Major issues when creating DVD

[whyme4000]

Hello,

I have a little bit of a long story here, so please bare with me. I have been searching the forum for a while, and while I am getting some answers to my questions, I am not getting enough to fix my problems.

I was using cyberlink Powerdirector ultra 64 before I moved to videostudio, however I was having problems with it freezing and locking up and couldnt get any assistance.

I am using Corel VideoStudio Pro X4, and I have been very happy with the editing abilities, however am running into major issues near the end here.

A little background on what I have been working with. I recorded a buddies weeding wtih 2 cameras. A Sony High Deff camera (not sure of the model number), and a Cannon SD camera (FS300). The Sonys videos off loaded to my PC in .MTS format, and the Canon is .mpg

I have used the canon to make videos before with no problem using cyberlink however I am having problems getting my finished movie to play on DVD players after the disk has been created.

I had created a different project with each section of the wedding and then when I went to create the video I loaded each project into the time line as a video and added chapters.

The first issue is when I went to create a DVD and burn it thru Corel, it would be converting the video and half way thru would fail with a (program has stopped responding). After a little research I am thinking its because I was attempting to burn too quickly but not sure.

I then moved to just creating the video files. Once those were created I used a program called DVD video soft to burn the video file.

When I go to play it in a DVD player, the intro video does not play, and it skips right to the main menu. However when I attempt to press play or chapters, the dvd does nothing. Sometimes it will start to play the first chapter, but freze, or it will get to the end of the chapter and then go back to the main menu.

I have been burning to a Memorex DVD+R, and thought maybe it was the +R (even though these exact DVDs had worked in players before), and used a generic DVD-R.

The -R wont even load up.

Is there something I am doing wrong? I read somewhere that the format of the video could be a problem, but I have no other way to get a different format, and dont want to have to move to another program as suggested in a different thread because I have spent many hours editing what I currently have.

At the moment I am saving the projects from corel as an AVI as I read somewhere that is a better format to use, but not sure if that will assist or not.

Can anyone please provide some assistance? I am not sure if I am the only one with problems like this, but it sure is frustrating.

Thanks for reading this, and for any assistance you may be able to provide.

[whyme4000]

Also another thing I just thought of, when I create the DVD it plays fine in any computer that I put it in.

Also I have created small parts in the past while doing my editing, and they worked in a DVD player. No menu, just about 5min of film or so. Could the menus be causing it?

The avi I created just finished as well, and the audio dropps out here and there. Not sure what is causing that if anyone has any input on that as well.

I apologize for all the questions at once, but I have just been brain dumping it all.

[DVDDoug]

There are a couple of possibilities...

The -R wont even load up.

Do any of these discs play OK on the computer?

1. You might have a "physical" problem. That is, Video Studio is generating good data, but that data is not getting burned onto the DVD properly, or it's not getting read properly when the disc is played. You might have a batch of bad blank discs, or the disc may not be compatible with the player. i.e. Some players can play DVD-R discs, but have trouble with DVD+R discs. Some players have trouble with all "burned" discs.

2. You might have a file problem or file-conversion problem. Video Studio can have trouble with some file formats and some format variations. For example, MTS files from one camera might work, but MTS files from another camera might cause trouble. Mixing & matching formats can sometimes cause problems too, although there is no "rule" against it and it should work.


From what you've said, I'm thinking you have a "physical" problem with the disc. There are a couple of experiments you can do - Try dragging the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS* folders from the DVD to your hard drive. If that fails, you've got a "bad burn" or a bad disc. If you can copy the files, try playing the VIDEO_TS file with the player-software on your computer.

There is also a FREE program called [url=http://www.nero.com/enu/tools-utilities.html]Nero DiscSpeed. It reads the data from the disc and makes a speed-graph and if it has trouble reading, or if it has to slow-down and re-read, you'll see a glitch in the graph. Different DVD readers perform differently, so you should try it with a known-good DVD first to see what a good graph looks like. I test ALL of my burns with DiscSpeed. Its a lot easier than playing the disc all the way through and watching it, especially if you are making more than one copy. (It won't tell you if the audio/video data is bad, it just tells you if it can read what's on the disc.)

Also when you burn a DVD, there is an option to Create DVD Folders. That will directly write the AUDIO_TS & VIDEO_TS folders on your hard drive where you can test them. If your VIDEO-TS folder plays normally (with menus, etc.) on your computer, you can simply copy those folders to a DVD disc without going through the whole disc creation process. (I think you can create the folders without actually burning a DVD disc, but I haven't actually tried it with X4.

At the moment I am saving the projects from corel as an AVI as I read somewhere that is a better format to use, but not sure if that will assist or not.

Yes. That can help if you have a format or format-conversion problem. The format you want to use is DV/AVI. "AVI" is not a single format. It's a "container" or "wrapper" format, and it can contain any kind of audio/video compression. DV is what you get from MiniDV camera, and its usually foolproof. The less-compressed formats are usually the least trouble-prone. It's less compressed than most formats (13GB per hour). DVDs are MPEG-2, so there will be another conversion when you author & burn the DVD.

It's extra time & trouble to covert to DV/AVI, but it might be the solution. You'll probably want to convert the files before editing or anything else. DV is standard definition, but as long as your are making regular SD DVDs and not Bly-Ray discs, that's not an issue.



* As you may know, the AUDIO_TS folder is normally empty on a regular video-DVD. The audio & video are multiplexed together in VOB files in the VIDEO_TS folder.

[DVDDoug]

Also another thing I just thought of, when I create the DVD it plays fine in any computer that I put it in.

OK... I think it's your DVD player. Do you have any experience with playing "burned" discs on that player? How old is that player? The rumor is that older more-expensive players often have trouble with homemade discs, but the new super-cheap Chinese players will "play anything".

There's really no good solution to this problem, especially if you are distributing wedding videos. Some players are going to have trouble with some burned discs. some players can't play burned discs at all! Single-layer DVD-R is usually the most compatible, although some players do better with DVD+R. And, its best to avoid dual-layer and R/W discs if you are distributing to lots of people with unknown players.

I still recommend you test the disc with Nero DiscSpeed. It also sometimes helps to to get a "better burn" if you burn at slow speed.

[whyme4000]

Wow, Thank you for the detailed explanation, I wasn't expecting it to be so detailed.

I will try the Nero disk speed to see what it comes up with.

I know that one of the players I used it on, was the exact player that I used to watch a movie I made previously with cyberlink. I also used the same disks that I am using now. The only thing I am not sure of is the speed that I recorded the other one at. I believe the one I just did was 16x, which seems to be a no no by what I have been reading.

I have also tried multiple different players, from my new blu ray player to my xbox, and a player as old as 7 years or so.

This is another interesting thing, when I first created a dvd, I went to share, and then create DVD, and I just added all the projects in that time line (one after another).

When I did this my blue ray struggled to play it but it did play, but my xbox seemed to be fine. However things didn't work well, sometimes there was audio out of sync, and no chapters, however it did work in my xbox.

After I added the projects to the normal time line, and made chapters manually, the disk I have wont create in any player. Not sure what causes this, just my PC.

Also it seems if the dvd player attempts to play it, the intro is never shown, it is just straight to the DVD menu.

I want to agree that its a physical dvd media issue, but I have another disk/different movie in hand right now that works on all players with no problem, and its the same disk. Just made with a different program.

[whyme4000]

So I converted to the DV/AVI, and used video studio to create the video files (instead of burning direct to a disk.

Once created I used DVD Video soft to burn said files to disk.

Now something new and strange is happening. When I put the disk in a dvd player, it will pull up the menu, and allow me to choose the chapters screen, however when I select the chapter, the menu goes away, and you hear the dvd spin a few times, and then, it starts at the previous chapter (if I select chapter 6 it starts chapter 5).

This keeps getting better and better... lol

Am I just fighting a loosing battle? I cant seem to understand why I cant find video editing software that will let me make a movie from beginning to end without frustration

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

[teknisyan]

Can you try this work flow. Rather than creating an AVI files, create an video files.

Go to the tab "Share" and click on "Create Video File".
- If you want to burn a DVD, choose the option DVD and select an appropriate DVD format. Save the file.
- If you want to burn an AVCHD disc, choose the option AVCHD and select an appropriate AVCHD format. Save the file.
- If you want to burn a Blu-ray disc, choose the option Blu-ray and select an appropriate Blu-ray format. Save the file.

After creating the video file. Go back to VS X4 and go to "Share" and click on "Create Disc" then just select the type of disc that you want to created. From there you can then click on the ADD VIDEO FILES then locate the created video file then just continue with the steps.

See if that works for you.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

Can you confirm that you are burning a HD disc either Bluray or AVCHD.
If so its pointless converting the MTs files to the lower standard DV-Avi.

Just to add to Abiel suggestions,

1 / Whilst editing the video do not add chapter points, remove any you have added to the timeline.
2 / Create a Video File of your projects. This is a must if you are having problems in the burning stage.
3 / Add /create the chapters in the burner module
4 / Use the Thumbnail Template for your menu, just in case there is a problem with Smart Menu
5 / how long is the finished videi in munutes?

Can you provide properties of the two original video files being used, right click a clip in the timeline and select properties, what are they? We will then be able to advise on settings used in 2 above.

[whyme4000]

I am sorry I disappeared, but I have been busy.

I actually slowed the speed of burning to 4x and created the disk thru the program itself and I think it is working. The disk played on a player in my home that the others wouldn't, but I have not had the chance to try it in anyone else's player. I will try it out and if that fails I will go back to try the suggestions above.

As I side note, I am not burning an HD disk, just a plain DVD.

[Ken Berry]

I usually burn at 4x where the disc allows it. If the disc is rated for higher speeds, then I use its lowest speed, usually 8x.

[whyme4000]

WOW... I have never wanted to throw my PC across the room as much as I do today....

After 4 and a half hours of converting video and trying to burn it to a disk, it gets to 99% overall and then gives me the error "unspecified error 5:0:0"

Here is what I had to do because the video was too large to fit on a dual layer DVD, which I found on another page in this site.

I went to share -> create DVD -> dvd. I then clicked next after making sure my files were there and setting my menus. Before burning I went to project settings, un-checked "do not convert compliant MPEG files, and then checked Two-pass conversion.

I then went to change MPEG settings, customize, compression tab, and changed to video data rate to Variable 7000 kbps.

This made it small enough to fit on a DVD, and I clicked burn. Like I said 4 hrs later.... an unspecified error!!!!!!

How is it that ppl pay hundreds of dollars for applications, and then have to deal with problems like this just to use what it was supposed to be created for????

I am going to try and above suggestions, and see what I come up with, but once I am done with this project, I am not so sure I am going to be using this product anymore, which is a shame because the editing went so well with it...

[whyme4000]

Hi

Can you confirm that you are burning a HD disc either Bluray or AVCHD.
If so its pointless converting the MTs files to the lower standard DV-Avi.

Just to add to Abiel suggestions,

1 / Whilst editing the video do not add chapter points, remove any you have added to the timeline.
2 / Create a Video File of your projects. This is a must if you are having problems in the burning stage.
3 / Add /create the chapters in the burner module
4 / Use the Thumbnail Template for your menu, just in case there is a problem with Smart Menu
5 / how long is the finished videi in munutes?

Can you provide properties of the two original video files being used, right click a clip in the timeline and select properties, what are they? We will then be able to advise on settings used in 2 above.

Project is 2hrs 5 min, so that is 125min.

One set of files properties is below:

Video
Video Type: MPEG-2 Video, Upper Field First
Attributes: 24bits, 720 x 480, 16:9
Frame rate: 29.970 frames/sec
Data rate: Variable bit rate (Max. 9600 kbps)

Audio
Audio type: Dolby Digital Audio
Attributes: 48000 Hz
Layer: None
Bit rate: 256 kbps

Second set of files:

Video
Video Type: H.264 Video, Upper Field First
Attributes: 24bits, 1920 x 1080, 16:9
Frame rate: 29.970 frames/sec
Data rate: Variable bit rate (Max. 16000 kbps)

Audio
Audio type: Dolby Digital Audio
Attributes: 48000 Hz
Layer: None
Bit rate: 256 kbps

There are multiple files of each that are being used.

[Ken Berry]

Have a look at this knowledge base article and see if it helps. http://corel.force.com/index/articles/e ... dio-Pro-X4

Two other users who had the unspecified error 5 message also found that a firmware update for their burners resolved the issue.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

There are two approaches in burning a disc………
Option one
Adding the project file to the burner module will cause the program to render the video file prior to burning the disc, this process being recognised by Convert Title immediately after hitting the burn button.
Effectively this is what you are doing
---------------------------------------------

Option two
If you convert the project first by Share Create Video File-DVD, you may have to use the Custom option to reduce the bitrate to 7000. To burn a disc…….the file should be small enough to fit to disc.

This will convert/render the project to a MPEG2 file. You can play the file to check quality.
If this process fails then you should investigate the projects content…….

Start a new project…no clips in timelines
Share Create Disc-DVD…..the burner module will open
Add Video File, adding the file MPEG2 you created earlier.

This file is a compliant video file, choose the Cogwheel icon (project settings)
Make sure that Do Not Convert Compliant MPEG files…… is selected

In the lower panel, set your Navigation Controls.
Complete the menu
When you hit the burn button the process will start with Convert Menu…..

Convert Title is not required as you are using a compliant video file.
The overall Burn process will be much faster.

It may be best to create a DVD Folder before burning a disc, at least this will check the operation of the module up to the point of burning the actual disc, also saves on making coasters….

[whyme4000]

Hi

There are two approaches in burning a disc………
Option one
Adding the project file to the burner module will cause the program to render the video file prior to burning the disc, this process being recognised by Convert Title immediately after hitting the burn button.
Effectively this is what you are doing
---------------------------------------------

Option two
If you convert the project first by Share Create Video File-DVD, you may have to use the Custom option to reduce the bitrate to 7000. To burn a disc…….the file should be small enough to fit to disc.

This will convert/render the project to a MPEG2 file. You can play the file to check quality.
If this process fails then you should investigate the projects content…….

Start a new project…no clips in timelines
Share Create Disc-DVD…..the burner module will open
Add Video File, adding the file MPEG2 you created earlier.

This file is a compliant video file, choose the Cogwheel icon (project settings)
Make sure that Do Not Convert Compliant MPEG files…… is selected

In the lower panel, set your Navigation Controls.
Complete the menu
When you hit the burn button the process will start with Convert Menu…..

Convert Title is not required as you are using a compliant video file.
The overall Burn process will be much faster.

It may be best to create a DVD Folder before burning a disc, at least this will check the operation of the module up to the point of burning the actual disc, also saves on making coasters….

I will look into this, however it may be a few days, because I am thinking there may be something wrong with my DVD burner.

I used a different program to try and author the movie and create chapters after I created the video file (by going to share -> create video file -> dvd, and choosing the proper format).

However after doing that, I got an error about my burner not not being ready.

So then I created the DVD folders, and used imgburn to try and burn those files to the DVD, and the burner made a bunch of noises (clicking and spinning), until an error popped up about the media not being ready or the burner not responding.

I am confused as to why my burner would be bad as its only 5 or 6 months old, and not used very often, but its the only thing that is in common with the failures I have had. It is an HP burner that I got from best buy, and I tried looking for possible firmware updates but did not have any luck.

When I get the new one in, hopefully it will resolve my problems.