Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro FAQ

A: Cinematize 2 Pro is a new addition to Cinematize 2 product family. Cinematize 2 Pro offers everything Cinematize 2 does and many more advanced and time-saving features. You don't necessarily have to be a "pro" to enjoy the benefits of Cinematize 2 Pro. If you use DVDs extensively, you may want to consider using Cinematize 2 Pro. To find out more, please see the complete list of Cinematize 2 Pro features as well as the comparison chart between Cinematize 2 and Cinematize Pro. You can also download and try the free trial version of Cinematize 2 Pro.

While using Cinematize 2, have you wondered about any of the following? If so, click each question to see how Cinematize 2 Pro can help you.

I want to extract each audio channel separately from a multi-channel audio track.
I want to reuse some elements from a menu.
I have settings in Cinematize 2 I use frequently. Is there any way to save these settings?
I use Cinematize 2 extensively. It would be so nice if I could select multiple segments and extract them all at once.
I want to create movie clips with subtitles so that I can watch them with QuickTime or iPod.
I have TV programs recorded in DVD-VR mode. Can I extract movie/audio clips from this?
Is it possible to see the total length of the clip I'm extracting?

Q. What is the big deal about extracting segments off of a DVD? I thought I could do this with the tools I already have.

A: Many people believe that they can easily extract segments off of a DVD until the day they actually have to do it. Then they realize it is not so easy. This is because DVD discs use special file formats (VOB, BUP, IFO) which none of the standard video/audio editing software can handle. Cinematize fills this void. Cinematize takes these specialized DVD formats and converts them into formats such as MOV, M2V, and AIFF which can be easily recognized by all the main video/audio editing software packages like QuickTime, iMovie, and Final Cut on the Mac, and Premiere, Pinnacle, Ulead, and Windows Movie Maker on Windows.

Q. Can I copy an entire DVD using Cinematize 2 or Cinematize 2 Pro? How are they different from DVD copy tools?

A: With both Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro you can extract all the chapters in a movie, however you will be limited to extracting one of the soundtracks at a time. With Cinematize 2, you will not be able to extract from menus, while Cinematize 2 Pro will allow you to do this. If copying DVDs in their entirety is your one and only goal, then you may find that DVD copy tools are a better for you than Cinematize. Those tools will reduce the video/audio quality to squeeze down and copy the data onto a single-sided DVD-R. Cinematize on the other hand, can preserve the full original quality, since its purpose is really to enable you to use segments off of a DVD to create something new. From day one, Cinematize was never designed to be a mere copy tool, rather it was designed to be a DVD movie clip extractor. If you want to do anything other than just copying the entire DVD, for example, if you want to extract a short clip, to extract audio or video alone, or to create a still picture, Cinematize is your tool. You can see a quick comparison chart in the Products Comparison page. To see what you can do with Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro, visit the Applications page.

Q. Can Cinematize change the quality of the video/audio?

A: Yes. For video tracks, you may choose to decode the video into any of the codecs supported by QuickTime. Using the decoding options provided by Cinematize, you can control the trade-off between file size and video quality. You can also extract the video data in full original quality. For audio tracks, Cinematize will always preserve the full original quality. You may choose to decode to AIFF/WAV/MOV or to save the audio undecoded.

Q. How is Cinematize different from DVD authoring tools?

A: Cinematize is NOT a DVD authoring tool. Cinematize in fact complements authoring tools by offering exactly the opposite functionality. DVD authoring tools read your video information and put it onto a DVD, but do not let you take any information off of a DVD. Cinematize lets you extract a segment or clip back off of the DVD so you can edit it again or use it to create a new DVD.

Q. How is Cinematize different from video editing tools?

A: Cinematize is NOT a video editing tool. Usually, people use video editing tools to edit their home videos. Then they might choose to create a DVD using a DVD authoring tool. Cinematize becomes useful after this stage. Cinematize lets you extract a segment or clip back off of the DVD so you can edit it again with a video editing tool.

Q. You say Cinematize can handle a DVD with multiple angles. What is an angle and how is it used?

A: An "angle" on a DVD originally referred to a different camera "angle" and the use of multiple angles was originally confined to the adult film industry. Recently, however, it has become quite common on complex mainstream commercial discs to use angles as a means of localizing movies into different languages. Each angle will display credits, text, or other localized material according to the language soundtrack selected. Cinematize allows you to specify an angle and to extract video and audio associated with just that specific angle.

Installation and Update Questions

Q. How do I uninstall the demo version of Cinematize?

A: Here are the steps to remove the demo version.

Macintosh version:

Drag the folder "Cinematize 2.0 Demo" containing the application to the trash.
In the Finder, choose Go>Go To Folder and type "/Library/Receipts".
Drag the file starting with "Cinematize" to the trash.
In the Finder, choose Go>Go To Folder and type "~/Library/Preferences".
Drag any files starting with "com.miraizon.cinematize" to the trash.
Empty the trash.

Windows version:

Choose Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs (Win XP)
Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs (Win 2000)
Click on Remove

Q. How do I upgrade from the demo version to the full version of Cinematize?

A: The demo version and the full version are two separate programs. There is no actual upgrade procedure, and it is not in fact necessary to delete the demo version to install the full version, although we recommend it. To delete the demo version, follow the steps above to uninstall it. Then proceed to install the full version.

Q. Can I reinstall Cinematize on my new machine? I want to reinstall my Cinematize. How do I do that?

A: In order to reinstall Cinematize, you need your original installer. If you purchased a box version or a back-up CD-ROM, your CD is your installer and you can use this to reinstall. If you purchased a download version, your installer is .dmg file for Macintosh or .exe file for Windows. It is your responsibility to keep the original installer in case you want to reinstall the application later. If you do not have your original installer, you can request a new one using this form.

If you are reinstalling Cinematize on the same machine, make sure to uninstall your Cinematize application first following the directions in Chapter 1 of your user guide.

Q. I do not have the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback component installed on my machine. Can I still use Cinematize?

A: Yes. Cinematize 2 includes its own video decoder, so the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback component is not required for any of the functions in Cinematize 2.

Be advised, however, that if you choose to save your clips in raw formats (e.g. Elementary Stream or MPEG-2 Program Stream) you will need the component to play back those clips in QuickTime or in other Apple applications.

You can purchase the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback component online through the Apple Store. It is also included with DVD Studio Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Macintosh-specific Installation and Update Questions

Q. When I try to install Cinematize or the Cinematize Demo on my Mac, the Installer seems to always have errors. Why is this?

A: There are typically two possible causes for this behavior.

You may have a permissions problem on your system
You can fix this by doing a "Repair Permissions" operation. Simply run the Disk Utility tool (in your Applications/Utilities folder), highlight your hard drive on the left, and click Repair Disk Permissions. Once this operation has completed, you should be able to install Cinematize correctly.
You may have corrupted fonts installed by HP printer software
This will affect programs such as Mail and Safari also. Here are some links from Apple and HP describing the problem and how to get around it.

Q. I am running Mac OS 9. Will Cinematize work on my machine?

A: No. Miraizon only offers Cinematize 2 for Macintosh users running Mac OS X 10.2 or later (10.3 or later for Cinematize 2 Pro). We encourage you to upgrade your Macintosh to run Mac OS X.

Q. Does Cinematize work on G4- or G5-based machines?

A: Yes. Not only will Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro work on G4- and G5-based machines, they will operate significantly faster on machines with these processors. This is because both have been optimized to take advantage of the AltiVec vector processor included in all G4, G5, and higher processors. Note that both programs will also work just fine on G3-based machines.

Q. Does Cinematize work on Intel-based Mac machines?

A: Yes. Both Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro are Universal Binary applications. They run natively (= fast!) on Intel-based Mac machines.

Q. Does Cinematize work with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard?

A: Yes. The latest versions of both Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro are compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

Q. Does Cinematize work with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard?

A: Yes. The latest versions of both Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro are compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Q. I upgraded to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and now Cinematize doesn't work. Why is this?

A: Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro are not officially supported under Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, but the latest versions of both programs should still run fine.

Prior to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, the Mac OS X operating system supported running PowerPC applications and QuickTime components on Intel-based machines. Beginning with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, this support was removed. This affects Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro in two ways.

First, if you have an older PowerPC-only version of Cinematize 2 (version 2.05 or earlier), you will need to request the latest "Universal Binary" installer in order to get an Intel-native application that will run under Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. You can submit your request using our online form.

Second, if you have older PowerPC-only QuickTime components installed, you will need to either remove those components or update them to newer "Universal Binary" versions that will run natively on Intel-based machines. When Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro start up, they examine all the QuickTime components you have installed. If you have a PowerPC component installed, it will fail to run under Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and crash Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro.

QuickTime components are generally located in your /Library/QuickTime folder. You can find out which ones are PowerPC-only by highlighting each component and choosing File > Get Info from the Finder. In order to run under Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, the "Kind" field must say "(Universal)" or "(Intel)".

Windows-specific Installation and Update Questions

Q. When I try to run Cinematize it seems to instantly crash. Why is this?

A: You probably have an older version of QuickTime installed on your system. QuickTime 6.4 or higher is required to run Cinematize. You can download the latest version of QuickTime for free from Apple's web site. We recommend that you uninstall your older version of QuickTime before you install the new one.

Usage Questions

Q. I want to save my extracted movie in a format suitable for posting on the web. What is the best format to use?

A: Usually the best format to use is MPEG-4. Here is the recommended way to set things up:

In Preferences, select your preferred MPEG-4 frame size. Usually 320x240 or 640x480 is best for the web.
On the Video tab, choose Decode to QuickTime
On the Video tab, choose Output Codec as "DV/DVCPRO - NTSC" or "DV/DVCPRO - PAL" to match the video format listed under "Main Video Stream"
On the Audio tab, choose Decode to AIFF or WAV
On the Output tab, choose Output Format as MPEG-4 File, then extract

Cinematize 2 Pro advanced users can also custom configure the MPEG-4 file output settings by choosing MPEG-4 from the Custom portion of the Output Format menu.

This will produce an MPEG-4 file with extension MP4 which should play in most web browsers and media players.

Q. I want to save my extracted movie in a format for watching on iPods, iPhones and iPads. What is the best format to use?

There two ways of producing files for these devices: using fixed settings or using the MPEG-4 File option. The fixed settings choice results in better quality and smaller file sizes, but the the MPEG-4 File choice extracts much faster.

For fixed settings output:

On the Video tab, choose Decode to QuickTime
On the Video tab, choose Output Codec as "DV/DVCPRO - NTSC" or "DV/DVCPRO - PAL" to match the video format listed under "Main Video Stream"
On the Audio tab, choose Decode to AIFF or WAV
On the Output tab, choose Output Format as "iPod Movie File" (for older iPods and iPhones), or "Apple TV Movie File" (for newer iPods, iPhones, and iPads), then extract
Use iTunes to transfer the resulting M4V file to your device.

For MPEG-4 File output:

In Preferences, select your preferred MPEG-4 frame size. Use 320x240 (for older devices), or 640x480 (for newer devices), or even Full Frame.
On the Video tab, choose Decode to QuickTime
On the Video tab, choose Output Codec as "DV/DVCPRO - NTSC" or "DV/DVCPRO - PAL" to match the video format listed under "Main Video Stream"
On the Audio tab, choose Decode to AIFF or WAV
On the Output tab, choose Output Format as MPEG-4 File, then extract
Use iTunes to transfer the resulting MP4 file to your device.

Cinematize 2 Pro advanced users can also custom configure the MPEG-4 file output settings by choosing MPEG-4 from the Custom portion of the Output Format menu.

Q. When do I use the MPEG-4 or H.264 codecs on the Video tab?

A: The MPEG-4 and H.264 codec options on the Video tab should only be used if you are planning to create a QuickTime movie containing video compressed in this format. In this case, you would choose either of these codecs on the Video tab and use QuickTime as the Output Format on the Output tab. The resulting file will have the extension MOV, as it will be a QuickTime movie, and the frame size will be the full frame size of the DVD.

Should you want to create movies with the smallest possible size in true MPEG-4 file format (extension MP4) or iPod movie file format (extension M4V), you should instead follow the instructions we describe above. These files will have a reduced frame size over the original DVD. The reason is that Cinematize follows a process of extracting to intermediate files followed by combining those files together into the final format. We do this to get the best possible compression for the final file.

When working with true MPEG-4 and iPod movie files, you want to allow the compressor to look ahead at frames coming later to optimize the encoding. For this reason, Cinematize extracts to an intermediate format using a low compression codec such as DV/DVCPRO, followed by the final compression to MPEG-4 or H.264.

The choice of QuickTime movie containing MPEG-4 or H.264 versus an MPEG-4 or iPod movie file really depends on your application.

Q. I want to extract each audio channel separately from a multi-channel audio track. How do I do it?

A: If you have a DVD with a multi-channel audio track such as Dolby 5.1 (6 channels), Cinematize 2 automatically downmixes the audio to 2 channel stereo upon extraction. With Cinematize 2 Pro, you have the ability to instead decode all the channels separately. All you need to do is to choose "Decode All Channels" under the Downmixing option on the Audio tab. The result will be a set of individual mono audio files, each labeled with the channel identifier. Cinematize 2 Pro can also combine these together into a QuickTime movie with multichannel audio.

Q. I want to reuse some elements of a menu. How do I do this?

A: With Cinematize 2, you cannot extract from a menu. With Cinematize 2 Pro, you can extract any element - whether it an audio track, a background image, or a motion menu. All you need to do is to choose "Menu" Mode in the Segment tab. You can extract from menus video alone, audio alone, subtitles along, or any combination together.

Q. I have settings in Cinematize 2 I use frequently. Is there any way to save these settings?

A: Cinematize 2 will remember some of the settings you used next time you launch the application. Cinematize 2 Pro goes a step further, allowing you save your favorite settings as a preset, giving them a name so you can load them later. You can of course save as many presets as you like and use the appropriate one for your task. There are, however some settings you cannot save. For restrictions, please refer to the Cinematize 2 Pro user guides section on "Working with Presets".

Q. I want to select multiple segments and extract them all at once. Can I do this?

A: Yes. With Cinematize 2, you have options of saving multiple chapters together or separately. Cinematize 2 Pro goes much further. You can select as many segments as you want and extract them at once with one click. This allows you to do something else while Cinematize 2 Pro is extracting and saving multiple segments automatically. You must make sure your machine is not set to go to sleep during the batch operation.

Q. I want to create movie clips with subtitles included. Can I do this?

A: Yes, with Cinematize 2 Pro you can easily create movie clips with subtitles. To do this, simply select the subtitle track you want and select "Decode to QuickTime" under the Subtitle tab. The rest of the settings are the same as for a normal clip. Subtitle decoding is not supported in Cinematize 2.

Q. I have TV programs recorded in DVD-VR mode. Can I extract movie/audio clips from these discs?

A: Yes. Cinematize 2 Pro allows you to extract directly from DVD-VR format discs. Your machine must, however, be capable of mounting and accessing DVD discs that use the UDF 2.0 file system. A separate utility may be necessary to correctly mount these DVD discs.

Cinematize 2 does not support extraction from DVD-VR discs. Therefore, your recorded discs must first be "finalized" and saved in DVD-Video mode. Once you have done this, you will be able to use Cinematize 2 for extraction. For more information, see chapter 2 of the Cinematize 2 Pro user guide.

Q. Is it possible to see the total time length of the clip I am extracting?

A: Cinematize 2 Pro automatically shows you the total time length of the segment you are selecting in real time. In Cinematize 2, you may be able to calculate that yourself using the Start Point and the End Point times. This may be difficult, however, if your segment spans multiple chapters.

Q. How fast is the extraction speed in Cinematize?

A: The extraction speed will depend on a variety of factors, everything from the particular DVD you have to the configuration of your system. The most important factors include the settings you choose within Cinematize, your CPU speed, your hard drive speed, and your DVD drive read speed.

When Cinematize 2 is not doing any video decoding (e.g. Decoding on the video tab is set to Elementary Stream or MPEG-2 Program Stream) as in Cinematize 1, the extraction speed will be generally be limited by the speed of your hard drive or DVD drive. When reading from a good hard drive, you can expect to extract at about 10 times play speed. This is around 20% faster than Cinematize 1.

When Cinematize is doing video decoding (e.g. Decoding on the video tab is set to QuickTime), performance will generally be dominated by the speed of your CPU. For a G5 system, you can expect to extract at around 2-3 times play speed or faster. For a G4 system, you might see extraction at 1-2 times play speed. G3 systems will be correspondingly slower. If your DVD drive cannot read fast enough, that will of course limit your performance independent of your CPU.

Q. How is quality of the audio and video after extraction?

A: For video, Cinematize 2 alows you to choose whether to keep the full original quality or to reduce the quality to save disk space. You can save full quality uncompressed video, or choose among any of the video compression codecs supported by QuickTime. For audio, Cinematize 2 decodes audio to AIFF or WAV but preserves the full original quality.

Q. I have DVD files stored on my hard drive. Do I need to have the actual DVD disc to use Cinematize, or will it work with the data on my hard drive?

A: No, you don't need the actual DVD disc. Cinematize will work fine with DVD data stored on your hard drive.

Q. Can I extract songs or soundtracks off of a DVD and play them using iTunes? How do I do that?

A: Yes, you can extract songs or sound tracks off of a DVD and play them using iTunes. To do this, make sure your preferences are set to extract audio into either AIFF or WAV file formats. Choose to extract audio only, choose "Separate Streams", and extract the songs or soundtracks you want. Then, just drag the extracted files onto the main window of iTunes and they will be automatically added to your music library. A similar procedure works for other media players like Windows Media.

Q. an Cinematize help me get a still picture out of a movie? How do I do that?

A: Yes, Cinematize can help you get a still picture out of a movie. You can also use editing programs like iMovie, Final Cut, Windows Movie Maker, etc. Chapter 11 of the manual has more details. Here is how you do it using QuickTime Pro.

Using Cinematize, extract the portion of the movie containing the still you want. Select QuickTime as the Output Format.
Open the extracted movie in QuickTime Pro. Play the movie until you reach the scene you want and press pause (or simply slide the slider to the right spot).

Then you can choose one of these two ways of saving the picture:

Choose Edit > Copy and then paste the picture wherever you like.
Choose Export, then Movie to Picture. Press the Options button to select the picture format, then save.

Troubleshooting

Q. I'm seeing a QuickTime error when I extract. Why is this?

A: There are several reasons you might get an error like this.

If you have any non-Apple QuickTime components installed that conflict with your version of QuickTime, it will affect all applications that use QuickTime (including Cinematize). Remove any non-Apple QuickTime components to check for such problems. Many components have had compatbility troubles with QuickTime 7.
If you get this error while extracting to MPEG-4 File or iPod Movie File, most likely you are using the wrong settings. Please follow our instructions to create movies for web, or for iPod.
If you are using the combination of Full Quality 4:2:2 with AVI output, you may sometimes get this error. Either use DV/DVCPRO as the Output Codec, or use QuickTime as the Output Format instead.
If you are extracting to an external drive, your drive may be going to sleep. Make sure to set your system power settings to ensure that your drive does not sleep during extraction.
You may have be running out of hard drive space. Decompressed video takes up significantly more space than the compressed MPEG-2 video on the DVD, so you will need to have a enough free space available. Cinematize will usually need to have free approximately twice the space taken by the final movie in order to accomodate any temporary files needed during the extraction process.

For comparison, you can expect roughly the following data rates when you decompress the video:

Video Compression Setting	Approximate Data Rate
Elementary Stream	~ 1 MByte/sec
DV/DVCPRO	~ 3 MBytes/sec
DVCPRO50	~ 6 MBytes/sec
Full Quality 4:2:2 Uncompressed	~ 20 MBytes/sec

Typically, the space required for any audio or subpicture data is insignificant compared to the space required for the video data.

Q. When I extract a video/movie clip using Cinematize, the frame size is different from what I want. How can I change this?

A: DVD video is always specified to be played in one of two aspect ratios, 4:3 (Fullscreen) or 16:9 (Widescreen). The native storage format of the video, however, is typically 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL) which does not match either of those ratios. The DVD player is therefore expected to scale the video appropriately to play it in either the 4:3 or 16:9 format.

Cinematize 2 offers the following three options for you so that you can get the frame size you want. These options are available under the Video tab, using the "Aspect Ratio" pop-up menu.

Automatic Adjustment

This setting will attempt to scale the video frame to be the specified 4:3 or 16:9 by shrinking either the height or the width. The dimension that is modified will always be the one resulting in the least amount of scaling. This is the recommended setting.
Preserve Vertical Size

This setting will attempt to scale the video frame to be the specified 4:3 or 16:9 by adjusting only the width. The height will not be changed. This setting might result in better quality for certain interlaced video tracks, particularly for PAL video.
No Size Adjustment

With this setting, Cinematize will not scale the video frame to be the appropriate 16:9 or 4:3 size, and instead will keep the frame at the native DVD size. As a result, the image may look rather distorted from what you might expect.

Q. My editing program will not import my MPEG audio track. What should I do?

A: You can decode one or two channel MPEG audio into AIFF or WAV format using iTunes. The resulting files should import correctly into editing programs. Here is the process to create AIFF files using iTunes.

Open iTunes and choose iTunes>Preferences
Click on the Importing tab
Next to "Import Using" choose "AIFF Encoder" from the pop-up menu
Close the preferences window
Drag the MPEG audio file produced by Cinematize onto iTunes
Highlight the file and choose Advanced>Convert to AIFF to encode it into AIFF
Import this audio file into your editing program

Q. When I click the preview button, I can view the picture but not hear the sound. What's wrong?

A: The preview function in Cinematize is designed to help you locate the portion you want to extract, not to act as a full player. As a result, you can only preview video, not audio. Once you extract the segment, you will get both the video and the audio.

Q. When I try to use Cinematize with my commercial DVD, I get an error message saying my VTS is encrypted and cannot be processed. Why is this?

A: You get this error message when you try to use Cinematize with an encrypted DVD. Most of the commercial DVDs available today are protected with Content Scrambling System (CSS) encryption. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the US prohibits "circumventing" this encryption.

In accordance with the DMCA law, Cinematize does not include any capability to decrypt encrypted DVD discs and files. Should the DMCA law be changed or overturned in the future, Miraizon will most likely upgrade Cinematize to remove these restrictions. In the meantime, Cinematize is fully compatible with decrypted output from all the popular free decryption tools available.

Q. The audio and video are out of sync in my extracted QuickTime movie. Why is this? How can I fix it?

A: Cinematize 2 now does active synchronization of the audio and video using timing information from the DVD. Both tracks will now start at exactly the right time and be exactly the same duration. This should take care of the overwhelming majority of cases.

Certain difficult DVD discs may still cause trouble, however. Here are suggestions for some of the problems you might encounter:

Video system mixups

You may be selecting an NTSC video output codec when the movie is actually PAL, or vice versa. Selecting a proper video output codec should fix the problem.
Poorly encoded MPEG video

This can fool Cinematize's default automatic decode mode selection. Manually selecting the correct decoding mode should fix the problem.
The video frame rate changes midway through the movie

You can solve this problem any of three ways: by extracting the introductory material and movie as two separate segments; by manually setting the decoding mode to match the main movie; or, by using the Progressive Pulldown decoding mode.
Variable frame rate video

This can be fixed by selecting Cinematize's Progressive Pulldown decoding mode.

For more details on these solutions, please refer to your Cinematize 2 User Guide, chapter 10, "Fixing Audio/Video Sync Problems."

Macintosh-specific Troubleshooting Questions

Q. I cannot select my extracted AIFF file to import it into iMovie. Why is this?

A: iMovie sometimes is picky about file extensions. You may need to change the file extension on your AIFF file from .aif to .aiff.

Q. When I import my extracted QuickTime movie into iMovie HD, the frame size is wrong. Why is this?

A: There seems to be a bug in iMovie HD 5 (iLife 5) related to importing certain QuickTime movies. These movies play fine in QuickTime, but iMovie imports them as widescreen (16:9) rather than fullscreen (4:3) clips. This problem seems to be fixed in iMovie HD 6 (iLife 6). For iMovie HD 5 users, there are two workarounds:

Import the audio track and the video track separately rather than together
Save the clip in DV Stream format rather than QuickTime and import it that way

You can create separate audio and video files in Cinematize by saving as "Separate Stream Files" or as QuickTime files with the setting "Normal Files, With Dependencies".

Q. Is there a way to get iMovie to import my movies faster?

A: Yes, there is a trick to do fast imports into iMovie by dragging your movie directly into your project. Here are the steps to follow:

iMovie 3 or iMovie 4:

On the Segment tab, select your clip
On the Video tab, choose Decode to QuickTime, and one of the DV codecs
On the Audio tab, choose Decode to AIFF
On the Output tab, choose Output Format as DV Stream, then extract
Locate your iMovie project, or create a new empty project
Drag the movie file(s) produced by Cinematize into the Media folder in your iMovie project
Double-click on the project to launch iMovie
iMovie will show a dialog to let you accept the DV file into your project

iMovie HD 5 and 6:

Follow steps 1-5 above
Control-click on the iMovie project and choose Show Package Contents
Drag the movie file(s) produced by Cinematize into the Media folder in your iMovie project
Double-click on the project to launch iMovie
View the trash and then move your clip to the clips pane or timeline

Q. iMovie is giving me a message that my segment is too long to import. What should I do?

A: iMovie 3 and iMovie 4 seem to have trouble importing longer movies, even though you can play those movies just fine in QuickTime. This import limitation has been removed in iMovie HD (iLife 5), and it is not present in other Apple video programs such as Final Cut Express or Pro. Here are some ways to get a longer segment into iMovie 3 or iMovie 4:

Extract a single longer segment and save in DV Stream format. Drag the resulting DV file into your iMovie project Media folder and launch iMovie (see above).
Use Cinematize's batch extract mode to automatically extract each chapter as a separate clip. Each of these can then be imported into iMovie.
Extract your segment in several smaller chunks, then import those one by one into iMovie.
Extract a single longer segment, then chop it into smaller chunks using QuickTime Pro

Windows-specific Troubleshooting Questions

Q. I'm seeing strange or messed up video in the preview window. Why is this?

A: Generally, this problem happens when your video card drivers are out of date or corrupted. The solution is to download the latest video drivers from the manufacturer of your video card or video chip (e.g. Nvidia, ATI, Intel, etc).

If this doesn't solve things, check to make sure that your video hardware meets the minimum system requirements to run Cinematize 2. For best performance, choose a video mode that supports millions of colors (24 bits or higher).

Q. When I import my extracted QuickTime movie into Adobe Premiere for Windows the frame rate is all wrong, even though it plays fine in QuickTime. Why is this?

A: Most likely your QuickTime movie frame rate is set higher than 30 frames/sec. Premiere seems to be unable to handle movies with these higher frame rates. Here are some possible workarounds for the problem.

In Cinematize, choose the Decode Mode of "Force Video Mode."

This will force the decoder to save at the standard video frame rate. You may have sync problems if your movie uses a variable frame rate technique, but you might be able to fix this in Premiere.
Use the MPEG-2 Program Stream format

In Cinematize, set both the audio and video to decode to MPEG-2 Program Stream. Then set the Output Format to MPEG-2 Program Stream File. The result will be a file with extension .MPG that should import into Premiere.
Use an AVI file containing DV video

In Cinematize, set the Output Codec to be "DV/DVCPRO - NTSC" (NSTC video) or "DVCPRO - PAL" (PAL video), the audio to be Decode to WAV, and the Output Format to be AVI. This will generate what Microsoft calls a "DV-AVI" file. This type of file should import correctly into Premiere.

Q. I'm trying to save extracted files to my Windows My Videos folder, but I keep getting a "File System Error" message. Why is this?

A: This problem has already been resolved in both Cinematize and Cinematize Pro. Please update to the latest version using our free updater.

Q. I'm having trouble getting my extracted movies to import correctly and play in PowerPoint for Windows. What should I do?

A: PowerPoint for Windows is extremely picky about what movies it will import and play correctly. There is also a certain amount of politics involved, as Microsoft is trying to promote its own proprietary Windows Media Video file format over other more open formats. In any case, we recommend one of the following methods to get your extracted movies into PowerPoint:

Use MPEG-2 Program Stream format

In Cinematize, set both the audio and video to decode to MPEG-2 Program Stream. Then set the Output Format to MPEG-2 Program Stream File. The result will be a file with extension .MPG that should import easily into PowerPoint. If necessary, you should then adjust the movie frame size in PowerPoint to match the 4:3 or 16:9 playback aspect ratio the movie requires.
Use the MPEG-4 File format

The procedure is the same as we describe here for saving for use on the web.
Convert to WMV format using Windows Movie Maker

In Cinematize, set the video to decode to QuickTime with the appropriate DV codec for your video format. Set the audio to decode to WAV, and the Output Format to AVI File. Open Windows Movie Maker and import the resulting AVI file. Drag the clip onto the timeline, then save the movie out choosing "Best quality for playback on my computer" which will generate a WMV movie file. This WMV file should import correctly into PowerPoint. If necessary, you should then adjust the movie frame size in PowerPoint to match the 4:3 or 16:9 playback aspect ratio the movie requires.

Method 1 will produce the best quality picture, while methods 2 and 3 will produce the smaller movie file sizes. For more information about using QuickTime movies in PowerPoint for Windows, you can take a look at this helfpful article.