MyDVD then DVD Plugin & now "DVD Movie Factory"?

[Dr Mordrid]

Check the Ulead main page today;

http://www.ulead.com/runme.htm

Note the absense of the DVD Plugin as a product and the new, but as yet unlinked, icon for for the "DVD MovieFactory".

Gotta find out what this is about for certain, but I have an idea or three.....

Dr. Mordrid

[Dr Mordrid]

I'll be DAMNED. I went back to that same page a few hours later and the reference is gone and DVD Plugin is back in place.

Any bets I caught a programmer testing an updated page?

Dr. Mordrid

[wkulecz]

I hope not, or they are dumber than I thought possible, to be testing pages on a publicly accessable server.

Mistakes happen, but am I seeing a trend?

--wally.

[RhinoZ]

Maybe he's a murcer...

[BrianP]

details

The page is now live apparently. The cost is $44.95, here are some features:
*Create professional-looking scene selection menus
*Use your CD or DVD Burner
*Share on DVD, VCD, or SVCD
*Create your own CD Labels and Case Covers

http://www.ulead.com/dmf/runme.htm

[AndrewDV]

Alright, what is the deal with this?

I buy DVD Plugin to upgrade MSP6's MPEG support, then buy the MSP6.5 upgrade. Now, they release this as a yet another upgrade. Shouldn't this be a part of MSP6.5 since they were released so close to each other?

From what I have read, it has a few new features like multiple MPEG file support....

I like Ulead a lot, but I'm a bit miff'd at this. It is too much upgraditis.

[Dr Mordrid]

Well...you can sort of blame the betas for some of this.

We hit them with requests for those changes hard & often, but; it was their idea to make it a separate product, even for existing users.

I just posted a note to my contacts there suggesting break for existing DVD Plugin and 6.5 users.

We'll see....

Dr. Mordrid

[IM_Riktar]

Well now, doesn't this make things interesting! I have been trying to finish off some existing projects in my spare (Pronounced - sleep) time, holding off on making the plunge to upgrade to MSP 6.5 from 6.0 when this comes along.

Originally I was simply going to grab the DVD Plugin and be done with it. After reading some of the posts here from the Doc and others I thought, "What the hey, it's only food,,,," and was planning on going the extra bucks to get the "package" deal.

Now I am wondering if I should skip the whole thing and just grab latest plug-in and keep 6.0 as is.

I am sure there are some enhancements that I would get with the 6.5 upgrade but 6.0 is working ok. It does all the basic things I need in editing, while still allowing me to explore my creative side when I have "more" spare (Begins to chuckle) time than what I usually have to do this fun (It really is fun,,,,,, isn't it?) hobby.

Damn advancement and progress!

[Dr Mordrid]

I think the editing changes alone make it worthwhile, esp. if you're using DV. I find cut on cue alone a compelling upgrade.

Dr. Mordrid

[AndrewDV]

Hi,

For those interested, Ulead is sending out coupons to registered users. It is a 10% off deal. I was hoping for something more. I'll take what I can get.

Anyone use this? If so, what advantages does it have over DVD Plug-in?

Thanks

[wkulecz]

Don't know about the new DVD Movie Factory, but I'll be happy to tell you what I think is wrong with the MSP6.5 DVD plugin:

1) can only accept a single mpeg file.

2) setting chapter points is tedious, its only practical if you've written down the times of where you want the chapters beforehand as the seek and frame advance are way too clunky for a 1 hour mpeg.

3) thumbnail frames are forced to be the frame at the chapter point. This may not sound like a problem, but say you want each scene to start with a fade in -- then each thumbnail is black :-(

4) chokes on mpeg2 files >4GB. The mpeg encoder cheerfully produces them whithout a hint trouble lies ahead. Since you can only use a single file, getting a two hour DVD at the default 5500 VBR setting don't work -- my 1hr 55min encoded to ~4.4GB and DVDplugin choked on it. As does the Ligos Media Payer mpeg2 plugin which causes all manner of grief if you have "web view" enabled (enables thumbnail display) and you choose the file in explorer.

5) its not clear it is producing compliant streams. See my threads on the A03 DVD-R burner. Since the Pioneer DV-341 seeems to play the MSP6.5 DVD-R disks fine, I've concluded the DVD-R compatability with existing players is nowhere near what Pioneer has claimed. 90% of the players in Circut City accepted the disks and started playing them but, compatability drops to under 20% unless you are willing to accept 2-20 glitches per hour :-(

6) the menu themes range from: "creative six year old" to just plain hideous. I see no way to add your own, not that I really want to, but the choices are so awful!


It may be great for VCD and SVCD, but I don't care about these from the start becaue of problems with compatability in existing players, but if you are thinking DVD-R, my advice is to forget about it for now, as my tests indicate compatability is nowhere near what is useful to me. YMMV.

I saw a blurb saying Circut City will be carrying the HP dv100i DVD+RW, it'll be intresting to see if it lives up to the compatability claims being made for it.

--wally.