[Anne Muun]

What is the best program to convert AAC audio to AC3?
Encore does open the AAC file but it’s 10 minutes, while it is supposed to be 23 minutes.

[Anne Muun]

I think it’s the Encore project folder, since it has the transcodec MPG’s and the menu’s.
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand where I can find the DVD-Rom folder you mentioned.

[Anne Muun]

I’ve checked the DVD-ROM folder, which is 8,90 GB. (If that is what you meant) The folders contains Chache and Sources folders…

Anyway, the previously burned dvd has a VTS folder size of 4.33 GB. The one I tried to burn today has a size of 4.38 GB.

I work on a WinXp PC. I burned the DVD folder with Encore and copied it to my WinVista laptop. From there I tried to burn the folder onto a DVD, but Vista says the folder is to large. Also, in my WinXp PC, Nero couldn’t burn the folder either.

I’ve checked the Sources folder in the DVD-ROM folder. It says that all the menu’s (8 in total) are all 14,5 MB of size. Maybe that’s why the project is to big for a dvd, maybe there is a way to reduce the menu size?

[Anne Muun]

As far as I know, I didn’t add any DVD-ROM content.

Like I said, yesterday the dvd was burned succesfully.
What I did today:

I’ve created four new ‘Scene Selection’ menu’s in Photoshop. I added them to my project (of the dvd I burned yesterday). I did NOT add any movie or audio files! I just linked the ‘Scene Selection’ menu’s together and to the four excisting menu’s. I changed only one thing in the movie files, I added a cupple more Chapter Points.

Maybe I should note, that the ‘Scene Selection’ menu’s I’ve added, have four animated buttons per menu, so sixteen in total.

[Anne Muun]

I converted the files to directly from VOB to MPG and the quality is mucht better! The episodes play fine and editing in Encore is easier 😀

There’s just one other thing. I’ve decided to put a Scene Selection menu on the dvd. Yesterday I’ve burned the dvd without any problems, but without the Scene Selection menu’s. Right now, I want to burn the dvd again (with the Scene Selection menu’s), but now Encore suddenly says that the project exceeds the disc capacity!

The four episodes combined are 4.6 GB. Why can’t Encore burn the dvd?

[Anne Muun]

I’ll try that right now… I let you no how it turned out.

[Anne Muun]

Here are the answers:

Are your source files already mpeg2, DVD-compliant? If not, then Encore has to transcode.
The source files are originally .VOB but converted to AVI because of the framesize (720-468). Is there a way I an convert them straight to MPEG-2?

What bit rate is used for the mpeg2 files?
I have no idea… where can I find that?

What audio format are you using on the DVD – PCM, Dolby Digital, or MPEG audio?
I use Dolby Digital.

What brand of blank media are you using?
I use a dvd-rw from Imation.

What software and/or hardware DVD players are you using to test the disc?

I’ve tested 3 dvd-players and my laptop:

Laptop: Works fine… only needs a little time to think about
the second episode. (didn’t work on dvd players)

dvd player 1 (LG): Horrible… Choppy and episode 2 doesn’t work. The
dvd player just stops playing the dvd after I choose
episode 2.

dvd player 2 (Philips): Also pretty horrible. It actually always plays horrible
with dvd-rw. But again, episode 2 won’t work, the dvd
player goes back to the menu. Video is choppy.

dvd player 3 (?): Better then the other two. Video is less choppy but
the dvd player needs more time to ‘think’ about what
to play next. When choosen episode 2, it just plays
episode 1. After that, every other link to an episode
‘change’ into episode 1. Basically, I can’t play any
other episode, then episode 1.

I hope that’s enough information…

[Anne Muun]

I’ve burned the dvd, but a lot of scenes are choppy. One episode doesn’t even play!
What’s with that? And does Encore have to transcode?

[Anne Muun]

Great, thanks to everyone for there answers! My dvd is burning right now 😀 (Transcoding takes a long time pfffff)

[Anne Muun]

I have another question.

I’ve been trying to create an animated thumbnail (NOT a button) in my menu. I’ve read several topics, including this one:
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/145/863738

but I can’t seem to make it work! In Photoshop I’ve created the (%) Thumbnail group and added the thumbnail where the video must go. The problem is, that the video can be added to the thumbnail, but it’s just a still picture. I’ve set the loop point to 5 sec. but that didn’t work either.