• Ulead VideoStudio 10.0 Plus • 1. File > Preferences... > General TAB > • CHECK: Display title safe area in Preview Window [This helps keep the menu within the area where it will not be truncated when viewed on some TV screens.] • Playback method is for previews when editing ONLY, not for the final output file • Set Working folder • Instant Playback target is also for is for previews when editing. Leaving it on Dual head display means that previews can be viewed in a preview Window as well as on external device at the same time if your video card has two outputs. • Default field order: * IMPORTANT * If using an ATi capture card, SET the field order to "UPPER FIELD FIRST" because that is a REQUIREMENT for ATi cards for all video captures. Captured videos will be jittery on those capture cards if "Lower Field First" is selected (even if "Lower Field First" is "Detected"). Edit TAB > • Resampling quality specifies the quality for all effects and clips. Select 'Best' for a better video reproduction. Select 'Good' for lower quality but faster rendering. (Useful for sample outputs before final output is rendered.) Capture TAB > • CHECK: Show drop frame information to make sure not too many captured frames are being dropped. Preview TAB > • Specify additional folders for preview files and hard disk. > OK 2. Ulead VideoStudio 10.0 Plus > File > Project Properties... > Edit (lower right) > Ulead Video Studio TAB > • UNCHECK: Perform non-square pixel rendering [The square pixel is better suited for computer monitors where previewing is usually done.] General TAB > • Frame Type: If using an ATi capture card, SET the field order to "UPPER FIELD FIRST" because that is a REQUIREMENT for ATi cards for all video captures. Captured videos will be jittery on those capture cards if "Lower Field First" is selected (even if "Lower Field First" is "Detected"). • 704 x 480 [Use 704 x 480 to capture SD or HD TV, VCR, analog camcorder. Use 720 x 480 to capture from a DVD player or DV format camcorder.] Compression TAB > • Media type: NTSC DVD • Quality : 98 • UNCHECK: DVD-VR compliant [DVD-VR recorded media does not play back in all DVD players.] • *VIDEO DATA RATE*: CONSTANT (not Variable) Bitrate for better overall quality. (Although captured file size will be smaller with adequate quality using a Variable Bitrate.) About 8000 kbps should be used for 60 minutes or less to fit on a single layer DVD if LPCM wav audio is used. [The bitrate may fluctuate in certain scenes even when Constant Bitrate is used.] Use Bitrate calculator http://www.videohelp.com/calc.htm to help you set lower Audio/Video bitrates if you wish to fit more than 1 hour on a single layer DVD. • *AUDIO FORMAT*: LPCM Audio to capture best quality uncompressed audio, or use compressed Dolby Digital audio (to leave room for higher video bitrates to be used.) Dolby Digital audio is compatible with DVD players whereas MPEG audio is compatible with some, but not all DVD players. If you intend to leave audio uncompressed later, use 1536 kbit/s for LPCM Audio Bitrate when using Bitrate calculators. The DVD specification says that the maximum multiplexed bitrate of a video/audio stream must be no greater than 10.08 Mbps (10080 kbps), so: 10080 kbps - 1536 kbps if LPCM wav audio is used = 8544 kbps for video bitrate. About 500 kbps should account for most video bitrate fluctuations so about 8000 kbps should be selected as Constant Video Bitrate for 60 minutes or less. Use Dolby Digital AC3 audio to allow for higher Video Bitrates to be used. This is because Dolby Digital audio is compressed without significant decrease in sound quality. 10080 kbps - 448 kbps (if 448 kbps Dolby Digital AC3 audio is used) = 9632 kbps for video bitrate. About 500 kbps should account for most video bitrate fluctuations so about 9100 kbps should be selected as Constant Video Bitrate. This can be lowered to be on the safe side, because once the video bitrate approaches 9000 kbps, it is more difficult to notice the differences in video quality. Use bitrate calculators to reduce video and/or AC3 audio bitrate to fit videos longer than 60 minutes on one single layer DVD. > OK > OK 3. Ulead VideoStudio 10.0 Plus > Capture TAB > Capture Video (middle, right) > Options (center, right) > Capture Options... > • UNCHECK: Capture to Library > OK Again, Options (center, right) > Video and Audio Capture Property Settings... Source TAB > • Set Sources (If input Source is grayed out, there is no need to use PCI Audio or Preview audio with USB device) Capture TAB > • Select: DVD • Quality: 98 • Advanced... button > Template: DVD NTSC • Do NOT check: Deinterlace OUTPUT, make sure it is UNCHECKED. • Select CONSTANT (not Variable) Bitrate for better overall quality. See more information under *VIDEO DATA RATE* above. • Audio format: LPCM Audio to capture best quality uncompressed audio, or use compressed Dolby Digital audio (to leave room for higher video bitrates to be used.) Dolby Digital audio is compatible with DVD players whereas MPEG audio is compatible with some, but not all DVD players. See more information under *AUDIO FORMAT* above. > OK > OK Again, Options (center, right) > Change Field Order... > • * IMPORTANT * If using an ATi capture card, SET the field order to "UPPER FIELD FIRST" because that is a REQUIREMENT for ATi cards for all video captures. Captured videos will be jittery on those capture cards if "Lower Field First" is selected (even if "Lower Field First" is "Detected"). 4. Click on Capture Video to start capturing. The Capture video is seen when Capture Video button is pressed but audio may not be heard on some systems even though it IS BEING captured. • The sound will not be recorded unless Windows Recording properties are set correctly: Double click on the speaker icon in the lower right corner > Options > Properties > Recording > OK > CHECK: Line In [If the speaker icon is not there, or to check additional properties: go to Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and... > Volume TAB > Advanced... button > Options > Properties] 5. Tools > Create Disc... 6. UNCHECK Create menu if making a DVD that directly plays the file without a menu 7. Click on "i" icon (lower left) to see the audio/video properties of the captured file 8. Press ALT+J or click on Project settings (gear icon, second from lower left) 9. Click on Change MPEG Settings... > Customize... to set ALL settings in both General TAB and Compression TAB equal to properties of captured file > OK 10. CHECK: Do not convert compliant MPEG files UNCHECK: Treat MPEG audio as non-DVD compliant UNCHECK: Auto repeat when disc playback ends > OK > Next > Next 11. UNCHECK: Create to disc CHECK: Create DVD Folders and click on a yellow folder to the right to select location of DVD folder 12. Click on Burn to convert the captured file to a DVD folder. [You can actually burn a DVD disc using any burning software later (after testing the DVD folder) or you can make a DVD disc directly in step 8. by leaving Create to disc option CHECKED.] Before clicking on "Next" in Step 10., you can also change additional Preferences by pressing F6 or clicking on Settings and options (first icon from lower left) > Preferences... General TAB > • VCD player compliant: CHECK if making a VCD instead of a DVD. • Anti-flicker filter: CHECK to apply the anti-flickering filter to the menu pages (this is only for menu pages). It reduces "flickering" that happens when using a television (interlaced display) to view the menu pages. (This does not help with progressive scan devices such as computer HD TVs, computer monitors, projectors.) • Resume all confirmation dialog boxes: UNCHECK, otherwise confirmation boxes will appear when editing even after the "Do not show again" option is selected. • Max 30MB menus for set-top DVD+VR recorder: CHECK to make sure the maximum file size for DVD menus is 30MB, otherwise the disc will not be compatible with set-top DVD (DVD-VR) recorders. • Set Working Folder to specify where finished projects and captured clips should be saved. Advanced TAB > • Create index file for MPEG seeking performance: If this is CHECKED, it will improves real-time previews when editing and using the Jog Slider. This option is for MPEG files only. • NTSC/PAL safe color: CHECK to avoid the flickering problems. Video friendly colors will be used to ensure the display quality of menus when using any TV system. • TV safe area: Sets a margin (represented by a red border) in the Preview Window of the Setup Menu page. If you set the TV safe area at 10%, the remaining 90% will be your working area. Make sure that all your menu objects are within the working area so that they can be properly viewed on any screen. = = = Correctly captured DVD compliant MPEG-2 files can be converted to DVD quickly (in a few minutes) with Ulead software as long as options are set to match captured files and to treat them as DVD compliant. Most settings may be left unchanged. All you need to do is: 1. Tools > Create Disc... 2. Click on Add video files icon (top left) 3. UNCHECK Create menu, if making a DVD that directly plays the file without a menu 4. Click on "i" icon (lower left) to see the audio/video properties of the captured file 5. Press ALT+J or click on Project settings (gear icon, second from lower left) 6. Click on Change MPEG Settings... > Customize... to set ALL settings in both General TAB and Compression TAB equal to properties of captured file > OK 7. CHECK: Do not convert compliant MPEG files UNCHECK: Treat MPEG audio as non-DVD compliant UNCHECK: Auto repeat when disc playback ends > OK > Next > Next 8. UNCHECK: Create to disc CHECK: Create DVD Folders and click on a yellow folder to the right to select location of DVD folder 9. Click on Burn to convert the captured file to a DVD folder. [You can actually burn a DVD disc using any burning software later (after testing the DVD folder) or you can make a DVD disc directly in step 8. by leaving Create to disc option CHECKED.]