Convert .dvdproj into playable file...

[SueEsponte]

Years ago, I created a DVD using iDVD. In the intervening years, my computer died and the DVD seems to have gone missing. I've since purchased a new Mac and I was also able to find a backup of the movie in a .dvdproj file. Unfortunately, I'm running OSX El Capitan with iMovie and no means of opening the .dvdproj file (since I no longer have iDVD).

Is there any way to open the .dvdproj file using a 3rd party app or convert it into something else that I can work with? As nice as it would be to get it into iMovie to edit further, I'd be more than happy enough if I could just play it again.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Eric

 

[priitv8]

Like so many other "files" on OS X, .dvdproj is not a file, it's a bundle. That means it is a directory/folder, that Finder just presents to you as a single unit.
Have you tried to Show Package Contents in Finder and look inside, if your original media is still in there, so you can import it to other software, like iMovie??
You very probably will lose all the DVD menus and project settings, though. But in general, they don't translate well into modern formats either.

 

[SueEsponte]

Like so many other "files" on OS X, .dvdproj is not a file, it's a bundle. That means it is a directory/folder, that Finder just presents to you as a single unit.
Have you tried to Show Package Contents in Finder and look inside, if your original media is still in there, so you can import it to other software, like iMovie??
You very probably will lose all the DVD menus and project settings, though. But in general, they don't translate well into modern formats either.

Yes, I've opened the bundle. It contains a number of folders including AIFF audio files that can't be read by iMovie and also a number of .mov files that I can open separately. There's a host of other small files as well.

So, there's no 3rd party product that can translate iDVD projects?

-Eric

 

[priitv8]

Those .mov files are your media content, if I'm not mistaken.
I know of no iDVD project converters, but what would you want to convert them to? Only remotely similar things to DVD UI are Blu-Ray and iTunes Extras.
I bet it would be much easier to find iDVD and save your project(s) as DVD ISO images (if you need to preserve the menus, extras and such).
As I just checked, it still works under El Capitan.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I no longer have iDVD

As priitv8 said, iDVD will run fine on El Capitan. Is this a Time Machine backup where you found the project? If so, see if you can restore the iDVD.app bundle from /Applications/ onto your new Mac. Should run fine.

 

[Fishrrman]

Agree with post above.

Why not just dig up a copy of iDVD, and see if it will run and open the project?

Even if you don't have a copy in your backups or archives, it can be "found" if you're unafraid to "look for it"….

 

[SueEsponte]

Thanks for the replies.

1. The .mov files are old QT files that need converting. They also don't have sound. There are AIFF files but they, too, need to be converted if I want to throw them into iMovie. Also, there are lots of transitions that I'd lose since the movie has a number of different scene cuts and is quite long.

2. I only want to be able to watch the movie as I originally made it. If I could run it in a current program, I would. I'm not trying to convert it for any other purpose. I just can't find the DVD that I originally burned 10yrs ago with the movie on it.

3. Unfortunately, I found the .dvdproj files on a DVD backup with lots of other old stuff. I don't have it in a Time Machine file.

4. I have an old installation disk for OSX Lion (maybe) that I bought ages ago. I'm not 100% on the version of OSX off the top of my head but I know that it includes iDVD. Is there a way to pull iDVD off of it to load it onto my MacBook Pro running El Capitan?

Thanks again for all of the replies so far!

-Eric

 

[priitv8]

You could try to follow this instruction.

 

[SueEsponte]

You could try to follow this instruction.

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone with a Mac who could share this with me...besides, isn't that a copyright issue? Is there not some way to get iDVD off of the installation DVD I have for an old OSX or some other way I could obtain it legitimately?

-Eric

 

[priitv8]

Try, if any of these works out: https://support.apple.com/downloads/iDVD_7_0_4
7.1.2 seems to be the la(te)st version.

 

[SueEsponte]

Okay, thank you all so much!!! I was able to finally get iDVD up and working but I cannot locate my old Theme files. I can only access Themes from iDVD 6 and 7. Do you know how I can get the Themes for iDVD 1-5?

 

[tuckerdogavl]

Is there anything that can be done in 2021 and Big Sur? I just found some old .dvdproj files, when into contents, see MPEG.nobackup, and see the bits.... no sound though.