Here's my deal. I have burned plenty of DVD's in Ulead 8 with no problems if all I'm doing is putting 3 or 4, four minute videos on it.
Problem: I just created a project made up of 2 videos at 4 minutes each, then 3 other videos (home video) at 15-20 minutes each. Now I've been unable to create a smooth DVD. Each of the 15-20 minute videos start freezing up and/or flickering at some point within each. The two 4 minute videos are fine.
Originally, my disc was made up of 3 videos: the two four minute videos and one 1-hour video. Because of the freezing up problem on the 1-hour video I broke it down into 3 seperate videos figuring it would make for a smoother render. I'm sure there's gotta be some setting I'm not doing right for a DVD this size (around 3.3 gig). But, the disc can hold up to 4.7 (?) gig, so I'm coming in well under that point. How can I correct this? Is it the burn speed setting? I've always had it set at "max" with no problem.
Burning issues in Ulead 8 if the final DVD is >3 gig.
Moderator: Ken Berry
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THoff
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IronMike778
I can tell you that the three 15/20 minute videos seem to be rendered fine because they play smooth as .mpgs. So, I guess that means the problem is at playback. But where does the problem originate? One of the steps of the burning process, right? Could it have anything to do with the drive these files are stored on? I keep them on my second hard drive, a 40 gig hard drive I installed. Perhaps it has something to do with some virtual memory settings? How about the free disk space? There is 19 gig free on this drive and 22 gig free on my C: drive. Hope this info helps.....I need to get this solved by the next day or so. Thanks.THoff wrote:Are the problems during playback, or during the rendering? Have you applied the V8.01 patch?
As for the V8.01 patch, I purchased Video Studio 8 online about 3 weeks ago after finishing the trial version. I have to assume it had all updates at that point.
CBR or VBR?
What are the settings you are using for your mpegs? VBR or CBR encoding? If VBR, the bitrate might be "spiking" to high levels that could cause some problems during playback.
Also, what audio format are you using? lpcm, mpeg, AC3 -- if using lpcm, try a more compressed format like Dolby Digital or mpeg audio. This would make it easier for your DVD Player to playback your video. NOTE: mpeg audio is not an NTSC Standard, so some NTSC DVD Players will not be able to playback that type of audio.
What DVD Player are you using, and what brand of media? You could try a different brand disc (or even different format +/- R/RW etc.). Also, if you are burning at high speeds, try burning at a lower speed.
George
Also, what audio format are you using? lpcm, mpeg, AC3 -- if using lpcm, try a more compressed format like Dolby Digital or mpeg audio. This would make it easier for your DVD Player to playback your video. NOTE: mpeg audio is not an NTSC Standard, so some NTSC DVD Players will not be able to playback that type of audio.
What DVD Player are you using, and what brand of media? You could try a different brand disc (or even different format +/- R/RW etc.). Also, if you are burning at high speeds, try burning at a lower speed.
George
CBR or VBR?
What are the settings you are using for your mpegs? VBR or CBR encoding? If VBR, the bitrate might be "spiking" to high levels that could cause some problems during playback.
Also, what audio format are you using? lpcm, mpeg, AC3 -- if using lpcm, try a more compressed format like Dolby Digital or mpeg audio. This would make it easier for your DVD Player to playback your video. NOTE: mpeg audio is not an NTSC Standard, so some NTSC DVD Players will not be able to playback that type of audio.
What DVD Player are you using, and what brand of media? You could try a different brand disc (or even different format +/- R/RW etc.). Also, if you are burning at high speeds, try burning at a lower speed.
George
Also, what audio format are you using? lpcm, mpeg, AC3 -- if using lpcm, try a more compressed format like Dolby Digital or mpeg audio. This would make it easier for your DVD Player to playback your video. NOTE: mpeg audio is not an NTSC Standard, so some NTSC DVD Players will not be able to playback that type of audio.
What DVD Player are you using, and what brand of media? You could try a different brand disc (or even different format +/- R/RW etc.). Also, if you are burning at high speeds, try burning at a lower speed.
George
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jchunter_2
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IronMike778
Thanks for the feedback, fellas. But like I said, I've created many DVD's no problem if the video sizes keep the final DVD at less than a gig. I've only noticed these problems recently as I tried putting up to 3 gig of video on the DVD. What is it about increasing the size of my final DVD that all of a sudden should change the quality of the output DVD?jchunter_2 wrote:Mike,
I doubt that your downloaded version has any updates at all. You should download at least the 8.01 patch to fix the memory leak bug. The burning engine update solves some problems but also has introduced a Video/audio sync problem for some users.
FYI......I've been using variable data rate 6000 for all of my settings.
Wh
What type of audio?
And what type of audio are you using? lpcm audio plus a "spike" in your bitrate could be causing the problems. Even though you should be under the max bitrate for DVD's, some DVD Players have problems with home made discs at higher bitrates.
Do a search for a bitrate viewer (BV.exe is the one I use, and I think it was by tecolt -- I use the trial version).
George
Do a search for a bitrate viewer (BV.exe is the one I use, and I think it was by tecolt -- I use the trial version).
George
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IronMike778
Re: What type of audio?
Something real weird is going on. Here's the deal:GeorgeW wrote:And what type of audio are you using? lpcm audio plus a "spike" in your bitrate could be causing the problems. Even though you should be under the max bitrate for DVD's, some DVD Players have problems with home made discs at higher bitrates.
Do a search for a bitrate viewer (BV.exe is the one I use, and I think it was by tecolt -- I use the trial version).
George
My DVD has three videos: two 4 minute videos with only music over the clips. The clips were not captured with audio. They are burning fine everytime. The other video is 55 minutes of home movies captured with lpcm audio. For some reason, it always runs great until about 20 minutes into the video. Then at this point I start to get the freeze ups and "sticking frames", and by the 30th minute it becomes unwatchable. I have saved this file more than once and it plays beautifully as an mpeg and when I preview it at these trouble spots in that last step before burning in Ulead 8 it is fine. I broke the video into 3 chapters and it's always the 3rd chapter (30th minute in) that it's unwatchable. Again, when I preview this 3rd chapter in the preview area of the burning program it looks great. So, I know that going into the burn everything is fine. So it is definitely the burn that's causing the problem. I have matched all burn settings to the video file settings. Here they are:
NTSC DVD High Qaulity
variable bit rate 6000
LPCM Audio
Note: I have not checked the box that asks "DVD-VR Compliant". Should I be? I never have before and I've made good DVD's consisting of home made music videos (no audio with original clips)
These are the same settings I've used to create many good quality music videos. SO, the only thing different I have going is the fact that I'm burning for the first time home videos with the regular audio, no music over it.
Why do the two 4 minute videos burn good everytime? Is it because they were not captured with audio? But if that's the case, then why do the first 15 minutes of my 55 minute video always burn great? Why does the 55 minute video go to hell around the 20th-30th minute everytime, even though these points play great when previewed?
I think I've got a good grip on Ulead 8 but this one has my very frustrated.....I can't keep throwing DVD's away!
I really hope this is enough info for somebody to help me out. Thanks.
Bitrate Viewer?
Did you run your videos through the Bitrate viewer I mentioned?
Were there any "spikes" in the bitrate? Adding lpcm audio on top of video "spikes" can cause the total bitrate to go high enough to make your DVD Player choke.
Try using a CBR encode instead (to mimimize the occasional "spikes" in video bitrate), and try using mpeg or Dolby Digital (AC3) audio instead of lpcm audio. Just keep in mind what I said about mpeg audio earlier...
George
p.s. I found that link:
http://www.tecoltd.com/bitratev.htm
Were there any "spikes" in the bitrate? Adding lpcm audio on top of video "spikes" can cause the total bitrate to go high enough to make your DVD Player choke.
Try using a CBR encode instead (to mimimize the occasional "spikes" in video bitrate), and try using mpeg or Dolby Digital (AC3) audio instead of lpcm audio. Just keep in mind what I said about mpeg audio earlier...
George
p.s. I found that link:
http://www.tecoltd.com/bitratev.htm
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IronMike778
Re: Bitrate Viewer?
George, I appreciate your time. If my video file is captured as lpcm, at what point do I change it to mpeg audio? In the project, or at the burn. And why would it work just fine for the first 20 minutes or so as lpcm? What is it about this video being 55 minutes long that the burn process doesn't like? Could these issues have anything to do with my hard disk space? I've got about 17 gig free on my C: drive.GeorgeW wrote:Did you run your videos through the Bitrate viewer I mentioned?
Were there any "spikes" in the bitrate? Adding lpcm audio on top of video "spikes" can cause the total bitrate to go high enough to make your DVD Player choke.
Try using a CBR encode instead (to mimimize the occasional "spikes" in video bitrate), and try using mpeg or Dolby Digital (AC3) audio instead of lpcm audio. Just keep in mind what I said about mpeg audio earlier...
George
p.s. I found that link:
http://www.tecoltd.com/bitratev.htm
Not sure...
I don't know. I'm only guessing about "spikes" in your video bitrate coupled with lpcm audio that could push it to the upper limits for what your DVD Player can handle.
It depends on the encoding method (did you use a hardware encoder, or did VideoStudio do the encoding for you)? Did you capture direct to mpeg, or did you capture some other format, and let VideoStudio encode to mpeg?
You might have specified 6000kbps, but the encoding might have "spiked" the video bitrate at certain spots -- and maybe at the 20-minute section you have some "difficult" video that the encoder thought it needed more bits to represent (the nature of VBR is to use less bits on the easy-to-encode scenes, and more bits for the other scenes like fast-action or something).
So let's assume your video bitrate spikes to 7500kbps at the 20-minute mark, add in 1536kbps for your lpcm audio, and now you are over 9000kbps for a "brief" moment. Yes, 9000kbps is within DVD spec, but it could be too high for home made DVD's and your DVD Player (lots of variables here).
If you use CBR of 6000kbps, then you would minimize the "spike" issue -- because theoretically the entire video would be encoded at 6000kbps. And to make it much easier on your DVD Player, go with a more compressed audio format than lpcm audio.
George
It depends on the encoding method (did you use a hardware encoder, or did VideoStudio do the encoding for you)? Did you capture direct to mpeg, or did you capture some other format, and let VideoStudio encode to mpeg?
You might have specified 6000kbps, but the encoding might have "spiked" the video bitrate at certain spots -- and maybe at the 20-minute section you have some "difficult" video that the encoder thought it needed more bits to represent (the nature of VBR is to use less bits on the easy-to-encode scenes, and more bits for the other scenes like fast-action or something).
So let's assume your video bitrate spikes to 7500kbps at the 20-minute mark, add in 1536kbps for your lpcm audio, and now you are over 9000kbps for a "brief" moment. Yes, 9000kbps is within DVD spec, but it could be too high for home made DVD's and your DVD Player (lots of variables here).
If you use CBR of 6000kbps, then you would minimize the "spike" issue -- because theoretically the entire video would be encoded at 6000kbps. And to make it much easier on your DVD Player, go with a more compressed audio format than lpcm audio.
George
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IronMike778
Re: Not sure...
Ok, so at which point do I go with another audio format? If it was captured as LPCM and the entire 55 minute video plays fine at every step of the way prior to the burn, when do I change it to MPEG audio? In project settings or at the burn screen? This is crazy.....I've wasted so many DVD's trying to get this right. I feel like I'm just one tweak away from solving this! And should I be checking the box that asks "DVD-VR Compliant" in the video settings of the burn phase. I never have before when I've made good DVD's, but should I check this 'yes'?GeorgeW wrote: If you use CBR of 6000kbps, then you would minimize the "spike" issue -- because theoretically the entire video would be encoded at 6000kbps. And to make it much easier on your DVD Player, go with a more compressed audio format than lpcm audio.
George
we don't even know yet...
what did that bitrate viewer program show?
and don't know how you are capturing/encoding at the moment (from earlier post)
<<<
It depends on the encoding method (did you use a hardware encoder, or did VideoStudio do the encoding for you)? Did you capture direct to mpeg, or did you capture some other format, and let VideoStudio encode to mpeg?
>>>
And for a normal DVD, you should not need to check that DVD-VR box.
George
and don't know how you are capturing/encoding at the moment (from earlier post)
<<<
It depends on the encoding method (did you use a hardware encoder, or did VideoStudio do the encoding for you)? Did you capture direct to mpeg, or did you capture some other format, and let VideoStudio encode to mpeg?
>>>
And for a normal DVD, you should not need to check that DVD-VR box.
George
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IronMike778
How much do you think my hard drive space has to do with this? My C: drive was down to about 14.5 free gig space during these burns. I've cleaned up the drive a bit and have gotten it to 20.3 free gig. Is it possible that during the burn, the rendering process began to get choppy as my hard drive was being taxed more and more?
Here's why I ask. I actually made one copy of the video when it was over an hour long and it came out fine. There was one place where the screen hesitated for a second, but the video moved on from that to the end with no problem.
I later went and shortened up the video to under 55 minutes and it plays perfect as an mpeg and in preview mode of the ULEAD 8 burn process. Now I cannot get a smooth burn. Now, this particular video has been stored on my C: drive, along with other files, and that's what brought fee space to 14.5 free gig. I'm thinking the C: drive space is the culprit, not the LPCM, variable vs. constant bit rate, etc.
I do not have time to try another burn until later tonight with the new free space on the C: drive, but if anyone thinks I am getting warmer with this issue I'd appreciate some feedback.
Also, for what it's worth, I just noticed that my D: drive is a fat32 file system and my C: drive is an NTFS file system. I have been doing projects with footage from my D: Drive and ULEAD runs terribly when I do so. Can I assume the Fat 32 has everything to do with that?
Here's why I ask. I actually made one copy of the video when it was over an hour long and it came out fine. There was one place where the screen hesitated for a second, but the video moved on from that to the end with no problem.
I later went and shortened up the video to under 55 minutes and it plays perfect as an mpeg and in preview mode of the ULEAD 8 burn process. Now I cannot get a smooth burn. Now, this particular video has been stored on my C: drive, along with other files, and that's what brought fee space to 14.5 free gig. I'm thinking the C: drive space is the culprit, not the LPCM, variable vs. constant bit rate, etc.
I do not have time to try another burn until later tonight with the new free space on the C: drive, but if anyone thinks I am getting warmer with this issue I'd appreciate some feedback.
Also, for what it's worth, I just noticed that my D: drive is a fat32 file system and my C: drive is an NTFS file system. I have been doing projects with footage from my D: Drive and ULEAD runs terribly when I do so. Can I assume the Fat 32 has everything to do with that?