DVD Workshop 2 hanging while burning DVD. Help!!!

[NoNeedF0RaName]

Okay, I'm pretty new to this DVD creation thing. I have created a DVD that has a main menu and two submenus. Each menu has motion background and music playing. Everything looks fine when I preview it. When I go to burn the content to DVD, it seems to hang during the "converting video of MENU" portion of it. That's usually about 12-17 seconds in according to the elapsed time that is shown. I've even tried just creating an image so I can burn later with another program, but the same thing happens.

This is the first time I'm using DVD Workshop 2 to create a DVD. I used to use the DVD authoring program that came with my Ulead Video Editor 8.0 purchase and I've had no problem with that.

Can anybody help me?

And just in case it matters, the motion background is the same video for each menu.

[DVDDoug]

What format are your background videos? If you they are MPEG-2, or something more compressed, try converting these to AVI/DV with your video editing program (Video Studio or Media Studio).

Since you are new to DVD Workshop, I will warn you that Workshop has been somewhat neglected by Corel/Ulead. We don't know if there will ever be a Workshop 3, or a Windows Vista version... There are also some apparent conflicts with the new versions of Video Studio and Movie Factory. This may not be an issue for you, but it's something you should be aware of before you buy. We Want WS3 post that was started about a year and a half ago.

[NoNeedF0RaName]

Actually, they are in .wmv format. Should I still convert? If so, which format would work better?

[DVDDoug]

Actually, they are in .wmv format. Should I still convert? If so, which format would work better?

Like I said AVI/DV. Some of the more compressed sometimes cause trouble. It depends on the particular file... Not all WMV files are difficult to convert. The less the compression, the better your odds. DV (at 13GB per hour) is usually fool-proof.

The same is true for you main movie. If your main movie is WMV, it may cause trouble too, especially if it's from the same source.

Note that not all "AVI" files are AVI/DV. AVI is a "container" format, and it can contain anything from DV to DivX.

[NoNeedF0RaName]

Well, I can definitely convert to AVI, but then it gives me compression options. Here are the options.

None
DV Video Encoder -Type 1
DV Video Encoder - Type 2
DV Video Encoder - 24P (2-3)
DV Video Encoder - 24P (2-3-3-2)
MJpeg Compressor
Cinepak Codec by Radius
Intel Indeo(R) Video R3.2
Intel Indeo Video 4.5
Intel IYUV codec
Microsoft RLE
Microsoft Video 1
Indeo Video 5.10

I've tried none and type 1. They both did still hung up at the same place when trying to burn. Also, the quality of the "none" was terrible and "type 1" kept on flashing some weird white lines once I converted. Do any of these other things sound like they should work? Sorry, I'm just very new to all of this.

[sjj1805]

...... I used to use the DVD authoring program that came with my Ulead Video Editor 8.0 purchase and I've had no problem with that. .....

Actually, they are in .wmv format. Should I still convert? If so, which format would work better?.....

I take it you mean you have MediaStudio rather than VideoStudio?
Either way you need to convert your wmv format video to a DVD compliant MPEG2. The reason for this is because a DVD relies upon MPEG2 files and if you use any other format (DV included) they will require conversion to MPEG2.

You need to work out in advance what bit rate settings to use dependant upon the running time of your completed DVD - allowing an overhead for the space used up by the DVD Menus themselves.
What Bit Rate Settings etc Should I use?

When you then use DVD Workshop to author the DVD things will work fairly quickly because most of the work will have been done before hand with your Video Editing program.

[NoNeedF0RaName]

Nothing seems to work. It converts the video and audio for everything except the menus. It converts the First Play video fine (which is an mpeg). It converts all my other video content fine. Then when it gets to the part of converting the video menu, it just stops. I don't understand it and it's starting to get frustrating.

Also, just for kicks, I tried using the SAME menu video for my first play video (in wmv and mpeg) and the dang thing works fine. It's just when it gets to the menu conversions, it freezes. I've even taken out the video completely from the menus and it still freezes at exactly the same spot during the burning process. I'm starting to think that's it's not a problem with the video at all, but with the actual program.

What can I do?

[sjj1805]

I hope your not using Microsoft Vista.
Please click here --> so that we can then view your system specifications.

[Devil]

WMV (and other highly compressed formats like XVid and DivX) are highly UNrecommended for doing what you are doing. Just converting a straight file to MPEG-2 is fraught with difficulties and may take an hour or more to re-encode one second of video in the worst cases (and the quality will be atrocious, to boot). Add another layer for your menus and you are asking too much.

This is because there is so much data missing from the high compression levels and the computer tries to reconstitute it. With DV, each frame is reconstituted individually, starting with an I frame and looking all the way to the next I frame, which may be many seconds ahead, so it's trying to interpolate over a hundred or more frames to reconstitute a single frame. With MPEG-2, the situation is more complicated as it tries to reconstitute new I frames every half-second and generate P and B frames between them. Even with a single layer it's difficult. Add a second layer for your buttons and a third layer for the motion within the buttons, you are scraping the edge of the possible. This assumes that the compressed file is perfect. One of the sad things about digital video is that the higher the compression, the more likely you will have a faulty file, even with the moderately compressed MPEG-2.

[DB83]

May I ask how much free hard disk space you have BEFORE you started to make the dvd ?

You are doing a lot of conversion work. When I started to make dvds with DWS, and using the burn option, rather than make dvd folders, I found I needed at least 10 gig of free space. Anything less and the program was halting in a manner similar to what you describe.

However, do not use DWS to do the conversion. If you must have WMVs as your source material then use a conversion program such as SUPER to convert them first.

What are the parameters of your WMV files ?

Many are only 320*240 and you really need 720*576(PAL) or 720*540(NTSC).

You will not make great looking dvds out of this. Even if they are 640*480 there is a lot of conversion required.

If they are 320*240 the best format for conversion is VCD compliant at 352*288(pal) or352*240(ntsc). DWS will accept these as 'dvd compliant' and will only convert the audio.

Another factor with the conversion is the frame rate of the original. If it is not 25 fps(pal) 30fps(ntsc) then you are going to have even more problems.

[NoNeedF0RaName]

Thanks for all the replies guys, but I'm still having trouble. To the one who asked how much free space I have....I have 181.7GB so I think I'm good there.

Also, to the one who wanted me to update my profile with my computer specs, I did that to the best of my ability. Hopefully that helps.

As far as saying that the video is what's messing it up, I have to disagree. As I noted on an above post, I have tried taking the background video completely out and just leaving a solid black background and I run into the same problem. It will still hang at "converting video menu". Could it be the buttons that I created? They are in .gif format. Should they be something else?

And as I noted also noted in an above post, I've tried the video that I was using as my menu video as my "first play" video and the burning process converts it just fine. But when it gets to the "converting video menu" part of the DVD, it hangs. Even when there is no video. I just don't get it.

[DB83]

Sorry if I sound pedantic but if you have taken the video out of the menu and just have a solid background then why should it say 'converting video menu'

The answer is......In DWS all picture buttons (taken from your titles or chapters) default to motion buttons - you can turn these off by un-checking the box. You then have a still-image menu.

So, by default, you have motion menus and the program is attempting to convert them.

If you want these instead of still images, do the conversion first.

[NoNeedF0RaName]

I've unchecked the motion background box just to see if it would work. At this point, I don't mind having a still background. I click burn and when it gets to the "converting video of menu", it STILL hangs. Why does it have to "convert video of menu" if I have motion backgrounds turned off?

Hmmm....I'm going to try something here. I'm going to try taking out the buttons I created and replacing them with plain text or a default button. Maybe that's the problem.

[DB83]

But what else is on the menu.

Are these buttons you created animated ? You really should not have a problem with these as there are examples available within the program.

How did you create the menu ? Did you use the wizard which creates the little windows on the screen. These are motion buttons. So you can have a motion background and motion buttons.

[NoNeedF0RaName]

I DID IT!!! I think..... It turns out that the menu buttons were at fault. I had brought them in under "animated buttons", but the are not animated. I put them under general images instead, reinserted them into my menu and now my DVD is being made as I type this. It FINALLY didn't hang up on "converting of video menu". It's taking a long time, but it's not freezing so I'm happy. I'll report back once the DVD is finished burning and hopefully I'll have good news.

By the way, I created my own menu. I didn't do the menu wizard.