X2 Pro - Unable to Create Disc

[MRG]

Hi!

I'm just testing this new X2 Pro, and unlike 11+, this one actually looks and feels good so far, much better than the previous versions, but there are a couple of bugs. The "Burger" and the "DivX" issues had been solved thanks to some experts here, but I've got another one;

Create Disc doesn't work at all.

- Put clips in timeline (or go directly to Create Disc and add video)
- Go to share
- Select Create Disc
- Select format (any)
- Select (or not) Create Menu
- Pick a theme
- Click "Next"

.... and here ends the road... NOTHING!

- Click "Preview"... but it doesn't do anything
- Back
- Click "Next" again... but NOTHING!

So, what now??? Anybody else has this issue? (I've tried it on both laptops, all the same...)

With upgrades, there are ALWAYS issues, and usually obvious ones. WHY???

[sjj1805]

Just tried your steps and selected burn to a hard drive folder and everything worked as it should. I can only suggest you provide us with more details as per this link

Please Read This Before Creating Posts.

[Ken Berry]

It has become almost a mantra with me over the past couple of months to suggest people first go to the Microsoft DirectX website and download the latest update patch. The current one is dated August 2008 and can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en
Note that it updates both DirectX 9.0c (XP) and 10 (Vista). The number of your DirectX installation will not change, but the patch gives extra functionality in a number of areas and corrects other faults in VS11 -- and probably now also in X2 -- in particular which appear linked to Windows updates. The menu preview and 'building preview graph' and other problems in the burning module seem to be amongst them.

Note that DirectX is not included in the usual pattern of Windows automatic updates. It has to be done every so often by the user manually. So unless you have recently done this, you are probably still using the original, non-updated version of DirectX which came with your computer.

[MRG]

Hi!

Thanks, I've found the source of the problem.

- I've removed and re-installed X2 first, but it didn't make any change.
- Then I've checked pretty much everything, but since both laptops had the same issue, I started to compare things.
- Then I came pretty close to remove this X2 thing and through it away like I did to 11+ because of all the problems I had, but in the last minute...
- I figured out the problem.

OK... so... I'm running Deamon Tools that had ISO files mounted on Virtual DVD-Roms on both computers. When I unmounted the ISO files and then re-started the program, the Create Disc issue was gone.

So, basically the program was confused about which DVD drive to select, or at least I assume, the real one or the virtual/fake one, and couldn't proceed after adding the video files.

If not, well, then I have no clue, but the problem was solved.

Thank you, I'm looking forward testing this new X2.

Ps: I've edited a short clip just now, made out of 4 AVCHD files (1920/1080), but at the transition/effect parts the clip always slows down a bit, then jerks once faster before continuing with the proper speed. Then all is fine until the next effect, same, slows down, then jerks, then OK again... But that's another topic I guess...

[Ken Berry]

When you say you 'edited' the AVCHD project, is that all you did, or did your actually render it to a new file? What I am trying to get as is whether you are only seeing the momentary stalls in the preview screen, or whether they are on the final, single rendered clip...

[MRG]

They are in the final, renderred clip. I've used different effects, but the momentary stall/freeze type (slowing down) at the begining of the effects, then the jerky movement at the end of them are always there.

When I just added clips and renderred them without effects, the "speed variations" were not present either. I mean, it may not be such a huge deal, but if I can notice it right away, then my clients in the final product will also...

Anyone else noticed it, or is it just me?

[Ken Berry]

I haven't rendered all that many edited AVCHD files into a new AVCHD file (as I mainly go straight from the editing timeline to the burner, and use the project file to burn an AVCHD hybrid disc... but that's another story too). Anyway, I have not observed the same problem as you. However, there could be an important difference. Very early on in the piece, I learned never to use SmartRender with AVCHD. It seems to do some strange things, and your own problem might be a result of this.

So when you finish your edits, select Share > Create Video File > Same as First Clip or whatever you choose here. But in the dialogue box which appears, uncheck SmartRender. The time it takes is a bit of a pain -- on my Quad 6600, I find it can take up to around 3 times real time for this conversion. But it is always fault-free.

And if you are worrying about quality loss caused by an unnecessary full render, if you maintain your original high quality AVCHD settings, which of course you are, then a single encode will not produce any loss of quality which you can detect with the naked eye...

Oh, and avoid two-pass encodes with AVCHD as well!

[MRG]

Hi!

I've tried your suggestion of rendering it without "smart", and it is much better now, or at least the speed variations are not obvious. OK, I think it is good, I'm just trying to find a fault here after seeing one I guess, but it is OK this way. But I still wouldn't say 100%, only 98% because I still feel as if I can see some jerky motions at the start/finish of effects, but they are very small now indeed.

So, smart rendering is useful when I'm in editing mode and want a quick render for review, and when all finalized and ready to go, I will try and remember never to use smart render during final-cut.

Thank you, I will make a note of this solution for this "bug".

May I ask another question? How can I flip the clips in VS Pro X2? In photo editing software usually you just hold down the Shift key and pull the edge of the picture over itself to flip it, but it doesn't work here.

For e.g.
- Screen is split into 4 even blocks.
- One clip plays upper-left corner in normal format.
- Same clip flipped over horizontally (mirrored) in upper right corner.
- Lower left plays vertically flipped/mirrored clip of upper left with a filter.
- Lower right plays vertically flipped/mirrored clip of upper right with a filter.

It sounds very simple, but I'm unable to do it or find the tool to just simply flip the clips horizontally and vertically.

Thank you!