On the Project page it gives choices for video rendering quality. Is "good" the correct answer?

Also, do I check "Interleave every 0.250 seconds"? I notice that the Preview Window appears to show that only every other frame, the even numbered frames, are being rendered.

Do I check the "Create an Open DML (AVI version 2.0) compatible file" box?

The reason for my concerns is that the rendering info box tells me that it will take 7 1/2 hours to render 17 minutes of video. I recall that earlier it took much much less time for this size file. I think the Preview Window also used to show me frames whizzing by, not the frame by frame rendering I'm getting now.

And what is DVSoft? When do I use that? I searched the Help Index but failed to find a reference to DVSoft.

Correction:
Disregard the last two lines and the reerence to DVSoft. I misread my notes. That was from a competing editing program that I switched away from. Sorry about that.

size: 720x480
frame rate: 29.97
filed orderL lower first
Pixel aspect: .909
Video Format: NTSC DV (you can use DV soft instead, although that is not reccommended)

Interleave, checked, every .250 secs
create open DML...checked.

If all these are correct, you should be creating a compliant DV file in the NTSC format.

Those settings worked fine, except it took 8 hours to render just 17 1/2 minutes.

1. Why is DVSoft "not recommended"? Is another method better?

2. Which DV AVI rendering method is faster for the same results?

3. And finally, why is rendering so slow, considering that we are going from an original AVI video file to a final AVI final, the only "new" video rendering is for transitions and effects. Or does using two video and three audio tracks cause the slowness?

Maybe another switch is turned on somewhere that needn't be enabled? Like "Best" rendering quality or motion blur? The default settings allow the fastest DV rendering, and if the events are cuts only DV, rendered to DV, rendering will fly. If you are changing every frame of video somehow (I think you are) then rendering will slow down significantly.

I agree that I am rendering every frame, although they are mostly cuts.

Here are ALL the switches I've been using. Which is incorrect and causing the slow rendering? I am using two video tracks (one for occasional inserts) and three audiuo tracks.

RENDER AS PAGE...
Save as type: Video for Windows (*.avi)
Template: NTSC DV

Custom Settings screen.....

PROJECT PAGE...
Template NTSC DV
Video rendering quality: Draft (The lowest possible setting)
Motion blur type: None
Exposure time (Seconds): greyed out
Resample the frame rate of all video: Unchecked

VIDEO PAGE...
Include video: checked
Frame size: greyed out
Frame rate: greyed out
Field Order: Lower field first
Pixel aspect ration: greyed out
Video format: NTSC DV
Interleave every (seconds): checked 0.250
Interleave every frame: unchecked
Keyframe: greyed out
Data rate: greyed out
Render alpha channel: greyed out
Create an Open DML (AVI version 2.0) compatible file: checked

AUDIO PAGE
Inclue audio: checked
Audio format: PCM Uncompressed
Attributes: greyed out
Sample rate (Hz): 48,000
Bit-depth: 16

Thanks for your help on this.

This all looks correct. Is there a second video track that you are using to composite titles? Or are you using track motion or crop? Somewhere you are doing something that is requiring a recompress of every frame.

If you start a new project, load a single DV clip captured with our Video Capture tool, then render that DV clip as a new DV file, rendering will cruise, almost as fast as a file copy. If it doesn't, then it's either a mis-set project setting, or a codec problem (like maybe DVSOFT, an alien DV codec, was installed and it replaced the native Windows DV codec-is that the case?)

I tried the "new project test" you suggested. That worked fine and rendered almost as fast as a file copy. So at least it's not something corrupted in the program.

I am using a second video track for *occasional* cutaways and three audio tracks. No crop or track motion. I even tried highlighting a small section of the timeline with only one video and one audio track and rendering that, but got the same slow result.

Is it possible that changing some slide switch in the track header has caused the problem?

At this point I am about ready to give up.
I can't find the offending switch or timeline action that's causing the rendering of every track. Overnight I did create my project AVI (took only 8 hours for 17 1/2 minutes of project.) Since the program passed your test, presumably a new project would not have this problem.

I've ordered VF2, so this problem, and its solution, will be moot. But I sure hope I don't do to my projects in VF2 whatever it was I did here.

Thanks for all your time and attention. The responsiveness of you folks is one reason why I switched to VF.

Is that (DVSoft) why I had to check "Interleave every frame" to get it to work right on my Sony TRV-120? I got big blocks of white if I didn't check "every frame".

You may need to check "interleave every frame" if you are printing to tape with something other than SF Video Capture (like Sony DV GATE). If its our capture tool, leave this at .25