I am unable to simultaneously burn six small MPEG-2 video files (14:21 minutes total) to one SL DVD disc using Toast 7.0.2.

My tools consists of: 1) iMac G4, OS 10.4.5, 27+GB free HD space 2) eyeTV 200, 2.0.1 3) LaCie d2 DVD±RW Drive 4) Toast 7.0.2 5) Verbatim SL DVD+R discs.

I am trying to determine "best-quality" settings for recording and burning analog VHS tapes to DVD discs. In that regard, I used eyeTV to record six 2-3 minute MPEG-2 test video segments (14:21 minutes total) from one VHS tape using different encoding settings for each recording. I then dragged all six recordings from eyeTV into the Toast content window and set the default Toast settings. Toast then began to encode and multiplex each recording sequentially. While multiplexing the second recording, it stopped all activity and displayed a dialog box that stated: Could not record the disc because of a Mac OS Error. Result Code = -18768.

Help, Thom

My experience with that error indicates to me that the problem is a defect in the MPEG video - possibly dropped frames. If you can re-encode the MPEG that would be the easiest approach. Since it is from a VHS tape it could be that the tape has problems which is causing the EyeTV to have problems with frame accuracy. I've sometimes has success trimming an MPEG and getting it to work (I use MPEG Streamclip for this but I think EyeTV has an MPEG editor too). You also could try exporting the MPEG to QuickTime or DV and have Toast re-encode the MPEG.

tsamtee, thanks for your suggestions... here is what I've done:

From a newly recorded analog VHS tape, I again used eyeTV to record/digitize three separate 1-minute segments using DIFFERENT eyeTV encoding settings for each. Again, I placed all three recordings/files in the Toast content window, set the default Toast settings, and commenced Toast burning to a SL DVD... and, again the error dialog box appeared and stopped all processing after the encoding of the first file.

I did the same thing again, recording each new 1-minute recording/file using the SAME eyeTV encoding settings... and, again the error dialog box appeared and stopped the process.

So, I deleted the second and third recordings from the Toast content window and proceeded to burn the one remaining file.... it worked without a problem.

At that point, my assumption was that toast was not capable of burning multiple video files in one session to a single DVD.


Today, Roxio Support replied to a web-ticket I had written to them (after my above efforts) regarding my problem and "result code = -18768". Their reply was, "Error = - 18768 would mean there is a problem with the clip, probably a damaged frame. I would suggest exporting your clip to say .DV and then use that file to author". It appeared they are suggesting the same problem/solution you where.

So, within eyeTV, I separately exported all three of the files with different eyeTV encodings to DV files on the desktop. I placed the three files into the Toast content window, set the default settings, and everything worked out fine. The quality of the files on the DVD is as good as on the original VHS tape.


Problem solved... thanks again, Thom

Well.... not quite "solved".

A 1-minute VHS recording in eyeTV that is encoded at 1.8gb/hr (lowest quality setting) creates a 38mb file. That file exported to DV balloons to 215mb for one-minute of video. Roughly, for a 2.5hr VHS recording, an exported DV file would amount to 31.5gb.

Wow... I can't use that. Any suggestions/alternatives?

Thom

Hmmm. Toast can use multiple MPEGs without producing this error. I have a different (older) hardware MPEG encoder than the EyeTV and have experienced this problem with some of its MPEGs. For me it happened when the box got too hot. I realized I should place it where there is good ventilation. That helped things a lot.

Have you contacted ElGato about this for their suggestions?

DVD video requires MPEG 2. Since that is what you want the final output to be it makes sense to either have the EyeTV encode directly to MPEG 2 as it does the video capture or to have it capture the video as DV. The latter requires about 12 GB of hard drive space for every hour of video, so I see why that isn't an attractive option.

One concern about capturing as MPEG 2 is setting the recording quality so the video will fit the DVD. The highest quality will fit about 1 hour of video to a DVD. I'm assuming that the EyeTV has instructions about which settings to use for how much video you want to capture.

By the way, which model of EyeTV are you using? Have you updated to its latest software?

I have the latest eyeTV hardware and software (2.0.1). Yes, I've corresponded with Elgato support extensively... the conclusion was, that if I wanted to capture the existing quality that appears on my VHS tapes, I'd have to live with gargantuan MPEG-2 files. That's why I started this eyeTV different encoding of multiple 1-minute MPEG-2 test files to determine what sub-VHS quality level I could live with.

I have nearly one-hundred VHS tapes that I'd like to convert, edit, and burn to DVD discs (SL or DL). And, I'd like the quality to be the same as the original VHS tapes. Many of these tapes/videos are over two hours long, even after editing within eyeTV.

It really should be working for most captures to choose an MPEG 2 setting with EyeTV. MPEG 2 files are not gargantuan and you can fit more than 2 hours of video on a 4 GB DVD with good quality. You might want to download and apply Apple's OS 10.x combined system update. There are odd Firewire and USB issues that can be fixed by, for instance, applying the 10.4.5 combined update on top of an existing 10.4.5 system. It's possible that this is what's causing your errors capturing the MPEG 2 files. Toast is reporting the error because the MPEG 2 files have problems. So the issue in my opinion is that either the EyeTV or your Mac is the source of the problem.

Are you saying that I should download the current OSX with all updates included, rather than work off of my current OSX with it's periodic updates? If so, that would cost me the $129. Right?

Sorry I'm not making this clear. There is an OS 10.4.5 combined update for free download at Apple's support site. The same is true with OS 10.3.9. Typically one would use the combined update to jump past all the incremental updates (10.4.1 to 10.4.2 and so on) when they are doing a new install from their discs. But it also is a common way to fix strange OS behavior, especially with Firewire and USB, by applying the combined updater on top of the existing updated system. So the 10.4.5 combined update is applied to the existing 10.4.5 installation. It does no harm and can do some good. This is frequently recommended at macfixit.com and I've used it to good effect with some USB 2.0 issues on my iBook.

As suggested, I downloaded and installed the OS X.4.5 combined. Unfortunately, I still receive the same error code in Toast when trying to burn multiple 1-minute video test files. Again, these video MPEG-2 files where converted 1-minute clips from one new VHS recording using eyeTV.

After over a month of experimenting with eyeTV and Toast in trying to convert, edit, and burn VHS tapes to DVD discs, while maintaining the original VHS quality, I have come the conclusion to wait for newer technology. eyeTV cannot retain VHS quality in the MPEG-2 format except at 6+gb/hr., resulting in huge video files split over multiple discs requiring massive burning times.

I realize you're fed up with these troubles. However, I'm not certain from reading your post that you did the EyeTV capture after applying the 10.4.5 combined update. Also, I'm surprised the EyeTV has a 6 GB/hr setting for MPEG 2 because that would be a bit rate that exceeds the video DVD spec and would be unusable on a video DVD without re-encoding to a lower bit rate.

As for retaining the original VHS quality there of course will be some loss of quality when doing an MPEG compression from an original source. Part of that loss is due to MPEG compression itself and part can be due to the quality of the MPEG encoder. But if you use a video bit rate setting of about 8 mbps that should be very good quality. This also fits about 1 hour of video to a DVD with PCM audio or maybe 80 minutes to a DVD using compressed audio (such as AC3).

The difficulty you are having is not common. Others are using their EyeTV's to capture VHS without these problems. Unfortunately I can't think of any more possible fixes for this.

As for other technology you might consider getting a standalone DVD recorder. I have a Pioneer DVD recorder that does very well in making DVDs from sources such as home-recorded VHS tapes. Panasonic recorders are also well regarded.

FRIDAY/YESTERDAY

I recorded entirely new eyeTV 1-min MPEG-2 clip captures (3) from one VHS tape after I had installed the new OS X combined and, as I said, still received the Error message, "result code = -18768". Toast will burn one of the video clips, but not multiple video clips.

This "Error" message was the reason for my original post. I was trying to quickly solve the much larger problem of determining which eyeTV encoding settings would best suit the capturing of VHS tapes for burning to DVD discs. Therefore, by burning to one DVD disc, multiple short VHS clip captures from one tape using different eyeTV encodings, I would be able to evaluate the different quality vs. file size settings offered by eyeTV. Without being able to burn multiple video clips, I would have to burn individual clips, of which there are six encoding settings that I'd like to evaluate. But, Toast should be able to burn multiple MPEG-2 video files, hence my original post here regarding the error message.

The "much bigger problem" is that my first attempts in early February to capture VHS tapes and edit them with eyeTV (you can't edit using DVD recorders) and then burn them with Toast, produced inferior quality or very large file sizes depending on my encoding selection. eyeTv does offer standard MPEG-2 automatic options (1.8gb/hr.), etc. But, they also offer custom settings... up to 6.4gb/hr (15mbps). It's between this range that I was recording the short clips of different encoding settings.

Recording/capturing live TV programs with eyeTV in it's "Standard" 1.8gb/hr encoding setting produces excellent quality and acceptable file size. I haven't tried to capture DVD to DVD with eyeTV, but I have read on discussion boards that it also works very well. But, my first attempts at recording/capturing VHS tapes in MPEG-2 for editing and burning to DVD discs with acceptable quality vs. files size was unacceptable.


SATURDAY/TODAY

Well, tsantee, your persistence (thank you) forced me to spend considerable time yesterday and today backtracking everything I've done over the last month and a half... and I successfully recorded duplicate quality of several different VHS tapes (5-min. segments) using the eyeTV "Standard" 1.8gb/hr encoding. Not only that, I successfully burned three of the video recordings simultaneously in Toast without encountering the Error code.

Regarding the Error code, it is my opinion that the reason I was getting the Error code when attempting to burn multiple video clips simultaneously, is that the "Half-PEL" check-box was not enabled/activated in the "Customs" encodings panel. This has to do with "Motion Estimation"... and the manual says, "When this option is activated the motion estimation operation also looks for pixels that move only one-half of a pixel from one frame to the next. This setting should usually be enabled and should only be disabled if speed is desired over quality." The problem is, that this check-box is in the "Custom" encoding panel, and I don't believe it was checked/enabled by default. I always used "Automatic" encoding for all the burning I had been doing, resulting (in my opinion) in the Error code. When I activated this check-box and clicked "OK" to close the "Custom" encoding panel, it remained activated even when I used the "Automatic" encoding selection for my successful multiple clip burning session (no Error code).

Regarding the issue of quality and file size when recording VHS tapes in eyeTV... I don't know what I had been doing wrong, but I'm able to record using the "Standard" encoding of 1.8gb/hr and it looks the same as the original tape.

So, I want to thank you for all your suggestions and help. Thom

I'm glad you're finally getting some good results.

Thanks for sharing the info about the Half-Pel checkbox. You are correct that it is off in the default settings even though Roxio recommends that it is always on. I think they should change that default setting.

Designamo

Can I add my thanks too for this tip!

I transcribed an old VHS TV recording into digital using EyeTV. The running time was just under two hours and the total size of the recording was 7GB.

I then saved this recording as a disk image, and then successfully burned this down to a single DVD using the auto-compression feature. However, that recording had no chapter divisions.

Using EyeTV, I divided the original 2-hour digital transcription into 9 separate episodes, all around 13 minutes long. I then put all these into Toast 9 with the intention of creating a single disk image with 9 chapters. Result? -18768

So bizarrely, I had no problem with the original recording, but only when it was subdivided! And not in Toast 7 but in Toast 9! And half-PEL is still 'off' by default, even though as tsantsee states, Roxio recommend it should be 'on'.

But with half-PEL 'on', finally, I got the sub-divided version converted to a disk image.

Thanks again,

Paul