8 Replies Latest reply: Sep 1, 2009 10:08 PM by DawnTreader777 RSS

    Encore being unruley with finishing a project

    DawnTreader777 Community Member

      Hello All

       

      First, I want to thank anyone who can chime in on this ahead of time. I have been working on this project for over 2.5 years and I am about to cry, and I am not kidding around.

       

      I have everything exactly as I want it; menus leading to menus, transitions, the whole project is set up and ready to go.

       

      My computer specs:

       

      AMD 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+ 2.3GHz
      3GB RAM
      ASUS M3N72-D with onboard hybrid video card nForce 750a
      EVGA nVidia 8600GT with 256MB PCIE video card
      OCZ 60GB SSD as my C Drive
      1TB Seagate SATA2 drive as the project drive
      1TB Seagate SATA2 drive as my documents drive
      320GB Seagate SATA2 drive as another video project drive
      Windows XP SR3, 32 bit

      Adobe CS4
      Samsung Syncmaster 226bw
      LG L1970HR
      Gateway 17"

       

      A while ago I had a problem with this project and the latest nVidia video drivers so I am still running 181.20 until I am finished with this project.

       

      I have in this project 1 video intro with audio that I use to flow into the main menu. The main menu has a motion background and audio. There are 4 choices on the menu. The first leads to a menu that allows the user to choose to either play the entire main 16 chapter timeline, or start at one of the first 8 chapters. This menu has a link to a second menu where the user can start at one of the other 8 chapters that were not on the first sub menu, the button between the 2 chapter menus has a transition of only video.

       

      The second choice on the main menu leads to a playlist chapter menu. The playlist basically takes a few chapters out of the main time line and plays everything else. The 2 chapter playlist menus work exactly like the first 2 for the full timeline.

       

      The third choice on the main menu leads to yet another chapter playlist menu. This playlist only plays the chapters that were taken out from the last list. This has only one chapter menu, no need for a transition.

       

      The fourth choice on the main menu leads directly to a "slideshow" video created from after effects. This video has audio.

       

      I have a total of 2 major timelines, the main video is about 1.5 hours and the video slideshow is 18 minutes. According to Encore the encoded video of the main video is 6.036GB and the slideshow is 1.1GB. The other timelines are 4 small 2 second videos of fades between the main menu and the submenus or the slideshow video. These small video transitions are 2.077MB each. The intro video is 23 seconds at 24.3MB.

       

      Looking at things I think I could have done it a bit different, simpler, but it is done now, has been for at least a couple of weeks, just trying to get it on a DVD and work. Currently my problem is getting it to render a DVD without complaint. I have 2 problems in this regard.

       

      The first is that when I try to render directly to a disc Encore goes through and does all the transcoding and then prepares the file layout and then craps out on the error: Dual Layer -- This disc requires a layer break.

       

      ok, so I figure somehow the setting was changed, even though I don’t remember making a change, so I will check the setting and put it back to automatic because that has always worked before. I go to the build pane and lo and behold the setting is AUTOMATIC. Well gee... what do I do now?

       

      so I figure, ok, maybe I can trick it into re-doing the layer break and make the disc an 8.0GB disc by choosing custom and making it big enough for what encore is telling me the project will take in terms of size, but smaller than an 8.5GB disc. That way it might put the layer break in AUTOMATICALLY. After trying to render it this way I get the message Dual Layer -- This disc requires a layer break.

       

      Hmmm.... so I need to get a prototype done so I can see that it is working, that my project is really finished, so let’s out put to a folder and use a burning program to put it on disc. This works great! I actually rendered and was then able to use Nero to burn a video DVD from the resulting folder and everything seems fine. There was one weird thing I notice however; in Encore it is now telling me that the DVD is 8.54GB in the build panel. Oh well, let’s test it out in the DVD player...

       

      My DVD player won’t load the disc... but my Blue Ray player will... what gives?

       

      So I am thinking that maybe Nero doesn’t lay it down proper for a DVD player, but my Blue Ray doesn’t care. So I try again to render to a disc image. Dual Layer -- This disc requires a layer break. WHAT?!?! Shouldn’t that be done by the program putting it on the DVD? After all this is just an image...

       

      Ok. So... what to try next...

       

      I think maybe the project is a little too big; maybe I need to limit the project to 7Mbps, instead of the 8Mbps that it was at by default. Changed...

       

      so I have now cleared all the transcode copies from the transcode folder, deleted all the cache files and think, well transcoding is taking up the most time each time I try to resolve this issue so why not transcode everything now, and then when I ask it to build the project into something it would go a lot quicker. So I right click on the first file that it would need to transcode and tell it to Transcode Now. Happily an orange bar appears in the progress panel and things look great. The orange bar disappears and it says it is working on importing the file... ok... wait...

       

      And wait...

       

      The file it transcoded is 23 seconds of video at 706.4MB of data.

       

      And wait...

       

      Hmmm... where is the orange bar... shouldn’t something be happening by now...?

       

      This is taking too long... wait some more... you know how impatient you can get when you think something should be happening and it doesn’t...

       

      And wait...

       

      706.4MB FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!...! 

       

      so... here I sit wondering what I am going to do, customer called this morning, I told him that I was about to be finished...

       

      Killed the transcode by hitting stop. Clear all the transcode folders and clear the cache again. Close and reopen the project. Look for another way of getting this done.

       

      Hmmm... what does a DVD master do?

       

      I have never had so much trouble creating a DVD as I have had with this project. Does anyone have any ideas?

        • 1. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
          Jeff Bellune CommunityMVP

          I have been working on this project for over 2.5 years

          What version of Encore did you use when you started this project?  I know it wasn't...

          Adobe CS4

          So my first recommendation would be to finish your project in the version of the software that you started with.

          I will check the setting and put it back to automatic because that has always worked before. I go to the build pane and lo and behold the setting is AUTOMATIC.

          Is that the transcode setting or the Layer Break setting?  If the Layer Break, then try the Manual setting.  Encore may have trouble setting an automatic layer break because the first timeline is so big compared to the second timeline.

          So I am thinking that maybe Nero doesn’t lay it down proper for a DVD player, but my Blue Ray doesn’t care.

          That would be my guess as well.  Nero is notorious for that kind of stuff.

          I have now cleared all the transcode copies from the transcode folder, deleted all the cache files

          Did you "Revert to Original" first?  If not, you may have irrevocably hosed your project.  You may be better off reverting to an earlier version rather than trying to save or fix this one.

           

          Again, my best advice is to finish the project in the same version of Encore that you used to start the project.

           

          -Jeff

          • 2. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
            Jeff Bellune CommunityMVP

            OCZ 60GB SSD as my C Drive

            This could be a problem if your system and/or application temp folders are there.  You could be running out of temporary file space depending on how full that 60 GB drive is.

             

            -Jeff

            • 3. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
              DawnTreader777 Community Member

              Jeff Bellune wrote:

               

              OCZ 60GB SSD as my C Drive

              This could be a problem if your system and/or application temp folders are there.  You could be running out of temporary file space depending on how full that 60 GB drive is.

               

              -Jeff

               

               

              Hello Jeff

               

              Well, according to what i see right now i have 27.7GB free.

               

              the project drive has 457GB free.

               

              the other terabyte has at least 17GB and the 320 is at least a few GB.

               

              i dont have my documents on the C Drive as there wouldnt be enough space, but the project is not in my documents either. that is on the mostly free terabyte.

              • 4. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
                DawnTreader777 Community Member

                Hello Again

                 

                What version of Encore did you use when you started this project?  I know it wasn't...

                 

                correct. it was Production Suite CS 2.

                 

                So my first recommendation would be to finish your project in the version of the software that you started with.

                 

                I wish. If it was easy to just flip back and forth that wouldnt be a problem. but to spend another week at least changing it back... not going to happen.

                Is that the transcode setting or the Layer Break setting?  If the Layer Break, then try the Manual setting.  Encore may have trouble setting an automatic layer break because the first timeline is so big compared to the second timeline.

                 

                it is the layer break setting. although everything is set to automatic transcode too, so i could say both. but i was refering to the layer break setting.

                Did you "Revert to Original" first?  If not, you may have irrevocably hosed your project.  You may be better off reverting to an earlier version rather than trying to save or fix this one.


                i know that today through all my troubleshooting i reverted to original before deleting files, but I am unsure if i had tried deleting the transcode folder and cache folder before in the past and whether or not i had reverted before doing so. i know that when i went in there today that there was at least 5 to 6 transcode folders for each piece of the project.

                 

                at this point i think there is an important piece of information that i failed to mention. the main video and the slideshow are both premier timelines dynamically linked into this project. further the premier timelines have after effect compositions that are dynamically linked to them.

                 

                i am thinking that i am going to remove all links from this project and just render out the 2 videos and then import them and set up anything that i broke when removing the linked material. if it still doesnt work i will redo everything from scratch using all the rendered material.

                 

                one other thing. i have already restarted the encore project once from scratch due to an anomalous paradise menu joining my project without my permission. i was done and found this thing and couldnt remove it. eventually the project hosed itself after trying to delete it from the source files.

                 

                i have to say that out of all the programs i use to do my "on the side video services" for people Encore is the worst piece of crap i have ever had to deal with, and yet at the same time it is by far the most promising.

                 

                IF IT WOULD WORK CORRECTLY with out having to hand hold and baby it. My 2 year old son has less tantrums than Encore!

                • 5. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
                  DawnTreader777 Community Member

                  one other thing that i read that maybe a contributing factor is the fact that i am using DVD+R DL 8.5GB Discs. does this seem likely to be the reason my DVD Player wont but my Blue Ray will? and if so does anyone have any idea where i can get DVD-R DL 8.5GB Discs.

                   

                  additionally, does anyone know a program or a way to revert a CS4 project to a CS2 project?

                   

                  i am so hosed...

                  • 6. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
                    DawnTreader777 Community Member

                    hello again...

                     

                    I am beside myself...

                     

                    I just retried the disc I created...

                     

                    I put it in the DVD player and 2 seconds later...

                     

                    there was my intro video...

                     

                    I took the other prototype that wasn't working...

                     

                    boom. it played.

                     

                    I started thinking about what I was doing and why suddenly 2 discs that didn't work when I had burned and tried them in the DVD player, were suddenly working.

                     

                    the key being " burned and tried "

                     

                    I think my player doesn't like a disc until it has "cooled down"

                     

                    I tried each of the discs almost immediately after I had pulled it out of the burner. I know burning the disc makes it warm, but I didnt think that would cause a problem for the player.

                     

                    so it wasn't my project, or the way I was creating the discs. it was my impatience.

                    • 7. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
                      Jeff Bellune CommunityMVP

                      Wow.  That's a new one for me.  I bet I have to walk farther to my player than you do to yours.

                       

                      Thanks for posting the solution, and for the detailed troubleshooting steps along the way.  It's always a good idea to test a disc in a few players, at least one hardware and one software player, especially if it doesn't work the first time.

                       

                      -Jeff

                      • 8. Re: Encore being unruley with finishing a project
                        DawnTreader777 Community Member

                        Either that or i am so impatient to try it out i get there faster.

                         

                        thanks for the suggestions along the way. it is always comforting that people are feeling your pain.

                         

                        i find sometimes when i write out my thoughts i realize something while i type. there have been posts that i have put on hold by copying and pasting it to a text file and never using because i wrote out things.

                         

                        ttyl and thanks.