[MacDV] Re: Ping Robert V--Can't render/encode my iDVD project - Can't burn project to DVD-- MacDV Digest, Vol 2, Issue 18

[Ted Langdell]

Ted Langdell
Ted Langdell Creative Broadcast Services
Marysville, CA


  RE: Can't render/encode my iDVD project - Can't burn 	project to	DVD-- 
MacDV Digest, Vol 2, Issue 18

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 21:04:03 -0600 "Robert L. Vaessen" wrote:

> For that matter to say that you can't use MPEG files in an iDVD project
> is a very strange statement. Considering the fact that QuickTime video
> files (.mov extension) are based on MPEG standards.
>

Hi, Robert,

I think you might be confusing the fact that QuickTime was chosen as 
the base for the MPEG-4 standard.

Actually, QuickTime is....  well, based on QuickTime standards.

It's a "wrapper" designed to hold or transport and allow the use of a 
multitude of different data.

MPEG 1, 2 and 4 files are just one of the kinds of audio/video 
compression standards that can be "wrapped" in a QT .mov file.

If you have QT PRO and an open file, try exporting.

You'll notice the variety of video, audio and still image files you can 
save that open file as, and in doing so, you have a great deal of 
options for how to use thevideo, audio and still image "codecs" 
(MPEG-4, JPEG, Motion JPEG, Animation, etc) to create a file that's 
appropriate for your end use.

That's one of the great things about QuickTime.

----------------

Regarding your problems using iDVD:

Upgrade to the latest version of iMovie if you haven't done so, yet.  
Restart, then:

As another poster suggested... and I'll modify here slightly:

Try using a short piece of original video you've captured into iMovie 
in the conventional way from a camcorder, so you know that you're 
getting the proper file format into iMovie in the first place.

Pull that clip into the timeline, save the project, then hit the button 
to create a new iDVD project. Quit iMovie.

In iDVD: Take the resulting project, save and make sure the movie plays 
and previews properly in iDVD.

Burn a DVD.

It shouldn't take very long to find out whether THAT short project 
burns, and is playable on your Mac and your DVD players.

IF it does, it suggests that the software and hardware are working, and 
that there's something in one or more of the elements you've used in 
your "problem" project.

----------------------

One thing that was suggested either here or on the Apple Discussion 
boards :
http://discussions.info.apple.com/

Make sure that you have a SUBSTANTIAL amount of free hard drive space 
on your internal drive, since OS X uses some of your hard drive for 
swap files (what we remember as "virtual memory" on OS 9 and earlier) 
and the software in use may also do the same thing.

SUBSTANTIAL was suggested to be as much as or more than 40GIGabytes.

----------------------

I'd suggest that you go back to your original movie... which I think 
you said was on VHS?  Go back as close to the original tape as possible 
for the best quality.

Use a DV or Digital8 camcorder that has analog INPUTS to capture the 
VHS onto digital tape.

Do the same with the logo you had created.  Play it off the DVD into 
the camcorder and capture as above.

Import your movie and your logo into iMovie over FireWire.

Edit to suit.

Save the iMovie project.

Use the "make a new iMovie Project" button to create a new iDVD project 
and after saving it once, quit iMovie.

Doctor the iDVD project to suit, and then save.

Try burning the new project.

If it works, you'll be happy and we'll be happy to hear about it.

If it DOESN'T work, try checking the TS_Video folder's files by opening 
it with Apple DVD Player.

If they DO behave as you wanted, try burning the TS_Video and TS_Audio 
files to a DVD using Toast.

I've use the last two steps to check and successfully burn a DVD Studio 
Pro 3 project that I was having problems burning from inside the DVDSP3 
application.

Let us know what happens... but in your case, I wouldn't keep trying to 
use the files you've converted or ripped from a DVD using software.  I 
suspect that's part of the problem.

My $.382.

Ted

Also... can we posters all agree to quote only the most recent part of 
the post that's applicable to what we're responding about?

It's a real waste of space to have a two line response to a two line 
question followed by three 24 paragraph posts.

Thanks

Ted.