IDVD and standard (NTSC) television resolution...

If I understand correctly, television has 525 horizontal scan lines (NTSC), but I cannot find any options in any video conversion apps that offer a resolution option of 525x?.
What is the best resolution to choose when converting DVD files (which may be widescreen) to play on a standard television set with no black bars above, below or on the sides?
Also, what DVD file format should I choose to be safe as far as everyone being able to use it? If someone has a DVD console that is 9 years old, what is the safest file format to use.
And lastly, iDVD says it can use a dual-layer disc for up to 7.7GB of space. All my dual-layer blank DVD discs say they can hold up to 8.5GB.
Why the huge discrepancy?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanx.
Message was edited by: Michael Donahue3

Hello Michael,
*If I understand correctly, television has 525 horizontal scan lines (NTSC), but I cannot find any options in any video conversion apps that offer a resolution option of 525x?.*
The reason for this is that 525 scan line standard refers to analog video. See this guide for further confusion: http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~f76998/video/conversion/
The standard for NTSC digital video (DV) is 720x480
*What is the best resolution to choose when converting DVD files (which may be widescreen) to play on a standard television set with no black bars above, below or on the sides?*
The resolution should be that of the source (in this case the DVD) ... but you might run into trouble here because of widescreen issues as widescreen has the same resolution but a different pixel aspect ratio.
*Also, what DVD file format should I choose to be safe as far as everyone being able to use it? If someone has a DVD console that is 9 years old, what is the safest file format to use.*
The video format for a DVD is given: It is multiplexed MPEG-2 (VOB files). iDVD will output just that.
*And lastly, iDVD says it can use a dual-layer disc for up to 7.7GB of space. All my dual-layer blank DVD discs say they can hold up to 8.5GB*
Although most manufacturers of hard disks and Flash disks define 1 gigabyte as 1,000,000,000 bytes, the computer operating systems used by most users usually calculate a gigabyte by dividing the bytes (whether it is disk capacity, file size, or system RAM) by 1,073,741,824. This distinction is a cause of confusion, as a hard disk with a manufacturer rated capacity of 400 gigabytes may have its capacity reported by the operating system as only 372 GB, depending on the type of report.
hope this helps
mish

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Combining 16:9, 24p and standard NTSC in FCE

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G4 Dual 500 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

"There is not quality degradation for digital content upon printing to tape or copy, even from a iMovie version. DV is a already compressed digital material, edited in the compressed format, so you can go far beyond 20 generations of copy without significant degradation.
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Live and spend lots of money to learn!

IMovie - iDVD and a NTSC versus PAL question

I have some questions about creating iMovie for use in iDVD and about the various formats. Here goes:
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Second, I can create one long project in iMovie. Put chapter markers in it and export it to the media browser. Then, import it into iDVD and use the chapter markers referenced from the various menu picks. If I go this route, once again, how do I account for the NTSC versus PAL differences? And again, what's the best export settings for optimal viewing?
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Just trying to figure out the best way of going about this and what the tradeoffs are for each approach. Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Oh... and sorry to have been so long winded.
Many thanks in advance,
Tom

Hi
Oh Dear. Is this an assigned task from an editing turor. Then He/She is mean.
a. If You want a DVD - Then You should not use iMovie'08 or 09 or 11 as they can not export interlaced video to iDVD as it needs but discard every second line resulting in a less quality DVD. Use (for SlideShows and Movies)
• iMovie up to HD6 (SlideShows or Movie) - or -
• FinalCut any version (SlideShows or Movie) - or -
• FotoMagico (if You make only a SlideShow - can not do movies)
If persisting with iMovie'08-11 - Then DO NOT use "Share to iDVD" from within any version of iMovie (not 3 - HD6 either) as they do a bad job. But in iM'08-11 "Share to Media Browser" and as Large. In iM HD6 or FCE/P Save as QuickTime .mov and import this into iDVD.
b. NTSC and PAL - If DVD is to be sent to EU (PAL) - then most DVD-players also playback NTSC so conversion is not needed (mostly).
There are NO way to make a combo version PAL & NTSC - They do not exist.
If You make a PAL iMovie /FC project - then DO NOT let iDVD convert to NTSC (or other way either)
• it can do so - BUT Result is severely BAD
I use JES_Deinterlacer to make the conversion and it's so much better. (free on internet)
But absolutly best result is by doing two versions in the movie-editor - one PAL and one NTSC version.
c. Use High quality DVD brand - I only use Verbatim DVD-R
and set down burn speed to x4 - Less burn errors and plays on many more Players.
Just to start with.
Take one Q at a time and we can fix this.
Yours Bengt W

Dual 17'' Displays and an NTSC Monitor for Video Editing

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If you run in anything other than the LCD's native resolution your graphics card will be resampling the image. This inevitably distorts the image as pixels must be discarded to create the display. Typically this softens the image.
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Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

I made a slide show using imovie. When I play it back on my imac, the slideshow looks perfect. However when I burned in via iDVD and play the disc, the resolution drops off. The video appears fuzzy and not sharp. Any ideas why?

I made a slide show using imovie. When I play it back on my imac, the slide show is crystal clear and sharp. I burned a disc of the slide show using iDVD. When I played the dvd the resolution is very poor. Fuzzy and shakey images. I tried various solutions, Apple tec told me to go to preferences on iDVD and select "professional" to get higher resolution. Tried that but results still the same. Any ideas?

When you play on your Mac, you can have resolution up to 1920x1080.
When you burn to iDVD you convert to 640x480.

IDVD and poor image quality on TV

I imported old VHS/VHS-C tapes into iMovie via Elgato Video Capture, using standard 4:3. I then edited my project iMovie and "shared" it to iDVD. However, on TV, image quality is horrid. What am I doing wrong?

As Old Toad writes BUT
• Share to Media Browser - AND as Large - not HD or the other resolutions as quality will degrade.
• burn on high quality media - I only use Verbatim DVD-R (as they play on more DVD-players)
• Set down burn speed to x4 = Less burn errors
• Encoding quality matters - I use Pro Quality most
else read my long long list on this.
DVD quality
1. iDVD 08, 09 & 11 has three levels of qualities. (version 7.0.1, 7,0.4 & 7.1.1) and iDVD 6 has the two last ones
• Professional Quality
(movies + menus up to 120 min.) - BEST (but not always for short movies e.g. up to 45 minutes in total)
• Best Performances
(movies + menus less than 60 min.) - High quality on final DVD (Can be best for short movies)
• High Quality (in iDVD08 or 09) / Best Quality (in iDVD6)
(movies + menus up to 120 min.) - slightly lower quality than above
Menu can take 15 minutes or even more - I use a very simple one with no audsio or animation like ”Brushed Metal” in old Themes.
About double on DL DVDs.
2. Video from
• FCE/P - Export out as full quality QuickTime.mov (not self-containing, no conversion)
• iMovie x-6 - Don't use ”Share/Export to iDVD” = destructive even to movie project and especially so
when the movie includes photos and the Ken Burns effect NOT is used. Instead just drop or import the iMovie movie project icon (with a Star on it) into iDVD theme window.
• iMovie’08 or 09 or 11 are not meant to go to iDVD. Go via Media Browser or rather use iMovie HD 6 from start.
3. I use Roxio Toast™ to make an as slow burn as possibly e.g. x4 or x1 (in iDVD’08 or 09 this can also be set)
This can also be done with Apple’s Disk Utilities application when burning from a DiskImage.
4. There has to be about or more than 25Gb free space on internal (start-up) hard disk. iDVD can't
use an external one as scratch disk (if it is not start-up disc). For SD-Video - if HD-material is used I guess that 4 to 5 times more would do.
5. I use Verbatim ( also recommended by many - Taiyo Yuden DVDs - I can’t get hold of it to test )
6. I use DVD-R (no +R or +/-RW) - DVD-R play’s on more and older DVD-Players
7. Keep NTSC to NTSC - or - PAL to PAL when going from iMovie to iDVD
(I use JES_Deinterlacer to keep frame per sec. same from editing to the Video-DVD result.)
8. Don’t burn more than three DVDs at a time - but let the laser cool off for a while before next batch.
iDVD quality also depends on.
• DVD is a standard in it self. It is Standard Definition Quality = Same as on old CRT-TV sets and can not
deliver anything better that this.
HD-DVD was a short-lived standard and it was only a few Toshiba DVD-players that could playback.
These DVDs could be made in DVD-Studio Pro. But they don’t playback on any other standard DVD-Player.
Blu-Ray / BD can be coded onto DVDs but limited in time to - about 20-30 minutes and then need
_ Roxio Toast™ 10 Pro incl. BD-component
_ BD disks and burner if full length movies are to be stored
_ BD-Player or PlayStation3 - to be able to playback
The BD-encoded DVDs can be play-backed IF Mac also have Roxio DVD-player tool. Not on any standard Mac or DVD-player
Full BD-disks needs a BD-player (in Mac) as they need blue-laser to be read. No red-laser can do this.
• HOW much free space is there on Your internal (start-up) hard disk. Go for approx. 25Gb.
less than 5Gb and Your result will most probably not play.
• How it was recorded - Tripod vs Handheld Camera. A stable picture will give a much higher quality
• Audio is most often more critical than picture. Bad audio and with dropouts usually results in a non-viewed movie.
• Use of Video-editor. iMovie’08 or 09 or 11 are not the tools for DVD-production. They discard every second line resulting in a close to VHS-tape quality.
iMovie 1 to HD6 and FinalCut any version delivers same quality as Camera record in = 100% to iDVD
• What kind of movie project You drop into it. MPEG4 seems to be a bad choice.
other strange formats are .avi, .wmv, .flash etc. Convert to streamingDV first
Also audio formats matters. I use only .aiff or from miniDV tape Camera 16-bit
strange formats often problematic are .avi, .wmv, audio from iTunes, .mp3 etc
Convert to .aiff first and use this in movie project
• What kind of standard - NTSC movie and NTSC DVD or PAL to PAL - no mix.
(If You need to change to do a NTSC DVD from PAL material let JES_Deinterlacer_3.2.2 do the conversion)
(Dropping a PAL movie into a NTSC iDVD project
(US) NTSC DVDs most often are playable in EU
(EU) PAL DVDs most often needs to be converted to play in US
UNLESS. They are play-backed by a Mac - then You need not to care
• What kind of DVDs You are using. I use Verbatim DVD-R (this brand AND no +R or +/-RW)
• How You encode and burn it. Two settings prior iDVD’08 or 09
Pro Quality (only in iDVD 08 & 09)
Best / High Quality (not always - most often not)
Best / High Performances (most often my choice before Pro Quality)
1. go to iDVD pref. menu and select tab far right and set burn speed to x1 (less errors = plays better) - only in iDVD 08 & 09
(x4 by some and may be even better)
2. Project info. Select Professional Encoding - only in iDVD 08 & 09.
Region codes.
iDVD - only burn Region = 0 - meaning - DVDs are playable everywhere
DVD Studio pro can set Region codes.
1 = US
2 = EU
unclemano wrote
What it turned out to be was the "quality" settings in iDVD. The total clip time was NOT over 2 hours or 4.7GB, yet iDVD created massive visual artifacts on the "professional quality" setting.
I switched the settings to "high quality" which solved the problem. According iDVD help, "high quality" determines the best bit rate for the clips you have.
I have NEVER seen iDVD do this before, especially when I was under the 2 hour and 4.7GB limits.
For anyone else, there seem to be 2 places in iDVD to set quality settings, the first is under "preferences" and the second under "project info." They do NOT seem to be linked (i.e. if you change one, the other is NOT changed). take care, Mario
TO GET IT TO WORK SLIGHTLY FASTER
• Minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up hard disk
• No other programs running in BackGround e.g. Energy-Saver
• Don’t let HD spin down or be turned off (in Energy-Save)
• Move hard disks that are not to be used to Trash - To be disconnected/turned off
• Goto Spotlight and set the rest of them under Integrity (not to be scanned)
• Set screen-saver to a folder without any photo - then make an active corner (up right for me) and set
pointer to this - turns on screen saver - to show that it has nothing to show
Yours Bengt W

IPhoto Slideshow to iDVD, then dvd to television: titles cut off.

iPhoto '08(7.1.5) and iDVD '08(7.0.4)
Created a slideshow in iPhoto using 16:9 format. Exported to iDVD and set dvd to 16:9 format and burned the dvd. The slideshow shows fine on the computer, and the dvd preview also looks fine. When taking the dvd to the television, both a widescreen HD tv and a standard 4:3 tv, the dvd distorts the pictures and the titles on the upper left are cut off. Any suggestions on how to resolve this?
Thanks
Kelly

Kelly:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. I believe you can get the entire slideshow image into the TV Safe area this way:
1 - go to your User/Movies folder and locate the slideshow QT file that iPhoto saved there during the export to iDVD.
2 - open iDVD and, using the "+" button create a slideshow.
3 - drag the QT movie file from the Movies folderinto the slideshow window.
4 - go to the iDVD/Slideshow preference pane and check the "Always scale slides to TV safe area" checkbox.
5 - go to the main menu and delete the movie that was added directly by iPhoto.
This will scale the movie to the TV safe area and keep the titles in the viewable area.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier versions) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. There are versions that are compatible with iPhoto 5, 6, 7 and 8 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
NOTE: The new rebuild option in iPhoto 09 (v. 8.0.2), Rebuild the iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup" makes this tip obsolete.

Use of an NTSC Television Set

One thing I learned years ago during production is that the Director should always be at a NTSC television set to see what the ACTUAL footage looks like during a shoot. What you see in a cam LCD screen is not what you'll see on a set. So, during all our productions, we bring a monitor to the location. As the director, I'll be referring to that monitor to see the 'composure' is what I want. Of course, editing, color correction, audio correction and other attributes are always implemented during the editing process later, but viewing an actual set is primary, in my opinion.
Back in the day, when using PrePro 1.5, I could hook up my GL2 cam via it's output to the TV and switch to INPUT 1 and watch the footage through there. Another nice thing is that I could also (then) watch the TV during the editing process, a real plus.
CS5 doesn't seem to have that capability. I hook up my GL2 to my set's INPUT1 and I can review camera footage fine, but it doesn't seem to work when I'm editing. All I get is a blue screen. Did ADOBE PrePro CS5 lose that function? I can't really rely on the native monitor (well, I guess I could), because I'd like to see my safe area as it would look on/via a DVD signal, etc.
Any fix or workaround for this dilemna, or must I now rely on the montior screen built in to CS5?
Thanks for any help
expeditionwest

function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}
function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}Thrill Media wrote:
"You have to make choices that are unacceptable in professional editing. Apart from the annoying sync lag - which is more to do with firewire technology, you can't have desktop audio, program monitor and the external monitor working simultaneously. If you want desktop audio, the program monitor freezes.
However, you can't have any of these if you want to use the MPE!"
Not true. Maybe... if you are still using FW or something. I edit daily on my system with 2- 24" Dell Computer monitors and 1-HD NTSC monitor without sync lag or any other problems. You just need the right equipment to do so. Any card from BM or AJA, etc can acomplish this for professional editing.
My preferred method since I am now tapeless, is to use two video cards in the machine, the GTX470 for MPE playback and the second card, a lowly GeForce 7600 to drive the HD monitor.
... it's all in the cards!
If you are using two cards do you even need a BM or AJA?
Did you have any compatibility issues using two different video cards?

IDVD and region code???

I started a project in iDVD and created/burnt a DVD. I live in Germany and sent this DVD to a friend of mine who lives in USA. Half a year ago I already sent her a DVD which I had created in iDVD - she could watch the DVD without any problem (no region code question appeared). But with my last DVD this question suddenly appeard !!!!!!!! What the ....?
Questions:
1.) Does anybody else have this problem?
2.) Dows anybody know what to do so there is no question for a regional code for a DVD which was created in iDVD??
Thanks for your help.
greez
fenderkicker

Hi Fenderkicker and welcome to the forums!
DVDs made with iDVD are so-called 'Region 0" (no specific region) and will play anywhere without upsetting region settings.
In the USA they use NTSC (29.75 fps) whilst in Europe we use PAL (25 fps). Most freestanding DVD players sold in Europe will happily play back both, but this is not the case in the US where few DVD players are set for PAL playback.
Could this be the issue? That your first DVD was in NTSC and the second in PAL?

IDVD and imovie will not import

I cannot import anything into iDVD or iMovie. I don't know if I have the wrong format, the files are too large, or what.
I had videos from my hi8 put onto DVD's. They are in individual folders marked "video TS"
They are "NTSC format. They are not "PAL" When I could not import them, I converted them in MPEG Streamclip to "DV" format, no luck. Then I tried MP4 format, no luck. I imported them using "file, import" into a new project. An error window appeared: Error during import. The file could not be imported: unknown error.
OR "The file could not be imported" and it named the file
I trashed the preferences file, also, just in case it was the software itself.
I HAVE to get a section of one of them removed for an eulogy next week.
Any ideas?

Please use the Help Menu in iDvd and in the search field type in "Formats that work with iDvd".
Then please read these links and/or run the Tutorial for iMovie and iDvd:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/#idvd-create-63
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6773923&#6773923
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6233860&#6233860
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6288604&#6288604
After you have done all of the above please feel free to post your questions here as well and I will do my best to answer them for you.

IDVD and DVD Studio Pro

Is there a way to import a theme from iDVD into DVD Studio Pro? I want to use a theme on iDVD called Revolution, but in iDVD it only has one drop zone for pictures. I have seen this theme used with multiple pictures so there has to be a way to do it. I was wondering if you can somehow get that template into DVD Studio Pro for more customization options.

Importing iDVD Projects and Themes:
DVD Studio Pro 4 can import projects from iDVD 3 and iDVD 4. You can import an iDVD theme by using the theme in a project within iDVD and importing the project into DVD Studio Pro. When creating the project within iDVD, you do not need to use the final assets or make a complete project.
Note: DVD Studio Pro will not import projects from iDVD 1, iDVD 2, and iDVD 5.
In general, iDVD needs to be installed on the same system as DVD Studio Pro. An exception is if you import an iDVD 4 archive project.
To import an iDVD project or archived project into DVD Studio Pro:
1 Do one of the following:
• Choose File > Open.
• Press Command-O.
2 Locate and select the iDVD project or iDVD 4 archive project in the Open dialog, then click Open.
DVD Studio Pro imports the iDVD project.
About the iDVD Project Import:
When DVD Studio Pro imports an iDVD 3 or iDVD 4 project or iDVD 4 archive project, it has standard locations it looks for to find the assets and themes used in the project. This is especially important if the project uses custom themes.
The standard locations that DVD Studio Pro uses are (in this order):
• iDVD project bundle: This is the file created when you save the project.
• [user]/Library/iDVD/Favorites: This folder is located in your home folder.
• [root]/Library/iDVD/Favorites: This folder is located at the root of your disk.
• /Network/Library/iDVD/Favorites: This folder is on a network system specifically configured by your system administrator for this purpose. (This is not the same as having a server networked into your computer.)
• iDVD application bundle: This is the iDVD application file that contains the default theme elements.
Note: When you create an archive project in iDVD 4, you can choose to include the themes and encoded files. For the best portability, you should include both options. This results in a larger archive file, but ensures you can take the file to any DVD Studio Pro system and import it without missing assets. If you do not choose to include the themes and encoded files in the archive file, those assets must be available in one of the standard locations. If your project will have automatically-created chapter index (scene selection) menus based on markers embedded in the video, it can be easier to create these within iDVD prior to importing the project into DVD Studio Pro. This ensures the chapter index menus use the selected theme’s background and include arrow buttons to navigate between the menus.
Important: To ensure all iDVD menu elements import correctly into DVD Studio Pro, you must navigate to each chapter index menu within iDVD before saving the project. This is also true for any menus you add to your iDVD project by clicking the Folder button.
Issues With Importing iDVD Projects:
There are some issues to be aware of when you import iDVD projects:
• If you import an iDVD project with DVD-ROM content, DVD Studio Pro does not update the settings in the Disc Inspector’s General tab to reflect the DVD-ROM content. You must manually select the DVD-ROM layout and choose the folder to include.
• When you create a slideshow in iDVD, you can add arrow buttons to each still to provide viewers with an additional method of jumping to the previous and next stills. These arrow buttons are not imported when you import an iDVD project into DVD Studio Pro. The viewer must use the Previous and Next buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to jump between stills.
• The button highlights used in iDVD may look different when imported into
DVD Studio Pro. In most cases, the text in the buttons is set to be included in the highlight. Additionally, buttons that use an underline in iDVD will not have an underline when imported into DVD Studio Pro.
• When you import an iDVD project, you may find that the button that is highlighted by default on some menus changes. During the project import, DVD Studio Pro numbers the buttons on each menu and highlights button 1 by default. You can assign any button on a menu to be the default button in the Menu tab in the Menu Inspector.
• If you import an iDVD project that contains a drop zone configured as a slideshow and has multiple slides assigned to it, DVD Studio Pro only shows the slideshow’s first slide in the drop zone.
Source: +DVD Studio Pro user manual.+

I'm trying to burn an iMovie in iDVD and at the end of the whole burn process it says "Multiplexer Error" "there was an error during formatting". How do I fix it so that it'll burn?

I'm trying to burn an iMovie in iDVD and at the end of the whole burn process it says "Multiplexer Error" "there was an error during formatting". How do I fix it so that it'll burn?

Hi
Multiplexing error is a very complex problem due to many things (long long list following) - one common but not obvious reason is that material on the iDVD menu goes outside the TV-Safe area (or just touching it).
So first - turn on TV-Safe area and move any object well inside of this.
Wide screen stretched - usually (as I think) it is due to making a 4x3 movie in a 16x9 wide-screen project OR the other way around. This forces one to on flat-screen TV (or other) set the presenting view right - My has 4x3, wide-screen, zoom and auto-wide-screen and I have to switch this by my remote for some DVD I've made "wrong" way.
Now my long long list on Multiplex Error
LONG LONG LONG LIST
Multiplexing Error
PART One.
Use of strange video/audio material e.g. .avi, .wmv, .mp3 etc.
I only use.
Video - StreamingDV (miniDV tape via FireWire) and
Audio - .aiff (as on audio-CDs) (else converted to this .aiff 48KHz)
Photo - .jpg (.bmp known problematic)
Chapters !
A. Using strange letters in video project name e.g. +,/; etc. keep to a-z and 0-9 strange letters in project name e.g. +
as described by Donnyboy69. Does the title of your project have any symbols or decimal points in it. If so, that is why you are getting the error. I had a project that had a + sign which caused the same problem. I renamed it without the symbol and low and behold, it worked.
B. Location of Chapters
• Can’t be at start or end of movie (Skip first/start one - iDVD sets this by it self. At the End - no need)
• Not in a transition (or within 2-3 seconds from it)
Important when from iMovie HD6 or previous - Now also observed when using FCE 4
PART Two.
from Robert Modero.
"Multiplexing Error. Problem during initialization of tracks"
Simply remember to add subtitles to your Quicktime files and menu buttons.
Once I did that, I was back in business.
from Boise Jim
Do a safe reboot (by holding down the shift key until you see the spinning gear on gray background, then release, then restart when your start-up screen appears).
I always makes a DiskImage first and test this so that it runs OK
I use only - Verbatim DVDs
I use only - DVD-R
I burn at an as slow speed possibly e.g. x1
This gives good DVDs
PART Three.
Multiplex Error
Chuck, Chicago 2/7/2009.
Back again. Here is what I have found to work. I also have and use a LaCie DVD-R/RW DL external drive and a LaCie external hard drive as well. Since yesterday I have tried a few ways to burn a themed iDVD project having four 56 minute movies on it, amounting to 226 minutes onto a DVD DL disc, capacity 240 minutes. Apple tech support really didn't know what to do but gave me a very good tip. I had two options left. Apple tech support's tip was to try disc image. One of the replies on a thread with this subject said not to, but my experience today is good. Put your project onto "Burn to disc image," under "iDVD, file." Yesterday encoding took me 23 1/2 hours. Overnight for iDVD disc image, encoding took 21 1/2 hours (again) while I slept. This morning I tried to copy/burn disc image to a DVD with Roxio Toast 7, and it stopped near the end of the burn with some kind of "error" message. So then I tried Utilities> Disc Utility> Burn icon, and followed it through. Be sure to click the DVD DL drive in the window "Burn disc in.". I had one other problem though. At the end of a 46 minute copy, it started to verify, and at the end of verify it rejected the burn. So I tried again, and when "verify" appeared, I clicked on "Skip." The disc finished burning and is doing fine and well. A long and tortuous process, but at last something works. I made several additional copies using Disc Utility. Best wishes. Chuck, Chicago.
2. Disconnect any other external devices not absolutely needed.
e.g. external USB/USB2 hard disks, other FW hard disks etc.
3 Chapter marks in transitions - minimum 2 sec from
FROM Bev.
(Not a 'guy' but I will answer!)
First, I do not think that mixing wide-screen and standard makes a difference in iDVD.
Second, you should use a better brand of DVD disk. Also, many of us have experienced fewer problems on playback with DVD-R disks. Recommended brands here are Verbatim, Maxell and Taiyo Yuden. Memorex and TDK are not consistent and may not give you a correct burn. They apparently have fewer layers in the composition of the disk. I have always used Verbatim DVD-R disks and have not had any burn problems.
Also, choose a slower burn speed, 4x or less.
Third, to determine if the iDVD project will burn properly, create a disk image file (from within iDVD, go File->Save as Disk Image) and test it. Mount the disk image and then open DVD Player (in Applications) and view your project. If it plays correctly, you can then burn the actual DVD disk from the disk image file using Disk Utility.
From. Boise, Idaho
I did everything I've seen suggested, but a friend (who used to be an Apple Genius) suggested that I do a safe reboot (by holding down the shift key until you see the spinning gear on gray background, then release, then restart when your start-up screen appears).
It worked, and I got a clean burn from iDVD.
Hopefully this can help other people.
by dheb0422
Well, I finally got it, and it was odd enough to post here incase anyone looks this topic up again. Many things were tried, including burning the unedited film, the edited film without titles and chapter markers, abbreviating the chapter markers in case length was the issue (remember the old iMovie used to truncate them when moving to iDVD?). In the process, I noticed that one, and only one, chapter marker was on the same line as the title marker. All the others were on the line above. The only way I seemed able to change that was to clip a few seconds of film. After that last clip, the offending marker took a place on the line above, as were all the others. That run published, compiled completely and burned. That's one for the books.
One user more writes
To add my experience with Multiplex Errors using iDVD (7.0.4), I recently created two iDVD projects
Video from both passed from FCE 4.01 with chapters
One project worked fine in creating disk image file
The other gave Multiplex Errors
I tried suggestions to remove special characters and no chapter marks at beginning, but nothing worked
Note that I've used iDVD for dozens of projects and this is first time I've run into Multiplex Errors
Anyway, for problem project, I tried an experiment where I removed all chapters in FCE and passed to new iDVD project
This time multiplex errors gone
So had something to do with chapters
So now I tried numerous experiments to remove individual chapters and try again creating disk image with new iDVD project
After numerous tries, I was able to narrow problem down to 1 "Bad" chapter mark
That is, when I left the "bad" chapter in my FCE project and passed to iDVD, iDVD gave multiplex error
When I removed "bad" chapter mark (and others in), no multiplex error
As a final experiment, I moved "bad" chapter mark about 5-10 sec's beyond original point and passed to iDVD, the multiplex errors now magically went away and I was able to finally create my disk image.
I have no idea why this worked, but thought I'd mention here in case someone else runs into similar problem.
Rich839
In addition to Bengt's fine advice, burning errors can occur if you have located any of your menu buttons wholly or partly outside of the safe TV viewing area. Go to your main project menu, then click on View/Show TV Safe Area, to check. Drag into the safe viewing area any buttons that are outside the safe viewing area.
Russ One - suggest this
Multiplex Error-There was an error during muxing preparation
One thing that worked for me was to export the video w/o chapter markers as a self contained movie (thereby not loosing the edits & etc). Then make a new FCE project and import that movie into a new sequence and add the chapter markers. I've used "-", "&" and "," with no problem in the chapter names. Removing the markers or exporting without them did solve the problem but renaming them with just numbers 1,2,3....5, did not solve the problem and since this problem seems to happen with with iMovie as well, it would suggest the problem is in the video or audio and in combination with the chapter markers iDVD just can't handle it. The only other possibility is that both iMovie and FCE share the same or similar chapter marker code that some how is corrupting the markers.
Summary - What to try
1. Chapters
• Only A to Z and 0 to 9 in chapter title
• No Chapter mark at very beginning of movie
• No Chapter mark in or within 2 seconds from any transition in movie
2. TV-safe area for buttons (no one outside this)
3. Safe re-boot
4. No other external devices connected - that are not needed
SDMacuser adds to this
• On #4 ... No ext. devices. Some think this applies mainly to ext. FW. Not the case. Also applies to ext. USB2 as well (not to mention flash drives too).
Do not leave 3rd party devices / camera / camcorder plugged in unless it is being used with iDvd's One Step process. Certain web cams can trigger this also (especially ones with added features like LED light/s that draw additional power from the FW or USB bus).
5. Minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-up hard disk
6. Make a DiskImage first - reduces where problem originates
7. Trash iDVD pref. file
8. Make a new iDVD project
9. Movies in project with same aspect ratio e.g. 4x3 or 16x9
10. No other programs/applications running during iDVD process. e.g. Internet, screen & energy savers
Yours Bengt W

I have made a slideshow in iphoto then shared it into iDVD and burnt it onto a disk when i watched the slideshow on my dvd player the music froze several times?

Hi I have made a slideshow for my neices 21st in iphoto then have shared it into iDVD and burnt to a disk..when i watch the dvd on a dvd player the music freezes a few times?? how do i fix this :-)

Good morning,
There are a few possibilities. Here's one suggestion if your slideshow is longer than 99 images:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3340011
You may also wish to assemble the slideshow in iMovie if your video clips were recorded in lower resolution (12 bit) mode. Extracting the audio from these video clips can solve that problem. Here's an older discussion of that problem:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/1486285#1486285
John

Problem with T400 and external monitor (1920x1200 resolution)

Hi there
My laptop:
ThinkPad T400 2767-C99* (graphics is: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 256MB / X4500MHD (Switchable Graphics)), OS is WinXP
I just installed the newest video driver from the lenovo page (which also installs "ATI catalyst")
Externale Monitor:
I just bought a Samsung SyncMaster 2443FW, 24" TFT monitor with maximum resolution 1920x1200
Problem:
Monitor works great with my newer T400s and my old Acer laptop. However, with my T400 (described above), I can't make the monitor use the 1920x1200 resolution. However, all the other resolutions look ugly so I need it to work with 1920x120
- If i change the resolution by rightclicking on the Windows XP desktop (and then properties=>settings) and set the screen resolution there to 1920x1200, then my monitor only used a lower resoltion (1440x900) and I get a scrolling effect as I move my pointer across the screen
- if I use ATI catalyst software to set the resolution, I can only chose smaller resolutions (it does no go up to 1920x1200)
Questions
Is that a hardware (maybe the graphic card does not support 1920x1200) or a software problem (maybe some problem with the driver) or just a matter of setting?
What can I do?
Help would be very much appreaciated!
*Original description: Based 2767-2JG: T9550(2.66GHz), 4GB RAM, 250GB 5400rpm HD, 14.1in 1440x900 LCD, 256MB ATI Radeon 3470HD, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn wireless, Bluetooth, Modem, 1GB Ether, UltraNav, Sec Chip, FPR, Camera, 9c Li-Ion, DOS License
Solved!
Go to Solution.

bfrey wrote:
Thank you for your answer.
I have already installed the newsest drivers from Lenovo. I don't really see why I should install a non-official driver. I am convinced that it must work somehow with the official driver.
Kind regards
there are plenty of instances where the official driver have glitches... just look around the forum to find instances of which.... while official drivers maybe better in most instances, there are always the odd case where it doesn't work as well as it should. If they perfectly out of box, then there would never need to be multiple revisions and updates.
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

IDVD and standard (NTSC) television resolution...

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