Movie Factory 2 Menus

[JonH]

I'm close to getting everything to work. I'm converting MJPEG files from my G400 TV days and burning them to DVDs using Movie Factory 2. Quality turned out better than expected. I ran into 2 problems though.

1. When I import 2 separate mpeg files into MF2, the first ends about 10 seconds short and the next file begins playing.

2. When I import a single mpeg file into MF2, I cannot add thumbnails to the main menu. I'm forced to add a second submenu.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Jon

[Brian Ellis]

I don't know about the first problem, but the second is a "feature" of MF2 (it didn't happen in MF1). Only the clips appear in the top menu, chapters have to go in the sub-menu; bloody annoying, I admit. I haven't seen v. 3.0 yet (it didn't go out to the usual beta testers), so I can't say whether it has been perpetuated -- I hope not. What I can say is the DVD Workshop 2, which will be launched within a month or two, has an extremely flexible menu system, although it is more costly, but well worth it.

[JonH]

Thanks, Brian. I'm thinking the fist problem might be related to file replacement. I saved the layout in MF2and then I replaced the files with new ones that had LPCM audio instead of the mpeg audio. Will try again starting from scratch.
Jon

[Jerry Jones]

The sub-menu problem has been FIXED in version 3.0 of Ulead DVD MovieFactory:

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

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Brian Ellis]

That is indeed good news, Jerry. I understand mine is on its way, so I'll be able to report on how it works presently.

Brian

[JonH]

I want to be a beta tester! Let me know if it is worth buying, Brian.
Jon

[Jerry Jones]

I have to say - I'm impressed.

Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3 "Disc Creator" is the version that I purchased.

- motion menus;

- AC-3 support;

- vastly improved menu creation;

- transitions/titles can be added;

- data can be burned to disc

The list goes on and one...

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

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Brian Ellis]

Originally posted by JonH
I want to be a beta tester!
Jon

I don't know whether it's worth it. It is a very time-consuming and painstaking occupation and, as a rule, the beta software is unusable in practice until the very end of a cycle. I've been beta testing for donkey's years but only since 2002 for video software. The real problem is when someone on the team reports a bug that others cannot reproduce. By nature, the ideal beta tester should have several basic qualities: he must know the technicalities of the software; he must be a nit-picker; he must be able to express himself very clearly; he must have plenty of time to do things with a software that he wouldn't normally do, in practice; etc.

[JonH]

Hi Brian,
Actually, I was wondering if MF 3 was worth buying. I was just kidding about being a beta tester. I'm in the research business, myself (www.hoelterresearch.com). Do you really do this for a living?
Jon

[Brian Ellis]

Not as a living. I'm not paid for it, other than (in most cases) free copies of the software. I do it in the hopes that the software will turn out better than it would do without my guidance.

I'll tell you about MF3 after I receive it and have had time to give it a quick once-over. I must admit I was a little surprised about its release, because I never heard anything about it beforehand, yet I did test the unreleased MF 2.5 several months ago. I've no idea who beta-tested it.

[JonH]

I bought the MF3 upgrade. I still can't place thumbnails on the main menu. Am I missing something? This is the only reason I bought it. I have some large video files without breaks and don't want to import them in pieces.
Thanks.
Jon

[Brian Ellis]

Mine hasn't arrived yet, so I can't answer your question. However, I read somewhere that it may be possible to remove the main menu from view, leaving only the sub-menu visible on the burnt DVD. Does this give you a clue?

[JonH]

Thanks, Brian. That's a good clue. I'll give it a try.
Jon

[JonH]

Brian,
Figured it out from your clue. In the advanced settings on the "setup menu" page you can uncheck "add title menu." At least it looks like it works.
Thanks a lot.
Jon