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  1. Member
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    i've been useing Nero to convert and author my dvds. I have a lot of different avi and mpg clips that i convert, but nero takes forever! and I often run into problems with the audio (pops and clicks...and a random out of sinq). a friend turned me on to winavi video converter. It seems to do a fantastic job converting to a dvd file, but then i have problems burning it to nero. Last time i tried the burn button was greyed and un clickable. I want a good program that will convert files, allow me to make a menu and chapters. Which programs would you suggest i look into. And is it possible that i'm missing some part of my nero(it came with my burner). Thanx in advance?
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  2. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    Actually, WinAVI is about as far from good authoring software as you can get without actually leaving the planet.

    In fact, pretty much everything you are using is second rate for authoring or burning DVD Video.

    Burning is easy : Imgburn 2. You don't need anything else for burning DVD Video.

    Authoring is a tougher call. You seem like someone who is impatient, and wants one program to do everything. If that is the case, you will have to sacrifice something - usually quality - to get what you want.

    The most reliable one-click-wonder toy is ConvertXtoDVD. It does a fair job with encoding, a good job with audio, is the only OCW encoder to correctly encode 23.976 fps source. It can do two audio tracks and subtitles as well. However it's menu is a simple one page text list of file names with a still image behind it.

    If you want better menus, you can encode with ConvertXtoDVD, then use Tmpgenc DVD Author and it's Add Video function to import the results and create new menus. It is about as simple as an authoring tool gets.

    Finally, burn with Imgburn 2.

    Do yourself a big favour and uninstall WinAVI first chance you get. Chances are it has already strangled your goldfish and put your dog in the blender while you are reading this. Nasty piece of work indeed.
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  3. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Easy, but more basic:
    SVCD2DVD
    Tsunami/TMPGEnc DVD Author (TDA)

    More advanced, more options:
    DVD Studio Pro (Mac)
    Ulead DVD Workshop 2

    Crap:
    WinAVI
    Nero
    Roxio
    anything else "all in one"
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  4. Mod Neophyte redwudz's Avatar
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    WinAVI is not too popular around here, partially for their past spamming of our site and them referring to us for technical advise for their problematic software. Nero is a good burner, but not a great authoring or encoding program. It tries to do too much and not much of it well.

    I generally use separate programs for each phase of AVI to DVD conversion. But that takes time and some study. One of the easier programs, if you really want a 'one-click solution' is ConvertXToDVD. If you want to save money, you can try the older version, DivxToDVD, but, IMO, ConvertX is worth the cash.

    The long way, but best, is a separate editor, encoder and authoring program. Much more versatile and better quality.
    What I use most of the time is TMPGEnc encoder and TMPGEnc DVD Author. Both are easy to set up. For faster encodes, CCE, ProCoder are good.

    Or another alternatives that work as well and are freeware are: Cuttermaran for editing, HC or QuEnc for MPEG encoding and DVDAuthorgui or GUI for dvdauthor for authoring. For burning, ImgBurn is a great freeware burning program. It will also burn authored VIDEO_TS folders to DVD.

    Unfortunately, if you want one program to do everything, it doesn't exist. Nero and WinAVI are two examples of failed attempts. Spend a little time learning about the formats, the files and the tools and that will always be the best solution.
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  5. Mod Neophyte redwudz's Avatar
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    guns1inger said about WinAVI:
    Chances are it has already strangled your goldfish and put your dog in the blender while you are reading this.
    Now, that's harsh. But funny. I like that better than 'Biggest piece of monkey crap ever'.

    Sorry, irishman, that's how some members feel about the program.

    The best solution is educating yourself on the available programs and how to use them.
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  6. Member GeorgeW's Avatar
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    If you need to do any "editing", I would recommend Ulead's VideoStudio 10Plus -- has editing features, and also a built in DVD Authoring component.

    Ulead also offers DVD MovieFactory 5 Plus (they just announced recently version 6 Plus -- but I'm not sure when the TRIAL will be available). DVD MovieFactory 6 Plus has a new "Edit Room" function to "spice" up your video sequences using templates for beginning/ending and Text/video overlays. MovieFactory is geared more towards Authoring, with some editing functionality (although version 6 with the "Edit Room" adds more editing functionality than past versions of Moviefactory).

    Regards,
    George
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  7. Member
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    Thanx for you quick and rather thorough replies. I would like an all in one, but i dont mind two or three. I am def most interested in what to buy and i dont care how much, so i can get the job done. I dont need complicated menus, just a menu with simple chapter selections. But...im also not looking for complicated...i used to do vcds about 5 years ago and wholy crap! Simply i want to put three or four files on a dvd with a chapter menu for each...I'll give your current suggestions a look.

    Thanx again!
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  8. Member FulciLives's Avatar
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    TMPGEnc DVD Author is about as simple as you can get while still giving you some nice options. It is very popular around here and I use it myself for probably 99% of the stuff I do.

    A new 3.0 version of TMPGEnc DVD Author was released recently that does make it a bit more of an "all in one tool" than it was from the past but you are probably still better off encoding first then using TMPGEnc DVD Author just for authoring.

    AviSynth and HCenc are two freeware tools that will allow you to create great MPEG-2 DVD spec video. For creating AC-3 audio I suggest ffmpegGUI or Aften (which also has a GUI available for it).

    - John "FulciLives" Coleman
    "The eyes are the first thing that you have to destroy ... because they have seen too many bad things" - Lucio Fulci
    EXPLORE THE FILMS OF LUCIO FULCI - THE MAESTRO OF GORE
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  9. Member
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    Anyone have any cast iron opinions of the dvd authoring built into Adobe Premiere Elements 3?

    Or Sony DVD Architect 4?

    Which would be better, and why?
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  10. Originally Posted by frappawotsit
    Anyone have any cast iron opinions of the dvd authoring built into Adobe Premiere Elements 3?

    Or Sony DVD Architect 4?
    That's easy -- DVD Architect is designed to author DVDs. Premiere Elements is designed to edit footage (with some decent but not exactly stellar authoring capabilities thrown in).

    And DVD Architect is five times the cost. So there is that.

    BUT if you go for Architect, you'll need to edit in something else, so there's no use in "comparing" the two progs.

    I edit in Premiere Pro, but author in DVD Workshop.
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  11. Member GeorgeW's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by frappawotsit
    Anyone have any cast iron opinions of the dvd authoring built into Adobe Premiere Elements 3?

    Or Sony DVD Architect 4?

    Which would be better, and why?
    Not sure about the Adobe products. But regarding DVDA4 -- did you mean the Full or Studio version

    Regards,
    George
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  12. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    I don't believe you can buy DVD Architect on it's own. You have to buy the Vegas+DVD bundle to get it.
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  13. Member GeorgeW's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by guns1inger
    I don't believe you can buy DVD Architect on it's own. You have to buy the Vegas+DVD bundle to get it.
    Sony does sell DVD Architect Studio 4 for ~$50.00 (not bad for the features and functionality that DVDAS4 has to offer).

    Regards,
    George
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  14. Member
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    Originally Posted by GeorgeW
    Originally Posted by frappawotsit
    Anyone have any cast iron opinions of the dvd authoring built into Adobe Premiere Elements 3?

    Or Sony DVD Architect 4?

    Which would be better, and why?
    But regarding DVDA4 -- did you mean the Full or Studio version

    Regards,
    George
    I have a copy of the full DVDA 4 (i'm not skilled enough to use Vegas, but a friend let me use his DVDA)

    I do struggle with the lack of quality preset menu templates though

    I guess i want to know if there is a good DVD Author program that has LOTS of GOOD templates built in, or easily available templates for download etc?

    I assume templates are specific to each program, and i can't use templates from one program in a different program?
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  15. Always Watching guns1inger's Avatar
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    It depends on your definition of good. Personally, I find most of the templates that ship with authoring tools to be very samey and for the most part, cheesy. Similar with most of the templates you can buy on-line. I have yet to see many that were worth the asking price.

    My preference is to make my own where ever possible. It makes my work unique, instead of canned, and allows me to tailor the menus to the subject of the DVD. I hate it when every DVD looks like it fell out of iMovie.
    Read my blog here.
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  16. Member
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    DVDAS4 looks like the most flexible authoring program at the moment (at a reasonable price point). Ulead DVD Workshop 2 is great, but old and expensive.
    It depends how much customisation you want with your menus, however a bit of a practice with Photoshop or similar is an easy way to make loads of templates yourself. Some companies sell add-on template packs . Check out a few websites (Ulead etc) and see whats on offer.
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  17. Member
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    I have found a neat little programme called "SUPER" by eRightsoft (http://www.erightsoft.net/SUPER.html) which I think works really well at converting almost ANY video source (be it AVI/MPG/3PG) to a VOB file (if I'm making a DVD*).

    It works so well, I've actually used it to convert video I shot on my MOBILE PHONE to a DVD!!

    I then use DVD Lab Pro 2 to author the DVD. (You can do some nice motion menu stuff, graphics, ect, and get the DVD to look how you like) and to compile the DVD onto my Hard Drive as a Vide_TS and Audio_TS folder.

    I then use Nero to actually do the burning to disc. I select DVD Video, and there is an Audio_TS and Video_TS folder already on the disc. I simply drag the Video_TS folder I have created into that, it replaces the files and then burns a DVD!

    * I put If I'm making a DVD, because SUPER is actually capable of encoding to pretty much anything, including PSP format video, 3gp (mobile phone video) ect as WELL...

    Hope this helps?
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