PC crash writing DVD in Converting video of the title

[MarcelM]

Hi,
I upgraded to VS X4 SP1 having successfully used its predecessors for many years. However, I now cannot burn a DVD as it fails in the Converting Video of the title (001/001] step.

My clips are captured by firewire from a Sony camcorder in DVI format. In this project I am using transitions, moving menus, 12 chapters and titles extensively.
My workflow is as follows: Share, Create Disc, DVD, Use first clip as introductory video is unchecked (patched dll file for Unknown Error installed), use SmartScene Menu, Burn. Timeline is 1:26:54:22 so I select Yes to fit to DVD. PC crashes anywhere between 6 and 18 minutes later. Do not convert compliant MPEG files is checked.

I have tried various other things and can successfully burn a video under 30 min on the timeline without and transitions, chapters or menus.

My project properties are Microsoft AVI, PAL 25fps, 24 bits, 720x576, 4:3, Lower Field First, DV Video Encoder - type1
Clip properties are the same with 32000kHz, 12 bit Stereo audio as per attached file.

The converting video of the title step takes up to 30 min to complete for a 20 - 30 minute project, so seems like a proportionally high time of total job.

Any assistance is appreciated as the problem has been ongoing for over a year, having started in VS10. If there is any other combination of encodingI could be using to burn a DVD, I'm willing to try.

[Ken Berry]

I think you will find that the problem is in your workflow. Your current workflow *should* work, but many of us "oldies" here have found that for many users, for whatever reason, it doesn't. You are starting with a video format which is easily editable (DV) but which isn't DVD-compatible. That has to be mpeg-2. You finish editing and jump immediately to the Create Disc stage, where your video has not only to be converted to DVD-compliant mpeg-2, but also compressed to fit to disc, and then multiplexed and burned after the menu is also created and converted to mpeg-2. So that is a number of complex processes all rolled into one step. For some users, at least, it seems that something in their setup doesn't like. So we suggest instead spreading out the various processes.

The first step is NOT to go immediately to Create Disc after you finish editing, but instead to first produce a DVD-compliant mpeg-2 from your edited project. And to make sure it will already fit to disc before you even open the burning module. So after editing you would choose Share > Create Video File. Since you are producing a DVD, the normal choice at this point would be "DVD" as the Video File type you choose as output. But that applies the default properties, which include a bitrate of 8000 kbps. That will give the highest quality output to your project, but the video, as you realise, will not fit on a single layer DVD if your project is much above one hour if using that bitrate. As a rough guide, a bitrate of 8000 kbps will allow around an hour of video on a single layer of DVD; 6000 kbps will allow around 90 minutes, still at good quality; and 4000 kbps will allow 2 hours, though the quality will only be about as good as VHS tape. In each case you will be able to squeeze on an extra ten minutes or so of video if you use a highly compressed audio format such as Dolby.

So here we have your current project of nearly 90 minutes. So clearly, using Share > Create Video File > DVD is not going to work since it will produce too large an mpeg-2 to fit on a single layer DVD. So you have to lower the bitrate to produce a file which *will* fit. To do so, you choose Share > Create Video File > Custom. You choose mpeg-2 as the output format, and make sure the Properties include PAL 25fps, 24 bits, 720x576, 4:3, Lower Field First, and Dolby audio. But importantly, you have to lower the bitrate to something between 6500 - 7000 kbps. Give the new file a name and press OK to produce it. It will still take time to produce it, so just be patient. And also bear in mind that this conversion time will be exactly the same whether you do it this way or as part of the burning process, so you are not losing any time using our recommended step-by-step workflow.

When the conversion is complete you should have an mpeg-2 file which is no more than 4.3 GB in size, and hopefully around 0.2 GB under that since you will also need room for your menu. You can also play back the file to make sure it plays the way you want it.

Then go to File > New Project. Don't bother with a name: the objective is just to clear the timeline of your existing project and have a totally empty one. Then you choose Share > Create Disc > DVD. The burning module should open, and its timeline should be empty. You click on the Add Media button up in its top left and select your new mpeg-2 which should now appear in the burning timeline. Make sure the Do Not Convert Compliant MPEG Files box is still ticked. Do not select 'Fit to disc'. Build your menu and burn. This time, hopefully, the process should complete itself successfully.

One other thing to bear in mind is that in my opinion, the Fit to Disc function in VS is poorly implemented. I never use it. At best, it can compress a file which is only a little over the required size i.e. a few minutes, but not something as large as your own 26 minute overrun. So that alone could have been the source of your problem.