Ulead MovieFactory 2.0

[Brian Ellis]

This has been announced at http://www.ulead.com/dmf/runme.htm
but no boxed versions or trials, at least as yet. The download versions are not as complete as the non-existent boxed versions. Upgrades are $10 less.

These are visible on the US site but not the Asian Pacific site.

Let's hope that they have removed the bugs, but the no. of new features is impressive for a low-cost software.

[wkulecz]

IF they've fixed the handling of mpeg files > 4GB and fixed the dead zones when setting chapter problem I'd buy it, otherwise forget about it.

Sure sucks to have to buy updates to get bugs fixed.

--wally.

[Brian Ellis]

Wally

I hope these two points have been fixed, too. However, I'm willing to gamble 40 bucks, when it's announced on the AsiaPac site with CD-ROM. The cash will be usefully spent on some of the other features. I think one of the most useful will be DVD>computer: it means that I won't have to archive image files if I think I need further copies. Also, not having to generate image files will be a bit of a time saver. I'm not too sure about the 2-level menus, though.

[Dr Mordrid]

Submenus are quite handy when you're doing a project like a training video.

"dead zones"? You mean the necessity to put chapter points on an I-frame boundary (every 15 frameds)? That can be fixed by rendering the MPEG as I-frame only. Then you can do chapter points exactly on the frame you want.

Dr. Mordrid

[Brian Ellis]

No, Doc, I think I can speak for Wally.

If you have an MPEG-2 file > ~2 Gb, you can insert chapter points only up to ~2Gb (don't know the exact value). For some unknown reason, with some files (not all), if you try to add a chapter point, it always reverts to a given frame at about the 2 Gb point, creating a big dead zone which you cannot add to the menus. I've had this happen a few times and there is no way round it, that I could find. I believe that it's a real bug, that others have reported as well. As for the 4 Gb limit, that's just stupid: I always target my DVD MPEG-2 file at 3.8 Gb to make sure it will work, losing about 10% of the DVD capacity.

[Dr Mordrid]

Ok...I'll give 'em a go in DVD MF2 and get back to the list in a few....

Dr. Mordrid

[Dr Mordrid]

Ok....here's what I did with DVD MovieFactory 2.0;

1. created a 3.2 gig file for a DVD project.

2. loaded it into DVD MovieFactory 2.0

3. set several chapter points well past the 2 gig boundary, including several right at the end of the file.

4. played the preview in DVD-MF2. All the chapter points were in the correct location.

5. next I created a 4.6 gig MPEG for DVD and loaded it into a new project. Its chapter points worked just fine as well.

Dr. Mordrid

[wkulecz]

In DVD MF 1.0 the chapter points end up right if you can set them. It has nothing to do with the well understood limitation of needing chapter points to be at an I-frame.

Were your files encoded VBR? If the source file is less than 2GB I've never ran into a dead zone, if the file is greater, I find the dead zones start in the 25-35 minute range and are quasi periodic meaning as you go past the first you encouter others at usually shorter intervals.

I've no idea why I didn't encounter the dead zones in the trial where I set 27 chapter points every 2-4 minutes.

Try setting two chapter points < 20 minutes into the file and then set and delete the third chapter point advancing thru the file in about 1 minute steps, shouldn't take long to notice the chapter point jump to the beginning or end of the dead zone.

I specify my points by setting the time index , this might have something to do with it, but if I set 00:32:35 and it jumps to 00:32:27 instead -- I've hit a dead zone :-(

I'd be grateful if Brian gets MF2 and tries one of his files that shows dead zones and reports back.

The rest of the features while nice will only piss me off if the dead zone problem remains.

Encoding in MSP 6.5 Ligos, MSP 6.51a MC or VV3 MC changes the exact location of the dead zones a bit, but not enough to move them out of the way :-(

--wally.

[Patrick]

Doesn't make sense

From Brian's first post:

The download versions are not as complete as the non-existent boxed versions.

Yet, at the Ulead site it states:

Box $24.95
Download $44.95

Hmmm..... Do they simply have the prices reversed?

UPDATE: When "Buy Options" is clicked, another page comes up with the correct prices. However, the prices on the initial page (Brian's link) are incorrect.

[Dr Mordrid]

DVD MovieFactory 1.0 has been on sale due to version 2.0 being immenent, but now that DVD MovieFactory 2.0 has arrived....

Dr. Mordrid

[Patrick]

Umm...

Doc, if you're stating that $24.95 is for version 1.0 and $44.95 is for version 2.0, then all I can say is that it's clear as mud at the Ulead site!

[Dr Mordrid]

There was a page up until recently that espoused a $24.95 price for 1.0, but that was before 2.0 arrived.

Dr. Mordrid

[Brian Ellis]

Wally

I'll order a boxed version upgrade, when I can, as I have no broadband here for downloading and I'd like it with the extras

It is not yet up on the Asian web site, even as download. I wonder why? This probably means that the US is a test market and I won't be able to obtain it for some weeks.

I have e-mailed them to find out the whys and the wherefores.

[wkulecz]

Brian,

I look forword to your report!

Simple as it is, DVD MF 1.0 would meet my needs except for the damn dead zone problem :-(

Of course it goes without saying you need the MF Scene freebie application to run along with it to make choosing a suitable thumbnail reasonable in a long MPEG file due the the brain-dead minimum mouse movement is a fixed percentage of the total file lenght jump with the slider. I sure hope this is fixed too.

--wally.

[Brian Ellis]

I've had an e-mail from Ulead saying that the boxed version will be available from tomorrow on the Asia Pacific site. Be warned though that if you try to order it today, you'll be switched to the download version, without it being obvious, except for the 5 bucks difference in price.