[nickb1313]

I have successfully burnt EyeTV recordings to DVD discs using Toast, but recently have had a playback problem. Every few seconds the playback skips a moment. Playback is fine on my Mac and I've tried different discs, different recorders and a different player. Any suggestions ?

I'm using a Powermac G5 2.0GHZ, OSX 10.4.7, EyeTV 2.2.1 and Toast Titanium 7.1

[John at Roxio]

Try turning off buffer underrun prevention in your recorder settings.

[nickb1313]

Apologies for not replying sooner - I've been away. Tried turning off "buffer underrun prevention", but still no success. This is a strange one because other recordings are fine.

[nickb1313]

I've been experimenting and found that I can export the file from EyeTV for Toast burning and successfully burn it with Toast 6. It doesn't work with Toast 7.

[John at Roxio]

I know it might sound like passing you off to ElGato, but have you tried updating their software. You might even want to check with their support to see if they have any ideas. I am interested in this one, so let me know.

[timsayers]

I have just begun researching the exact same problem. It happened straight after the last Toast update.
I think it might be some kind of codec problem. I get the skipping effect if I playback on my samsung DVD-HD850 progreesive scan DVD player.But It works fine if I play it back on a cheap £20 alba dvd player from sainsburys!
Also my samsung player used to play DIVX cd's or dvd's but now it won't, all to do with the latest update.

[Mike Johnson]

I am also having this issue. For me at always shows up in the first 30 seconds or so of some (but not all) programs I pass from EyeTV. It does happen for me on my Mac and on my DVD player. It can been seen when using VLC to playback the VOB files Toast creates.

For me, the problem presents itself as missing frames - a "skip forward" in the program.

It does not happen in Toast 6 with the same source material. It does happen with Toast 7 and will always happen in the same location even if I use Toast 7 on a different system with the same source file. I also happens when burning a disc image file, so I don't think it is burner related.

I never noticed this problem until Toast 7.1. I did not notice any issues with 7.0.2.

I have contacted both Elgato and Roxio support and I am waiting for a reply.

[Bll]

I also am having a problem burning to Toast 7.1 from Eyetv. I get a stuttering of the video. Looks great on my computer screen but stutters on a burnt DVD. Have tried multiple settings and DVD disk types. In the past I was able to burn with no problem but I really think the problem is with Toast 7.1 Elgato has been helpful but they are stumped too. One test is to try to EXPORT the video as a program stream (under the export menu) and view it with VLC to see if the export type is OK. More to come. I am going to dump Toast 7.1 and try again with Toast 7

[freshburn]

Stuttering video on playback of a DVD player is almost always the media. I would use better media and burn at a slower speed. If the same DVD will play back on the Mac without a stutter, then it is definitely the media.

[Mike Johnson]

I have the problem when I burn disk images with Toast and mount them, so in my case, I know it isn't media related. The Toast-created VOB files don't play correctly with VLC.

This post has been edited by Mike Johnson: 06 September 2006 - 07:13 PM

[antonink]

Mike Johnson, on Sep 6 2006, 07:12 PM, said:

I have the problem when I burn disk images with Toast and mount them, so in my case, I know it isn't media related. The Toast-created VOB files don't play correctly with VLC.

You are right - I have been experimenting with all sorts of media/media-makers; no joy... I was almost convinced that my Super-Drive had given up the ghost.
For some reason, Toast produces "skippy" DVDs (is this the correct technical term? ) on any programme which is over 30 minutes long. For me, this includes mpg streams!

There is another, longer work-around however:
1. Export your programme to mpg stream
2. Use ffmpegX (Tools>Author DVD VIDEO_TS) to produce DVD VIDEO_TS folder
3. Use ffmpegX (Tools>img) to convert VIDEO_TS into an .img
4. Use good-old-reliable disk utility to burn DVD

You will not have pretty menu screens, but it will do until Toast/OS 10.4.7/EyeTV 2.3.1 can patch up their differences
I hope this is useful

[bafreer]

Add me to the list with this stutter problem burning via Toast from eyetv. I had the problem with Toast 7.1. I was hoping it was fixed in Toast 8. Just tried, and the problem is identical. Incredible stuttering on playback. Tried with TDK DVD-Rs and Memorex DVD-DLs. Exactly the same problem. I am running Toast 8, Mac OS X 10.4.8 and eyetv 2.3.3. Toast is doing the encoding, not eyetv so the problem is in Toast. This is an ongoing problem that simply was not in Toast 7.0. Is there going to be a fix from Roxio?

Otherwise, the package goes back to Amazon as defective. The box itself (for Toast 8) says that burning from eyetv is "Improved" and it simply sucks like it has since version 7.1.

[runner91786]

Also having the skipping problems. Not media related as I tried the image and it still does it. I am pretty sure its toast related though since the show plays fine in EyeTv. Anyone tried downgrading to fix it?

[mabayrock]

Count me in as another longtime TOAST user experiencing similar problems.

I use an iMacG5, 2gigs RAM, MAC-OSX 10.4.8.

Skipping problem evident and very annoying using standalone DVD player. Does not skip on computer. Have tried all workarounds - making image file first, different media, slower speed burning. I have even tried using the MPEG file from EyeTV and exporting to H.264 and THEN importing into Toast7 which re-encodes the file. Same problem.

I don't want to downgrade as I like the diverse menu choices in Toast7

This should be fixed ASAP!

[tsantee]

Count me in as another longtime TOAST user experiencing similar problems.

I use an iMacG5, 2gigs RAM, MAC-OSX 10.4.8.

Skipping problem evident and very annoying using standalone DVD player. Does not skip on computer. Have tried all workarounds - making image file first, different media, slower speed burning. I have even tried using the MPEG file from EyeTV and exporting to H.264 and THEN importing into Toast7 which re-encodes the file. Same problem.

I don't want to downgrade as I like the diverse menu choices in Toast7

This should be fixed ASAP!

Here's a different theory about what might be the problem. EyeTV records MPEG audio which is not part of the video DVD spec. Toast does not re-encode the MPEG audio to either the PCM or AC-3 formats that are part of the spec, so your DVD has MPEG audio. Nearly all DVD players will decode MPEG audio, however, using a setting in their audio set-up to convert MPEG audio to PCM for output. If the player is having difficulty with this the problem could show up as a stuttering video, the same as if the player was struggling with a high bit-rate recording. That also could be an issue if you have pushed the EyeTV recordings to a high bit rate.

I've never tried converting my EyeTV videos to another format and then had Toast re-encode them. Doing that may have changed the MPEG audio to another format and that the DVD Toast created from that H.264 file did have AC-3 audio. If that's the case my theory about MPEG audio may be blown.

I have a G5 iMac iSight and EyeTV 250. I do not experience the stuttering picture when playing the DVDs from those recordings but I only have my Pioneer DVD Recorder/Player to test them on. Did you burn your discs with the SuperDrive? I always use a Firewire LaCie drive for burning DVDs because I've read too many posts on Apple's Discussion Forums about problems people have with the slot-loading Superdrives. I'm not saying that the drive could be the problem. I just know there are a lot of variables about what is the problem.

[mabayrock]

Many thanks for a quick reply!

I use a Plextor hardware device to capture my recordings, PX-TV402U, with EyeTV software 1.8.4. Your remark about high bitrate got me thinking.

STANDARD setting is 4.0Mbps VBR [Video] and 48.0 kHz, 224 kbps [AUDIO].
HIGH setting is 6.0 Mbps VBR [Video] and 48.0 kHz, 384 kbps [AUDIO]

Both settings I have played with. Stuttering is evident on both settings, and less on the HIGH setting. Again, this is when I use TOAST-7.1.2 to make the DVD, first saved as an image file, then burnt to media.

I try to use the highest setting in order to get the best quality, as I usually end up encoding to H.264 for archaival purposes. The file becomes much smaller and is nearly indistinguishable from the original MPEG-2.

Using Handbrake to make the H.264 file sets the audio at AC3 format. There is no option to make the audio anything else. That may mean, unhappily, that your theory is "blown."

The SuperDrive comment made me think, too. You never know what just might be the culprit. So I tried another solution, a piece of software called "MovieGate" and fed it the same H.264 file -- one that TOAST previously used to make the DVD which resulted in stuttering.

Made DVD image file, burnt to same media as before, played in same DVD player [Samsung DVD-HD860].
No stuttering! Aha!

This is a big deal for me because I make a LOT of DVDs to distribute to teachers and colleagues and became aware of a playback problem very late. Since the original files always playback OK on my computer, I never thought to check how they appear on a standalone.

TOAST is still a great application and I'll be keeping it around for a long time.

Perhaps when Apple decides to include hardware H.264 decoding/encoding on all MACs our lives will be simpler?