Can we burn DVDs?

spyrosmom

Cathlete
I didn't see this anywhere. I'm wondering once they are downloaded if we can burn DVDs to play on a DVD player? My Ipod is a shuffle, and I have no plans to upgrade, so the Ipod thingy isn't going to work. My computer is next to my workout area, but it faces the wrong direction for me to see it while I workout. DH also says that he/I/we can run a monitor cable from the computer to the flat screen and just play it on the TV - he seems to be confident that will work. Says the the TV has all the right plugs. Again, I dunno, I push power and just expect the thing to come on and show me what I want to watch:eek: I totally like the download idea, its cheaper and faster. No waiting for the mailman!

Nan
 
I hope you get a reply soon! I have the exact same issue, only my computer is upstairs and my workout area is downstairs, so there's no way I can watch from my computer. I also have an iPod shuffle.
 
I just told my brother about this. He and I are wondering the same thing. I have a Macbook and iPod Touch, so using a cable is no problem, but burning DVDs is easier and cheaper.
 
SNM stated "Yes, you can burn a DVD, you just can't resell it" in another post.

I just burned two Cathe downloads unto DVDS from both Zune and itunes. It did not play in any of my DVD players. I kept getting a disk error message. I've never burned a DVD, so it could be that I'm doing something wrong. Also, itunes had a disclaimer that stated this is a data DVD and may not play in other players.
 
I didn't see this anywhere. I'm wondering once they are downloaded if we can burn DVDs to play on a DVD player? My Ipod is a shuffle, and I have no plans to upgrade, so the Ipod thingy isn't going to work. My computer is next to my workout area, but it faces the wrong direction for me to see it while I workout. DH also says that he/I/we can run a monitor cable from the computer to the flat screen and just play it on the TV - he seems to be confident that will work. Says the the TV has all the right plugs. Again, I dunno, I push power and just expect the thing to come on and show me what I want to watch:eek: I totally like the download idea, its cheaper and faster. No waiting for the mailman!

Nan

Very doubtful that you will be able to play one of our downloads on a DVD player without converting it first. Some DVD players can play an MPEG4 file using the DivX codec, but we encode using an mp4 wrapper and I doubt this will play on a DVD player without first converting to mpeg 2 file format, This is bound to hurt the quality of the video to at least some degree. We have not tested burning and playing our downloads on a DVD player as we designed this system to replace DVDs, not to create them.
 
Thanks SNM for the quick response - it saved me $$$$. I was just about to place a hefty order! I'm disappointed that dvds won't be an option, as that eliminates downloading workouts for me. I understand that the downloads are meant to replace dvds, but for those of us still in the "dark ages" with our equipment, it's disappointing.
 
Thanks SNM. No conversion? No problem. My brother and I are going to work on this. He has an iPod Touch too, so if worse comes to worse, we can also use his. Perhaps anyone with a Shuffle can connect their computer to the TV? That sounded like a good idea.
 
Sorry to disappoint, but our purpose for developing our download site is to use an IPod to play a workout on a TV.
 
It would be better however to give cusomers the choice on the type of technology they want to play the workout on. Not everyone is going to want to use an IPOD type player or an MP4 player. Being more technology diversified is better than sticking to one type of technology. Just a thought.....
 
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You can play our downloads on any player that can play MP4 files. We don't limit you to just iPods. We just emphasize iPods and iPhones because they have 90% market share. In our tutorials you will find details on many other devices, like Microsoft's Zune and PSP.
 
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I agree with kali1. Most of the devices you mention, while owning 90% of the market share, are possibly owned by people belonging to a demographic group who would not order Cathe downloads. I'm not saying Cathe-ites are old, but judging from the popularity of Cathe dvds, and the fact that people continue to order them should indicate that there is still a huge market for dvds. The downloads are a fabulous idea, but would be even better if they could be burned to a dvd.
 
Currently over 225 million iPods and over 30 million iPhones have been sold. So this is a very common technology nowadays and will only grow as time passes.

We already make and sell DVDs. If you want this format you can simply buy it already made from us. We are not going to abandon making DVDs anytime soon. To provide a file that you could download and burn a DVD it would have to be an MPEG 2 file which is a very large file. MPEG 2's are about 4 times the size of MP4 files. This would mean that our bandwidth charges for a single download would probably exceed the cost of making a DVD and a lot of people would have trouble downloading such a large file. Then you would also have huge customer service issues because people would be using different burner programs to burn their DVDs. We just don't see this as a viable business opportunity.
 
I downloaded Body Max and successfully burned it to DVD. You cannot do this using itunes; you need another DVD authoring program, one which will import and convert mp4 format video.

In order for my program to recognize the file, I had to change the file extension to mp4 from m4v. (I made a backup copy of the file just in case.) However, when I imported the file, all of the chapter information was lost. I used my DVD software to create my own chapter points. Then I burned the disc. The software converts from mp4 to mpeg-2 (takes a long time).

In addition, the quality was much poorer than you would get with a Cathe DVD. This is not a major problem for me, but it is a noticeable difference.

In short, though it is doable, I think that the average user will not find it worthwhile to burn DVDs this way. I've been doing this as a hobby for years, so I have experience, but it's not the kind of thing that can be easily explained here in the forum.
 
I downloaded Body Max and successfully burned it to DVD. You cannot do this using itunes; you need another DVD authoring program, one which will import and convert mp4 format video.

In order for my program to recognize the file, I had to change the file extension to mp4 from m4v. (I made a backup copy of the file just in case.) However, when I imported the file, all of the chapter information was lost. I used my DVD software to create my own chapter points. Then I burned the disc. The software converts from mp4 to mpeg-2 (takes a long time).

In addition, the quality was much poorer than you would get with a Cathe DVD. This is not a major problem for me, but it is a noticeable difference.

In short, though it is doable, I think that the average user will not find it worthwhile to burn DVDs this way. I've been doing this as a hobby for years, so I have experience, but it's not the kind of thing that can be easily explained here in the forum.


Hi Jodi:
That whole process actually sounds kind of fun, when I get the time to do that, or get the correct chapter points. What DVD authoring software do you have? We have authoring software here at home, but, I haven't done it, & DH isn't here to ask what the name of it is, although I'm sure we could probably do this without waiting for the WO Blender!

Now I've got to figure out what I wantto download, so that I can try this...:)
 
Hi Jodi:
That whole process actually sounds kind of fun, when I get the time to do that, or get the correct chapter points. What DVD authoring software do you have? We have authoring software here at home, but, I haven't done it, & DH isn't here to ask what the name of it is, although I'm sure we could probably do this without waiting for the WO Blender!

Now I've got to figure out what I wantto download, so that I can try this...:)

Linda, I'll send you a PM.
 
It can be done!

I did it last night, and it was very easy to do. I downloaded a workout, opened iDVD on my Mac, imported it & it created a project, the chapters were already created & labeled, then burned it on a DVD. I played it this morning. The quality is different, this isn't a deal breaker for me as I usually am not paying close attention to it.

I was considering spending the $$ and getting the cables, but this is a less expensive alternative and works well.

I like being able to get my workouts this way, paying only for what I want, and in the long run, eventually a greener solution. I foresee a neater, cleaner area around my TV instead of cases of DVD's videos & games cluttering up the area, discs with missing cases & vice versa...
 
Hi Jodi, Thanks so much for posting how to convert by changing the file extension to mp4 from m4v. I will give this option a try. I was actually considering purchasing an iPod to capture the downloads thinking that over time they would pay for themselves. If your option works,then you have just saved me a bunch of $$$.
 
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I'd like to add here that DVD-R or DVD+R recordable DVDs have a certain life span; in other words they degrade after a while. They scratch easier. This doesn't happen with regular manufactured/prerecorded DVDs.
 
Finally had some time to try this out. :D

I downloaded a workout to my PC and it plays fine using Quick Time and since I have a video card in my laptop I can play directly to my TV no problem. The quality is not nearly the same as a Cathe DVD but we knew that would be. SNM explained these files where not meant to replace DVDs.

Now, I REALLY can't wait for that workout blender! :)
 
What if you burn to DVD and play the dvd on your computer? I have a MacBook. I try to get my strength workouts done while my son watches his shows and I can't do that with Pure Strength b/c I have it on VHS. That's why I was hoping to download. Anyone try this?
 

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