Problems Burning SageTV recordings to DVD

[cmaffia]

Here is the problem in a nutshell:

I have two SageTV boxes

I can burn recordings from Sage Box A using Ulead 7.0 with no problems

When I burn recordings from Sage Box B using Ulead 7.0 I get wicked panning issues and "ghosting" on my DVD's

*****I burn from a 3rd PC on my network, not from each Sage Box.

I notice that Ulead DOES NOT need to "convert video" for all recordings on Sage Box A (good burns) but needs to "convert video" for all Sage Box B recordings prior to making TS_AUDIO/TS_VIDEO.

Something tells me that there is an actual difference in the way each Sage Box records.... problem is I don't know what that difference is!!!

Why do SAGE BOX A recordings work?? I think my problems with Sage Box B recordings has to do with the fact that it needs to do that "Convert Video" process.

I use Nvidia Decoder on by Sage Boxes.

Any clues??? HELP!

[Cayars]

More then likely you're not using a "DVD" recording profile on the one box.

[cmaffia]

Originally Posted by Cayars

More then likely you're not using a "DVD" recording profile on the one box.

The box that works is using the GREAT setting

The box that doesn't work is using the MAX MPEG2.

***UPDATE

I just did a sample recording using STANDARD DVD and Ulead still wants to convert. What's up with that??

[padre]

You may want to check your Ulead options. By default, it 'converts' everything, whether its DVD compliant or not. I had to change the preferences when I used Ulead, otherwise it re-encoded everything.

[cmaffia]

Originally Posted by padre

You may want to check your Ulead options. By default, it 'converts' everything, whether its DVD compliant or not. I had to change the preferences when I used Ulead, otherwise it re-encoded everything.

Can you direct me as to where I would prevent re-encoding?
I've looked in every conceivable place. Also why does it want encode recordings from one of my Sage Box but not the other??

[Opus4]

How about setting both systems to use the GREAT setting & see what happens? MPEG2 MAX is not a DVD compliant setting, and perhaps ULead is expecting something different from the DVD Standard settings.

- Andy

[cmaffia]

Originally Posted by Opus4

How about setting both systems to use the GREAT setting & see what happens? MPEG2 MAX is not a DVD compliant setting, and perhaps ULead is expecting something different from the DVD Standard settings.

- Andy

OK I've set both Sage Boxes to record at GREAT Quality. This is the quality that I use on the Sage box that I have no issues with.

However, Ulead still wants to convert videos even when I change the setting to GREAT on the other box. I notice the following differences in video formats.

Ulead reports that my good MPG files are the following:

Format: 24 Bits, (720x480)
NTSC DVD, Field B,3800 kbps
Comp Ration 60%

The problem MPG files are all:

Format: 24 Bits, (720x480)
MPEG-2, Field B,12000 kbps
Comp Ration 20%

Is there a setting in my Sage Properties that is dictating these differences??

***Both capture cards are PVR-250MCE

***Both Sage Boxes have the same parameters for GREAT quality:

mmc/python2_encoding/Great=videobitrate\=3800000|vbr\=0|width\=720|height\=480|audiobitrate\=384|outputstreamtype\=10|audiosampling\=48000

***What is making one record in NTSC DVD compliant format and the other as MPEG-2 when they are both using the same GREAT recording setting??

Thanks

***UPDATE

When I copied the sage.properties from the good box to the other box, SAGE was EXTREMELY sluggish, HOWEVER when I checked in ULEAD what this sample recording recorded at, it matched the SAGE box that works.... So now the question is

A) What parameter in Sage.properties is causing this difference??
B) When I use the sage.properties from good box on bad box... Why is the video is messed up?? BOTH SAGE BOXES ARE SAME HARDWARE/MODEL PC

ARE PVR-250MCE NOT CREATED EQUAL?? THE PROBLEM ONE IS THE ONE I GOT FROM FREY A FEW MONTHS AGO AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE ROSLYN JUNK THEY SOLD.

[nielm]

Originally Posted by cmaffia

***What is making one record in NTSC DVD compliant format and the other as MPEG-2 when they are both using the same GREAT recording setting??

Looking at the bitrates for your problem MPEGs indicates that they are not recorded with the 3.8Mbps Great quality, but with the 12Mbps MPEG-2 Max quality, which has outputstreamtype\=0, which is not DVD.

(outputstreamtype\=10 indicates DVD stream)

[cmaffia]

There was another GREAT parameter on the good box's sage.properties

seeker/recording_qualities/Great\ -\ 2GB\ per\ hr=Great,384,48000,4444444

I added it to my bad box and all is well now

You can close this ticket

[Opus4]

That's strange... the seeker/recording_qualities properties aren't supposed to be used by SageTV any more, starting with version 2.1.

- Andy

[korben_dallas]

Another thing to keep in mind is if your file is over 4.7GB. If it is, then it won't fit on a DVD-5, and most authoring programs would force a re-encode/transcode.

[nielm]

... Although some allow you to create the oversized DVD structure on-disk, and the you can use DVD Shrink to resize it to fit without re-encoding...

[mayamaniac]

just a guess, but I know one of the Favorites settings is to override the Default Quality settings. Check to see if the recordings on the problem machine DO have it on the Great setting instead of the Max.

[cmaffia]

Originally Posted by korben_dallas

Another thing to keep in mind is if your file is over 4.7GB. If it is, then it won't fit on a DVD-5, and most authoring programs would force a re-encode/transcode.

Not true in my case. I've had 10GB files not have to reencode.

[cmaffia]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

just a guess, but I know one of the Favorites settings is to override the Default Quality settings. Check to see if the recordings on the problem machine DO have it on the Great setting instead of the Max.

Checked that too prior to finding the cause.

I think it comes down to experimenting/trying STV's

The only STV I played with using my current sage.properties was mlbdude's SageMCE and MLBDude 1.8.7 (which I currently use YES in 2.2.4 it works fine)

[Rem]

In Ulead under "Project Settings, on mine it's also alt-J" is where you can find the setting "do not re-encode DVD compliant MPEG Video".