compressing FCPX video, stalls at "waiting for Create Disk to finish."

Thanks for posting this - I don't often burn DVDs, so came to this late. I've been tearing my hair out all day because I couldn't get the burner to work, just hanging at 66%.

But then, just as you did, I right clicked on the Create DVD icon in the dock, quit and it restarted itself and got on with the job.

D'oh!

Again, how long is your video that weighs in at more than 400GB?

Russ

I have a 2012 mac book pro and a 2014 mac mini. I create archival DVD's for the local theater on a weekly basis. I edit in Final Cut Pro X and output to Compressor. The files are about an hour and a half and I use the default "Create a DVD" output. Over the last year, both systems started doing exactly what yours has. I would fully delete Compressor and re-install and that would work for a month or two but now nothing works. I have spent weeks pouring over this forum and doing everything I can to solve this. The problem seems to be wide spread all over the internet. With the latest updates I can no longer make DVD's. My business is in jeopardy and am currently taking some adobe classes because it looks like I am going to have to abandon apple because they no longer care about DVD's...

cokomo2 wrote:

. With the latest updates I can no longer make DVD's.

What did you update and to what version? Please provide your version of Compressor and OS X.

Russ

I've recently experienced the same issue with trying to make DVDs. Generally the process locks up at 67% or 68%, which is the stage where Create Disk is activated. The hang happens when I try to burn a DVD or create a DVD disc image to hard drive. It occurs whether using the FCPX preset to share to DVD, FCPX sending the project to Compressor, or using standalone Quicktime movies brought into Compressor. The hang issue happened periodically in earlier versions of Compressor, yet has really been a problem since I upgraded to the current version of Compressor, FCPX, Pro App codecs and El Capitan OS.

Like many who've encountered this, I've deleted preferences for Compressor and FCPX, canceled all jobs via Reset Queue in the Compressor -> Preferences -> Advanced tab, then selected Repair Compressor after that. This process seems to solve the issue for a while, then the hang problem at Create Disk reappears. Because of that I submitted a fairly detailed description to Apple via http://www.apple.com/feedback/compressor.html, and was contacted by a Pro Apps representative for further information. They're looking into it, so in the mean time I've been exporting .ac3 and .m2v files from FCPX using a custom Destination Bundle of Compressor DVD settings, then creating DVDs with the resulting audio and video files by using Toast DVD. It's not a perfect solution, but Compressor provides better compression quality than Toast, yet Toast easily makes DVDs or DVD disc images where Compressor is currently having problems.

@ Mark: Eliminate any background image in the FCP Settings tab of the Share dialogue. Use the Range tool to select a very short section of your timeline. Output to a disk image. If it works, the problem is the image. Resize it so that it is no taller than 480 px.

Russ

Thanks Russ. I've always used the standard black background image provided by Apple. Even though that's the case, just last week I tried what you suggested by attempting to reset the background image by choosing Add... (background image) then canceling. I've also tried a variety of video and durations from different SD projects, and can still reproduce the hang after a few successful DVD burns or outputting to disk images.

@Mark. This Create Disk hang issue has come up so many times over the past (nearly) five years that I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to how common a user case it is. It's also frustrating trying to help users who run into this because I have never been able to reproduce this consistently over several hundred DVD jobs. (Actually, there was a single occurrence – with a much earlier version of FCP X, and that was cured by the add/cancel workaround.)

The only only thing I can suggest is to create a new user account and try running the application from it. Let us know whether that worked.

Good luck.

Russ

Russ, I reached the same conclusion while researching the issue online. I've made hundreds of DVDs via FCPX and Compressor, yet only began to regularly experience Create Disk hangs. Regrettably my segment of the video world still relies on DVDs as the deliverable format, so I came up with FCPX projects being output via bundled Compressor settings (.ac3 and .m2v files), then using Toast for disk authoring. It's a solution that adds an extra step to the process, but I may need to use it until a true fix is found.

Thanks for replying to the thread. I'll try your suggestion with a new user account.

Russ,

OSX 10.11.3 Compressor 4.2.2 Thanks for responding. My issue is exactly like marks and I have done the same things. I am going to try adding a new account and will let you know how that goes.

Mark, I have exactly the same issue. Frustrating, I am glad that you have had Apple contact you and hopefully they will find something soon. I also have to distribute by DVD and feel the world is dropping away from under me. I do the same workflow as a workaround (exporting a bundle with FCPX and actual burn with Toast but I cannot get the chapter text that I need by going that route creating some unhappy clients.

I had left "Create Disc" open and running in the Dock.

Long story as to why tonight was my first try at Share > DVD, has something to do with hating X in 2011...

The first Share > DVD tonight worked fine. In scrubbing through it in DVD Player, I found an edit I didn't like. Fixed the FCPX timeline, then Share > DVD and it failed at 66%.

That is where FCPX hands off and launches the "Create Disc" application.

I tried 4 times, with the 66% (might as well be 666 and leave off the "%"), error. Found the 2013 thread about 66%. Then Google found this one from 2015+. I hope this helps anyone...

I removed the edit I didn't like, and then a second edit, because 66% was at 48:30 into my timeline, and I worked on the concept that the "%" was the percentage of my video! I also removed the background image, BUT THEN saw in the Dock that "Create Disc" was running. I "Force Quit" "Create Disc", and Share > DVD worked.

I left the Dock showing, by keeping the mouse hovered over it, and watched the % completed in FCPX like a hawk. Had to get out my glasses! Darn, the font size is so TINY for 65 year-old eyes! Apple and "Accessibility"! Bah Humbug!

Right at 66%, "Create Disc" launched in the Dock. Less than a minute later, 100%!

I've had this sitting at 66% half a dozen times in a row - then read your 'create disk' comment

I force-quit create disk from the task tray and instantly it kicked off again and all good.

Apple - hope your reading this!!!

Just to put my 2 cents in with a vote for force-quitting Create Disk.

Been driving myself nuts for two days. Whether I am creating a dvd or a disk image, it stalled at 66% "Waiting for Create Disk to complete".

Have been waiting to upgrade to Sierra and the next FCPX update (10.3.1) until I finish this project. Which, of course, would be finished now if I could have burned the dvds already, LOL.

On the other hand, maybe upgrading to Sierra and/or FCPX 10.3.1 would have solved the problem. I'll check that out, too. Of course, since we also all talk about the 100's of dvds we have burned successfully, getting it to work after updates is no sign of a permanent cure...

Like all the rest, have had no problem burning from in FCPX.

Considered dumping my 720 version video file into iDVD, but looks like I'd have had the same problem without feedback on why. May try it anyway, just in case.

Been searching communities all day, and finally asked the right question by quoting "Waiting for Create Disk to complete".

Hooray, and thank you very much for a solution that seems to be working. At least, it did this time on a short test video.

Thanks again, even if it is a stupid half-step that shouldn't be necessary.