ProX5 burns OK to dual layer disks?

[cdoughertycd]

Hi: With ProX5 I am trying to burn an MPEG4 HD project that is 1 hr 40 minutes long to a dual layer disk. I have a dual layer burner. I got an "unspecified error" on my first try. Should it work ok?

thanks,
Candy

[BrianCee]

Yes - X5 should burn dual layer discs OK - - I assume you have selected "DVD 8.5G" in the bottom left corner of the 'Create Disc' module

[cdoughertycd]

Hi Brian - since I posted this question, it has worked and I've burned 3 dual layer DVDs. Yes, I selected "DVD 8.5 GB". On the 4th, computer stopped burn and said not enough memory. The first try of burning that caused my post with new dual layer burner came up with "unspecified error". I saw that Windows was asking if Google Chrome could do an update. Now because of this latest interruption, I uninstalled Google Chrome. Every day it has been asking if it can do updates, really bugging me. I read lengthy process to stop Google Chrome updates but still keep it, but life is too short to want to figure that out. I'll see if that helps, uninstalling Google Chrome.

Thanks so much for your reply.

Candy

[cdoughertycd]

Now the problem I'm having is the first disk burns ok at 4x, then at the 2nd one a message comes up saying computer might not have enough memory, so I look at the burn speed and it has been changed to 32x. What causes the speed to be reset higher?

If Corel is causing this, are there any other recommendations for good burn software? I like Corel due to I can make fancy menus.

Does ProX6 solve this issue?

thanks,
Candy

[canuck]

How much free space on your hard drive? Have you defragged lately?

As far as I know VS X5 does not change the burn speed on its own.

[BrianCee]

If you know you are going to make more than one copy of your DVD then the best option is to create a disk image file (.ISO) - then use that to burn your DVD's - one at a time - - you do not have to go through all the rendering and converting each time - if you do have problems you can just shut down VS and re-open it and your ready to burn another. You do not even need to use VS to burn the discs there are a number of other programmes you could use - Roxio for instance.

[cdoughertycd]

Brian, thanks so much for your help.

I have 6 GB of RAM.

I will try the disk image method.

Does Roxio allow for customized menu creation? I like that feature with Corel.

[canuck]

If you know you are going to make more than one copy of your DVD then the best option is to create a disk image file (.ISO) - then use that to burn your DVD's - one at a time - - you do not have to go through all the rendering and converting each time - if you do have problems you can just shut down VS and re-open it and your ready to burn another. You do not even need to use VS to burn the discs there are a number of other programmes you could use - Roxio for instance.

Candy says she (?) is burning a 1:40 hour mpeg4 HD project to a dual layer DVD. Doesn't the length exceed the DL capacity for HD video?

[cdoughertycd]

I am able to burn that capacity on dual layer but only at burn speed 4x for the first one.

Brian, I guess I don't know where to go to create an ISO file. So if I'm in the project do I go to "share", and then where?

The ISO file will still be HD?

thanks so much,
Candy

[BrianCee]

Ah - I missed the bit about HD before - can't do an ISO file in HD.

Never mind you can do much the same but make Folders instead and burn them to DVD - it just saves VideoStudio blocking up your memory when burning because it is a simple transfer.

[cdoughertycd]

So making folders means they won't be burned and have the menu but will be more like data files?

I recorded this opera and I burn DVDs for the cast, trying to make the DVD look professional with nice looking menu. I have been burning operas in the past to usually two 4.7 GB DVDs, wanted to consolidate to one with dual layer. I have been able to burn to the dual layer fine but usually only the first burn works. The total of both acts when rendered to MPEG4 HD is about 6.5 GB, thus need for dual layer.

I have 300+ GB hard drive with about 121 GB free, with 6 GB ram. Maybe I need more RAM? I'm not too good in the RAM knowledge department.

Hm, should I look at Roxio for this? Would like to have nice menus. Corel works great except for the 2nd burn saying not enough memory.

thanks for your help.
Candy

[BrianCee]

NO NO NO NO Candy - you seem to mis-understand everything I say

when making DVD folders your final video will be exactly as it is now with menus etc - nothing will change except hopefully you will not have problems burning the DVD

if you use Windows Explorer to look at any of the DVDs you have ever made you will see that it has folders on it - that's the way they work

Do not use Roxio - sorry I ever mentioned it

I'll just leave you to it

[canuck]

Candy, are you sure you are creating a mpeg4 HD video? While you can burn HD video to a standard DVD (4.7 or 8.5GB), those DVDs can then only be played on a BlueRay player and then only on some.
Also 6.4 GB for a HD video seems rather small. Is that your source video size or the final product?

[cdoughertycd]

Brian, sorry I'm so dense on this.

I guess I'm not familiar with terms "making folders" when burning DVDs. Like I need to actually create a folder? Can you explain?

Currently I am opening a new VS ProX5 project, then "share" then to DVD, then adding these two big files MPEG4 HD, then the burn. I am using a new project file to do this in case of any problems so I don't lose the original video project.

thanks again,

I owe ya
Candy

[Ken Berry]

I have stayed out of this thread until now, But now I need to ask exactly what it is you think you are making: a standard definition DVD or a high definition "hybrid" or AVCHD disc which is burned to a standard DVD but in Blu-Ray AVCHD format i.e. producing a BDMV folder on the disc which is the identical one you would find on a full Blu-Ray disc???

A DVD folder produced by VS is identical to the folder you will find on a commercial or home-made video DVD. There will be a Video_TS folder containing a variety of files with .vob, .bup and .ifo extensions. The video is in the vob files and is DVD-compatible mpeg-2 lightly converted to become these vob files. There is also an Audio_TS folder which normally is empty. We often recommend people burn one of these DVD Folders on the final page of the VS burning module because it allows you to play the folder on a software DVD player to see if it is all as you want it. It also thus avoids wasting a disc if you have to go back to either the menu or the editing module to change something in the video itself.

An ISO file is much the same. It contains the complete Video_TS (and Audio_TS) folders you would find on a finished DVD, only wrapped in a different extension called .iso. Like a DVD Folder it allows a preview and avoids wasting a disc, but the difference is that you either have to first "mount" the ISO as a virtual drive in order to be able to play it on a software DVD player, or else find a software player which will play an ISO directly. VLC Player is one such.

You already know how to make a DVD: Share > Create Disc > DVD. If you haven't already converted your project to DVD-compatible mpeg-2, then this will occur during the burning process. In your case, your project is made up of HD mpeg-4 (AVCHD?) so if you are indeed just making a standard def DVD, this HD mpeg-4 will need to be down-converted to DVD-compatible mpeg-2. The conversion process for HD is demanding on computer resources, so we often recommend that you first do the conversion while still in the editing module: Share > Create Video File > DVD. Your 1 hr 40 min project should easily fit onto a dual layer DVD if indeed you are converting it to mpeg-2.

However, you seem to indicate that you think you will still have high definition on your final disc. Well, put simply, you won't if you are producing a standard definition DVD. It will be down-converted and use a default bitrate of 8000 kbps. This will probably be considerably less than your original HD bitrate (such as 16,000 kbps or 18,000 kbps or even higher). As you know, a lower bitrate means lower final quality. But once again, if you are producing a standard def DVD, this is simply the nature of the beast since the international DVD standard dictates a maximum bitrate of 10,000 kbps covering both video and audio.

Now I have also mentioned the AVCHD or "hybrid" disc which is high def AVCHD mpeg-4 burned in that same format but in Blu-Ray BDMV folder format on a standard def DVD blank disc (Share > Create Disc > AVCHD). And this is where Canuck's comments above comes in, I think... I have found that with such a disc, using a single layer DVD blank disc, if you use the maximum permissible bitrate for such discs under the international standard of 18,000 kbps (18 Mbps), you can only squeeze about 20 minutes of video plus menu onto a single layer disc. So that would be 40 minutes on a dual layer DVD -- though I have never tried to burn a hybrid dual layer disc. But your project is 2.5 times larger than that so the final bitrate used would need to be considerably lower. It would still be high def and (probably?) better than a standard def DVD from the same project. But I have to wonder if it is worth the effort since, as has already been stated above, a hybrid disc can only be played on a Blu-Ray player rated to play hybrid discs.

So exactly what are you trying to produce?