Can't burn Blu-Ray from FCP X

I can burn a DVD in FCP X, but when I try to burn a 25 GB Blu-Ray I get a message that there's an error and there might be not enough space on the boot volume. I've 1.3 TB free.
The file I want to burn is 1.7 GB. I already used 2 (14 euro) Blu-Ray disks.
I use an external Pioneer Blu-Ray writer connected to a Sonnet E2P eSata card.
At the start I get a message that I used a blank disk and need to select a program to go further. It doesn't matter if I select Ignore or FCP X. A few minutes before the end I get that message once more and then the message that I might need more space.
I've a Mac Pro with 10 GB ram.

Just a quick tip...

When testing Blu-ray encodes use a BD-RE (Re-writable Blu-ray).

Some people I know have used the same BD-RE for master testing for over 2 years so its worth buying a decent quality one as you will avoid wasting money on failed BD-R discs.

I am not sure what the issue is with FCP-X but personally I would not use it for BR burning - instead I'd encode using Compressor or Adobe Encore to a Disk Image and Burn using Disk Utility or Toast.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

I use Toast 11 to burn a Compressor created file. I got an error after while.
Interface Error: 5
The connection is not stable.

Can it be because it's an external BR writer?
Fortunate I used a BD-RE disk. Thanks for that info.

Anyone using Encore? I have a project that needs to be on both DVD and BluRay. I'm getting Encore soon to do this. Can I author the project once and make both flavors from the same project?

Joe Brown

Yes you can. Sort of...

You can encode Blu-ray and DVD from the same HD source file within Encore. But honestly don't use Encore to create the Blu-ray encodes - do the H.264 Blu-ray and MPEG-2 SD DVD files in Compressor or Adobe Media Encoder and import them for mastering in Encore. For some reason encoding H.264 Blu-ray within Encore often loses the "renders" in the same annoying way that FCP7 sometimes does and when you reopen the project you have lost the encodes!

From my point of view you should make SD versions of your Menus and make sure the SD downconversion is done well before you make a DVD from your HD project I even go so far as to recreate the video Graphics for SD because (shock horror) you often get interlace flicker and other low resolution issues when scaling the HD image detail to less than 25%!

Sometimes a simple Gaussian Blur of 0.3% to 0.6% can alleviate flicker but to be sure you should master an SD version and view on an SD CRT (preferably a broadcast colour calibrated one but if its not for the general public a consumer TV set will at least give you an idea of the issues).

Personally I still prefer using DVD Studio Pro for making DVDs and then Encore for Blu-ray.

IMPORTANT:

Be aware that Encore still has a bug in Looping Motion Menus which causes a lot of Blu-ray players (including the SONY PS3) to pause for a second or two or worse; show black after the loop point instead of looping straight back to the start of the menu. [www.precomposed.com]

There is an additional app you can buy to edit the Blu-ray authored image file to stop this but its not cheap. It's called BluStreak Tracer CMF from rivergatesoftware: [rivergatesoftware.com]

Otherwise there is a way to edit the files using BDEdit but alas I don't know how.

Hopefully Adobe will fix this in CS6 and release a fix for other versions too, but this has been an issue from the first Encore.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Ben King Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------




> IMPORTANT:
>
> Be aware that Encore still has a bug in Looping
> Motion Menus which causes a lot of Blu-ray players
> (including the SONY PS3) to pause for a second or
> two or worse; show black after the loop point
> instead of looping straight back to the start of
> the menu.

One simple fix in FCP for this issue is to leave a half second slug of black
pre and post "content" on the FCP timeline.
I have seen this loop issue on both SD and HD projects so this has
become standard procedure for looped DVDs or BDs


Sorry for hijacking

Joe Brown Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anyone using Encore? I have a project that needs
> to be on both DVD and BluRay. I'm getting Encore
> soon to do this. Can I author the project once
> and make both flavors from the same project?
>
> Joe Brown


I can burn a HD movie on a normal DVD from within FCP X. I only expect that it's a 720, not a 1080. What's normal, it's not Blu-Ray quality. But it's very nice.

I move the Blu-Ray writer from the first case to a new OWC one which has FW 400/800. I used the FW 800 connection and used speed 2 with Toast 11.
And it worked. I don't know why it would work with the first which has only an eSata connection.
I use Verbatim disks.

Quote

One simple fix in FCP for this issue is to leave a half second slug of black pre and post "content" on the FCP timeline. I have seen this loop issue on both SD and HD projects so this has become standard procedure for looped DVDs or BDs

Nice idea but not really a fix if you want a seamless motion menu (unless you want a dip to black!).

Sure DVDs often pause for a moment as they loop back to the start of the motion menu or play a transition (especially on older players) but Blu-ray is capable of an almost seamless loop in motion menu/transitions so for Adobe to have not fixed this issue in any of the versions of Encore is pretty "Apple" if you ask me...

Hoping CS6 offers an Encore worth waiting for.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Awesome advice re: DVD menus, Ben. I'm stickying this one!

(Wait, that sounds dirty...)

JVK