iMOVIE is creating huge file as a .mov

When you click on Project/Project Info in iDVD, what does it show as the total duration of the movie? If it is more than two hours, then there's the problem.

Mp4's import fine into iDVD. It doesn't need to be a .mov file.

What happens if you save as a disc image? Does it render O.K?

-- Rich

Thanks for kind words, too generous!

Have just carried out quick test and it seems that Best Performance does indeed "complain" at around 70 odd minutes and that is with a very basic menu.Project info at that point shows 4.3GB

Project info at 4.15 GB shows 'OK'.So tipping point appears to be around the 4.2 GB.

When you attempt to burn with 4.3 Gb( Best Performance) a pop up says, in effect, can't be done, change settings.

Whilst in Project info, if you toggle the encode options you can see how the data size varies.

For example a 79 minute Best Performance shows as 4.36 GB and when changed to HQ or Professional Quality it comes in as 2.53GB.The 4.36 GB will be in RED the 2.53 GB won't.Can burn in HQ and PQ but can't in BP ( all in single layer).

It looks as though, from calculation, that the average bit rate for HQ and PQ is around 4.3 Mbps which is quite different to the 8Mbps for BP.

A bit more playing around to be done maybe.

Would be interested to know what you find.

In iDVD go up to the top and click on Project>Project info

Set Encoding to either High Quality or Professional Quality, and select double layer.

High Quality and Professional Quality are for up to 2 hrs on single layer and Best Performance is an hour.

Over 2 hrs will not work on Best Performance even on double layer.

Over 2 hrs on High Quality or Professional Quality should work on Double layer.

Professional Quality encoding will take about twice as long to do as High Quality.

Hi Rich

Only caught this by chance as didn't get usual email prompt.

Apple say that Best Performance is for up to one hour per layer.

I don't know what the exact cut off point is as I have never tried it but assume that the one hour is an approximation.

The approximation will take into account how complex the menu might be.

As you will be aware the menus can be constructed to be quite fancy ,if required , and can therefore take up encoding capacity.

The highest bit rate used for encoding DVDs , generally, is about 8Mbps (mega bits per second).

Best Performance uses 8Mbps for the entire video, it does not vary.

In other words the entire video is at max quality rather than some bits being at lower bit rates, hence lower quality.

For one hour at 8Mbps this translates to 8x60x60 Mbp hour, =28800 Mbp hour =3.6 Gbytes per hour.( 1 byte=8 bits).

So one hour of video at Best Performance (8 Mbps) will take up 3.6 GB of the DVD.

This allows about 0.6GB for the menu as 4.2GB is available for DVD on a 4.7GB disc.

I am of the opinion that if you have a video of 1 hour or less then you cannot get better quality by using the Professional Quality as the max bit rate is already being used in Best Performance,Professional Quality can't use a higher bit rate than 8Mbps.

Obviously High Quality and Professional Quality come into their own when more than one hour is required as the bit rate is reduced for sections of the video that are "slow moving" and therefore do not require the detail that higher bit rates can provide.

Pretty sure you will know above already but mainly for other readers who may not know the detail.

What I should have said above is that if the menu takes up less than 0.6GB then there will be a little more space for the main video and hence just over the hour may be possible.

iDVD is an old program that is not working too well with the latest operating systems.

In iDVD Project/Project Info there are only two DVD type options: Single-Layer (SL) -- 4.2 GB and Double Layer (DL) -- 7.7 GB.

Is the longer duration disk you are using a Double-Layer (DL) -- 7.7 GB?

Instead of a double layer disk, you might try splitting your movie in two, and burning Part 1 and Part 2 disks. Either that or perhaps shortening your project by 20 minutes. Animated buttons and menus take up space and perhaps can be eliminated.

-- Rich

Hi, thesurreyfriends,

That's interesting. Best Performance works better on vids less than an hour, but I didn't think that the encoding wouldn't go past 1 hour.

-- Rich

I think you've nailed it down. Good work.

-- Rich

Hi,

Exporting a file as .mov from iMovie means that you have exported using the Best Quality (pro res) setting. All other settings will export as Mp4. The .mov file is about four times larger than will be the Mp4 file. Thus if you want a smaller file, export as Mp4. Further, the estimated file sizes are notoriously inaccurate and can't be relied upon. You have to render out the movie to really know what file size you will get.

Changing to 540p will not affect your iDVD movie. iDVD is a standard resolution app developed 10+ years ago. You will not be able to get 4k out of it. A high resolution video will result in a larger file, as will longer duration. So, use a lower resolution to reduce file size.

iDVD can compress a 2 hour 26GB file down to 4.7GB to fit on a standard DVD. So file size isn't totally crucial. Exceeding 2 hour duration would be crucial.

-- Rich

Thanks, thesurreyfriends,

That is great data that I didn't know.

I think that Professional Quality probably would give the best quality, because it is two-pass encoding.

I see your point about Best Performance encoding. If "Best Performance uses 8Mbps for the entire video, it does not vary" one would run out of space shortly after an hour for a standard DVD disk. My question is what would happen if one tried encoding a 2 hour movie using the 1 hour recommended Best Performance. Until now I have believed that you could still encode for 2 hours duration but that the quality would suffer. In other words, the compression would be lower for the first hour but would increase as necessary if you ran past that point. Your data indicates otherwise. I may have been confusing Best Performance with High Quality. If I can find a 2 hour video in my archives somewhere I think I'll try burning it at Best Performance and see if it will burn the whole 2 hours. Not questioning your data, but just like to tinker to see what happens. Would the burn even get started or would it abort at the 1hr +/- point or would it continue at lesser quality?

Thanks again for your knowledgeable input. I always learn something from you.

-- Rich