Best DVD author program

[jjulio1]

Dear friends,

I am trying to make a coletion of a lot of clips, on a dvd, with one first play movie, and a menu, but would like to jump from one clip to other, just by pressing a chapter key. I could make a dvd, that could let me jump... with the tmpgenc dvd author, but with it, isn't possible we add any first play movie.

The dvd-lab pro can do let us insert / apply a first play movie, but we can't insert a lot of clips in one same vts, at one same program chain. For this reason, we can't jump back and forth from any clips/movie/video.

I have tried any kind of join, demux, but all of those have given me synch problem

Does any of you know a soft like the tmpgenc author above, that can let us insert a lot of movies/clips/videos in a same program chain, that can handle with "first play movie"? Beyond "let us insert a lot of movies/clips/videos in a same program chain", insert "first play movie", if you would know one that could also handle with subtitles, would be perfect.

Sinc.,

J.J.

[Cunhambebe]

Oi Julio, (Hi)...
As far as I know, Sony DVDA can do that and it's extremely easy to create subs with it. Sony DVDA seems to take the Maestro's crown because of so many new features with the newest version 3.0a.
BTW, it's funny because your topic says "the best....."
Well, the best software as far as I know are:
1.Scenarist (but this one is far away from simple mortals like you and me and besides, from what I've heard, its learning curve is very stepy - so, definitely, it is not worth just for some productions; I doubt even a millionaire would buy this software to make DVDs for fun);
2.Maestro - if you can ever find it (I would dare to say Sony DVDA shares the second place along with Maestro, despite the fact 2 main issues: the way DVDA configures the NEXT button and subtitles outlines that are still too thin);
3.DVD-Lab PRO, that is not expensive and very, very powerful (some people would put DVDA here, I guess)
You can PM me in Brazilian Portuguese if you feel more comfortable this way.
Good luck

[CogoSWSDS]

If you're looking for something free, may I suggest Liquid217's DVDAuthorGUI. Runs on my Windows 98 box, and should also run on newer versions of windows. It has a "First Play" option and is adequate for my needs.

CogoSWSDS

[thecoalman]

Another good one is Ulead DVD Workshop. Expensive but for ease of use and features it gets a 10 in my book.

[jjulio1]

If you're looking for something free, may I suggest Liquid217's DVDAuthorGUI. Runs on my Windows 98 box, and should also run on newer versions of windows. It has a "First Play" option and is adequate for my needs.

CogoSWSDS

Does it handles subtitles too?

[jjulio1]

I just saw it does, I am sorry.

[ricardouk]

The dvd-lab pro can do let us insert / apply a first play movie, but we can't insert a lot of clips in one same vts, at one same program chain. For this reason, we can't jump back and forth from any clips/movie/video.

J.J.

you can put up to 99 dvd clips linking the end of each to the begining of the next one, this way by pressing the next button you can go to next clip or back to previous clip

from everything i tried dvd lab pro is by far the best one.

[jjulio1]

If you're looking for something free, may I suggest Liquid217's DVDAuthorGUI. Runs on my Windows 98 box, and should also run on newer versions of windows. It has a "First Play" option and is adequate for my needs.

CogoSWSDS

But I only know, and have, encoders that just create wav audio files, and seems that DVDAuthorGUI doesn't handle wav files.

[jjulio1]

The dvd-lab pro can do let us insert / apply a first play movie, but we can't insert a lot of clips in one same vts, at one same program chain. For this reason, we can't jump back and forth from any clips/movie/video.

J.J.

you can put up to 99 dvd clips linking the end of each to the begining of the next one, this way by pressing the next button you can go to next clip or back to previous clip

from everything i tried dvd lab pro is by far the best one.

I knew that, and I already have tried this, but didn't work. I guess that's because the clips are stored in different program chains.

[disturbed1]

If you're looking for something free, may I suggest Liquid217's DVDAuthorGUI. Runs on my Windows 98 box, and should also run on newer versions of windows. It has a "First Play" option and is adequate for my needs.

CogoSWSDS

But I only know, and have, encoders that just create wav audio files, and seems that DVDAuthorGUI doesn't handle wav files.

Use any of the freeware mp2 encoders out there, lame, cdex, TMPG, besweet ....
Or encode to ac3 with Besweet

BTW, TMPG DVD Author does allow you to change the first play. Just change the menu/output option so the first play is your movie. You might want to have a look HERE

[jimmalenko]

You can do a first-play with TMPGEnc DVD Author, but it's nowhere near as smooth as a lot of other authoring packages make it. Basically you put your first-play as the first track, then configure your disc to play the track first (without going to the menu). Then obviously you need to configure it to go back to the main menu at the end of each track. Then there's the issue of the first-play appearing in any track menus you might have - as I said, there's much better ways to do this, but it is possible in concept in TDA.

As for audio - ffmpeggui, besweet, belight ... the only audio tools you'll ever need, and they're all free

[GeorgeW]

DLP lets you link titles from different VTS' -- using the Bridge tool or the Playlist feature.

DVDA3 has one feature not found in DLP -- multi-angles. But I think everything else in DVDA3 can be done in DLP -- and DLP gives alot more navigational control with access to VM commands...

DVDA3 does have more "polished" themes (menu templates). But I don't think you can get DVDA3 as a standalone package -- it comes in a Vegas 6 bundle (afaik).

[jjulio1]

You can do a first-play with TMPGEnc DVD Author, but it's nowhere near as smooth as a lot of other authoring packages make it. Basically you put your first-play as the first track, then configure your disc to play the track first (without going to the menu). Then obviously you need to configure it to go back to the main menu at the end of each track. Then there's the issue of the first-play appearing in any track menus you might have - as I said, there's much better ways to do this, but it is possible in concept in TDA.

As for audio - ffmpeggui, besweet, belight ... the only audio tools you'll ever need, and they're all free

Ok, but what about the subtitles?

[jimmalenko]

Ok, but what about the subtitles?

No.

[jjulio1]

DLP lets you link titles from different VTS' -- using the Bridge tool or the Playlist feature.

DVDA3 has one feature not found in DLP -- multi-angles. But I think everything else in DVDA3 can be done in DLP -- and DLP gives alot more navigational control with access to VM commands...

DVDA3 does have more "polished" themes (menu templates). But I don't think you can get DVDA3 as a standalone package -- it comes in a Vegas 6 bundle (afaik).

But do you know if we can move back and forth from one clip to its neighbor, only by pressing a/the chapter key?

[ricardouk]

Bloody hell jjulio!
I told you in my previous post that you acomplish that in DLP, if you preview it on powerdvd it will not work properly, burn it into a dvd and it will work on your dvd.

i done a lot of dvds in the past like that it works, unless your dvd player is knackered

[ricardouk]

even if you have 4:3 and 16:9 clips you can use the bridge tool(mentioned above by GeorgeW) and it will still work

[jjulio1]

even if you have 4:3 and 16:9 clips you can use the bridge tool(mentioned above by GeorgeW) and it will still work

Well, I haven't tried with bridges, but I will try now. I haven't tried, because the clips were in a same vts, but in different program chains. I thought that I would have to find a way to put them in a same program chain, as the tmpgenc DVD Author does. I will now then create a vts to each clip, to be able to use the bridges too, to see if it works.

[ricardouk]

lets say you have 20 clips that are 4:3

all you have to do is to add 19 movies in the connections window and then put your clips in them and make sure the end link of first clip points to the begining of next one.

its very simple , dont make yourself think its difficult.

[jjulio1]

lets say you have 20 clips that are 4:3

all you have to do is to add 19 movies in the connections window and then put your clips in them and make sure the end link of first clip points to the begining of next one.

its very simple , dont make yourself think its difficult.

This make them be played one after each other, but isn't enough to be able to let us jump from one clip/film/movie to its neighbor, only by we pressing a/the chapter key.

I did even try to create a lot of vts as I/You said above, to could use the bridge tool, but didn't work even. I didn't see a sense to the things work as you said, but I did try anyway and didn't work.

[ricardouk]

i just authored a dvd using dvd lab pro and ive put 49 music clips on it.
the end of every clip linking to the begining of next one, i included some render motion menus and other "fancy" stuff and it works perfectly on mine samsunf, cyberhome and toshiba dvd players i have.

[thecoalman]

Another good one is Ulead DVD Workshop. Expensive but for ease of use and features it gets a 10 in my book.

[jjulio1]

i just authored a dvd using dvd lab pro and ive put 49 music clips on it.
the end of every clip linking to the begining of next one, i included some render motion menus and other "fancy" stuff and it works perfectly on mine samsunf, cyberhome and toshiba dvd players i have.

But I guess you have to go back to the menu, if you want to jump to another video clip. The chapter key does nothing, doesn't let us jump to any place.

[jjulio1]

Another good one is Ulead DVD Workshop. Expensive but for ease of use and features it gets a 10 in my book.

I will try to download

[ricardouk]

[jjulio1]

Great, do you have a rip software now, smartripper / dvd decrypter, to let us see if those movies are in a same program chain, or different ones? And, what is the version of your dvd-lab pro?

[ricardouk]

these music videos were taken from cd singles i bought when i was living in the UK,just thought i should say this before someone reports this post for having pirate music clips!

[ricardouk]

check your pm jjulio

[ricardouk]

i had some problems with the new vrsions of dvdlab that came out recently, i didnt find it stable,
the version im using is version pro 1.00 build 041104

[ricardouk]

to anyone interested in this post:
after a long talk with jjulio in a instant messaging system we discovered that the new dvd lab pro version must have some kind of bug.