[Joe Bowden]

99 chapters per timeline is a DVD-Video limitation, not one imposed by Encore.

Try multiple timelines.

[Joe Bowden]

No worries. Just want to make sure the information is right for any future readers.

Thanks for posting your workaround, btw.

[Joe Bowden]

[Kevin Monahan] “The preview function of Encore looks bad and does
represent the real quality of what is on the timeline.”

I think you meant to type that it does NOT represent the real quality of the video in the timeline?

[Joe Bowden]

Yeah, Apple DVD Player supports HD-DVD folders and images, but not Blu-ray.

Not sure if there are any commercial solutions for this on the Mac yet. If you have a new-ish Windows PC, you could use PowerDVD Ultra.

[Joe Bowden]

If you built a DVD image, then Encore should have transcoded all your HD video to SD, and create a standard DVD-Video image file. Or did you create a BD image file?

If it’s BD, then you’ll need a software player that supports Blu-ray (Apple’s DVD Player does not). Try vlc, maybe? Anything else would probably be retail software, and I don’t imagine there are many choices on the Mac yet.

[Joe Bowden]

Also note that HDV is supported natively in HD DVD, but is not supported in Blu-ray, and would need to be transcoded. I remember that tidbit of information from a ways back.

You might want to do a web search on this and see what you can glean from it.

[Joe Bowden]

No worries.

Something like this shouldn’t affect application stability. If you have reproducible steps that introduce instability, please file a bug report on Adobe’s web site.

[Joe Bowden]

Well, if it’s a Blu-ray legal video format, then something else is causing Encore to transcode it. Two guesses at a solution come immediately to mind:

1. There is audio in this MOV file, and Encore is transcoding only the audio. Try stripping out the streams and then importing these into Encore.

2. The fact that it’s in an MOV wrapper causes Encore to use its QuickTime handling code, and it’s essentially being transcoded because it’s a MOV file. I don’t have a lot of confidence that this is what’s happening, but if it is, the solution is the same as the first guess.

I’m not totally convinced your video is Blu-ray legal. What’s its bit rate? And it’s 1920×1080 at 60i? Not 59.97?

[Joe Bowden]

HD DVD and Blu-ray requirements are not exactly alike.

If Encore is transcoding your video, then it’s not Blu-ray legal. Check Encore’s help for more information on Blu-ray legal frame sizes/rates.

[Joe Bowden]

When you add anything to the menu, you must render it.

File > Render > Motion Menus.