DVD won't play

Hi,
First of all, thank you everyone for being there. I've spent all of today reading through the Forum. Maybe you can help me.

Why is it that when I burn a DVD using DVD Studio Pro, it will play great on my mac, but not on either of my DVD players?

I've fooled the client by burning to iDVD (compressing from FCP to "H.264 for Apple TV". I understand that MPeg2 is a better compression - Is it true that MPeg 2 is true DVD and the H.264 is good for internet/mobile only?

I am ready to deliver the "DVD Master" and I'm still stuck with only iDVD authoring templets, etc.

Also, what am I doing wrong in DVD Studio Pro that it won't play on my dvd players? I've used DVD Studio pro extensively with no problems before ...the only diff is that I'm shooting in HDV (but exporting direct to compressor for the m-peg conversion of my choice).

Please help!

Jeanne Rawlings
Dustlight Video Productions

www.dustlight.com
o - 530-894-3808
c - 530-966-3504

Can you describe "won't play?" I ask because my personal DVD player at home is pretty long-in-the-tooth ? I think I've had it since about 1998 or so ? and it won't reliably play DVD-Rs of any kind, regardless of how they're authored.

The workflow that I find most reliable for going from Final Cut to DVD is to export a Quicktime movie, then take that Quicktime into Compressor and use one of the built-in DVD presets depending on the length of the material. I've never had a problem doing it that way ? except, as I mentioned before, the fact that my own DVD player doesn't like any burned disc, period.

I don't understand what you meant by "compressing from FCP to H.264 for Apple TV." My best guess is that you're creating a 720p H.264 from Final Cut before taking it into iDVD. None of that is related to DVD at all, and is not appropriate for a DVD workflow. Footage for DVD must be encoded to MPEG-2 in a very particular way, so if you're going from your timeline format to H.264 then to MPEG-2, you're just wasting time and degrading your footage with unnecessary compression.

Hi,
What I mean by "won't play" is one machine (purchased in 2005) recognizes a disk, but boots it out; the other one (I bought it in 2007) simply says "unrecognizable disk" - though when I first put it in, it asks if I want to "resume" or "play from start". Ultimately, it opens the door instead of "resuming" or whatever the heck I tell it to do.

In answer to your question -
What I've been doing is editing my show; selecting the approved Fine Cut sequence in the Browser, marking "in" and "out" points at the Head and Tail (with chapter markers) - then selecting "Export - using Compressor" - then, I've chosen "Apple Devices, H.264 for Apple TV". I picked that because the client wanted to see versions on YouTube (and BlipTV does a free .flv conversion that works). (This after much trial and error to keep 16x9 frame size for upload to BlipTV - the "H.264 for Apple TV doesn't stretch or distort the frame.)

However, now I'm being asked to deliver a "true DVD master" for these folks. So I've been using the Compressor, but then selecting "DVD - Best Quality 90 minutes" flavor - which has the Mpeg-2 6.2Mbps and a separate audio (Dolby Digi Pro 2.0).

Anyways - I'll try the system you just recommended!

Thanks SO much for this (the last compression just finished - 4.5 hours later - and of course those mpeg2 images look terrific, but I just know DVD Studio Pro is not going to create a DVD that plays...)

Yikers.

A long shot, but you're not accidentally trying to create a HD DVD are you?

Hi Jude - checked and, no - that's not it.

Export a full-quality QuickTime movie first (Export - QuickTime Movie, not Export - Using Compressor), and do it from your original timeline, not any of the movie files you've made. Then put that through Compressor. If that doesn't work, use the full-quality movie file directly in DVD Studio Pro or iDVD to make the video DVD.


www.derekmok.com

Thanks, Jeff - I hate to be stupid, but do I then import that into DVD Studio Pro? Or are you saying that I should avoid DVD Studio Pro all together? How do you work-around the menu/authoring goodies of DVD Studio Pro?

I'm making that MPeg from Compressor at the moment...will try whatever you suggest tomorrow... Thanks again.

Jeanne Rawlings
Dustlight Video Productions

www.dustlight.com
o - 530-894-3808
c - 530-966-3504

Derek - Thanks I somehow missed your comment/suggestion. Could you answer what I've replied IN CAPS and that will iron out this editor's fried brain:

"Export a full-quality QuickTime movie first (Export - QuickTime Movie, not Export - Using Compressor), and do it from your original timeline, not any of the movie files you've made. Then put that through Compressor. THEN WHAT? TAKE THAT FILE DIRECTLY TO BURN FOLDER? THEN HOW DO YOU MAKE A NICE MENU FOR THE DVD?

thank you thank you thank you...jeanne

Jeanne, all caps is considered rude in a forum -- it gives the impression you're yelling.

The type of movie file you use doesn't affect building menus and designing the DVD. It simply has to do with how much control you get over the quality of the compression.

If you import a full-quality movie file into DVD Studio Pro, the encoding settings for the MPEG-2 will be determined by DVDSP. If you run it through Compressor first, you get more options.

There's nothing to work around. You use a full-quality movie file in DVDSP the same way as a Compressor-generated MPEG-2. I think you need to read up on DVD authoring some more so you understand what you're doing. And, as Jeff Harrell wrote, don't touch H.264. That codec has absolutely no place in a standard-def DVD workflow.


www.derekmok.com

Thanks, Derek - ! I will read-up on DVD authoring more, though as I said earlier, I was able to use it flawlessly on my company's mac - now that I've got my own editing business, it's not been working. I'm just so stumped at why my two players aren't reading my DVD Studio generated copies... but do read the iDVD ones. I was thinking that you and Jeff were telling me to not use DVD-Studio Pro. Okay - thanks again. (and no more caps)

> I was thinking that you and Jeff were telling me to not use DVD-Studio Pro.

Yeah, you're jumping to conclusions. Avoid making broad assumptions based on a bit of information (the "filmman" syndrome -- in-joke among us moderators). If anything, in my experience, DVD Studio Pro burns have a higher success rate. Don't write it off yet -- the top suspect for your issues right now is user error.

So my first guess would be that you have your bitrates set too high. Check that first. Secondly, what blank DVDs are you using? DVD+Rs or DVD-Rs? What brand? Third, are you using the built-in DVD drive for the burn?


www.derekmok.com

Thanks. I keep forgetting that you aren't just random bloggers and/or amateurs, and that I must apply your troubleshooting suggestions in a methodical way.

The problem is fixed. It was a user error (how did you know?).

I had spent so much effort creating the templet, buttons, chapters, several menus - that I kept going back to it to troubleshoot. Ultimately, I started fresh this morning. The "fix" was exactly what Jude said: Initially I tried to make an HD DVD, though I thought I had changed that in Preferences. So even when I switched to SD DVD, the program defaulted to the HD elements it had already built.

Well, it's pretty great to have your support.

Once again - thanks.

> Initially I tried to make an HD DVD, though I thought I had changed that in Preferences.

Preferences are just like in Final Cut Pro -- they affect future projects, not pre-existing ones. So that was your issue.


www.derekmok.com

Yes. Yes.

Just a thought.

Before your actually burn the DVD, go to the "graphic" tab and make sure to remove (delete key) the box on the left if you are not using that function and if you are just making a DVD with no features on it other than just to play.

Harry

Harry Bromley-Davenport.

Oh, sorry. I didn't see that you have fixed the problem.

Harry

Harry Bromley-Davenport.