After Toas 7 encodes size shrinks

[soundchaser]

Here's the situation: I wanted to back some VHS stuff. Recorded in a G4 with Panther in Quicktime 7 (fast and easy) in the "source" mode (bigger-better files). The stuff ended up in 4.2 GB, perfect for a DVD. Put the movs in Toast 7 to burn a DVD, customized menus, etc. But when Toast finished encoding the size of the thing had come down to 1.17 GB, which means I had a lot of space left. Questions are,
-Are the resulting files of lesser quality ?
-How can I know how much I can put into a DVD and not waste hours of encoding only to find out it was too much or too little ?
-Can I add files to the 1.17 GB disc image already encoded ?

Thanks,

[rumplestiltskin]

Check your Toast Video settings. Turn Re-encode to "Never". Let us know how it goes.

[Frobozz]

Your source video recorded from the VHS is either a QuickTime .mov file or a DV file. Video DVDs require the video format to be MPEG encoded. There is a maximum bit rate (level of compression) that meets the spec for playback on DVD players. Toast automatically encoded the MPEG at a high quality setting. You can use the custom encoding settings in Toast to raise the bit rate to the absolute maximum, but I doubt you'll see any difference compared with Toast's automatic settings.

In addition to compressing the video to MPEG, Toast also automatically compresses the audio to Dolby Digital AC-3. Using the custom encoding settings you can change the audio to uncompressed PCM or a higher-rate AC-3.

If you just want to copy the QuickTime video to a DVD then use the Data window rather than the Video window. But this won't be playable on a DVD player.

You cannot add more content to an already burned DVD. The best guide to how much content will fit to a DVD is the bar surrounding the burn button in Toast.

[soundchaser]

Tks people...Frobozz, I agree that the defaults on Toast will be ok, especially if the source is good ol' vhs. On the other hand, I know you can't add anything to a burned DVD, my question referred adding content to the DVD image I created and saved to the HD when I saw I had so much free space (in the image). Guess I can't do that either...since the image has a VIDEO_TS folder and I can't mix that with movs...right ?

[rumplestiltskin]

Well, you -can- mix .mov's but they would have to be in a folder -outside- of the VIDEO_TS folder and they would only be accessible to computers with QuickTime installed; the DVD player (set-top box) wouldn't know they were there.

[Frobozz]

You can add content to the DVD you burn that includes the content from the disc image.

Mount the image file with Toast 7. Go to the Toast Media Browser and choose DVD. You'll see your mounted image file there. Inside is the encoded MPEG. Drag it to the Toast Video window. Toast will extract the MPEG from the image file. Now you can add other videos to the Video window and burn a more full DVD. Toast won't re-encode the existing MPEG file but will multiplex it.

[rumplestiltskin]

You can add content to the DVD you burn that includes the content from the disc image.

Mount the image file with Toast 7. Go to the Toast Media Browser and choose DVD. You'll see your mounted image file there. Inside is the encoded MPEG. Drag it to the Toast Video window. Toast will extract the MPEG from the image file. Now you can add other videos to the Video window and burn a more full DVD. Toast won't re-encode the existing MPEG file but will multiplex it.

Nice tip. Yet another way to skin the cat.

[soundchaser]

That sounds ok Frobozz...I'll set to it ASAP and keep you posted.
By the way, if somebody has the time please check my post called "My DVD player skips chapters, disc plays ok in computer". Looks like a screwed IFO file or something, which I haven't the slightest clue how to fix.
Thanks !

[atticus]

hello

i have problems with toast 7

1) I burned 5 VOB files with Toast 7 but it was so bad that every title had like 10 to 15 chanpters every 30 seconds. The first title that was like 15 mins long had 3 chapters every 5mins and it was ok but the others that were 12 or 7 mins had 15 to 22 chapters each. So i decided to join all the Titles in one file.

2) I burned a 40 mins file in VOB format the problem is that the encoding wasnt good. When I played the dvd in my dvd player it was outsyncr. I decided to don't reencode the next time so i chose NEVER RE-ENCODE but i dont know why it encodes the file again even when i chose to don't.

3) The first 18 mins are ok but the rest of the play is OUTSYNCR i didn't execute other programs while encoding. I try to encode with AUTOMATHIC and CUSTOM option but it didnt work

PLZ HELP me!

[terryj]

atticus,
( although hijacking another thread isn't very nice)
AFAIK, Toast will re-encode something, albeit wither audio
or video, when making a DVD. Soemthing in your VOBS
must be needing to be re-encoded ( I suspect Audio)
for it to make a DVD.

Perhaps:

a. The audio isn't 48khz spec
b. the audio was encoded with a weird codec,
and thus isn't AIFF

as to why it is out of sync, without knowing how
you acquired the footage
( where it most likely went wrong and
became out of sync) I can't begin to say.

How did you acquire your VOBs?

[atticus]

My VOBS were recorded from TV with a LG DVD player/recorder.

[terryj]

Did you finalize the Disc in the LG, before trying to extract them from the same disc on your mac?
Could be the VOBs are
correct for DVD-VR, and not for DVD-R?

[Frobozz]

1) I burned 5 VOB files with Toast 7 but it was so bad that every title had like 10 to 15 chanpters every 30 seconds. The first title that was like 15 mins long had 3 chapters every 5mins and it was ok but the others that were 12 or 7 mins had 15 to 22 chapters each. So i decided to join all the Titles in one file.

This should be fixed in Toast 7.0.2. It is why I use VR-mode videos with Toast from my Pioneer recorder instead of Video-mode. I've tested a beta of 7.0.2 and that problem is gone for my Pioneer video-mode DVDs.

2) I burned a 40 mins file in VOB format the problem is that the encoding wasnt good. When I played the dvd in my dvd player it was outsyncr. I decided to don't reencode the next time so i chose NEVER RE-ENCODE but i dont know why it encodes the file again even when i chose to don't.

.
This depends on the resolution of the video you recorded with your LG. Some DVD recorders fit longer videos to disc by recording in a non-standard resolution. Toast by default checks this and will convert to a standard resolution. Are you using Toast 7.0.1? I think the never reencode feature works in that version.

[atticus]

i record in VIDEO mode always, i'll try in VR next time. Im not sure if my drive can read DVD in VR.
My LG records in MPG2 with VOB extention. I edited commercials and those parts that i didnt like with MPGstreamclip. Finally im not sure of my toast version but its 7.0???

Thanks a lot to you guys and sorry for my english

[Frobozz]

You should download Roxio's Toast 7.0.1 update. Toast 7 can extract the MPEGs from a VR-mode DVD using the Media Browser.

As for the chapters that appear every 30 seconds, this is due to time code breaks when the LG wrote the video-mode DVD. When you open those VOBs in Streamclip (instead of Toast) it should warn you about time code breaks. Streamclip has an option to fix time code breaks in its Edit menu. After you fix the breaks and save the resulting MPEG, you can use that MPEG in Toast without getting the 30-second chapters. Toast automatically adds chapters every 5 minutes unless an MPEG already has chapter marks embedded in the file.

Toast 7.0.2 fixes the problem with MPEGs that have time code breaks.

[atticus]

I fixed the time breaks in streamclip. Im going to update my toast and see what happens

[Frobozz]

Also, check to see that the time code breaks actually got fixed. I've had some (don't remember the source) where Streamclip said it fixed the breaks, but if I opened the saved MPEG with Streamclip again I got the message about the breaks again. Nothing seemed to fix them. But others it did fix.

[atticus]

even when i used streamclip to edit commercials, i save the files as VOBS not as mpg to avoid loss of quality.
i also noticed that when burning in toast even when you set the best encoding it loses quality. That's why i put never encoding option and toast didnt obey me LOL.
When playing a dvd on some dvdplayers, it repeats the title when you foward in 16x or 100x in old dvd players. In my LG i there wasnt any problem with that.

[atticus]

Also, check to see that the time code breaks actually got fixed. I've had some (don't remember the source) where Streamclip said it fixed the breaks, but if I opened the saved MPEG with Streamclip again I got the message about the breaks again. Nothing seemed to fix them. But others it did fix.

yeah thats happened to me i "fixed" the code breaks and when i open the file again I got the message about the breaks even when i already did it.

[Frobozz]

even when i used streamclip to edit commercials, i save the files as VOBS not as mpg to avoid loss of quality.

The VOB contains an MPEG video. You will not lose quality by choosing Convert to MPEG in Streamclip. It will be identical.

i also noticed that when burning in toast even when you set the best encoding it loses quality. That's why i put never encoding option and toast didnt obey me LOL.

Toast doesn't re-encode MPEGs as a rule. It will go through a multiplexing stage but that doesn't involve re-encoding. Is Toast saying it is encoding or is it saying it is multiplexing?

When playing a dvd on some dvdplayers, it repeats the title when you foward in 16x or 100x in old dvd players. In my LG i there wasnt any problem with that.

In Toast did you have the box checked next to Play all items continuously? If so the DVD will automatically continue playing the next title when the previous one ends.

[atticus]

i correct the chapters thing with sizzler i really like that software and i need to upgrade my quiktime to convert to MPG so im going to do it now

[atticus]

I updated my toast 7 to toast 7.0.1 and it works perfect i could resolve all my problems, but for the next projects i want to edit in toast so i have to convert VOB to DV and streamclip asks me for MPEG-2 playback codec i have the one for quicktime 6. I have quicktime 7 and MPEG-2 playback codec only works with QUICKTime 6. what can i do?

thx in advance

[terryj]

Have you tried re-installing the MPEG-2 codec
from the .pkg file? Qt 7's libraries are diffrent, and
all codecs need to be in Library/Quicktime, not
User Name/Library/Quicktime.

Aside from that, you'll have to buy the codec again
from Apple.

[atticus]

yeah i installed directly form pkg file. Quicktime pro 7 includes MPEG-2 codec?

[atticus]

This should be fixed in Toast 7.0.2. It is why I use VR-mode videos with Toast from my Pioneer recorder instead of Video-mode. I've tested a beta of 7.0.2 and that problem is gone for my Pioneer video-mode DVDs..

i recorded in VRmode but my superdrive cant read VRmode dvds. Even when i updated my toast to 7.0.1

[Frobozz]

When you say it won't read the VR mode DVDs does this mean that the Mac automatically ejects them? I have had problems with the Matshita combo drive in my iBook intermittently accepting the VR-mode discs but my G5 iMac's Matshita Superdrive does see them okay (and my LaCie external DVD drive never has a problem). It is possible your drive won't accept the discs so Toast can read them. If the drive doesn't eject the discs, Toast can read them via its Media Browser only.

But now that 7.0.2 is out you should be able to write finalized DVD-RW discs and Toast will extract those MPEGs without the time code breaks forming individual chapters.

[atticus]

yeah i can opened the files via media browser. with toast 7.0.2 can i mark capters in vob files?

[Frobozz]

If Toast sees existing chapter markers in MPEGs then it retains those markers. If none are present it automatically adds markers every 5 minutes. There is no option for you to set your own chapter markers with Toast.

I suggest choosing Save as Disc Image from the File menu instead of clicking the burn button. This way you can mount the image file and preview it with DVD Player. If it looks and works the way you want you can burn the disc image to DVD using the Image File setting in the Toast Copy window.