in a verified 8x ridata and anywhere near or after the break it had big issues usually just giving up placing the lazer. This same disc was fine in blu ray player and old jvc but had that 22 second gap on the LG. I then stuck the verified verbatim 8x in there(apex) and it was like magic, played as perfect as could be. No hesitations even as i jumped it around. Unreal. The LG player with that same disc will still jump 22 seconds forward/in at the break but evidently it's going to do that no matter what on that player and they key/answer is still then going to be Verbatim. Sorry for the time waste over a Verbatim deal but last night after I drove to Omaha to get some of those and the LG did the same thing, I then assumed the ridata were going to be just as good and I still had a problem. I can't believe it's simply a Verbatim deal and the player I had at home to check things was an LG that is goign to do a 22 second jump at the break no matter what is in it. Should be golden with Verbatim. Kinda gunshy about compatibility now though and pondering the 2 dvd-r route harder. Sigh. But I guess with 2 discs you probably double the chance of a "bad" one messing with some players too. But thank god for all the posts on here and all the verbatim talk as I would have never know just how bit that was otherwise and likely not have tried so many players first either. By the way, lightning uk doesn't have anything to do with liking storms does it? Figured it's either related to that or else it's about speed. The dvd is a storm dvd is the only reason I wondered. Thanks

And for what it is worth using the plextor blu ray burner didn't result in anything different. I'm pretty sure at this point they are being burned right and it's all player related and I just happen to have access to 3 additional players besides my blu ray player that are ancient'ish. Hoping the compatibility/good read ability on the second layer especially apparently... if I'm doing it as right as can be, isn't as bad as it appears to me off of these as trial players.

Ok here is the log on one just verified. I 09:14:01 ImgBurn Version 2.5.7.0 started! I 09:14:01 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Edition (6.1, Build 7601 : Service Pack 1) I 09:14:01 Total Physical Memory: 8,280,380 KB - Available: 6,725,628 KB I 09:14:01 Initialising SPTI... I 09:14:01 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices... I 09:14:02 -> Drive 1 - Info: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH24NS90 IN01-JE (D:) (ATAPI) I 09:14:02 -> Drive 2 - Info: PLEXTOR BD-R PX-B940SA 1.04 (E:) (ATAPI) I 09:14:02 Found 1 DVD±RW/RAM and 1 BD-RE! I 09:14:09 Operation Started! I 09:14:09 Source File: C:\MyDocuments\STORMANALYSIS101DVD.MDS I 09:14:09 Source File Sectors: 3,987,168 (MODE1/2048) I 09:14:09 Source File Size: 8,165,720,064 bytes I 09:14:09 Source File Volume Identifier: STORMANALYSIS101DVD I 09:14:09 Source File Volume Set Identifier: 426774BA003CD6DB I 09:14:09 Source File Application Identifier: IMGBURN V2.5.7.0 - THE ULTIMATE IMAGE BURNER! I 09:14:09 Source File Implementation Identifier: ImgBurn I 09:14:09 Source File File System(s): ISO9660, UDF (1.02) I 09:14:09 Destination Device: [0:1:0] HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH24NS90 IN01 (D:) (ATAPI) I 09:14:09 Destination Media Type: DVD+R DL (Disc ID: MKM-003-00) I 09:14:09 Destination Media Supported Write Speeds: 4x, 8x I 09:14:09 Destination Media Sectors: 4,173,824 I 09:14:09 Write Mode: DVD I 09:14:09 Write Type: DAO I 09:14:09 Write Speed: 8x I 09:14:09 DVD+R DL Reserve Track: No I 09:14:09 Link Size: Auto I 09:14:09 Lock Volume: Yes I 09:14:09 Test Mode: No I 09:14:09 OPC: No I 09:14:09 BURN-Proof: Enabled I 09:14:09 Write Speed Successfully Set! - Effective: 11,080 KB/s (8x) I 09:14:09 Book Type Setting: DVD-ROM I 09:14:09 Optimal L0 Data Zone Capacity: 1,994,080 I 09:14:09 Optimal L0 Data Zone Method: Copied From Original Disc I 09:14:09 Set L0 Data Zone Capacity Succeeded! I 09:14:10 Filling Buffer... (80 MB) I 09:14:10 Writing LeadIn... I 09:14:48 Writing Session 1 of 1... (1 Track, LBA: 0 - 3987167) I 09:14:48 Writing Track 1 of 1... (MODE1/2048, LBA: 0 - 3987167) I 09:14:48 Writing Layer 0... (LBA: 0 - 1994079) I 09:22:00 Writing Layer 1... (LBA: 1994080 - 3987167) I 09:29:34 Synchronising Cache... I 09:29:40 Closing Track... I 09:29:43 Finalising Disc... I 09:30:13 Exporting Graph Data... I 09:30:13 Graph Data File: C:\Users\me\AppData\Roaming\ImgBurn\Graph Data Files\HL-DT-ST_DVDRAM_GH24NS90_IN01_FRIDAY-MARCH-08-2013_9-14_AM_MKM-003-00_8x.ibg I 09:30:13 Export Successfully Completed! I 09:30:13 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:16:03 I 09:30:13 Average Write Rate: 9,010 KB/s (6.5x) - Maximum Write Rate: 11,138 KB/s (8.0x) I 09:30:13 Cycling Tray before Verify... W 09:30:21 Waiting for device to become ready... I 09:30:31 Device Ready! I 09:30:38 Operation Started! I 09:30:38 Source Device: [0:1:0] HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH24NS90 IN01 (D:) (ATAPI) I 09:30:38 Source Media Type: DVD+R DL (Book Type: DVD-ROM) (Disc ID: MKM-003-00) I 09:30:38 Source Media Supported Write Speeds: 4x, 8x I 09:30:38 Image File: C:\MyDocuments\STORMANALYSIS101DVD.MDS I 09:30:38 Image File Sectors: 3,987,168 (MODE1/2048) I 09:30:38 Image File Size: 8,165,720,064 bytes I 09:30:38 Image File Volume Identifier: STORMANALYSIS101DVD I 09:30:38 Image File Volume Set Identifier: 426774BA003CD6DB I 09:30:38 Image File Application Identifier: IMGBURN V2.5.7.0 - THE ULTIMATE IMAGE BURNER! I 09:30:38 Image File Implementation Identifier: ImgBurn I 09:30:38 Image File File System(s): ISO9660, UDF (1.02) I 09:30:38 Read Speed (Data/Audio): MAX / MAX I 09:30:39 Verifying Session 1 of 1... (1 Track, LBA: 0 - 3987167) I 09:30:39 Verifying Track 1 of 1... (MODE1/2048, LBA: 0 - 3987167) I 09:30:39 Verifying Layer 0... (LBA: 0 - 1994079) I 09:36:21 Verifying Layer 1... (LBA: 1994080 - 3987167) I 09:42:01 Exporting Graph Data... I 09:42:01 Graph Data File: C:\Users\me\AppData\Roaming\ImgBurn\Graph Data Files\HL-DT-ST_DVDRAM_GH24NS90_IN01_FRIDAY-MARCH-08-2013_9-14_AM_MKM-003-00_8x.ibg I 09:42:01 Export Successfully Completed! I 09:42:01 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:11:22 I 09:42:01 Average Verify Rate: 11,726 KB/s (8.5x) - Maximum Verify Rate: 16,917 KB/s (12.2x) I'm pretty close to fully assuming there's nothing more I can do and this is as correct as possible and there will just be player issues. The LG stand alone player again starts 22 seconds after the layer break at that switch. The sony blu ray player doesn't and plays that right. I don't have the apex player here but I'm going to assume like the other discs it will hang all over it. But maybe it won't as this is at least verbatim. Haven't let it go long enough yet on the LG to see if it hangs after the break like it was sometimes doing. But for sure it's starting 22 seconds past where it should be. I have 15 video clips on this long dvd I think and each one is just a title with no chapters ever marked. The break is at the beginning of the one. So in the menu I can click on that link and it will always start at the same spot at 22 seconds in..on the LG but doesn't on the Sony Blu ray player. Even if I start before that and let it pass that point from the first layer it will start 22 seconds into where it should. My ancient JVC xv-523 gets the break right though. Course upscaling looks like crap. Perhaps the reason it was hanging was it needs cleaned. I'll try this verified verbatim on the apex and a xbox later today. I wonder if xbox 360s normally play these well as at least when I go to sell this I can say hey, it should work in your xbox incase you have issues with your stand alone like I'm having with them. It'd be nice if I was already fine with the ridata pro discs I first bought. So far the verbatim change isn't changing anything. Well unless it turns out the apex doesn't hang all over these. Thanks Mike

Just about to give up on the dual layer idea. I'm wondering if the playback success rate is pretty low across perhaps older players, even using the suggested Verbatim's. Sony Blu ray player will playback whatever type of disc I burn to fine. So the discs are burned fine. Testing on other players around/after the layer break I hit problems. Every disc I burned to, 2.4x verbatim, 8x verbatim, 8x ritdata, 8x memorex.....when played in an LG player will start 22 seconds past the layer break. And with many it will also hang and wind up jumping about 16 minutes forward. Cheap Apex player barfs/hangs all over the dvd. Real old JVC player seems hopeful but has had issues past the layer break too on discs that play fine on a blu ray player. It's discouraging buying the Verbatim's and getting new firmware for the drive hasn't changed anything. The only thing I'm not sure has been done is updating the driver. When I search for a driver I just get the firmware thing. When I let the computer do it it says the driver is updated but it says it is 2006. So guess I'm not overly sure that's been accomplished right. Any suggestions? Is it to be expected to run into a lot of playback issues across a wide range of players? I'm pretty sure everything has been created fine. It's odd the LG insists on starting 22 seconds too far. I can live/deal with that part but the hanging issues I've been seeing past the break isn't very encouraging. If only everyone owned a sony blu ray player. Burning an ISO file or a Video TS folder hasn't mattered. The video is around 8.1 gigs and almost 7 hours long(lots of the video is stagnant images with mic overs so the bit rate could go real low). Rather not go back to the 2 dvd idea but starting to think it's the only choice. Thanks for any thoughts I've read sooooo much so far and am at a loss. The one odd thing was first copy I made imgburn gave me the 4 green/excellent layer break options. I changed a couple things and actually wound up with a smaller disc but then I got the end of the world deal on the layer break with no options. Then found out how to make a break but then decided to move things around to get imgburn to give me 4 greens again. And I got the 4 break choices back. I guess I could try making my own break again. Wasn't sure if the no padding mattered. Also the dvd has zero chapters, each video on it is a title. Maybe that could cause problems, I have no idea. I just know the blu ray player plays them fine and the 3 other dvd players I've tried have the issues past the break.