Re: DVDSP Error Message - "Video Bit Rate Too High" Out of Ideas

Hi Ken

I am building a Dance Recital video. Show one went smooth

Show two has continued to crash with the error message - "Video Bit Rate Too High"

I don't think I've done anything different. In fact, building these DVDs like this have been simple and smooth until now.

1. Changed the Bit Rate in the DVDSP4 twice, no 3 times, same ERROR

2. Changed the Bit Rate in Compressor 4 a couple of times...same error message.

3. Don't know if this error begins inside of FCP X, but why would this be so, when SHOW 1 went smooth....same gear...same same.

Any ideas out there ? I am out of it. I tried 2 different DVDSP templates, same error message.

Thanks Ken
Dick Osso

Hi Ken

It was the AUDIO.

Strange, as the other DVDs all did the same thing and never failed, yet this one did. By changing the AIFF audio to AAC audio, it worked.

Dick Osso

Hi Dick,

That will do it every time.

--ken

We have solved this by e-mail, so let me explain WHY the error message appeared.

AIFF is a VBR audio codec and some AIFF files can produce maximum Bit Rate peaks that are way beyond the highest Bit Rate that is accepted by the DVD specification (which is 20 years old BTW). When you import such an audio file in a DVDSP project DVDSP will refuse to build the project and it will produce this "Video Bit Rate Too High" message that actually does not mean anything. The solution is to convert the problematic AIFF file (or any external AIFF audio files for that matter) to AAC, which has a much lower Bit Rate than AIFF.

You can create 500 projects using AIFF files without any problems as long as the maximum Bit Rate of every AIFF file falls within the DVD specifications. But as soon as you import one single AIFF file that does not meet these requirements DVDSP will fail to build the project.

So the question remains: when you let DVDSP handle the encoding it always produces AIFF audio files and not AAC, so why do we never get that message with AIFF files created by DVDSP? The answer is simple: the DVDSP audio encoder makes sure that the maximum Bit Rate of the AIFF files never exceeds the Bit Rate limitations of the DVD specification.

Best wishes,

Ronny

AIFF is CBR, not VBR. I always use AC3 for my DVD audio tracks. AIFF is a bitrate hog since it's uncompressed Linear PCM. Compressor can do AC3. It's under "Dolby Digital". AC3 is the standard sound for DVD. Every DVD player must be able to play it. It's the rules!

I really should re-read before I post late at night (-:

Joe is correct. I should have written: AIFF is an audio codec that can have various bit rates, and some AIFF files can produce bit rate spikes that are way beyond the highest bit rate that is accepted by the DVD specification.

Both AC3 and AAC will play fine on a DVD. In 2004 The DVD Forum has chosen the AAC audio format as the standard for DVD Audio.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Are there any actual DVD releases with AAC audio? I've never seen one. They all have Dolby Digital (AC3). DTS (CPT) is also supported but it is not required for players to be able to play the format back, so use DTS at your own risk.