Invalid Video Asset

Question

Level 1

19 points

Invalid Video Asset

I am an experienced user of DVD Studio Pro. At the stage of doing an Advanced Burn/Build and Format, the burn fails with the build log error message "Invalid Video Asset".

I am using FCP 5.0.4 with Chapter Markers as the video source exporting as a QuickTime Movie in DV-PAL Codec as normal, as I have done many times before, importing the QuickTime Movie into DVDSP 4.0.3.

In DVDSP, Simulate works satisfactorily before running "Build and Format", but, strangely, after the build/burn has failed and I have returned to the DVDSP project, running Simulate again, only the audio plays and no video.

I have trashed and repeated the export of the video asset from FCP, but with the same "Invalid Video Asset" error in DVDSP.

The QuickTime Movie exported from FCP, plays satisfactorily in QuickTime 7.1.2.

The DVDSP project has no menu, the First Play being set to play the single video asset on disc insertion into a DVD player, as I have done many times before successfully in my DVDSP project builds.

OS is 10.4.7, and I have to my knowledge made no other changes to OS or other applications (in particular QuickTime), since my last two successful DVDSP projects a few days ago. I have deliberately not run Software Update in the middle of a project, including this one.

Any ideas please on the cause of the "Invalid Video Asset"?

PowerMac G5 2x2GHz

Posted on Sep 16, 2006 5:47 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Silal

Level 5

6,461 points

Sep 16, 2006 6:08 AM in response to Tony Fincham

Tony:

You can try deleting the PAR files/folders that DVDSP created because some file could damaged. DVDSP will rebuild them.

Besides that, probably not directly related with the issue, I advice encoding your movie outside DVDSP using compressor presets to get MPEG2 video and Dolby AC3 audio. DVDSP use uncompressed audio for the final build.

That way you can control 100% your encoding process before the authoring, and your format/builds will take less time and you can concentrate in the authoring.

🙂

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Answer 2

Sep 20, 2006 8:21 AM in response to Silal

Silal
I have exactly the same symptoms as Tony.
Deleting the PAR files/folders does not cure it.
Are there any hidden files that could be the cause?
Has anyone got a cure? It's driving me up the wall!
🙂

Tony:

You can try deleting the PAR files/folders that DVDSP
created because some file could damaged. DVDSP will
rebuild them.

Besides that, probably not directly related with the
issue, I advice encoding your movie outside DVDSP
using compressor presets to get MPEG2 video and Dolby
AC3 audio. DVDSP use uncompressed audio for the final
build.

That way you can control 100% your encoding process
before the authoring, and your format/builds will
take less time and you can concentrate in the
authoring.

🙂

Reply

Answer 3

Silal

Level 5

6,461 points

Sep 20, 2006 8:28 AM in response to Rog and Pete

Hi:

Are you encoding your movies from inside DVDSP or importing the encoded files?

As far as I know, all extra files that DVDSP creates are located in subfolders in the place where your assets live. Look there for the folders you didn't place by yourself.

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Answer 4

Sep 20, 2006 11:36 PM in response to Tony Fincham

Dear Tony,
Just two quick thoughts:
1
Could it be that for some reason the DVDSP format (PAL or NTSC) does not match the FCP format?
2
I have found that DVDSP is not great at encoding. I use Compressor.

Please let us know how you get on. I have not experienced your problem but some day maybe I will!

Thanks, D

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Answer 5

Silal

Level 5

6,461 points

Sep 21, 2006 3:26 AM in response to David Murray4

David:

Could it be that for some reason the DVDSP format (PAL or NTSC) does not match the FCP format?
DVDSP doesn't let you import PAL video into a NTSC project, or NTSC into a PAL one.

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Answer 6

Tony Fincham Author

Level 1

19 points

Sep 21, 2006 6:51 PM in response to David Murray4

Thank you all for your replies. I very rarely post, and it is so encouraging to see so many people reply and try and help solve a problem.

In the end I solved the problem by starting the FCP project over again, by recapturing the final edited video from a back up DV tape that I had made back into FCP under a new project. (I always immediately export my final finished videos from FCP to back up onto DV tape on completion. It has saved my projects several times!).

On re-exporting the recaptured FCP video to a QuickTime movie asset and importing that into a new DVDSP project, the DVD burned satisfactorily. So I can only assume that somehow the original QuickTime file had become corrupted during its conversion within DVDSP.

However, I note the comments in your replies about using Compressor, and I will explore that on my next project.

Once again, thaks for all your replies.

Tony

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Answer 7

Sep 26, 2006 1:57 AM in response to Tony Fincham

To everyone who has experienced the "Invalid Video Asset" during the build process in DVD Studio Pro 4 and also problems with their audio going out of sync - especially with longer projects - I believe I have found the source of the problem...

I've been confused about why some DVDs I built had these problems and others didn't - the answer is in the DVD SP markers added into the timeline in FCP and then embedded in the QT export. If you've got a few markers - then expect a problem... I think the sync problem is something to do with the GOP boundaries changing when you import an asset into DVDSP4 (so that your chapters start on exactly the frame you want them to). However this has the unfortunate side effect of shortening your video clip (just have a look at it in the assets bin) but not the audio...
It also appears to have the unfortunate side effect of making your video asset "Invalid". Handy huh?

Couple of workarounds - neither ideal:
Export a version of your FCP timeline with the markers, embed them in your DVDSP video track and then export another QT from FCP without the markers for encoding.
Alternatively, if you've already encoded your video and are short on time, try dragging your encoded m2v files in to replace the QT in the DVDSP track, and take the QT back into FCP and speed the audio up (apple-J) to make it the same length as DVDSP thinks your video QT is (bit of a rough one this, only recommended for approval copies etc)

Tony - regarding your problem above - I expect that when you recaptured all your media and then re-exported your FCP timeline, you did so without the markers, because they were already there in DVDSP from the time before?
If anyone else has experienced this, let me know your thoughts....

Cheers

Gez

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Answer 8

Sep 26, 2006 2:56 AM in response to Gez_Medinger

Let me just qualify my last post by stating that exporting from FCP without the markers does not necessarily solve the "Invalid Video Asset" problem - I just had the same problem again without the markers (strange because the time before removing the embedded markers solved it) but it does definitely seem to remove the sync issue...

Cheers

Gez

Mac Pro 2.66 Mac OS X (10.4.7) 3GB RAM

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Answer 9

Sep 27, 2006 3:03 PM in response to Tony Fincham

Yeah, this is a great board (not because of guys like me, but because we do have some real experts who are real people.)

Glad you got your thing settled, Tony. Your trick of making back-up tapes seems pretty sound to me.

Good luck out there.

D

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Answer 10

Sep 27, 2006 3:08 PM in response to Silal

Yep! You're right, S.
It was just a wild stab at a solution on my part...
But Tony got the thing fixed and that's what counts.
On with the board!
D

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Answer 11

Tony Fincham Author

Level 1

19 points

Sep 28, 2006 7:15 PM in response to Gez_Medinger

Gez, Thanks for your reply, but it doesn't seem to be the whole story, as you seem to suspect yourself.

When I recaptured the project from my back up DV tape into FCP as a new project, I reinserted chapter markers, about 20 of them in a 40 minute video, but at different places than originally, before re-exporting the FCP timeline as a QuickTime movie.

I also made a new DVDSP project when I re-exported the FCP timeline as a QuickTime movie, and imported that into the new DVDSP project.

So the source of "Invalid Video Asset" still seems a mystery, but I suspect, like you, that the chapter markers and GOP boundaries have something to do with the problem.

(For information, in my DVDSP Preferences in "Track", I have "Fix Invalid Markers on Build" ticked, and have had so for all my DVDSP projects for a long time, after having some early GOP boundary problems during DVD burning).

Tony

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