Also check for possible errors from iDVD in the logs.
Launch the "Console" application (under /Applications/Utilities) and look for relevant error messages. Note that messages are labeled with the date & time so you can use that to locate the part of the log to look at. Copy & paste the relevant messages back here so we can see them.

We are on hour 20 of burning a disk image stuck on CURRENT OPERATION: WIRITING LEAD-IN with the spinning rainbow - should I force quit? This seems like a long time of seemingly doing nothing or is it doing something - i can't tell......

here's my console log: I don't see anything for yestrdays' and today's activity - it's stilling trying to burn as I write...

Mac OS X Version 10.4.4 (Build 8G1165)
2006-02-02 07:47:36 -0800
2006-02-02 07:47:37.285 SystemUIServer[129] lang is:en
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S0.000_E15.717: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S15.717_E521.396: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S521.396_E641.666: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S641.666_E677.200: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S677.200_E1128.211: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S1128.211_E1221.146: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S1221.146_E1333.216: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S1333.216_E1439.818: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S1439.818_E1625.690: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S1625.690_E2180.570: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S2180.570_E2391.042: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S2391.042_E2448.443: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S2448.443_E2798.318: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2106 Archived.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_D1321946714C7FF5C4B8BAB36A2E2D526D6F7669_6000000_N_S2798.318_E3143.610: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S0.000_E15.717: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S15.717_E521.396: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S521.396_E641.666: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S641.666_E677.200: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S677.200_E1128.211: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1128.211_E1221.146: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1221.146_E1333.216: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1333.216_E1439.818: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1439.818_E1625.690: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1625.690_E2180.570: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2180.570_E2391.042: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2391.042_E2448.443: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2448.443_E2798.318: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2798.318_E3143.610: No such file or directory

**********
Disk Utility started.

Eject of “MATSHITADVD-R UJ-846” succeeded
2006-02-02 20:43:25.149 iDVD[254] *** WARNING: Method setAutoresizesAllColumnsToFit: in class NSTableView is deprecated on 10.4 and later. It should not be used in new applications. Use setColumnAutoresizingStyle: instead.
2006-02-02 20:43:25.149 iDVD[254] *** WARNING: Method autoresizesAllColumnsToFit in class NSTableView is deprecated on 10.4 and later. It should not be used in new applications. Use columnAutoresizingStyle instead.
2006-02-03 15:18:23.652 iDVD[254] Could not create CGImageDestinationRef for output type 'public.tiff'
Feb 3 15:18:23 elin-holmbergs-computer-2 /Applications/iDVD.app/Contents/MacOS/iDVD: CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero\n
2006-02-03 15:26:13.779 iDVD[254] Could not create CGImageDestinationRef for output type 'public.tiff'
Feb 3 15:26:13 elin-holmbergs-computer-2 /Applications/iDVD.app/Contents/MacOS/iDVD: CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero\n
2006-02-03 15:26:31.538 iDVD[254] Could not create CGImageDestinationRef for output type 'public.tiff'
Feb 3 15:26:31 elin-holmbergs-computer-2 /Applications/iDVD.app/Contents/MacOS/iDVD: CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero\n
2006-02-03 15:26:32.869 iDVD[254] Could not create CGImageDestinationRef for output type 'public.tiff'
Feb 3 15:26:32 elin-holmbergs-computer-2 /Applications/iDVD.app/Contents/MacOS/iDVD: CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero\n
2006-02-03 15:26:33.614 iDVD[254] Could not create CGImageDestinationRef for output type 'public.tiff'
Feb 3 15:26:33 elin-holmbergs-computer-2 /Applications/iDVD.app/Contents/MacOS/iDVD: CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero\n
2006-02-03 15:26:34.860 iDVD[254] Could not create CGImageDestinationRef for output type 'public.tiff'
Feb 3 15:26:34 elin-holmbergs-computer-2 /Applications/iDVD.app/Contents/MacOS/iDVD: CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero\n
2006-02-03 15:26:41.436 iDVD[254] Could not create CGImageDestinationRef for output type 'public.tiff'
Feb 3 15:26:41 elin-holmbergs-computer-2 /Applications/iDVD.app/Contents/MacOS/iDVD: CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero\n
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S0.000_E15.717: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S15.717_E521.396: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S521.396_E641.666: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S641.666_E677.200: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S677.200_E1128.211: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1128.211_E1221.146: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1221.146_E1333.216: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1333.216_E1439.818: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1439.818_E1625.690: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S1625.690_E2180.570: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2180.570_E2391.042: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2391.042_E2448.443: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2448.443_E2798.318: No such file or directory
/Users/elin1215/Documents/askbill2206.dvdproj/Contents/Resources/MPEG/V_7AAF56421F4A2ED7DFC71C84A91ED3D26D6F7669_6000000_N_S2798.318_E3143.610: No such file or directory

Did you move your iDVD project file after you began working on it?

Googling for the error message "CGImageDestinationCreate capacity parameter is zero" found this thread at the Apple forums:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread....29526&tstart=0
where one person found an easy work-around.

To MBHockey: Yes - the project was created on my iBook with no burner so then I moved it to my iMac which has the burner.

To Hayne: - Have read and will try this tonight. I'm hoping this is the problem. I'll let you know how it goes....

Disk Utility
 

I have been reading with interest this post. And when you recommended using disk utility I had to ask a question. I crashed my laptop while in Australia where I am now. I downloaded some software to get back up and running. I have a ico file but don't have toast. I called Apple and they said I could burn the ico image file to a CD using Disk Utility. The issue is making the ico image a CD that will work like a program install CD. I can't seem to figure out how to do this. I seem to be stuck and cannot navigate to where the ico file is and choose it so it can be burned on the CD. Are there any instructions that can help me, or can you give me a step by step solution to this problem? I'd appreciate it.

Cfrazier

Umm, what software is it that is on that 'ico' file?
And why did you think that this problem is relevant to this thread?
(If the issue is not about getting iDVD to work - which is the topic of this thread - then you should start a new separate thread for your problem.)

Well - I deleted all the transitions just to be safe and that didn't work. I still have titles interspersed through the project and the chapter markers are after the titles. My next try will be to take out all the titles. I'm beginning to think I need to remake this movie on the new machine - very disappointing.

What are the "rules" about chapter markers again - I read them somewhere and can't find them..... thanx for hanging with me - this is all new to me.

Have you tried taking the original video file and converting it to .dv with ffmpegx first, then importing it into iMovie followed by adding chapter markers, titles, etc..?

That's what worked for me.

BTW, the rules on chapter markers/transitions are:

I don't know what ffmpegx is and this seems too advanced for me. I've been reading a lot of posts about just changing the theme, deleting preferences, saving before burning, saving as a different file, or saving to an external drive before burning. This problem seems to be solved a lot of different ways for people.

Does this "rule" about transitions apply to titles too?

I have solved my problem with the help of Joe at our local genius bar. It's a simple solution and I'm amazed that it never was mentioned in all the posts I've read about this problem.

He had me share the iMovie file from the iBook as a Quicktime Full Quality DV file over the firewire to my iMac. (Select File/Share/Quicktime/Full Quality DV).

Once on the iMac, I was able to open the file in iMovie, add chapters, themes, photos, and music before burning as a disc image. I then burned the dvd out of disk utility and was viewing a perfect movie within 2 hours. Voila - hope this helps someone else!

The annoying thing about doing that is you lose the chapter markers, which is why i didn't suggest it (i thought you were past that point in creating the iMovie, sorry for misunderstanding)

I'm glad you solved it though, happy burning!