VS 7 and VS 9 DVDsizes and VS7 and VS9 rendering performance

Gentamicinman · Post by **Gentamicinman** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:56 am

Totally confused user. (updated and changed mb and GB typing error)

I am trying to create DVD video for family.

I have 3 MPG files generated by Slide Show to Go.

They contain 103, 232 and 391 slide images and occupy roughly 2.4 GB

The same identical files are input to VS7 and VS 9 - using a separate and distinct VSP (VS Projects) for VS 7 and VS 9.

Considering VS 7
1. If I use SHARE and select Create Disc and Load Project, I eventually get the project loaded and VS7 states my file size is 4.7 GB and the DVD size is 4.4 GB, if I say burn, then I am warned about the time it takes and then finally warned that the file is too big for the DVD.

2. If I use EDIT and load the project into the timeline and then SHARE and Create disk, then the estimated DVD size is 3.6 GB. If I say burn, I am not warned about the time, VS 7 then goes through 5 passes of converting the video, then 1 pass to multiplex the video/audio and then a VOB pass - these 7 passes take about 40 minutes and then the DVD is burned in less than 7 minutes more.

Considering VS 9

1. Same conditions as 1 above, BUT VS 9 states video size is 6.26 (4.90) GB (why the difference between the 7 and 9?) still too big to burn onto my DVD

2. Same conditions as 2 above, BUT VS 9 states video size is 3.99 (3.71) GB (again why another difference between 7 and 9?), AND

since the size will fit on a DVD I can try and BURN it - but, unlike 2 above, after letting it run for 3 hours and 19 minutes, and without seeing any passes completed, I terminated the job.

I am discouraged by the different file sizes (for the same identical input) and by the different output results. In 4 different attempts I can get only one output - and VS 7, despite the output, doesn't produce the correct chapter menus - but that is a different problem.

Am I just unlucky, or am I slow, or are others having the same frustrating experience?

(Oh - both copies are licensed - both came on CDs, both are registered and I took all the recommended installation options.)

I am running XP SP2, Norton Antivirus, I've a 1 gb memory system, 2 NTFS disk drives on 2 separate adapters, and a 2.66ghz Intel P4

Any and all advice, criticism or suggestions will be appreciated. My skin is thick and I don't bruise...

TIA

Trevor Andrew · Post by **Trevor Andrew** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 12:18 pm

Hi
When working with video studio you are working within a project a *.VSP file.
The projects has properties in the same way that your video files do.

When you start a new project VS selects a default template as the *.VSP settings.

When you Share Create Disc, Video Studio will use the project settings to burn your disc.
If the project properties for VS 7 and VS 9 are different then you will get different sizes.

OK
You’ve got it all wrong.

The process you are using can be improved, it is not recommended to burn a dvd from a project but to create a video file first. (Share Create Video File)

Read the ‘Recommended Procedure’ at the top of this forum.
You say you have three video files at 2.4 Mb ( now do you mean Mb or Gb )

Start a new project, and import the video files to the timeline.
Right click each one in turn, select properties, what are they?
Hopefully they are all the same.

What is the total length of the three files in minutes?
Now remove the files from the timeline.
You have an empty timeline.

Share—Create Disc
Add—Video File—(add your three MPEG video files from your hard drive—NOT the VSP files)

Now when you get to the Burn Stage you should not see the warning ‘ this action will take some time to render’
If you do then your property settings are incorrect.

Try making a DVD Folder (TS folder) instead of burning a disc.

In a nutshell your working procedure should be:-

1/ Capture
2/ Edit
3/ Share Create Video File
4/ Share Create Disc ( Using the video file made is 3 ) (making sure your project properties are the same as the video file properties.)

Hope this Helps
Trevor

Gentamicinman · Post by **Gentamicinman** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 4:16 am

Hi Trevor,
Thank you for the feedback and for telling me what to do.

I was close on my soutions, but close does not always count.

My 3 files each and all had the same identical properties. However I did not have the properties checked against the timeline.

I had gone through the suggested procedures, but initially they didn't make sense. I also tryied linking to 3 of the 5 listed info sites - and the first 3 were not available, so I abandoned that.

I still have major problems with VS 9. The rendering step takes forever, and frankly I've never let it complete.

When I look at the XP CPU utilization for rendering under VS9 it runs 10%.

Under VS 7 CPU utilization is pegged at 100%. VS 7 completes, but VS 9 never does.

Perhaps there is a software glitch with a SOYO mobo and P4 - I just don't know. I don't have the skill or knowledge to puruse it. I simply know that following identical steps on the two different versions yields drastically different performance results. That happened even when I did things wrong.

Thanks to your help I am able to produce a DVD - I'd like to use some of the VS 9 features - new transitions, and standalone chapter index - but since the performance is a killer, I'll have to forgo those choices.

Thanks again,
Dave

Gentamicinman · Post by **Gentamicinman** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 4:20 am

Hi Trevor,
Thank you for the feedback and for telling me what to do.

I was close on my soutions, but close does not always count.

My 3 files each and all had the same identical properties. However I did not have the properties checked against the timeline.

I had gone through the suggested procedures, but initially they didn't make sense. I also tryied linking to 3 of the 5 listed info sites - and the first 3 were not available, so I abandoned that.

I still have major problems with VS 9. The rendering step takes forever, and frankly I've never let it complete.

When I look at the XP CPU utilization for rendering under VS9 it runs 10%.

Under VS 7 CPU utilization is pegged at 100%. VS 7 completes, but VS 9 never does.

Perhaps there is a software glitch with a SOYO mobo and P4 - I just don't know. I don't have the skill or knowledge to puruse it. I simply know that following identical steps on the two different versions yields drastically different performance results. That happened even when I did things wrong.

Thanks to your help I am able to produce a DVD - I'd like to use some of the VS 9 features - new transitions, and standalone chapter index - but since the performance is a killer, I'll have to forgo those choices.

Thanks again,
Dave

Post by **Ken Berry** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 6:08 am

Dave -- as a matter of interest, can you tell us how long the rendering went on for before you aborted? On some computers, rendering can take up to 4 or 5 times real time...

2Dogs · Post by **2Dogs** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 4:16 pm

Hi Dave,

from the system info you give, and assuming your P4 is non HT, I would expect it to be able to SmartRender at almost 10x real time - so a 10 minute MPEG-2 would smart render in about 1 minute. SmartRender is one of the few things that benefits from more RAM (and faster RAM) but you have a Gig.

You can tell if SmartRender is working by the preview window - it should be black while it's doing it.

For encoding AVI to MPEG-2 (CBR or single pass VBR) your system might manage about 60% real time - eg a 10 minute AVI might take 17 minutes to render. I know that you are working with MPEG-2 files, but re-rendering an MPEG-2 file might take a comparable time. Since it's not advisable to re-encode MPEG-2 files, I haven't tested it.

I base these figures on practical tests I've performed on my system with the VS9 trial.

If you are not achieving these kind of numbers, it might indicate some conflict in your settings or some missing optimisations.

Gentamicinman · Post by **Gentamicinman** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:58 pm

Greetings,

My apologies for such a late response - I got involved in using VS7 to produce my DVDs and I had 4 DVDs for each of 6 recipients. I simply buried myself in the process.

Good news! But confusing to me.

I have solved the VS7 vs VS9 performance.
---------------------------------------------------

There is no performance problem that I can detect.
----------------------------------------------------------

To eliminate software confusion, I discarded my copy of VS9 (obtained from a Canadian - and since it was a single CD, and based on others comments - I was suspect of it).

I ordered from Ulead the upgrade copy - which was on sale for $49.95 with free shipping and a hard copy (wonderful) manual.

It installed nicely and the add-ons from the 2nd CD are useful.

My input for my original complaint and for a retest remained the same. I have MPEG files, rendered by Slide Show to Go (SSTG) software. The content is simply a slide presentation converted to MPEG by SSTG.

My inital tests were awful. VS9 simply would not render - a 2 minute VS7 task never got past the 0% complete message displayed by VS9,

XP showed cpu utilization to be 10% or less - and the XP Task Manager showed VS9 'not responding' most of the time. When I would go to cancel VS9 XP would display a message saying VS9 was waiting for a response from me. But nothing was displayed.

On that basis I guessed the VS9 didn't like my input. So I started experimenting. After lots otrial and error I made progress.

It turns out my input MPEG file, although it was silent (i.e. no audio from me) had an audio association of Dolby Digital stereo. If, in the edit stage, I "split audio" and then either deleted it or changed the audio to "mpeg" then the rendering ran faster than a speeding bullet.

Interestingly, VS7, displays the same audio characteristic at the Edit stage, but VS7 could care less at the rendering point. VS7 would work, but VS9 wouldn't and that is the confusion I mentioned earlier.

Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions. I appreciate the help.
Dave