Final Cut Xpress to IDVD help--my business depends on it!!

[skidd25]

Ok,

I am brand new to this site--mac rumors--and I only came across it because I am desperate. Since I have looked around the site I can see that there is a wealth of knowledge that is shared and I am hoping someone out there can help me!

Here is what I am dealing with. I am using Final Cut Express 2 to create movies (lenght about 1hr 35min), exporting them as a Quicktime movie, and then taking that movie to IDVD3. Now this had originally worked fine and I was able to create my DVDs. But some how within the last two movies I have created, after I created the project and then export as a QT movie--I will bring it to IDVD start the process of burning and it will go to step 3--asset encoding--and magically stop! There is no error # given and IDVD doesnt even say that it has stopped--it just does. Recently I have noticed that after I have exported as a QT movie, that I am unable to play it in the Quick Time player and it gives me an unknown error -2125??.

I am a student at college and the creation of these DVDs has been a business venture and it is very frustrating to have worked so hard--just to see the most important step--burning the DVD not work. If anyone can offer any help I would appreciate it--if I am not in the right forum place...please let me know as well. If there are more details needed or anything else I would gladly work through it as detailed as possible.

One last request--if there is any other way to take a final cut express creation that is over 1.5 hours and burn it to a dvd (I have been splitting the projects in half and using toast at this point--which obviously is no IDVD) please advise.

Thank you, and I hope someone can help me.

 

[djbahdow01]

Did you try trashing the prefs to iDVD, and also how come your not using iDVD 4. COnsidering it works in iDVD 3 more power to ya, but I would recomend upgrading iDVD to 4 if you can if not 5. But first try to trash the prefs of iDVD, that might work.

 

[LeeTom]

If the movies you're exporting aren't even playable in QuickTime Player, then I don't think iDVD is the problem. Check your export settings, and try exporting again.

Lee Tom

 

[sigamy]

I agree that if the Quicktime file won't play then you may have another issue. Try exporting your movie with other settings. Get a good export and then move on to iDVD.

Repair permissions and delete the iDVD prefs file. Look in User/Library/Prefs/

Go into iDVD and see if there is an option for "delete encoded assets". I know it is present in iDVD4 and iDVD5, not sure about v3. This sometimes helps when people can't get past stage 3.

You should consider the upgrade to iDVD4, and then install all patches. iDVD5 seems pretty stable but if you have things to get out the door v4 may be the better choice.

Close all other apps. Don't surf the web, don't email. Nothing. Let iDVD do it's job. Depending on your machine it could take 2-5 hours to get a 90minute DVD encoded and burned.

Another place for help is Apple's Discussions pages. http://discussions.info.apple.com

 

[pdpfilms]

The quicktime problem aside, what kind of DVD-Rs are you using? I started having that same problem when i switched to a kind that was incompatible with the Superdrive. It would just stop at step 3. If you're using Apple media, then good luck to you, i can offer no more assistance.

 

[Makosuke]

One last request--if there is any other way to take a final cut express creation that is over 1.5 hours and burn it to a dvd (I have been splitting the projects in half and using toast at this point--which obviously is no IDVD) please advise.

Easy--upgrade to iDVD 4 or 5. Both not only allow up to 2 hours of video, but do VBR encoding so you get much better quality out of any project over 60 minutes when compared to iDVD 3 or earlier (which used CBR encoding).

Besides, if you're actually making money off of this, the new themes in 4 and 5 are so good looking that it'd probably be worth the upgrade right there. iLife '05 only costs $49 through the Edu store, since you're a student.