Is DVD authoring a dying process?

[Doggiedaddy]

Is DVD authoring a dead art?

Is it just me or is re-encoding and authoring a dying process. For your DVD BU there are such great new products that trans-code and let you keep pretty much a full BU just like the original [I know its half size]. But honestly, even with the reduction in the output size, products like IC7, [my favorite], DVD2one, DVD Shrink and I could go on, do a pretty good job, and are eliminated the need for most people to go through the process. We learned how because it was the only option we had. We had to put in the time learning how to rip, re-encode, authoring ECT. In order to BU our stuff. Now a days I think people are looking for something like when we put a VHS in our camcorder pushed play and record on our VHS tabletop player, that was all there was to it. What I call the push the big button approach.
I know some of us do this because we like to test new stuff, or like myself also are involved in DV projects but I am talking about the average Joe. Why should he pay for CCE SP or an equivalent system and something like Sonic Reel DVD comes to mind because of the price, to do what a product like IC can do for him for 30.00 bucks, and have it look more like the original than the copy he made, for the first six months of trial and error anyway? I just wondered if what I read on the forums from posts saying I only use DVD2one because all the others are too slow for example, hit you like it does me. A lot of you like me where pleased as punch when we could whip out a project in a less than a day, not in under a half hour??

PS: This hobby is expensive, ask my wife.

Justmy2cents
Dd

[MJPollard]

Is DVD authoring a dead art?

The question would be more accurate if you'd asked, "Is going through 10,000 steps to copy a DVD a dying art?" The answer to that question is a resounding "maybe." Programs like DVD2one, Instant Copy, DVD Shrink, et al. are indeed making it easy for Joe Average to simply point-and-click their way to a decent-looking copy of a DVD (no arguments about video quality here; that's a subject for other threads).

If one were to take the original question at face value, however, the answer is a resounding "no." DVD authoring is always going to be the final step in the "capture, edit, author" process, unless you can find some other magic way of getting Daddy's video of his little princess' birthday party onto a DVD.

[adam]

I really don't understand what's so hard about it. I only got my burner a month ago and I have already backed up many DVDs by hand. I read two guides on the process all the way through and haven't had to look back since. With the tools available its really not any harder than using a transcoder, and to my eyes the quality difference is striking.

1) Rip to iso and mount=5mins.

2) Process in Dif4u=1 min setting options (then go to bed)/10 mins processing

3) It automatically starts DoCCE4U and ~8-9hrs later I'm ready to author.

4) I prefer to author by hand in Scenarist cause I think its fun. You could also use DVD Maestro too. It generally only takes me about 5 mins to do a movie even when its multi-PGC. So authoring plus the creation of vobs + renaming + testing=20 mins processing.

If I used ReAuthorist instead than the authoring would take more like 10 mins.

5) Make iso image and burn= 1 hr.

So with about 15-20 mins of actual hands on work, and 10 hrs of processing (only a 1.333Ghz) I have a perfect backup. All the processing gets done while I sleep anyway.

Sure some movies have crazy anomolies that require almost total re-authoring of certain parts. For those movies I cut my losses and either use a transcoder or accept the fact that I may have to replace the DVD some day.

If only people realized how easy manual authoring is, for most DVDs anyway, then these transcoders probably wouldn't be nearly as popular.

[Baldrick]

Please don't post DVD TO DVDR posts in the dvd authoring forum!. I'm moving this one.

[MackemX]

If only people realized how easy manual authoring is, for most DVDs anyway, then these transcoders probably wouldn't be nearly as popular.

some people do realize how easy it can be when you learn the art and you have done well if it has took you a month

what some people don't realize is the actual cost of obtaining such authoring tools legally

some people regardless of how long they spend learning the art are simply not upto it either for one reason or another

now when I use IC as my method of backing up there very little if any anything above 80% that can be seen between IC & CCE

maybe the thread title cudda been different but after reading Doggiedaddies post I get the point he is trying to make cos cos I agree the art of using the manual method for backing up DVD's is a dying breed and especially if IC introduced a 2 pass or more option but there will always be a need for authoring programs but most people will opt for the cheaper legitimate ones and not Scenarist or DVDMaestro

making DVD's from Daddies video of his little princess or dirty home movies won't include 5.1 or DTS soundtracks or subtitles so any basic authoring tool will do, something like Ulead's DVD workshop etc and this is what the masses will use

there will always be people who use DVDMaestro & Scenarist to backup DVD's regardless but in the end everyone will use the best method for themselves but don't assume that what's best for you just cos you can do it easily and have the tools (legally or not) is best for others cos that's the impression the diehard manual method users always seem to give by basically saying "I can do it so why can't you?"

I used CCE for 1:1 backups and got comfortable even dealing with multiple PGC's but once IC came on the scene and actually gave CCE a run for it's money cos of less hassle setting it up, no rebuilding and finally quality to compete with CCE, I gave up on CCE

I agree that 20 mins usertime for a movie only or single PGC movie, but what about the extra time needed if you do a 1:1 and want to compress all the extras, cos you have to do each PGC separately and then add to that the complexities of rebuilding multiple PGC's and finally can you compress menu's using CCE?

it's just not worth the hassle for the user time needed so that's why a lot of CCE users have jumped ship since the new tools came on the scene, though I feel only IC can compare with CCE regarding quality

we are talking about backups and you can always pull out the original on the special occasions if need be cos nothing beats that apart from a splitter

what I would love to see is a tool with IC's setup that actually got 4.37Gb, corrected the IFO's if you did remove stuff but more importantly used a CCE like method to encode the video and the user can basically tell it how many passes to do and so result in the perfect size each time. IC is nearly there but I don't think it will ever implement more than a single pass so it won't be that tool

I asked for such a tool HERE

that would be the ultimate tool, forget ripping and burning being implemented cos any Joe can do that with other tools (then again )

CloneDVD looks promising but it uses transcoding and 321 studios also have DVDXCopy Express coming out that states encoding but we'll have to wait and see

DXC Express will NOT include menus or special features, but will provide the ability to "squeeze" a DVD9 movie onto ONE DVD5 with superb video quality and lightning fast encoding times.

Platinum Features:
Super Fast, Patent Pending Encoding to Fit ALL DVD-9 contents including menu, special features and movie to ONE DVDR(-+) with virtually no perceptible quality loss in video!

The above is user optional only. DXC Platinum will still continue

[adam]

Yes I realize cost is definitely the determining factor for many, if not most people. Personally, I gave each transcoder a healthy try and I just wasn't satisfied. You say at 80% the quality differences aren't very noticable between IC and CCE, and you're probably right. The problem is that out of every single DVD I have backed up since buying my burner, not including DVD5's, not a single one of them would have been able to use even close to that % and still fit all the extra's on the disk. At 60% compression in IC I can't even watch the movie, it just looks too bad. With CCE, I can't distinguish the backup from the original. For those people who want movie only backups a transcoder or a very limited 1-pass encoder is fine. But if you want to keep all the extra's then going from 7-8 gigs down to 4.3 is just impossible without noticably lowering quality.

Manual authoring isn't for everyone, but I actually enjoy it and I personally think that, though many people will never be able to use it because of the price of the software, many others won't even consider it because they think its too difficult to learn. Like I said, personally I don't see it as being difficult at all. I may have been doing this for a month, but it only took me a week to actually learn how to do it. I sincerely believe that anyone can do this. I find the whole process just as easy as making a VCD or SVCD.

No you can't compress menu's in CCE, at least not without completely re-authoring all the buttons. That's one of the particularized purposes of transcoders that I was referring to. Most menu's are not that large and there is no reason to compress them. In those rare instances where the menu's do take up alot of space, I do a run in DVD Shrink to compress them first...make an image and mount it, then proceed with the manual method.

[Quigonsean]

I doubt its dying, cus everyone will have their way. Personally I very rarely Back Up. I got my setup for and learned/learning Maestro cce, tmpegenc, etc... for putting movies from VHS that arn't available on DVD on DVD. Or capping vhs movies I like, but not enough to spend 14-30bucks for on DVD.


Sean

[Doggiedaddy]

3) It automatically starts DoCCE4U and ~8-9hrs later I'm ready to author.

4) I prefer to author by hand in Scenarist cause I think its fun. You could also use DVD Maestro too. It generally only takes me about 5 mins to do a movie even when its multi-PGC. So authoring plus the creation of vobs + renaming + testing=20 mins processing.

I could have worded my question a little better but I think you see what I am saying. I also do a lot of full BU the old fashion way. I think the point is made best by Adams comments, as he listed the programs he uses to make his BU so easy and quick [8-9hr re-encoding]. Even the use of doCCE4u and such programs are just doing the same thing, making the process easier and simpler. This is not a math test but there are upwards of $50,000.00 dollars of stuff mentioned in his post. Example [CCE, Scenarist, DVD Maestro ECT]. And my true point is I believe new owners of burners just want to push the big button pull out a ready to view copy after their Mocha is gone, ON THE CHEAP.

Thanks for the opinions guys, those who can, will do, and those who can not; well they just won’t even try.
Dd

PS: Baldrick, Sorry about putting the post in the wrong thread. I thought of that after I posted, it could have gone either way.