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Jun 22, 2008 11:32 AM
by: SDMacuser
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110
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Nov 2, 2006
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iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 9, 2008 6:09 PM
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iDVD is dropping frames from my video when it encodes it to a DVD format.
The video plays fine in iMovie and in the iDVD preview. However, when creating a DVD burn (or creating an IMG file for viewing off the hard drive), iDVD is dropping frames. The end result video is terrible.
I even tried converting my original DV files to Quicktime (they looked fine) and again, iDVD preview looks great. Burning a DVD (or again, creating an IMG file) results in dropped frames. It can't be bad original video. It has to be conversion in the rendering process. My settings for the render are High or Professional Quality renders.
Has anyone else seen this or have any ideas for a workaround?
Thanks
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 9, 2008 10:28 PM
in response to: kb8wfh
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Why do you say iDVD is dropping frames? What exactly are you seeing?
Specifically, ANY program that compresses video for DVDs "drops" 14 out of 15 frames! In other words, there is one reference frame and the rest is just the motion difference between that frame and the next 14 (very simple explanation.... Google MPEG compression for more info). The QT file or the iDVD preview will look "better" because that is the uncompressed/original file. Now you say the end video is terrible, but we need something more concrete than terrible to go on.
Besides Googling MPEG, what format was the original video in?
Mike
G5 D2.7, D1.8, MBP 17"
Mac OS X (10.4.11)
G5's running TIger/MBP running Leopard
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 10, 2008 10:21 AM
in response to: Mike Bisom1
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The original video is from a Sony TRV-310 digital camcorder. The video is captured from the camera using a firewire connection and iMovie saves is as a .DV file.
I have created tons of videos on my PC for both home and professionally authored DVDs. None of them ever dropped frames enough to be visible. iDVD is dropping so many, it looks like an old 80's Max Headroom video or an old time flickery silent movie.
I comprehend video/audio compression. So my problem is why iDVD is doing it to the extent that it is.
I have tried converting the .DV into a Quicktime file. The same results occur. Everything looks fine until the final DVD (or image) is produced and the entire video is missing far too many consistent frames.
Like I said, if the frame rate drops so I can see the difference on the final video, its too much regardless of specifically how much its doing. My PC / Sony Vegas & DVD Architect platform has never had any degree of noticeable degradation. I tried the same video (right out of the camera AND rendered versions created by iMovie) on my PC and authoring apps and the DVD video quality it produced was perfect.
So....how do I adjust iDVD's compression settings?
Thanks
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 10, 2008 11:13 AM
in response to: kb8wfh
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You don't have too many choices in adjusting iDVD's compression settings. My understanding is that you have:
Best Performance - which I understand to be CBR. Useful if content is under 60-minutes.
Best Quality - which I understand to be VBR (but I am not sure if it is 2-pass).
Pro Quality - which is probably 2-pass VBR.
However I can't find any official documents to support this. To achieve more control of the encoding process you will need an application like DVDSP, part of the FCS suite.
As to the problem at hand, something is amiss. I am not much of an iDVD user, but I would double check all settings: 4:3, NTSC and that you are using a 4:3 theme. Try trashing the iDVD plist file & delete encoded assets and re-render. How long is the project? If under 60-minutes, try the different compression settings. Finally, One thing Vegas & Architect may have (and I don't use them) over iDVD is the use of compressed audio. iDVD uses uncompressed audio; which on longer sequences especially, can take up a chunk of disc real-estate and ultimately reduce the bit-rate for video. However, I think something else in the workflow is causing the issues. You shouldn't see that much degradation in the final DVD. And I have never heard of dropping frames as a visible by-product of compression. It is usually blocky or pixelated video especially in low light of fast moving frames that is the main concern.
Mike
G5 D2.7, D1.8, MBP 17"
Mac OS X (10.4.11)
G5's running TIger/MBP running Leopard
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 11, 2008 7:25 AM
in response to: Mike Bisom1
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Thanks for the info. I didn't see any frame rate settings for iDVD, but I thought I would ask to see if there were any I just hadn't located.
The only thing to clarify is that my video is widescreen 16:9 format. I tried changing it to 4:3, but it has effect on the frame rate issue either. I have an almost full DVD of the video, but there is some space left, so its not compressing it to fit it on the DVD. I have even tried just using small 20 second clips on a DVD project to make testing times faster and assured of not being too compressed for space purposes on a DVD. Same results every time.
I tried the best Quality and Pro Quality settings with no difference in the frame rate issue. I even tried using PAL instead of NTFS to see if it made any difference. Nada.
I need to get some video from a completely different source to see if it will do the same thing with other video. Not sure where else to go from here. Looks like I need to take a trip to the nearest Genius Bar.
Thanks.
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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Posts:
54
From:
Florida
Registered:
Nov 8, 2006
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 11, 2008 1:58 PM
in response to: kb8wfh
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I think that I have the same problem if by "dropping frames" you mean that the video appears to have shorten itself by a few seconds. Check my post and a video sample I uploaded to see if you have the same problem.
My post: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1437554&tstart=0
Message was edited by: juddcarlos2003@msn.com
iMac (Whitel bought in Jan. of '07) 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1GB RAM 250GB HD
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
I have all updates installed.
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 13, 2008 5:50 PM
in response to: juddcarlos2003@...
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Well, my video hasn't shorted. It just looks like more than 50% of the frames are missing. The audio is clear and syncs with the video perfectly. Its almost like you get a one second of video, then the next half-self is gone, etc. I may see if I can name a small example to post it somewhere to view.
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 17, 2008 3:29 PM
in response to: kb8wfh
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Narrowed down the problem. I took my mac to the Mac Genius bar in Columbus today and they saw it first hand. It took two tecs to try and figure out the problem.
The video that is coming out of iMovie is a large.m4v file of my movie. When they do into the Project info page, they can see clearly that iDVD NEVER start to encode that file. It just sits there. That's why my video on the final DVD looks so bad (at least that's what they say).
They suggested I do an OS X Archive and Install and that will likely clear it up. I did the procedure and it had no effect.
So, does anyone know why iDVD wouldn't encode the file?
Thanks.
Matt
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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Dec 11, 2005
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 17, 2008 11:35 PM
in response to: kb8wfh
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You should take it back again. And do this as many times as it takes. You may also want to try video from another source, such as another camcorder. The Genius guys might have some footage to try. I have no idea what is causing your problem, none what so ever, but I do believe it is something which can be fixed. The fact that a re-install didn't work makes me question the source video.
You can also try making a new user account, and using that account only for your video editing, just in case something you inadvertently do on your regular account is causing the trouble.
73
kc8aot
Oh so many...
Mac OS X (10.4.3)
every model ever
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 18, 2008 5:06 AM
in response to: kilowatt
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I did try it with another account and video from another source. While the other source video looked a little better, it was much lower quality video to begin with. However watching both my original high quality widescreen video and the low quality 4:3 video in the Project Info, NEITHER encoded at all.
Doesn't looks like its the source.
Looks like I will have to take it back again and see what they say this time.
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 20, 2008 7:10 PM
in response to: kb8wfh
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Why is the video coming out of iMovie an m4v file? It should be a DV file. The 310 is a digital 8 camcorder.
Mike
G5 D2.7, D1.8, MBP 17"
Mac OS X (10.4.11)
G5's running TIger/MBP running Leopard
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 21, 2008 6:15 AM
in response to: Mike Bisom1
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I agree. No idea why its that file format. That's just the way iMovie is capturing it. Anyway to change it? I tried using MPEG StreamClip to convert it to a Quicktime format, but it made no difference.
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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1,192
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May 15, 2003
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 21, 2008 9:04 AM
in response to: kb8wfh
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m4v is a compressed format and likely the source of many of your issues. You may want to post in the iMovie forum for help solving this workflow issue. Technically, your Digital 8 should be imported into iMovie as a DV file automatically but truth be told, I rarely use iMovie. If you export out of iMovie, your settings to be full quality, or movie to DV stream or something along those lines: defiantly not a m4v.
Again, iDVD is not expecting this compressed file. iDVD does the compression to create a MPEG2 for DVD compliance.
Mike
G5 D2.7, D1.8, MBP 17"
Mac OS X (10.4.11)
G5's running TIger/MBP running Leopard
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Posts:
5
From:
london
Registered:
Mar 21, 2008
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 21, 2008 12:23 PM
in response to: kb8wfh
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Hi guys,
I seem to be having the same problem, have you managed to work out why this is happening with the DVD once it is burned??? it is really bugging me!!
macbook pro 2.4
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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Re: iDVD encoding droping frames?
Posted:
Mar 22, 2008 3:07 PM
in response to: mr nickt
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Well, I solved the problem. Here's the pathology.
I went to the closest Apple store in Columbus and we worked for 45 minutes to try and figure out why iDVD was not encoding the video. The tech gave me a CD-ROM and I copies about a five second video file and the iMovie project file onto it and loaded it up on another Mac in the store. I loaded up iDVD and it immediately began to encode the video.
Thus, the problem is somewhere deep in the OS, iDVD settings, some obscure library...who knows.
So, I used my Time Machine backup to an external drive and backed up all my data and did a complete system drive format and re-install of Tiger, then Leopard (and all updates). I then loaded up iMovie and iDVD and now my video encodes perfectly and the output video looks just fine.
No idea what really caused it, but removing iDVD and re-installing, Archive and Install, repairing permissions, etc. just didn't work. If anyone ever finds out what caused it and how to repair it with a complete format/re-install, I would love to know.
But at least its working now and the entire process wasn't as bad as I thought. Time Machine made it a breeze, really. Saved lots of time.
Thanks everyone for all your help.
Matt
MacBook Pro
Mac OS X (10.5.2)
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