X3 AVCHD - unplayable Disk

[Doctor Keo]

I would urge anyone thinking of upgrading to X3 to download the Try before you buy. I installed the TBYB, twice as fast to produce a AVCHD disk on a DVD R/W disk over Videostudio X2, the problem being the disk was unreadable beyond the first few seconds. I re-ran the same video on to the same DVD R/W disk, although twice the rendering time at least my computer and my PS/3 could play the disk. Maybe wait until the first SP!

[mitchell65]

What was your workflow to produce the disk on VS x3 as others have not reported this problem.

[Doctor Keo]

Nothing special. I had just over a 100 short clips - Of items around the house for insurance, total time 34 mins. The clips are from a Panasonic SD9 shot 1080p 25 frames. Imported into the time line, no transitions and burnt to a Verbatim DVD R/W single sided disk. The program reported a time of 3 hours 5 mins in X3. Exactly the same in routine in X2, which reported a total time of 6 hours 19 mins. I¡¦m running Windows 7 64 bit, AMD dual processor, 4 gig ram and Samsung DVD burner

[mitchell65]

Without the ability to replicate the problem, this is beyond me I'm afraid

[Doctor Keo]

I can most likely replicate the problem, but to what end? I've spent hours and hours trying to understand X2, and now I know the work arounds so I can produce reasonable (Playable!) HD home video - I'm not going to waste more time on X3! I did think the product would have been brought to market working, but after X2, I really should have known better! For me most, in fact more than enough, features are in X2 ¡V Apart from the ¡§Blips¡¨, which I now know how to avoid ¡V My attraction was the increased speed ¡V My computer takes 10 hours for one hour of AVCHD ¡V Which I now run over night. Thanks for your interest - Doctor Keo.

[Ken Berry]

For me, the one thing that DVD Factory 2010 *does* offer -- and produce -- which X2 cannot, is an AVCHD Folder i.e. the same pseudo BDMV folder as appears on the actual AVCHD hybrid disc you are producing. Of course, you can also produce an actual Blu-Ray full-BDMV folder, as you can in X2. But for me it is useful to produce an AVCHD Folder since I can first test it with a software player, and also stream it via my networked PS3 to my HDTV without bothering to burn it to an actual disc.

So have you tried that -- proceeding as for a Blu-Ray disc, but then selecting AVCHD as the output format and ticking the box in the side Settings slide-out menu for AVCHD Folder, but not putting in a disc? I've done it a few times now, with great results (apart from a menu I don't want...)

If that works, and the Folder plays back without problems. then there could be a glitch in the actual burning to disc -- either in the software itself, or the burner or the type of disc you are using. There have been reports recently suggesting you should avoid RW discs (though I personally use +RW ones to test my own AVCHD hybrid discs before actually burning a final -R hybrid DVD). Your own brand would also suggest they should work. There is also a separate thread suggesting strange results with a Samsung burner... (I haven't looked those threads up ... maybe they involved you...)

The only other alternative I can think of at this stage would be to convert your project to a final AVCHD in X3, and then use something like Nero 9 to burn the hybrid disc (which it can, of course, do -- though it too takes a very long time. On my own Quad 6600 using 32 bit Vista Ultimate, usually it takes over 3 hours, and up to 4 for a 20 minutes hybrid AVCHD disc, but that is also including the conversion during the burning process as I use my project file, rather than an actual AVCHD final video clip in this case...) That would be for other users coming fresh to Video Studio with X3 i.e. unlike you, and not having X2 already which seems to produce acceptable results for you (as, I confess, it did for me too...)