How to Write iMovie Project to DVD?

I have a 2011 Macbook Pro and can't believe how difficult Apple makes it to write a series of Youtube mp4 clips to DVD to watch via a DVD player on a TV. iMovie is truly the worst piece of Apple software I have ever encountered.

I loaded all the clips on to a new iMovie project. The process/conversion took several hours: far longer than the cumulative clips themselves. I presume that was converting the mp4s into avi files? I then clicked 'Finalize project' ... but nothing happens.

Now I understand I have to select iDVD to write to disc ... but iDVD is greyed-out under 'Share', even if I open iDVD separately!

There doesn't seem to be any way to save the project anywhere, let alone write it to DVD.

How do I write my project to disk? Thanks.

Some extra info on my problem ...

I have iMovie '11 9.0.4 (Macbook was purchased May 2011)

iDVD is an Application but in iMovie it is greyed-out.

The original problem was my 3-year-old DVD player wouldn't recognise mp4 clips directly off YouTube. Does iDVD convert them to a format playable on modern DVD players? What does iDVD accomplish over and above simply right-clicking video files and burning them to disk?

iMovie & iDVD are nasty, mutually-incompatible pieces of Apple software. Is there a good, commercial software program (for Macs but not from Apple) which can easily write YouTube clips onto a DVD my player can read?

I import the mp4s to iMovie and can see hundreds of pretty, but useless, little picture-boxes stretching for miles below, then go: iMovie>Share>(All 13 headings are greyed-out, except for 'Remove From')>End-of-Story.

iMovie IS junk, QED. It appears Apple removed all normal functionality since iMovie '08.

Forget useless free Firefox and Apple products -- what commercial software does the job? I don't want to nerd-around with dysfunctional products -- just watch YouTube clips on TV! Apple has a real deal in turning simple tasks into rocket science.

I presume that was converting the mp4s into avi files?

Click to expand...

No. iMovie will convert the mp4 to .dv .mov or .m4v files, but never .avi files

If you've put your mp4 files into a Project and iDVD is greyed out, try putting a jpeg into your Project. I've had the same problem with mp4 files in the past, and that solved it.

I have to put a random, still image (Jpeg) into a movie-making program project in order to send it to iDVD? What sort of Machiavellian programmer devised that nonsense? Don't need brain-damage like that. I am fairly computer-savvy but iMovie has the worst user interface I have seen in 17 years' Internet use. My attitude to programmers who deliberately make the fundamental user experience as difficult as possible, like iMovie, is to boycott their products. My philosophy in design is that a person of average intelligence should be able to work out basic functionality intuitively. I've never seen anything as negatively-reviewed as iMovie -- and some poor saps even had to pay for it!

http://www.badappreviews.com/iosapps/5447/imovie/10

What about Aimersoft DVD Maker for Mac at $49?

Aimersoft DVD Creator for Mac: Convert Video to DVD on Mac | OFFICIAL

or iskysoft video converter ultimate at $36?

http://www.iskysoft.us/lp/video-converter-ultimate/index-mac-off.html

That these commercial products exist clearly demonstrates the video market demanded better functionality and user-interface than was supplied with inclusive packages.

iMovie is a great program -- but it is not designed nor intended for what you are trying to do.

The Aimersoft and iSkysoft (and most other companies with "soft" at the end of their name) are fronts for Chinese spammers. By all means, given them your money and info if you want, but be prepared for the consequences (also the software is functional but terrible!).

There are several very simple ways to accomplish what you are trying to do. The easiest one is getting an Apple TV and forget DVD altogether in favor of the FAR superior AirPlay. This (and other trends outside the Apple world) are the reason why few people make DVDs anymore -- even with a smooth workflow it is ridiculously complex and time-consuming to make a high-quality DVD.

But if you need to make a DVD for some reason, there is Roxio's Toast ($80-ish), Burn (free), iFFMpeg ($12) and probably a dozen other tools at various price points from $0 on up.

All I want to do is to play YouTube clips on a modern, home DVD player connected to a TV. My DVD player does not recognise the DVD disc burned with MP4 YouTube clips.

Would anyone please be kind enough to tell me if it is possible to achieve this task? Or does nobody require or use such transfer capability these days?

I don't want the expense of Apple TV & an HDTV just to watch some YouTube clips on TV -- actually as a gift for someone who doesn't have a computer or Internet.

Are any of the DVD-burn programs listed (Roxio's Toast ($80-ish), Burn (free), iFFMpeg ($12)) guaranteed to convert MP4 files into DVD-player compatible ones as a series of consecutive clips?

OK. As suggested here and in MacRumours, download Burn which is free, and run it. In the main window, choose to make a Video DVD. Drop your mp4 files into the window



When you add your mp4 files, you will be prompted to convert them. You need to do this, as they need to be converted to mpeg2 files.



When you have added all your files, click on the Burn button.



The resultant dvd should play in a dvd player, where you can choose to play all the videos one after the other or individually. However, some dvd players have trouble with home made dvds, so it can't be guaranteed.

I don't see the problem here. Just a week ago I burned an MP4 file to DVD with iDVD and it played on a standard DVD player. Unless you need to edit the videos, there is no reason to even use iMovie. If iDVD is greyed out in iMovie, just open the file with iDVD and burn it.

My original problem was that I couldn't bypass a copy protected DVD with native Mac software, so I converted the the entire DVD to .mkv then to .mp4 with free third-party software and then burned that to DVD via iDVD, no problem.

As suggested above, Apple is trying to get away from physical media altogether, which is why all Macs (except the non-retina MBP line, which will disappear within the next year) are sold without media drives and why Apple isn't putting a whole lot (if at all) into developing optical disc creation software. The folks at Apple are trying to move forward, not backward as some of their customers seem to want them to do. iMovie is geared more toward sharing straight to online media. Anymore it's just less trouble for most media savvy people to share a video online or over a network or at very least, copy it to a flash drive, hand it to the friend and say, "here, copy this to your computer"...

Ah yes. I was forgetting that the OP still has iDVD.

So, to the OP: open iDVD. Drag and drop your mp4 files into the Project window. Burn disc. It's just worked fine for me with two mp4 videos.