DVD authoring software

[John Wray]

What are people using for DVD authoring software? I'm putting together a PC that includes a Panasonic LF-D321 DVD-R/RAM drive, and I'm wondering what to use. I've been very happy with TMPGenc for MPEG-2 encoding, so I don't really care too much about the MPEG conversion side of any authoring software. I'm just looking for something that will take an MPEG-2 file and slap it onto a DVD-R, creating a few chapters and menus along the way.

I think the LF-D321 comes with DVDit! LE. What would competing and more advanced packages give me?

[Sciascia]

I don't think that you need a more advanced package, maybe one that is layed out a little better. And no, I am not an expert here, but I think that I looked at this a while back and was not impressed at all. Not at what it could or couldn't do, at how hard it was to get it to do anything at all.

I would lean towards something that is more user friendly. There really isn't anything copmlicated about authoring, just bad SW IMO. I looked at SpruceUp! and was amazed at how much easier it was to use and it seemed to have everything that you would need. Too bad it went under. I imagine Ulead DVD Movie Factory is going to get a lot of recommendations here, and it is probably the way that I will go as well.

[wkulecz]

Unless DVDiT! has added support for compressed audio recently, you'll need something else, as it uses only PCM audio. This means the audio of your 2hr project takes ~1.3GB of your 4.26 GB DVD-R forcing a lower bit rate than you might like.

The MSP DVD plugin does MPEG layer2 audio, 224 Kbps stereo is the default and seems to be supported by all the players that accept DVD-R and DVD+R -- meaning I've not encountered any that can't handle the layer2 audio (this is sorta like mp3, but not the same) although for some you have to tun off the digital (bitstream) audio as a menu selection according to some reports.

Some Sony DVD players play this layer2 audio with horrible distortion on a mono TV. The fix (from my NS315's manual) is to use a "Y-adaptor" to connect both the white and red (L and R) audio outs to the mono input. Why it works is beyond me but it did!

--wally.

[Sciascia]

I wonder if you are encoding joint audio or something? It will not create independent channels, per se, but create L&R channels that are the difference of each other to decrease the bandwidth. So you basically have only part of your audio on either channel. I am not sure about the distortion, but it's just a thought. The combining of the two led me to think about this.

[wkulecz]

"Joint" stereo is one of the options in the MSP DVD template, but the default is "stereo".

This was strictly a Sony player issue, the Y-adaptor fix was in the manual!

--wally.

[Sciascia]

Wow, that is pathetic. If it made it to the manula then they should have fixed it with somehting better, I mean they knew about it. Sony is usually pretty good about releasing qulaity products, but that is just bad. They could have done something with a simple circuit, even a switch or a menu option atleast.

I stand amazed. I had a feeling that the joint stereo thing wasn't it, it seemed like it would be quieter, not distorted.

[Jerry Jones]

I have the same drive.

I'm going to finish installing it this weekend.

I already have its predecessor, the Panasonic LF-D311, in a second computer.

I'm using Ulead DVD Workshop very happily with the LF-D311.

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

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[John Wray]

Originally posted by Jerrold Jones
I'm using Ulead DVD Workshop very happily with the LF-D311.

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

I can't tell from ULead's web-site - What is the difference between DVD Workshop and DVD MovieFactory? What does Workshop give you for the extra $230?

John

[John Wray]

Originally posted by John Wray


I can't tell from ULead's web-site - What is the difference between DVD Workshop and DVD MovieFactory? What does Workshop give you for the extra $230?

John

...or MediaStudio Pro, come to that (I see the upgrade from MSPro5.2VE, which I have, is $199). How does DVD Workshop compare with the authoring component of MSPro?

John

[Dr Mordrid]

MSPro 6.5 comes with a very basic DVD/VCD/SVCD authoring tool. It provides very simple menus and some nice templates, but with very few other frills.

DVD MovieFactory is a much upgraded version of the MSPro 6.5 DVD plugin with more menuing features, more and nicer templates and more frills, but its still an entry level product. It appears in MSPro's export menu, but can also be run as an independent program. It also offers capture tools and cuts-only editing.

DVD Workshop is what DVDiT wishes it were. Many more features for DVD, SVCD and VCD, extensive menu features and lots of goodies along with capture tools. Very nice. DVD WS does not appear in MSPro's export menu.

Comparisons;

DVD Workshop vs. DVDiT:

http://www.ulead.com/dws/compare.htm

DVD Workshop vs. DVD MovieFactory;

http://www.ulead.com/dws/compare2.htm

Please note that DVD Workshop can use *.DAT files as a video source and MP3 as an audio source.

Dr. Mordrid