iDVD alternatives?

Question

iDVD alternatives?

Today I spent quite a bit of time in iMovie (for the first time) creating a slideshow of jpegs that I want to run continuously (no audio) through a DVD player at a facility this coming Monday. When finished with the show I went to run it thru iDVD to burn to a disk, but my Mac G5 PPC said my software version (10.5.x) could not use the version of iDVD that was already there. I upgraded from 10.4 about six months ago and had never used iDVD either. So I found a new disk of iLife 08 and bought it, but it couldn't possibly be here in time.

Anyway, do I have any other possibilities? I have found out the hard way (using Powerpoint movie for the same function) that getting a show to play on a DVD player is tricky, but that's my only option at this facility. I have Roxio Toast, but I'm sure not the latest version. Any advice would be appreciated, otherwise I'm snagging the first kid off the street I can find! :<)

Mac OS X (10.5.4), iMac Intel at home, ancient PowerBo

Posted on May 3, 2012 3:35 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

RRFS

Level 5

4,522 points

May 3, 2012 4:14 PM in response to David Bartosic

Try Toast, what harm could it do? If it is compatible enough to make the DVD that's all you need.

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Answer 2

Ziatron

Level 5

4,186 points

May 3, 2012 7:02 PM in response to David Bartosic

I would strongly recommend iDVD for making movies.

IDVD is specifically designed to work with iMovie. I also use and own toast. However, for making movies iDVD is easier to use and will give better results.

IDVD is easy to get. You will find it on the iLife 09 or iLife 11 disc.

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MC623Z-A-iLife-VERSION/dp/B003XKRZES/ref=sr_1_1?ie=U TF8&qid=1336096911&sr=8-1

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Answer 3

May 4, 2012 12:25 AM in response to David Bartosic

Hi

If there is no iDVD on Your Mac (and it's not on newer Macs as Apple discarded it) then You need a program that can do this.

Your Mac can burn CDs and DVDs - BUT DVD as Data-DVDs not as Video-DVDs - they need a program to be encoded and STRUCTURED as such.

• iDVD is part of the boxed version of iLife'11 and can only be bought outside Apple as on Amazon and e-bay

• DVD Studio pro - Part of FinalCut Studio Pro bundle - this to has expired and can only be bought second handed. (High price and tough learning Curve - but best ever done.)

• Roxio Toast™ - Not as elegant as iDVD - but has many other positive additions (I like it as 10-Pro incl BD-component) (now version 11)

• Burn - only free alternative I know of on internet. Very simple - Just for doing a plain Video-DVD

Burn http://www.digital-digest.com/software/Burn.html

only You can buy from Apple is

• FinalCut Pro-X which also can burn to DVD but without any nice themes.

AppleMan1958

You can also buy Compressor from Apple for $50 US. It will also create DVD and BluRay but without the nice themes.

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 4

May 4, 2012 4:11 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

I'd love to use iDVD since it was probably designed to work with iMovie but my updated copy most likely won't be here in time. I've looked at my Toast Titanium 5 program and it says it will burn a video DVD but first I have to have a video_TS file. Sooo, I looked that up and sort of know what that means, but how do I turn what's in iMovie into that format? The only SaveAs feature I see saves what I did as a .mov file.

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Answer 5

May 4, 2012 5:09 AM in response to David Bartosic

My Roxio Toast™ says something else.

Toast 5.0.1

Toast 5.2.1

Can copy a made DVD to a new one

But can not

• encode the special .mpeg2 code - or -

• create the needed Video-DVD structure

This was included in later versions

• Toast 9 and 10 and 11 can do this

My guess is that it was first included in Toast 6 or 7

Down-load Burn and use this instead.

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 6

May 4, 2012 5:40 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

Thank you Bengt. I DID download Burn a couple hours ago but am not sure how to use it. What do I have to do to the slideshow that is in iMovie so that Burn will process it properly? No documentation came with and I am really unfamiliar with all this.

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Answer 7

May 4, 2012 6:34 AM in response to David Bartosic

In my Burn there was Documentations

In iMovie - Export as streamingDV - then use this in Burn.

then let it convert - just click Choose

Then Save Image - or burn

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 8

May 4, 2012 6:44 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

Uh oh, let me guess. My version of iMovie HD (5.0.2) does not support "export". At least I don't see that option. I'm trying to recreate this show in Powerpoint, which is at least a little newer (2008) and turning it into a DVD that way. Any pointers?

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Answer 9

May 4, 2012 6:49 AM in response to David Bartosic

Of Cause it does - Else it would be useless.

On Top row menu - Apple/iMovie/Edit/View/Markers/Share

Down Share to QuickTime

Else Down File menu to Export

Yours Bengt W

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Answer 10

May 4, 2012 11:22 AM in response to Bengt Wärleby

I finally cried uncle and had a guy down the hall in another business convert a Powerpoint version to a DVD. Maybe things will be easier when my new iDVD version arrives. Thanks for all the suggestions, though. I REALLY appreciate these forums.

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