21 replies to this topic

[arvee07]

I use Roxio Creator 10 (and Windows 7), and prepared a slideshow (about 700 pictures) with Videowave and transferred to the project to MyDVD for burning. However, when playing the resulting DVD a number of pictures (about 8 or 10) in the original project are blank, which seems to me to indicated that MyDVD did not render them properly. I then ran MyDVD again with the same file from Videowave but the same thing happened (although only about 5 this time), except that the pictures that were blank were different from the first time. I also used a different DVD burner the second time (my computer has two burners). Does anyone have an idea why this is happening, and what I can do to correct it?

[sknis]

arvee07, on 14 January 2011 - 11:32 AM, said:

I use Roxio Creator 10 (and Windows 7), and prepared a slideshow (about 700 pictures) with Videowave and transferred to the project to MyDVD for burning. However, when playing the resulting DVD a number of pictures (about 8 or 10) in the original project are blank, which seems to me to indicated that MyDVD did not render them properly. I then ran MyDVD again with the same file from Videowave but the same thing happened (although only about 5 this time), except that the pictures that were blank were different from the first time. I also used a different DVD burner the second time (my computer has two burners). Does anyone have an idea why this is happening, and what I can do to correct it?

The issue is that your computer (no matter how fast it is) cannot render the video AND write to the disc at the same time.  If the images were the problem, they would always be the same images that would be bad.  That is just the way it is !

Separte the encoding from the burning FOR BEST RESULTS.  When you go to burn, encode to either an ISO file or to a folder set at best quality.  Once that completes, you can then burn the ISO to the disc from the Home page or burn the ISO or folder set to the disc usng Video Copy and convert.

You can try these other things also but the ISO would be the most rewarding.
By the way, use the full name of the software to prevent confusion.  Dell and others have a OEM (castrated) version that is called Creator 10.2 or .3 (DE).  I assume that you are using Creator 2010.

[arvee07]

No luck. I tried "burning" it to an ISO file but the same thing happened; numerous pictures were not rendered. I observed this by watching MyDVD rendering the pictures. You suggest that the computer cannot render the video and write to the disc at the same time, but actually MyDVD does not do both at the same time; it doesn't do the burn until the rendering is complete.

I have created about a dozen DVDs this way over the last few years using this process with earlier versions of the program with no problem. This is the first time I've used Creator 2010 for this task, and I wonder if that could be the problem. The pictures were also taken with a new camera set at 7.1 megapixels, which creates larger .jpg files, and I wonder if that might be a problem?

Any comments or ideas would be apreciated.

[myguggi]

arvee07, on 16 January 2011 - 01:59 PM, said:

No luck. I tried "burning" it to an ISO file but the same thing happened; numerous pictures were not rendered. I observed this by watching MyDVD rendering the pictures. You suggest that the computer cannot render the video and write to the disc at the same time, but actually MyDVD does not do both at the same time; it doesn't do the burn until the rendering is complete.

I have created about a dozen DVDs this way over the last few years using this process with earlier versions of the program with no problem. This is the first time I've used Creator 2010 for this task, and I wonder if that could be the problem. The pictures were also taken with a new camera set at 7.1 megapixels, which creates larger .jpg files, and I wonder if that might be a problem?

Any comments or ideas would be apreciated.

How long in time is your slideshow? A standard 4.7GB can only hold 60 minutes of video at the best (HQ) setting, any longer and the video has to be compressed even more resulting in lower qyuality. What setting are you using? If fit to disc then, you can experience some of the symptoms you are showing. Fit-to-disc is best avoided, in my opinion it is only good for creating toasters or unwatchable DVDs.

Another thing you could try is to change the render setting (under Tool/Options). If currently at hardware change to software. You then might lose of transitions and/or effects since some require a hardware that is able to handle them. Many laptops do not have a good enough video chip for the hardware setting to be used.

BTW, while it is true that the actual burn does not happen until the iso file icreated, there is initially some writing to the DVD. If the iso fails then you have another coaster. That is why we recommend creating the iso file first. If that fails then you at least do not have another coaster.

[arvee07]

The video is only 48 minutes long, so that shouldn't be a problem. My computer has a fairly robust graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT with 256 mb memory) so the graphics mode should be able to handle it. I ran the graphics test and it was OK.

[grandpabruce]

arvee07, on 17 January 2011 - 05:41 PM, said:

The video is only 48 minutes long, so that shouldn't be a problem. My computer has a fairly robust graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT with 256 mb memory) so the graphics mode should be able to handle it. I ran the graphics test and it was OK.

Arvee, when you want to quote someone, position the cursor so that it is below the quote.

Edited by grandpabruce, 18 January 2011 - 06:21 AM.

[sknis]

arvee07, on 17 January 2011 - 05:41 PM, said:

The video is only 48 minutes long, so that shouldn't be a problem. My computer has a fairly robust graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT with 256 mb memory) so the graphics mode should be able to handle it. I ran the graphics test and it was OK.

Have you updated the drivers for that graphics card?  Go here.  It looks like there may be a new one posted today.

Switch to software rendering.  

That "old" card is not up to current standards especiall the 256 mb memory.  It seems like the new standard is 1G or more.  In this chart (link),  I would put it down near the bottom.

[arvee07]

I appreciate your comments, but I have concluded that the problem is with the software. When the problem first arose last week, the first thing I did was update the graphics card driver, but it didn't solve the problem. Your comment about the graphics card memory not being sufficient is not true. 256 mb is plenty of memory (for instance, ProShow Gold needs only 64 mb; Magix PhotoStory needs only 32 mb- these are probably the two best available commercial products out there). For the time being I have completed my project using Windows Live Movie Maker, which worked fine (but it of course has its limitations).

Considering other problems I have had with Creator 2010 (especially run time errors with VideoWave, which I posted about a year ago on this discussion group, and which I have been unable to fix), I am seriously contemplating giving up on Roxio, and investing in one of these other products listed above, rather than again upgrading Creator, which I have always done.

[grandpabruce]

arvee07, on 19 January 2011 - 06:07 PM, said:

I appreciate your comments, but I have concluded that the problem is with the software. When the problem first arose last week, the first thing I did was update the graphics card driver, but it didn't solve the problem. Your comment about the graphics card memory not being sufficient is not true. 256 mb is plenty of memory (for instance, ProShow Gold needs only 64 mb; Magix PhotoStory needs only 32 mb- these are probably the two best available commercial products out there). For the time being I have completed my project using Windows Live Movie Maker, which worked fine (but it of course has its limitations).

Considering other problems I have had with Creator 2010 (especially run time errors with VideoWave, which I posted about a year ago on this discussion group, and which I have been unable to fix), I am seriously contemplating giving up on Roxio, and investing in one of these other products listed above, rather than again upgrading Creator, which I have always done.

I think that you may be mixing up video card memory with something else, since I haven't seen a video card, in years, that has the low memory that you posted for the 2 other software programs, above.

[sknis]

Arvee, think what you want but you asked and we gave you the answer.  SWITCH to SOFTWARE RENDER and output to an ISO file.

From experience, I can tell you that 256 was OK for previous versions of Easy Media Creator but not for Creator 2009 and up.

If you chose not to use the answer, then that is up to you.  Arguing about it when you have no other solution doesn't see very logical.

[arvee07]

Please do not misunderstand me, I appreciate your advice. I'm just afraid that using software rendering will degrade the final output.

But here is another angle to this problem. I mentioned previously that I have over the years created a dozen projects this way. I got to thinking last night what I was doing different this time and it hit me. All my previous projects were made for a 4:3 TV aspect, this one for the first time was for a 16:9 aspect. So I ran the project again today at 4:3, and, yes, it rendered it without any problems!

[myguggi]

arvee07, on 20 January 2011 - 12:11 PM, said:

Please do not misunderstand me, I appreciate your advice. I'm just afraid that using software rendering will degrade the final output.

But here is another angle to this problem. I mentioned previously that I have over the years created a dozen projects this way. I got to thinking last night what I was doing different this time and it hit me. All my previous projects were made for a 4:3 TV aspect, this one for the first time was for a 16:9 aspect. So I ran the project again today at 4:3, and, yes, it rendered it without any problems!

Software rendering does not degrade quality, I don't know where you got that idea.

[arvee07]

Well, I finally took your advice and processed the project using software rendering, and burning to an ISO file. Unfortunately the result was the same- numerous missed pictures. I give up!

[Jim_Hardin]

Let's not give up completly...

There are actually 2 seperate symptoms that we sometimes see.

One is pictures replaced by a black square and the other is pictures actually dropped from the project.

In both cases, users will say 'pictures missing'.

I really suspect that it is your lack of video capability that is causing this. It has always proven to be just that in the past. I even did one on the past where I duplicated the problem on a PC with a Video Chip.

I added a Card and it worked!

The 4:3 or 16:9 has nothing to do with it at all!

But you may have to shift to Software Render, and recreate your project. I would stick to ISO or Folder burning too, so that it lightens the load on the Lap.

[Simeon11]

Jim_Hardin, on 21 January 2011 - 07:32 AM, said:

Let's not give up completly...

There are actually 2 seperate symptoms that we sometimes see.

One is pictures replaced by a black square and the other is pictures actually dropped from the project.

In both cases, users will say 'pictures missing'.

I really suspect that it is your lack of video capability that is causing this. It has always proven to be just that in the past. I even did one on the past where I duplicated the problem on a PC with a Video Chip.

I added a Card and it worked!

The 4:3 or 16:9 has nothing to do with it at all!

But you may have to shift to Software Render, and recreate your project. I would stick to ISO or Folder burning too, so that it lightens the load on the Lap.

Please don't trust your memory:

http://forums.suppor...__1#entry348749

[Jim_Hardin]

Nothing wrong with my memory, your post has no real bearing on this problem...

[Simeon11]

Jim_Hardin, on 21 January 2011 - 01:21 PM, said:

Nothing wrong with my memory, your post has no real bearing on this problem...

Oh, really?
You told that black or missing pictures are caused because of lack of video capability. And It has always proven to be just that in the past.

In my post I proved that it has not always been lack of video capability with that problem. I did not change my video capability. I just installed Creator 2010 for the first time into my computer. After that my slideshow was without black pictures.

It is not fair to suggest too early that people should go and buy new parts to the PC when they start to have problems with Roxio

[Jim_Hardin]

Simeon11, on 21 January 2011 - 10:58 PM, said:

Oh, really?
You told that black or missing pictures are caused because of lack of video capability. And It has always proven to be just that in the past.

In my post I proved that it has not always been lack of video capability with that problem. I did not change my video capability. I just installed Creator 2010 for the first time into my computer. After that my slideshow was without black pictures.

It is not fair to suggest too early that people should go and buy new parts to the PC when they start to have problems with Roxio

Your conclusion that software fixed it false... My testing was with Creator 2009, and all I changed was the Video Card… When you installed the new software, you refreshed many of your files without your being aware of it.

You could have done the same thing by a clean uninstall/reinstall of the 2009 software.

The video card/software is not the ONLY cause, but the OP has indicated his is not state of art.

[arvee07]

Jim

I see that you have inserted yourself into this posting (and got into a discussion on another problem). But back to my situation

You indicate that it is probably a lack of video capability. So how much video capability is necessary? My computer (it's not a laptop, but a desktop running Windows 7 on an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, with 2 GB RAM)has an after-market graphics card installed which meets all of Roxio's stated systems requirements (i.e '1024 x 768 Direct 9.0c compatible graphics card with at least 16 bit color setting'). My card (a GeForce 8600GT, with 256 mb memory and 32 bit color) is surely enough, notwitstanding the comments previously made by someone else on this post that I need at least 1Gb of memory. It has always done to job previously. In terms of memory, it certainly meets the requirements of two of the top retail products on the market (Magix PhotoStory- 32 mb; ProShow Gold- 64 mb). It works fine with Windows Live Movie Maker, and worked with VideoWave/MyDVD as recently as last year. In addition, going to software rendering, to ISO, as I did, made no difference.

I am convinced that it is a software problem, and why now, when it worked before I don't understand. I know from previously discussing another problem with you (regarding Run-time errors with VideoWave) that uninstalling and re-installing Creator is a common recommended resolution. I am reluctant to do that again, since I have done it at least three times, at your recommendation, to fix the VideoWave problem, without any luck.

[sknis]

" when it worked before "

I don't believe that you mentioned it in the original post.  

Have you simply tried to turn off your anit-virus (not just pause it) and then do a repair?  Insert the program disc and when it opens, you should get that repair option.

Some antivirus programs do a registry clean and misidentifies some Roxio entries as having "virus like" attributes.

Also you may want to roll back the video card drivers to an earlier version that worked "before".