Trimming Tivo Transfers Then Burn To Dvd-video

[tlw]

I have discovered you cannot trim the commercials from a TiVo Video and burn the altered video to DVD-Video format. Toast Video Player will allow you to do multiple trims to the TiVo video but the resulting encoded DVD-Video will have the audio of the commercials on the video. In other words, what actually happens is only the video track is removed. The audio of the removed commercials is playing on the video. I tried on Leopard 10.5.2 & Tiger 10.4.11 with the same results. I'm disappointed because TiVo functionality topped the list for my reason to upgrade from Toast 8.

 

Anyone?????

[tlw]

Standard def? Not sure I am understanding you. The TiVo recordings are at highest quality, but not HD. I would like to burn some of them to DVD and have them look as good as they do on my TiVo. I did get some good resolution using Popcorn 3 with the multiplexing, but after watching those burned DVDs, I have to report that all the action scenes are a little jerky. The sound and audio are in sync, the picture quality is fantastic, but there is something still not right.

 

As for you not having the same experience with Popcorn as I had, I am not surprised. I am now finding that sometimes Toast 9 will multiplex rather than encode and Popcorn might start to multiplex and revert to encoding. This happened earlier today. It is all crazy.

 

I wonder if it is possible to get the same quality video from the TiVo to a DVD?

By standard def I mean normal broadcast not HD. From your answer, you are describing standard def. With high-def, you don't have the quality setting, they are rendered at Toast's top quality. All my burns have been just like yours. You get this ..... oops ... you had to look quick ... jerky motion. But after you first notice it, my mind seems to just focus on it. The resulting video leave me feeling "less than". To answer your question, I don't think it's possible to get the same quality. For one, I don't believe the broadcasters and services like TiVo won't you to be able to - for pirating concearns. Also for less than $100(the cost of Toast) and the power of todays' consumer level computers(when it comes to high-def), I not so sure we can expect perfection. But I also believe that it could and should be better than what you and I are describing. The jerky video caused by sub-standard encoding is unacceptable! After all, don't they market this product by touting these features? Absolutely!

't

[MacGoddess]

I have more information that might help. Don't ENCODE but instead MULTIPLEX. I have been reading different forums and somewhere, someone mentioned going into Toast's Encoding settings and telling it to NEVER re-encode (this is in DVD Video mode and in my case, burning my TiVo recordings to DVD). I decided to use Popcorn 3 since Toast 9 wasn't doing a good job. and I was amazed. What had been taking over an hour to encode only took a few minutes to multiplex. There was no problem with the sound and video not being in sync. The resulting video was better quality than what I had been getting by going through the encoding previously.

 

I then tried doing the same thing with Toast 9, but using the editing features of Toast Video Player. Instead of multiplexing my video, it began to encode it. Since I didn't want to do that, I cancelled. I haven't tried Toast 8, but as long as Popcorn is working so well, I will continue using that until Roxio can fix the problem in Toast 9.

 

I want to be able to transfer my TiVo recordings to Toast 9, edit out unwanted footage, multiplex them and burn to DVD for viewing in any DVD player. It can be done with Popcorn 3 except for the editing.

[gaper1]

were the files from Series 2 or Series 3? SD or HD files?

[MacGoddess]

I'm betting if you connected a DVD-burner to your TiVo, you would be partially right. It would allow recording of the file to your DVD, it probably doesn't care what recording equipment is connected. However, the quality would be dumbed down to standard VHS quality and not 480p as on a standard DVD. Before I had TiVo, I had the Scientific-Atlanta 8300HD box. That is precisely what it did. I'm thinking it encodes as well as transmits to the recording device. I'm not saying I'm right, but what I believe.

 

Thanks for the info. I may give that a try on some point. I'm kinda like MacGodess, it is approaching too much of an investment. I hope Roxio can polish their conversion their conversion of the TiVo file format!

 

Maybe someone who has tried burning to recordable DVD can report on the quality.

 

I too hope Roxio will give us what we want. I have a friend who works at a local TV station as a technician. He says that they run into all kinds of problems converting video there too--commercials, etc. He thinks a lot of the problem has to do with copy protection.

[tlw]

Update: Same TiVo file that failed to encode, also fails to encode on 10.4.11 using Toast 9. To recap, it fails under 10.5.2 & 10.4.11 using Toast 9. The same file encodes and burns under Toast 8 on 10.5.2(Leopard).

[tlw]

Maybe someone who has tried burning to recordable DVD can report on the quality.

 

I too hope Roxio will give us what we want. I have a friend who works at a local TV station as a technician. He says that they run into all kinds of problems converting video there too--commercials, etc. He thinks a lot of the problem has to do with copy protection.

 

 

When I say you will not find HDMI or Component I/O's on DVD Recorders. I'm speaking of inputs. HDMI or Component outputs might be a different matter. But I'm just like you, I have no illegal designs with wanting to have a quality copy on DVD's. I would just love to archive on removable optical media some movies and shows that I have previously recorded. I know it would burn my &%$ if someone stole my copyrighted material - if I had it. But I also should be able to burn a DVD of good quality of my recordings. The technology is already in place and it's beyond aggravating that I can't.

 

Again, Roxio needs to do some soul searching on TiVo ===> DVD-Video encoding. As I said earlier, the end product is no better on their Window's products.

[tlw]

were the files from Series 2 or Series 3? SD or HD files?

Its the Series 3 HD(THX) box and the transfer was a 30 minute 1080i broadcast.

 

Tim

[tlw]

Well, now I have to add more information. When the John Adams series started on HBO a couple of weeks ago, I TiVo'd the first 2 episodes, transfered them to my Mac and used Toast 8 to put both episodes on one DVD to play on a DVD player in another room. I had already transferred a couple of other HBO shows from TiVo to Toast 8 to DVD and they came out fine. I had put only one show on a DVD up until I did the John Adams, in which I put 2 shows on one DVD.

 

I just began with TiVo about 6 weeks ago. So I don't have a lot of TiVo experience to draw from, although I go back to Toast 6. But apparently it was quite common for audio/video sync issues with TiVo files. But according to Roxio, Toast 9.02 corrects this - once and for all - with the known exception of edited/DVD-Video - Tivo transfers. I too have been recording the "John Adams" miniseries. Yesterday I transfered to my iMac, part 2 =Don't Tread on Me= . I connect my Series 3 HD box to my network with TiVo's wireless adapter. The episode was 1hour 15minutes. It encoded/transfered in 1hour 45 minutes. I don't think that's bad!!! At least with HBO there are no commercials to trim. I was mainly finding out if HBO had DRM in place on their broadcast. In this case, they did not. So if Toast 9 now has the audio/video sync issues corrected, I should have it on DVD in a usable form. I will be trying and posting the outcome as well.

[tlw]

Unfortunately v. 9.02 does not touch the trimming TiVo transfers to DVD- Video problem. Still has commercial audio included!!!

[tsantee]

I've stayed out of this because I don't have a TiVo. But my brother is now experiencing jumpy video on disc images he created years ago with Toast 7 and that has us both puzzled. He opened a VOB title set in MPEG Streamclip where it was found to be full of time code breaks. He used Streamclip to fix those breaks and chose Convert to MPEG. Now he's trying the exported MPEG in Toast 9 to create a new disc image or DVD. I haven't heard how it turned out. It's something some of you might experiment with. Could be a waste of time but what if it did make a difference?

[mjasi]

i have the same issue...

 

toast 9, updated to 902, have a tivo series3, powermac g5 2.7x2 4.5gb ram 10.5.2.

 

when i transfer a tivo file to toast and edit the file to drop out sections (using the editor), and burn a dvd, the audio was not edited with the video... the audio is fully intact when the video has been trimmed.

 

for instance, one file had no trimming in the beginning, the audio started out ok, but when i edited out a commercial, the audio for the commercial kept on playing, while the video "jumped" correctly to skip the commercial.

 

help.

 

[patatrox]

I have discovered you cannot trim the commercials from a TiVo Video and burn the altered video to DVD-Video format. Toast Video Player will allow you to do multiple trims to the TiVo video but the resulting encoded DVD-Video will have the audio of the commercials on the video. In other words, what actually happens is only the video track is removed. The audio of the removed commercials is playing on the video. I tried on Leopard 10.5.2 & Tiger 10.4.11 with the same results. I'm disappointed because TiVo functionality topped the list for my reason to upgrade from Toast 8.

 

Anyone?????

 

I haven't seen this behavior... I'll try to replicate it but I may wind up needing you TiVo recording...

 

Does this happen with every recording?

 

Thanks

[tlw]

I have more information that might help. Don't ENCODE but instead MULTIPLEX. I have been reading different forums and somewhere, someone mentioned going into Toast's Encoding settings and telling it to NEVER re-encode (this is in DVD Video mode and in my case, burning my TiVo recordings to DVD). I decided to use Popcorn 3 since Toast 9 wasn't doing a good job. and I was amazed. What had been taking over an hour to encode only took a few minutes to multiplex. There was no problem with the sound and video not being in sync. The resulting video was better quality than what I had been getting by going through the encoding previously.

 

I then tried doing the same thing with Toast 9, but using the editing features of Toast Video Player. Instead of multiplexing my video, it began to encode it. Since I didn't want to do that, I cancelled. I haven't tried Toast 8, but as long as Popcorn is working so well, I will continue using that until Roxio can fix the problem in Toast 9.

 

I want to be able to transfer my TiVo recordings to Toast 9, edit out unwanted footage, multiplex them and burn to DVD for viewing in any DVD player. It can be done with Popcorn 3 except for the editing.

I'm bettiing your talking about standard def Tivo transfers. We must be a couple of Roxio junkies, as I too have Popcorn 3 as well as Toast 8 & 9. I tried your suggestion with Popcorn, but it still insisted in encoding. My test subject was high-def. Am I right about yours being standard def?

 

[MacGoddess]

I just trimmed a couple of HBO shows after transferring from my TiVo to Toast 9. Then I encoded for a DVD and saved as a Disk Image. Glad I didn't burn it because the audio and video do not sync at all. Some of the footage I trimmed at the beginning still had audio playing even though the video was not there.

 

A friend who uses EyeTV and can record shows in HD format said he encoded an HD show in Toast 9 for DVD and it ended up with the audio and video out of sync. Since it was his first time using an HD video, he assumed it had to do with that, but it is appearing to be something to do with encoding for DVD.

 

Before the 9.0.2 update came out, I used Toast 9.0.1 to encode a couple of HBO shows, which I edited first, but I exported them to iPod format. They are all just fine.

 

Is there a way to use the Toast Video Player from version 9 with Toast 8?

[tlw]

I just trimmed a couple of HBO shows after transferring from my TiVo to Toast 9. Then I encoded for a DVD and saved as a Disk Image. Glad I didn't burn it because the audio and video do not sync at all. Some of the footage I trimmed at the beginning still had audio playing even though the video was not there.

 

A friend who uses EyeTV and can record shows in HD format said he encoded an HD show in Toast 9 for DVD and it ended up with the audio and video out of sync. Since it was his first time using an HD video, he assumed it had to do with that, but it is appearing to be something to do with encoding for DVD.

 

Before the 9.0.2 update came out, I used Toast 9.0.1 to encode a couple of HBO shows, which I edited first, but I exported them to iPod format. They are all just fine.

 

Is there a way to use the Toast Video Player from version 9 with Toast 8?

 

I had been asked by someone at Roxio to try exporting the same TiVo transfers that had been edited with Toast Video Player, I suppose, since I was the one squawking about trimmed t'fers not editing out the commercial audio along with it's associated video. I too, had the same experience. I exported a trimmed TiVo transfer as a MPEG4. The export was fine except that the quality went from good to poor as I played back the video. I'm with you, I thought I might use Toast Video Player 2 to edit and then burn with Toast 8(which used v.1.0) but I do not see a way to do it since the save feature of Toast Video Player 2.0 seems to only save into Toast 9's workspace. Originally I thought the problem on the DVD-Video's was with Toast Video Player 2, but since you can edit/export fine, you may be on to something - if you could get the video into Toast 8. By the way, I also took the same edited video and burned it to a std. DVD but as a AVCHD and the outcome didn't have the audio/video issues. The quality was very good at first, but had some really rough patches in it making the outcome- pretty much unusable. I was told by Roxio this feature is a work in progress. Didn't notice that mentioned in the marketing verbiage.

[MacGoddess]

Standard def? Not sure I am understanding you. The TiVo recordings are at highest quality, but not HD. I would like to burn some of them to DVD and have them look as good as they do on my TiVo. I did get some good resolution using Popcorn 3 with the multiplexing, but after watching those burned DVDs, I have to report that all the action scenes are a little jerky. The sound and audio are in sync, the picture quality is fantastic, but there is something still not right.

 

As for you not having the same experience with Popcorn as I had, I am not surprised. I am now finding that sometimes Toast 9 will multiplex rather than encode and Popcorn might start to multiplex and revert to encoding. This happened earlier today. It is all crazy.

 

I wonder if it is possible to get the same quality video from the TiVo to a DVD?

 

[MacGoddess]

I've stayed out of this because I don't have a TiVo. But my brother is now experiencing jumpy video on disc images he created years ago with Toast 7 and that has us both puzzled. He opened a VOB title set in MPEG Streamclip where it was found to be full of time code breaks. He used Streamclip to fix those breaks and chose Convert to MPEG. Now he's trying the exported MPEG in Toast 9 to create a new disc image or DVD. I haven't heard how it turned out. It's something some of you might experiment with. Could be a waste of time but what if it did make a difference?

 

There is one way we can get the same quality copies from TiVo recordings. Hook up a DVD recorder and use the "Send to VCR" option in TiVo. The TiVo doesn't know if it is a DVD recorder or VCR. Of course, you can't edit out anything from the recordings this way, but it would give good quality DVDs if you only want to play them somewhere else, which I what I want to do.

 

As for having to edit in Streamclip or some other application, it gets to be too much hassle. But if someone finds a method that works, I wish they would post a step by step guide for the rest of us. Hopefully, it will be something that isn't too time consuming.

[MacGoddess]

Originally I thought the problem on the DVD-Video's was with Toast Video Player 2, but since you can edit/export fine, you may be on to something - if you could get the video into Toast 8.

 

Well, now I have to add more information. When the John Adams series started on HBO a couple of weeks ago, I TiVo'd the first 2 episodes, transfered them to my Mac and used Toast 8 to put both episodes on one DVD to play on a DVD player in another room. I had already transferred a couple of other HBO shows from TiVo to Toast 8 to DVD and they came out fine. I had put only one show on a DVD up until I did the John Adams, in which I put 2 shows on one DVD.

 

We just got around to watching that DVD and the first show was fine, but the 2nd episode was out of sync with the sound! These were not edited because I did them with Toast 8 and had no way to edit the videos. Apparently, the editing isn't the problem. Now it seems to have something to do with Toast encoding to DVD--maybe from TiVo files mostly, but the friend who uses EyeTV got an out-of-sync audio/video on an HD recording using Toast 9 to encode to DVD.

 

I am just glad I haven't deleted the original recordings on my TiVo so I can go watch the 2nd episode.

[Gordon Galligher]

I have discovered you cannot trim the commercials from a TiVo Video and burn the altered video to DVD-Video format. Toast Video Player will allow you to do multiple trims to the TiVo video but the resulting encoded DVD-Video will have the audio of the commercials on the video. In other words, what actually happens is only the video track is removed. The audio of the removed commercials is playing on the video. I tried on Leopard 10.5.2 & Tiger 10.4.11 with the same results. I'm disappointed because TiVo functionality topped the list for my reason to upgrade from Toast 8.

 

Anyone?????

 

I experience this exact behavior on every TiVo show I try to cut segments out of. The audio of the cut segment continues in the file, and the video correctly goes to the spliced part and continues. It makes the DVD completely unusable and unrecognizable.

 

As this feature is one of the main (only?) reasons for my purchasing Toast 9, I am very disappointed and hope that Roxio fixes this ASAP. I did follow the directions from the post in http://forums.support.roxio.com/index.php?showtopic=36587 to tell them I was having the problem, but as of yet have not received any response, not even a "we got it" email.

 

 

[tlw]

Gordon,

I have done the same on emailing to Roxio's TiVo email. Same here, no response. What is odd for me is that I can take some unedited TiVo transfers and they will encode and burn with Toast 8 but Toast 9 can not. It will crash at 0% of encoding. There seems to be some serious issues with TiVo files. I assume they are buried with problems with TiVo files; therfore, the lack of email replys. I don't want to be overbearing - especially in what is there home(User Discussion resources). But I am disturbed by the fact that this functionality or lack thereof could have made on a release to manufacturing product. And while they are cleaning this up, I sure hope the repair the navigation in Toast Video Player when you are in playback/edit mode with a TiVo file. It just doesn't work reliably. It's out of control in respect to most of the functions.

[tlw]

There is one way we can get the same quality copies from TiVo recordings. Hook up a DVD recorder and use the "Send to VCR" option in TiVo. The TiVo doesn't know if it is a DVD recorder or VCR. Of course, you can't edit out anything from the recordings this way, but it would give good quality DVDs if you only want to play them somewhere else, which I what I want to do.

 

As for having to edit in Streamclip or some other application, it gets to be too much hassle. But if someone finds a method that works, I wish they would post a step by step guide for the rest of us. Hopefully, it will be something that isn't too time consuming.

 

I'm betting if you connected a DVD-burner to your TiVo, you would be partially right. It would allow recording of the file to your DVD, it probably doesn't care what recording equipment is connected. However, the quality would be dumbed down to standard VHS quality and not 480p as on a standard DVD. Before I had TiVo, I had the Scientific-Atlanta 8300HD box. That is precisely what it did. I'm thinking it encodes as well as transmits to the recording device. I'm not saying I'm right, but what I believe. Notice that DVD burners do not have HDMI or even component(unless the component is limited to s-video resolution. I'm telling you this is not even close to being a technical hurddle but a legal one. TV & Movie industries do not want the consumer to be able to archive broadcasts in high quality form on optical media. Tivo pushes the edge but from what we are seeing, Roxio fails to render a first class recording on DVD's from TiVo files. If it's any consolation, I use a Windows Vista machine at work. I have Roxio's Easy Media Creator 10 installed. You edit the TiVo file with their application called "VideoWave". It gives great control on editing - it really works well. Then you can either use it to output to DVD-Video or use Roxio's My DVD to encode and burn to DVD - Video. Easy Media Creator Deluxe is a suite.. But guess what, while the video and audio are in sync after trimming the commercials, the DVD when played back exhibits the same jerkiness. It's like frames were dropped during the conversion.

 

Again I refer to the feeling of less than. It is just ultimately disappointing for me.

 

Roxio is the exclusive partner to TiVo on both platforms.

 

There is one way we can get the same quality copies from TiVo recordings. Hook up a DVD recorder and use the "Send to VCR" option in TiVo. The TiVo doesn't know if it is a DVD recorder or VCR. Of course, you can't edit out anything from the recordings this way, but it would give good quality DVDs if you only want to play them somewhere else, which I what I want to do.

 

As for having to edit in Streamclip or some other application, it gets to be too much hassle. But if someone finds a method that works, I wish they would post a step by step guide for the rest of us. Hopefully, it will be something that isn't too time consuming.

 

I'm betting if you connected a DVD-burner to your TiVo, you would be partially right. It would allow recording of the file to your DVD, it probably doesn't care what recording equipment is connected. However, the quality would be dumbed down to standard VHS quality and not 480p as on a standard DVD. Before I had TiVo, I had the Scientific-Atlanta 8300HD box. That is precisely what it did. I'm thinking it encodes as well as transmits to the recording device. I'm not saying I'm right, but what I believe. Notice that DVD burners do not have HDMI or even component(unless the component is limited to s-video resolution. I'm telling you this is not even close to being a technical hurddle but a legal one. TV & Movie industries do not want the consumer to be able to archive broadcasts in high quality form on optical media. Tivo pushes the edge but from what we are seeing, Roxio fails to render a first class recording on DVD's from TiVo files. If it's any consolation, I use a Windows Vista machine at work. I have Roxio's Easy Media Creator 10 installed. You edit the TiVo file with their application called "VideoWave". It gives great control on editing - it really works well. Then you can either use it to output to DVD-Video or use Roxio's My DVD to encode and burn to DVD - Video. Easy Media Creator Deluxe is a suite.. But guess what, while the video and audio are in sync after trimming the commercials, the DVD when played back exhibits the same jerkiness. It's like frames were dropped during the conversion.

 

Again I refer to the feeling of less than. It is just ultimately disappointing for me.

 

Roxio is the exclusive partner to TiVo on both platforms.

 

I've stayed out of this because I don't have a TiVo. But my brother is now experiencing jumpy video on disc images he created years ago with Toast 7 and that has us both puzzled. He opened a VOB title set in MPEG Streamclip where it was found to be full of time code breaks. He used Streamclip to fix those breaks and chose Convert to MPEG. Now he's trying the exported MPEG in Toast 9 to create a new disc image or DVD. I haven't heard how it turned out. It's something some of you might experiment with. Could be a waste of time but what if it did make a difference?

 

Thanks for the info. I may give that a try on some point. I'm kinda like MacGodess, it is approaching too much of an investment. I hope Roxio can polish their conversion their conversion of the TiVo file format!

 

't

[tlw]

I haven't seen this behavior... I'll try to replicate it but I may wind up needing you TiVo recording...

 

Does this happen with every recording?

 

Thanks

 

I have deleted and re-transfered the recording 3 different times. However, I have not tried another recording.

 

Let me know - I can send the transfer to you - hopefully via email.

 

Thanks,

 

Tim

[tlw]

Per the request above, I tried another TiVo transfer. I trimmed a couple of commercial breaks from another transfer using Toast Video Player. I then saved the edited file to Toast 9 and on every occassion(2 times), Toast crashed on the encoding. It never achieved 1% - had to be forced quit. I cannot recall a more bug riddled mainstream application. The reason I cannot, is that there isn't one! Again, bought for the TiVo functionality that is still being advertised. It simply does not work, PERIOD.