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  1. On my Macbook Pro I am using iDVD 7, and wanting to prep video files in such a way so that when iDVD goes into its rendering routine it doesn't take 4.5 HOURS as last time (this I call 'the death spirial')! Can anyone pls comment on best way for me to proceed?

    1. I DL'd an .avi file, file size 650MB.

    2. Would it be most efficient, in terms of getting iDVD to be happy and not do the 4.5 hr death spiral, to convert it to QT or NTSC-DV before dropping into iDVD? If QT, what to set the slider at (I'm using MPEG streamclip app) to, 100%? I think I did that one time and the file size ended up going from 650Mg to 11Gigs or some ungodly file size (my memory might be wrong, but it was so large I deleted it--w/ my SSD I must be cautious about it filling up)! Is there a middle ground where you don't suffer as to crispness, yet you don't need 2 buy a new hard drive when it's converted ????

    3. If it's better to convert the AVI to NTSC-DV, all the settings on MPEG streamclip are kind of baffling, can you explain what settings are best to use? From my research, I'm understanding that audio=48Hz, frame rate 29.97, is this right? But there are more options to choose and I don't want to do it wrong. "Upper field first" etc. is baffling.

    4. Taking a step back, I DO have to convert from AVI to SOMETHING B4 burning w/ iDVD, right? I don't think dropping an AVI file into iDVD is going to be happiness and light.

    4. Versions I'm using are: iDVD v7.1.2 / MPEG streamclip v1.9.3b7 / Mac OSX 10.8.4.

    5. I've got a pretty fast processor and an SSD so it's kind of surprising to me that it took 4.5 hrs to transcode one DL DVD the other night. All 4 films were .MP4 before going into iDVD. True, the DL was pretty full, but still. Am I right to be surprised (and to therefore find ways to make the final transaction quicker), or do I just need to wise up that digital video is LONG and HARD and often practiced OVERNIGHT ???

    Thx for your help, I'm a professional writer trying to get up to speed on making DVDs that will work in the average person's DVD player out there. I don't have the budget to hire a video wonk, and believe w/ the right amount of study, I can at least be not dangerous in doing my own DVD creation work. Is this doable, or a pipe dream?
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  2. Member DB83's Avatar
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    Discussions about Mac software should be addressed in the Mac forum. You could ask a mod to move this topic there.

    On the other hand, discussions about downloaded material are a grey area and could be against forum rules.
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  3. Don't know Mac software but -

    Size of file without running time is useless and meaningless, provides no useful information, similar to "AVI" - you might as well just call it "video". What codec?

    Generally, you CONVERT with a CONVERSION program, and then BURN with a BURNING program. 4.5 hours is not at all out of line, ESPECIALLY with no clue about the codec, resolution, running time, audio type, etc.

    As for what to convert for initially, you want to re-encode ONLY ONCE. Look up the DVD specs, then what your burning program is picky about, and convert to THAT. In the PC world, the strong recommendation is to use a burning program that does nothing else other than burn, no conversion. Get the file to DVD spec in one shot, author for DVD file spec, and burn.

    How to do that with MAC software I have no clue. Avoid multiple conversions.
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  4. Originally Posted by dunkmeister View Post
    4. Taking a step back, I DO have to convert from AVI to SOMETHING B4 burning w/ iDVD, right? I don't think dropping an AVI file into iDVD is going to be happiness and light.
    Not necessarily. If you want to create/burn a standard DVD video disc, then yes it's got to be converted, but if you burn the AVI to a CD or DVD data disc (as you'd burn any other file) most DVD players will play it. A DVD player would need to be fairly old not to support Xvid/Divx/AVI.

    Having said that....
    It's possible when the video was encoded, there were encoder settings used which DVD players don't like and a player might refuse to play it, or not be able to play it without stuttering, but most video in AVIs isn't encoded that way and if the AVI will play using one DVD players it's pretty likely any AVI capable DVD player will play it.

    I know nothing about Macs or Mac software, but in PC-Land most conversion programs capable (or designed for) outputting video ready to burn as a compliant DVD-Video disc, will accept a variety of types of input video. Being a Mac I don't know how likely AVI is to be one of them.
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    Originally Posted by hello_hello View Post
    Not necessarily. If you want to create/burn a standard DVD video disc, then yes it's got to be converted, but if you burn the AVI to a CD or DVD data disc (as you'd burn any other file) most DVD players will play it. A DVD player would need to be fairly old not to support Xvid/Divx/AVI.
    No. Most new DVD players sold in the US can't play Xvid/DivX/AVI, only DVD video discs, music CDs and JPEG photos on CD, and that has been true in the past as well. Philips brand DVD players are the most likely to have the ability to play Xvid/DivX/AVI, although not all their models have included this feature. New Blu-Ray players sold here are much more likely to have the ability ability to play video files of various kinds.
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  6. Originally Posted by dunkmeister View Post
    5. I've got a pretty fast processor and an SSD so it's kind of surprising to me that it took 4.5 hrs to transcode one DL DVD the other night. All 4 films were .MP4 before going into iDVD.
    Four movies? So you're converting 6 to 8 hours of video to MPEG 2 to be put on one dual layer DVD? Then 4.5 hours isn't out of line. Converting to some other intermediate format is only going to take more time and degrade the quality.
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  7. Member hech54's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by jagabo View Post
    Originally Posted by dunkmeister View Post
    5. I've got a pretty fast processor and an SSD so it's kind of surprising to me that it took 4.5 hrs to transcode one DL DVD the other night. All 4 films were .MP4 before going into iDVD.
    Four movies? So you're converting 6 to 8 hours of video to MPEG 2 to be put on one dual layer DVD? Then 4.5 hours isn't out of line. Converting to some other intermediate format is only going to take more time and degrade the quality.
    I just caught this too.
    4 movies to one DVD(even if it's dual layer) is absolutely RIDICULOUS.
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  8. Originally Posted by usually_quiet View Post
    No. Most new DVD players sold in the US can't play Xvid/DivX/AVI, only DVD video discs, music CDs and JPEG photos on CD, and that has been true in the past as well. Philips brand DVD players are the most likely to have the ability to play Xvid/DivX/AVI, although not all their models have included this feature. New Blu-Ray players sold here are much more likely to have the ability ability to play video files of various kinds.
    That surprised me, so I went to Best Buy's website and looked at their range of DVD players. Scanning through them I counted twelve models which listed AVI, mpeg4 or DivX as a supported format, but there were still plenty which didn't.
    I guess you're right though, it's probably far less likely someone in the US will own a Xvid/DivX/AVI capable DVD player than maybe someone living anywhere else in the civilised world. I don't really know why. Where I am it's almost impossible to buy a DVD player which can't also play AVI.
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  9. Member hech54's Avatar
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    IMO....most DVD players DO play Divx/Xvid.....but only from something like a memory stick. A few can play them when burned to CD.....fewer still can play them when burned to a DVD.
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  10. Hello to All,

    I'm the thread originator. MANY THANKS to the folks who replied, commented, etc. Letting me know that 4.5 hrs to code for DVD isn't out of line was VERY helpful; sometimes it helps to know where the outlines of one's universe are.

    Will try to get this moved or copied to a Mac thread, I chose the newbies forum b/c I'm a newcomer.

    About the question several of you bantied about, whether out there in the gen'l public land folks have AVI-capable DVD players, I think that the general public does NOT buy a new DVD player every few years like we techies do. Sure at the Best Buy et al there are many of them being sold TODAY, but when you consider the MILLIONS of Americans who have DVD players, you would be surprised how old many of them are. Its like a lawnmower to John Q Public: buy one and you don't buy a new one if the old one is still working. I'm going to assume the oldest technology just so I can please the most folks, whether their DVD player is new or old.

    Thx again to all and feel free to post more thoughts if you think them helpful.

    Dunkmeister
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  11. These days I convert most files to .mp4, copy to a flash drive and play on my xbox. So much quicker than burning to a dvd and much better quality when I start with HD movies. When I do need to burn to a dvd I usually use mpeg2works 4 to convert and also to make a disc image as well, if I need simple menus I'll use Toast for that as it is fairly quick.
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  12. Zombie (and anyone else)

    Thx for your post. I assume you're a Mac guy?

    I like the idea of using iDVD to make a .dmg and then making copies using Mac disk utility to do straight copy instead of transcoding again via iDVD. But here's a question: I recall seeing the advice that this strategy for making copies faster does NOT work using DL disks. Is this still true? Or is there a workaround?

    Dunkmeister
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    Apple's Disk Utility will produce good DL DVDs but the bigger question is whether specific DVD players will accept the layer break. DVD players are somewhat obsolete now (yes, they sell them but no new development is being done on such an old technology). I'd second pixel zombie's suggestion. I convert my vid's to H264/AAC in either an MP4 or M4V container (depends on the conversion app but I can alter the extension afterward without an issue), then drop the file onto a flash drive for my WDTV player. Such a device is:

    1. Under $100 if you search for a sale or a deal.
    2. Compatible with a host of formats (even AVI although FF through an AVI is iffy).
    3. Compatible with both HDMI and Composite TVs.
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  14. I hardly ever burn DVDs either. Everything is now on my NAS and viewed with a HTPC, WDTV Live, or Blu-ray player with the ability to browse network shares for media files.
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