Frustrated with Output to AVI/DV Options

[NickU]

Hi People,

I've been a user of PTE for many years and am delighted that Igor & his team are busy translating PTE to run on Macs. Over the years I've created several long running slideshows using PTE which I'd now like to be able to output to DVD. Fine, no problem.... erm - only catch is that I want to take the AVI/DV stream and use it within Apple's iDVD software, or merged into a longer fusion AV of video and stills mastered in Final Cut Express. To try maintain high quality as far as possible, I've been exporting as hiDef mp4's.

I've tried exporting using various formats and each and every time I take it into iDVD, iDVD cannot convert the movie and fails. Quicktime can play the H.264 movie though, and they also play fine on the PC and on VMWare. I've also tried importing the PTE movies in various formats into Final Cut Pro, and also to trying to transcode/convert them using MpegStreamclip. All of the conversions fail to work. I've tried using MPEGStreamclip to capture the output from PTE's export to AVI... but only sounds transfers across. I've just tried an export and upload to Vimeo (killing the upload), and that file works and can be transcoded - is this the only way...? And what about true HD at 1080p? (For future cuts to BlueRay?)

Can anyone help as to what sort of output from PTE should be used to produce an intermediate file I can use in iDVD/FCE or even FCP if needed? What settings or export option is best? I've several shows, one of which is close to 30 minutes in length. and don't want to have to recreate the slideshows in Fotomagico, but I'm getting to the point on giving up on the PTE output (.

TIA

Nick

[Lin Evans]

Hi Nick,

Perhaps one of our users who has both PC and MacIntosh will be better able to answer your question, but since PTE can output Native MacIntosh executable code (is this what you meant by using Quicktime to run the h.264?) perhaps that would be the ideal way to start.

In 6.0 through the current 6.5 beta 3, you can export to native Mac format. Not having a Mac myself, I don't know exactly what this entails but if you haven't tried it that may "convert" to something amenable to Final Cut Express.

h.264 files output by PTE convert well to AVCHD DVD format, but h.264 itself has apparently a number of slightly differing iterations. It's difficult to know exactly why PTE output isn't being accepted by Final Cut Pro. You "could," of course, output to an AVI at 1920x1080 resolution and that would most likely be amenable to your software. I can't think of any valid reason why the output quality would be any less than an mp4 h.264 as long as you use a high enough frame rate and bitrate.

Hopefully, one of our Mac specialists can jump in here and provide some more input....

Best regards,

Lin

[nickunwin]

Hi Lin,

The slideshows perform fine as Native MAC app's, it's just the AV output to mix down onto DVD that's causing a big issue. I've tried the HD MPEG4 and the AVI options, but have found the only one that creates a file useable by iDVD/FCP etc is the Vimeo option. While the HD MP4 files *will* play using Quicktime player on the MAC, any attempt to transcode the files either aborts immediately (as in iDVD rendering to disk), or just gives a transcoded file with a blank video picture and an audio track that's ok. There must be something in the MP4 wrapper that is out of kilter or not being recognised .

The export to AVI option gives me files with audio only and which are deleted immediately when clicking the OK button. I've tried using the AVI's to stream the video into transcoders such as MPEGStreamclip (eg like some old DVD burning programmes required), but again, only the audio makes it through. I've tried transcoding on several different systems - both PC and Mac - the files give me the same results irrespective of OS, no video.

I wish PTE had a straightforward AVI option to output to file and not delete at the end .

By the looks of it, I might have to hack the videobuilder prefs file and find what it's doing with Vimeo output that it isn't doing with the other options and see if I can up the quality that way.

(Oops, looks like the forum has remembered my old forum login on this computer!)

[Lin Evans]

Hi Nick,

PTE has had the ability to output a normal AVI file for many iterations - since way back in early 5 series times assuming you have Video Builder which you must have or you couldn't create the native Mac output.

What you need to do is click on Create, then choose AVI Video File then select "Create Custom AVI Video File." A box will pop up which allows you to choose the Audio and Video Codec from whatever you have available on your computer system (PTE just reads those available).

Choose something in the way of a video Codec such as MPEG II and PTE will create a stand-alone AVI in the dimensions (resolution) you choose. Maybe try this with a very small slideshows with two or three slides until you get something which works well then apply those parameters to the real show.

Best regards,

Lin

snip.....

I wish PTE had a straightforward AVI option to output to file and not delete at the end .

It does, see above.....

By the looks of it, I might have to hack the videobuilder prefs file and find what it's doing with Vimeo output that it isn't doing with the other options and see if I can up the quality that way.

(Oops, looks like the forum has remembered my old forum login on this computer!)