It's not a space issue. I have over 20GB free on the hdd. I've tried preparing and burning, and just preparing. In both cases, the error shows up. I've even changed the location of the Temp Files folder that DVDA uses. I've never encountered a setting that limits a .tmp file size, so I don't want to think that M$ WinXP is the cause of the error - although I can't rule that one out.

ADDED QUESTION: Is there any reason why the media space used indicator turns red above about 7.7-7.8 GB when using a target media setting of 8.5 GB??? Does that make a difference with this error?

UPDATE: I rendered a smaller version of the DVD at about 4 GB, so I know the problem is definitely with the larger files. I am currently trying to render a version of the DVD at 7.6 GB, when the space used indicator is still only yellow.

One of the hassles with any error in most any program is that the error message doesn't always help, and may actually be inaccurate. A pure guess, maybe something else in your project, perhaps one of the media files, is causing the error?

I'll often use a method not everyone agrees with: when I'm hurting for space, especially Single Layer, I'll prepare the DVD to hdd ignoring the red warning, then use Shrink or Recode to bring it into spec [I only do this when the DVDA result is slightly over, and it maxes the disc while trimming data from the less noticeable B frames]. At any rate, going over the disc limit has never caused DVDA to hiccup.

I also don't put an abundance of faith in the DVDA space indicator, finding especially with non-Vegas encoded mpg2 it's not that accurate; generally I just select the media (in the same folder) in Windows Explorer and read the combined size.

Wish I could be of help -- Good Luck

Okay, the 7.6 GB version didn't work. It gave the same error. So, it definitely has something to do with files over 4+ GB. The error says exactly this:
------------------
Sony DVD Architect Studio 4.5

Warning: An error ocurred while writing to a file.
The file being rendered has exceeded the maximum size allowed for the selected format.
------------------

I am trying to render a 3hr 9min Vegas Movie Studio Widescreen Format mpg with an accompanying audio track to a WS Project aspect ratio. I'm using the compression option in DVDA to make the total size under the allotted 8.5 GB, and the error shows up when the video has rendered sometime over 80% (or around 4+ GB). It doesn't even get a chance to render the audio.

Does the fact that it's in the WS format make a difference with the allowed size? The error does specify "maximum size allowed for the selected format."

I'll do some more snooping and experimenting and hopefully I can get this resolved. This is really annoying.

I am not familiar with DVDA Studio but did you set Target Media Size in File > Project Preperties to 8.5G?

Ed

Yup. Project target media is 8.5 GB, and DVDA knows it should be a DL project, as evidenced by the extra layer break questions when I try the Prepare & Burn option.

The problem I'm having is that I can't complete the render process. It doesn't complete the render for the video portion due to the file size error, and there is definitely more than enough space left on the hard drive.

The error implies the selected format (WS DVD???) has a maximum file size limit.

Are you rendering/encoding to mpg2 in Vegas or DVDA?

If you're rendering to mpg2 in Vegas, rendering the DVD layout should just be a matter of muxing the streams together in a VOB file, & writing the IFO files to go with it -- elapsed time should be roughly how ever long it takes to copy 8 gig from one folder to another on your system, plus time maybe to read the results to create the IFOs... For me that means roughly 10 minutes I think for a single layer DVD (I always go do something else so I've never watched).

If you're encoding the mpg2 in DVDA, seems there was a thread not long ago with something similar if I remember correctly -- something about the project and default bit rates in the Optimize dialog. I should have thought of & mentioned it earlier but got in a rut I guess assuming without thinking that everyone encodes in Vegas.

That's only 1/2 right about what I'm doing. I encoded the file in Vegas, but it's a little big to fit on the DVD, so DVDA is recompressing it to fit. It's during that process when the temp file for the video is being written that the error shows up.

I'm going to try rendering it with a smaller bitrate when the size indicator is in the clear. I know it shouldn't make a difference, but I haven't been able to get anything to work above 4+ GB yet, and rendering with red or yellow in the indicator each don't work.

If I remember correctly (to be sure search for that earlier thread) when rendering in DVDA the bitrate settings shouldn't conflict as mentioned earlier. Otherwise, the more correct procedure I think would be to re-render (using original source -- not the mpg2) in Vegas using a lower bit rate. Maybe the easiest way would be to use a bit rate calculator to find out what bit rate to use, then plug those figures into the Vegas encoder modding the DVDA template.

Yeah, I think that might be the next best course of action.

As of now, I tried the lower bit rate setting last night, and the temp file topped off at 3.79 GB. Apparently that's when the error shows up. Which is weird, because the smaller file I prepared before was about 3.96 GB (I think), and that one prepared just fine.

Is your harddrive formatted as FAT32 or NTFS? FAT32 has a filesize limit of 4GB.

Rob