Dvd burning

charlesbt wrote:

… The options that I have considered are: …

none of these will speed up the process.

the time-consuming process is encoding/converting.

your recordings (what codec?) get converted on input.

… get converted on export.

… get converted on authoring to a dvd.

the burning process utself is a few minutes.

the only time-saving method comes to my mind is:

from within iMovie choose

Export using Quicktime/select in the many options AppleIntermediate as codec

=> internally, your project IS allready in that codec = no conversion = super-fast export.

drag the resulting, huge (10min ~8-10GB) into iDVD, which will do the transforming to disk.

.. side-effect: no lossy, useless, time-consuming in-betweens = better quality 😀

yes - Toast isn't faster in my observations.

yes - imho, he only way to speed-up (aside 'faster' hardware)

yes - more or less the only way

Hi

TO GET IT TO WORK SLIGHTLY FASTER

• Minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up hard disk

• No other programs running in BackGround e.g. Energy-Saver

• Don’t let HD spin down or be turned off (in Energy-Save)

• Move hard disks that are not to be used to Trash - To be disconnected/turned off

• Goto Spotlight and set the rest of them under Integrity (not to be scanned)

• Set screen-saver to a folder without any photo - then make an active corner (up right for me) and set

pointer to this - turns on screen saver - to show that it has nothing to show

• No File Vault on - Important

• NO - TimeMachine - during iMovie/iDVD work either ! IMPORTANT

• Lot's of icons on DeaskTop/Finder also slows down the Mac noticeably

• Start a new User-Account and log into this and iMovie get's faster too - if a project is in a hurry

• And let Mac run on Mains - not just on battery

Yours Bengt W

charlesbt wrote:

.... was using an old powerbook G4 and video camera using cassettes.

This process took quite literally a few minutes to do the whole process.

completely different cup of tea ... 😉

miniDV was handled by iMovie vers ≤6 'natively' - no conversions on import, only bottleneck was, due to mechanics, real-time-import (10min cassette = 10min import).

the project-file created within iM v≤6 was instantly (=no 'export', conversion, etc) used by iDVD to be encoded to a disk.

… aaand: miniDV was in 'DVD-format' = SDef, no time-consuming scaling processes.

for SDef from miniDV iMovie v≤6 was and is simply best.

(for AVCHD, iMv≤6 is of no use)

the invention of HDef + usage of SDef-DVD made things complicated … 😁

A friend lately created a DVD from FCPX on an iMac/i7/8GB:

2h video = 30min ..... THAT is fast ... 😁

charlesbt wrote:

… Would it be worth suggesting to my client that he uses FCPX-Final Cut Pro?…

I switched to FCPX about a year ago and haven't used iMovie since then.-

But I'm not that much in DVD-making (any more, although I once wrote this tutorials).

FCPX is blazing fast, and in conjunction with Compressor, set to use ALL cores of a Mac (here. only two, boooo) by establishing a 'virtual render net', conversions fly.-

... but iDVD wouldn't partake of these tools.

a) you can NOT use Compressor for mpeg2-encoding for iDVD - iDVD is/was made for .dv files, and swallows a very few .mov formats.

b) FCPX itself does create videoDVDs - but very ... 'primal' - no fancy, animated menus, just a black and a white theme, no 'modding' optional aside placing a picture into the background.

... plus, FCPx is a highly complex editor - compared to iMovie. Steem learning curve. The actual update to .06 changed a few things, I just learned! (booo again!) 😉

no, keep your actual workflow, 'optimize' speed by using the appleintermediatecodec as ... intermediate codec, follow Bengt's additional advice about free diskspace, and if optional, pimp your Mac with 8 - 16GBs Ram - done.

maybe your elephants can offer a dance meanwhile ... 😁

// for some unknown, silly reasons, I associate elephants as cuddly! as a school-kid, I was allowed to visit in the Hamburg zoo elephants in touch-distance. they had a baby-elephant, and that lil Jumbo liked to play nudging! we tried hard to push him, and he pushed us almost in orbit! grrrreat fun for all of us, lil' Jumbo raised his trunk and it looked like he was laughing at us! .... after a while, Ma Jumbo came, stopping the fun (mothers!), and the trainer told us, to leave the area ... I'm pretty sure, today there is in some zoo a now 45y older elephant waiting for me, pushing him around ... NO, I will never dare! but I like them .... 😁 //

Here is a way to get the iMovie part to go slightly faster.

When you FINALIZE, you create a copy in all available sizes. If you have an HD camera, you would be creating 1080P sizes and 720P sizes, which you dont need. So instead of Finalize, use SHARE/MOVIE and choose LARGE size only. You can use this Large (960x540) movie in iDVD, and you will save the time rendering all the other sizes.

If you want to save even more time, get your client out of the DVD business. Render a quick HD version. Show it to the elephant riding customer. Then, for a fee, sell them a link where they can download it themselves in full HD.

charlesbt wrote:

… Elephants are amazing animals and I can imagine the young ones to be cute and cuddly.

…

especially, when Henry Mancini adds some music:

http://youtu.be/SdIw-IK3my4

(sorry, found only an Italian dubbed version .. )

😁 😁 😁

I am having the same trouble, how do I import from a camera that has a cassette or from a dvd