Making Dvds From Mp4 Files With Creator 10.3

[Marshalldoc]

Hello,

 

I've recently begun making DVDs to view on my TV using Roxio Creator Premier V.10.3 (for Dell) on my PC (Win 7 Pro) and have been experencing variable success. Note that what appear to be links on the page that loads on opening the program don't link to anything... hence what may be basic questions.

 

Through trial & error (at the expense of a stack of DVDs what won't play on my TV but which play just fine in my computer), I've found that in most instances, I cannont just burn an MP4 onto a DVD (single-use Memorex) by loading the file(s) into the Roxio program using "My DVD Express" since I end up getting the spinning 'in progress' icon and then an error message saying it can't be done. The only execption to this appears to have been when I loaded multiple downloaded news clips from RT directly onto a DVD-RW disk and was able to play them all without difficulty (a one-time event which I intend to try to replicate in the future).

 

Query: Do various sites (the bulk of my downloads are from YouTube) write 'copy protection' into their videos so they can't be downloaded & put on DVD's?

 

In view of the problems burning MP4 directly to disks I've developed the time-consuming & resource-intensive, but usually effective (but not always) method of using my MAGIX Video Easy 4 HD program to convert MP4 to WMV and then burning WMV to DVD with Creator. This ususally results in a playable DVD although there are time when some are affected by 'freezes', brief pixilation episodes, skips, etc.

 

I do, however, also end up with DVDs that, upon insertion into my TV's player, show an "Incorrect Disk" error message. At times reinserting that disk (sometime repeated attempts are needed) will result in it playing (often with the problems described above) but which play without problem in my computer's DVD player. I've noticed that when I initially was burning DVDs while also working on the computer. those disks seemed more problematic than when I did nothing on the computer while the disk was burned... I note that burning a DVD is very resource intensive and suspect that 'multi-tasking' overtaxes the program's ability to create a smooth-playing DVD. Is that reasonable?

 

Let me say that I've never had a problem with my TV's DVD player (built-in) playing a commercial DVD).

 

Questions:

 

Is there a more efficient means of coverting MP4s to a file that Creator can burn to a TV-viewable disk?

Does 'Creator' have such a process in its program? I.e.; is there a simpler one- or two-step process I can use or must I continue converting the MP4s to WMV in order to burn to DVD?

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Jim_Hardin]

??? Based on your Topic Title, I will start by saying it can't even be done

 

The 10.3 DE edition will not allow you to add any MP4 files!

 

Sooo.... that mean you are not creating DVD Movies with it. Yet you say you are seeing Menus!

 

MyDVD Express is the only thing in the 10.3 DE that can create a DVD Movie. The steps look like this:

 

I Add 5 still pictures:

I Add 1 Movie:

(note ALL mp4 files are not valid)

Results are 2 Menu Buttons, ready to burn:

Would you compare what you are doing with this - pictures would be a big assist

(pic posting info is HERE)

 

Update: I got curious and did some checking on that PC and found out it did not have QuickTime Player installed... After installing that, the mp4 do load OK

 

In addition to what Brendon mentioned, always set your Project Quality to 'High Quality (HQ)'. It will limit you to about 1 hour for a 4.7GB DVD but Players will not struggle trying to read it.

[Brendon]

Hello Marshalldoc,

 

You've written a post dealing with numerous issues, so my reply may be a little fragmented as I try to sort them out and deal with them.

 

-Dell's Creator Premier 10.3 is a cut-down OEM version of Creator 10.3 which has been slightly updated to allow it to work under Windows 7. I don't have a copy of it, so I can't tell you which abilities have been removed, or whether menu links to those removed abilities have been properly removed or not.

 

-All official support for the software is supposed to come from Dell, since it's their version. However we're not snobby here on the User Board and will help you all we can, given the limitation of not having a copy of the software.

 

-Memorex discs are among the lower grade of discs you'll find in the market. Users here shy away from them where possible, to get more reliable blanks even though they may be a bit more costly.

 

-doing other work on a computer while burning a disc can often result in errors on the burned disc - stuttering, freezing, pixellation, skips, and the like. You need to keep supplying data to the burner at a good rate, else the burner "runs dry" and causes a short break in the burn while its data buffers are filled up again. These 'buffer underruns' used to always be fatal to a burn, but even with modern burners' ability to recover from them many players don't like them at all. Buffer underruns can be minimised by not trying to do other work while burning, and by reducing the burn speed - halving the speed is often good.

 

-Yes, some sites do take steps to stop you downloading and using their video content. YouTube is quite active in doing that. Their 'Terms of Service' actually put severe limits on copying their content. We users have noticed that some of the cut-down versions of Creator also have their ability to handle some types of files reduced. I can't say if that applies to your version.

 

-Your tv player might play some file types directly off a data DVD, without you having to convert the file into a Video-DVD. The TV manual should tell you which types of file it can play. Remember that burned discs give a much smaller signal to a player than pressed commercial discs, so if a burned disc is borderline when read you might get different results off it from one read to another.

 

-If your Creator 10.3 can handle MP4s, (see below) you shouldn't have to convert them to WMV to make a Video-DVD. If your discs play just fine in your computer then there's nothing wrong with the process of turning MP4 into Video-DVD.

 

You obviously know how to use the program. Work to improve the quality of your burned discs so your TV player can read them easily. Get better quality blanks, reduce the burn speed, don't overwork the computer - see how that goes.