VideoPack 5 Sucess W/ DVD - Finally!

[leebo]

First let me express my displeasure with Roxio Tech support, and their management in general.
VP5 was released in the US as an afterthought. The US tech team didn't even have the program installed on their computers the first time I called them.
Last month both a service pack and a Win XP update were released on their German web site, but there is still no mention of them on their US site.

I sent an email a month ago expressing my displeasure and disappointment at having spent $500 US for a DVD authoring program that could only produce a crippled DVD image file (more later), and still have not received a reply.

I could go on, but ...

Don't get me wrong, there's a reason I spent the cash on this product. I've used DVDit PE and others, but VP4 was my favorite for authoring SVCD's and I was excited at what version 5 could do with DVD's.

I won't repeat VP5's features since there are many posts here already about that.

The problem (bug) in authoring DVD's with VP5 is this:

Start with your main menu bitmap.
You import your mpeg video file, say it's 500 megs.
You insert say, 5 chapter points (VP5 has the best method I've seen for this).
When you produce your DVD image, the size has increased by a factor of 5 (2500 megs)!

The service pack (number 1) did not address this problem.
Roxio tech support came up with a workaround, but it was labor intensive and produced out of sync audio.

The following work around works great, and only adds a few minutes of labor (for each video clip).

It was discovered by Koniak.

VP5 has it's own idea of what makes a file DVD "compliant".
It also includes many tools, among them a multiplexer/de-multiplexer.
By demultiplexing and then multiplexing your files b4 adding them to your project, VP5 accepts them without question.
You can add as many chapter points as you like and the project size will not be affected.

Ignore the project size meter as this still does not work correctly.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: leebo on 2002-01-09 11:16:14 ]</font>

[Valnar]

Leebo,
Have you compared VP5 with other "higher" end products, like ReelDVD?

Robert

[leebo]

Not yet. I'd like to sometime though.
However, I'm very happy with the ease of use and motion menus that VP5 allows. I don't need subtitles as I never rip DVD's (they're so cheap!).

I would like AC3 (for the smaller file sizes) and an extra audio track (for commentary or language translation) though.

Does ReelDVD run on XP?
Who makes it?
Is it available for "testing"?

[kon]

I would say roxio blew it with this one - its stuck in some mid level - more then a newby can handle but lacks so much for the the more expreinced user.
I am not that bothered with AC3, multiple soundtracks and angles because I'm not producing holywood titles.
However I am really disappointed with the menu/button creation/editing situation, just not enough control/accurecy and very limted tools(especially for text)
Having said that there r some advantages - I agree the chapter marking is the easiest I have seen and the motion buttons are also very easy to set up.

Personally I was also disappointed that they didnt import the winoncd photoalbum into the realm of DVD.

[MegaBit]

I am having equal problems with VP5 on a Win XP machine. Tech Support has been a good listener but really short on any solutions, in fact almost none in 30 days now.

I have fairly new hardware- HP CD writers and DVD writers on a high-end P4 system and I get a blue screen crash when shutting the machine down. The XP Wizard fixed this problem when VP5 tried to write to a disc but by having 2 recorders, it only supports the cd writer leaving me without DVD authoring capability.

I too have found that if I use the Ligos LSX 1.5 encoder in Premier 6 to make "compliant" DVD mpeg files, VP5 complains they are not and de/remuxes them before writing the disc image (not an iso image...but a c2d(?) file).

I also cannot get the chapter entry points to work- maybe I need to ty that again but the last time I used it, I could add them but there was not way of programming a button on the main menu unless it was for a separate mpeg file. Heck, the $45 version of DVD MovieFactory lets me add arbitrary entry points with menu navigation buttons into a single mpeg file. Is this the common way- to render separate mpeg files to make chapter points? That makes it hard to have an audio track that smoothly flows across the files.

I am getting very disappointed waiting for the HP DVD100i support. I know it's a new drive but don't they conform to some standard? How can Nero, MyDVD, and MovieFactory play with it when VP-5 can't?

[kon]

Megabit

1. Formats:if you use dvd compliant mpeg2 - VP5 demuxes+muxes it into a vob. if you use non compliant mpeg(or anything else) vp5 reencodes it.
2. chapters: you can place chapters in a video elemnt. this works fine.
3. menu buttons - this is more complicated. If you want buttons leading to your chapter points, you need to create empty elemnts in the VP5 project and copy the video(with entry points) into the empty elemnts.then go through the elemnts and mark the relevent chapter points. On your parent elemnet(menu) you will now have a button for each elemnt(chapter). This is where the problem was. When you do this to a (dvd compliant!)mpeg2 clip VP5 would reencode each clip yeilding a huge dic size. IF however you use a VOB
(which can be created by sepratly demuxing/muxing your mpeg2 with the VP5 tools) then there will be no reencoding. You must intsall the VP5 servicepack1 from the germen support site for this to work.
3. Burning - just create an image file which you can load into the roxio cd emmulator - then you can either copy the dvd folders to your HD and use primo/nero etc to burn or directly copy them to a blank DVD+rw disc in you HP drive.

[catalano]

Hi, I'm having the similar menu/chapter problem but I'm creating VCDs. I thought about adding in 'reference' elements of my main movie and having each reference element have a different start point so that my main menu could have the ability to start the movie from any chapter. But when you change the entry point for any of the reference elements it changes in the parent element as well. As far as I can see there is no way to have a menu that has selectable items that point to various chapters in a single movie file. It's amazing that the free TSCV does this, but a $500 pro application does not.

Am I missing something here? Can someone show me how to do what I'm trying to do?

Thanks,
Chris

[leebo]

"Am I missing something here?"

Yes, you are.

A reference element (in VP5) refers to something else, in this case, a "parent" element.
If you change anything about any of these elements, it stands to reason that they would all change. Otherwise, you would have a "new" element, not a reference one.

Follow Kons directions in step "3" above.

[catalano]

leebo,

I'll go back and try later. But just to be sure I'm understanding you are you saying to "copy" the movie file element and then repeat paste it into some blank elements?

If so, wouldn't this increase the overall size just as adding other different movies?

Also, just to verify I'm trying to author VCDs.

Thanks,
Chris

[MegaBit]

Kon and Leebo- Sorry, I still need some help here as I can't seem to make it work.

I'm okay on Formats, Chapters, and Burning-- however, even when I use VP5 to mux the audio & video files into a VOB it still complains about the audio but goes ahead and works with it anyway, it may be my audio bit rate that LSX is loading (384 Kbps). And for burning with the emulator, for some reason Nero 5.5.6.4 won't recognize it as a drive to copy from even though it shows up in the available recorder list as a virtual device- I'm going to try an ISO file. Other recorder software I have does recognize it but I prefer Nero for lots of other things too.

Now for entry points. My idea is to bring a single MPEG file (DVD compliant) into VP-5 and use a JPEG image as a menu screen onto which I'll create buttons that jump to entry points within this single MPEG file (from Premier & LSX encoder). This does not work: I can add all of the entry points I want but there is no way to create a menu button to allow the viewer to jump to them. If, however, I bring multiple MPEG files into VP-5 and place them under the JPEG menu image file, I can make buttons because the routing tool creates links to them and the button editor builds them automatically.

But how can I make the buttons jump to entry points? Do I need to make separate MPEG files? That would mean they are chapter points, correct? And what good are entry points if there is no way to make them available (other than the skip button on a remote control perhaps).

Sorry for the stupid questions but I've tried this many times with different approaches and it does not work--yet.

Thanks for the tip on VOB files- now I know why it processes a "good" file!

BTW I did have the XP Wizard from Roxio (US Tech support sent me a slightly different US version plus an ACPI fix to stop an XP BSOD)

[leebo]

catalano,
Add one video clip.
From the top tool bar, click "Add new element" for each chapter you want.
Click on the first video clip to highlight it.
Right click on your first new element and select "copy contents from selected element".

If the service pack is installed, VP wont re-encode the file for each chapter.

[leebo]

Mega,
My answer to catalano should apply to you also.
You wont get additional buttons unless you add elements.

Another way is to go to the button editor, left click and drag to create a box. A window opens asking if you want text or a button. Selecting button also creates a new, blank element.

"And what good are entry points if there is no way to make them available?"

Each button corrisponds to a number button on your remote.

[leebo]

Icehawk, Does this answer your questions?

[MegaBit]

leebo- THANKS!

I followed the instructions leebo posted on 2002-01-10 21:04 and it works!

My problem was this: I was thinking that after I added an empty element that I needed to highlight the original clip, use Copy, and then Paste into the new empty element. It does not work that way.

Instead, you need to:

1) Enter the primary menu graphic (e.g. JPEG) using the drag and drop method into the navigation window.

2) Now, you enter the main video clip by dragging it into the navigation window under the menu graphic. It will be added as a sub-element to the menu element in (1).

3) Single-click the main menu graphic element added in (1).

4) Use the tool bar button to add a new empty element (or more for all the entry points you want), they should appear under the main video clip element at the same indentation level.

5) Then simply single-click (so it's highlighted/selected) the original/main video clip (VOB format is best).

6) Move the cursor over the new empty clip,

7) Right-click to select "Copy Content From Selected Element". Boom- the clip is copied.

Now, single-click on that new element and go to the Video window

9) Use the Add Entry Point tool bar button to add the desired Entry Point. Note how the graphic thumbnail in the navigation window changes! Do this for all desired entry points on each separate element (copy contents to and add entry point).

10) Go to the main menu graphic from (1) and you will see all of the buttons ready for customization.

It was so easy but I was missing the point on copying the "contents to the element".

Thanks again, leebo.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: MegaBit on 2002-01-11 18:57:10 ]</font>

[catalano]

OK. Thanks to all. I got it to work. Well at least in the emulator. I'm going to burn a test disc this afternoon.

Regards,
Chris

[John817]

This service pack you are talking about isn't for xp is it? If not where can I find it. I have gone to roxio but can't find it. I made a DVD last night using VP5 Started with an opening clip added a jpg below it for the menu page then added 4 clip into it. Burned it and put it into windvd. Windvd didn't recognize it like it has the others I made. Then put it into the standalone and it played the opening clip and stopped there. It would not got to the menu page. Played with a few button on the remote and it found the menu page, allowed me to highlight the clip I wanted to view. My question is how do I get it to make the DVD so it goes right from the opening clip to the menu?

Thanks,
Little John

[leebo]

Sorry I'm not that clear explaining things. Maybe Megabit and I should write a VP5 tutorial.

John, the service pack isn't just for XP. I's only on the German roxio web site - for now. Roxio emailed me and said they just redid their web site (true) and intend to add it soon.

But I have to warn you: the service pack add's at least one bug! Do a search either here or in the Roxio VP5 forum site for my user name, and look for the "Chapter Two" bug. They are aware and have reproduced the problem and are working on a patch. In the meantime, I've uninstalled the service pack.

Anyway, I suspect your problem isn't a bug that would be fixed by the service pack.

Is your menu indented from the opening clip?
Are the four other clips indented from the menu?
Did you check your routings?
Did you make an image and play it with the CD Emulator?

[TOMMO]

I would just like to say thanks to all in this post. Video Pack 5 had me beat as far as chaptering was concerned. I follwed your guides LEEBO and all, and hey it works. Thank you.

Just one question, the record meter goes way up, do you just ignore this?

[leebo]

Yes, ignore it (you'll have to approximate the total file size yourself).

Looks like it's fixed in the next version however.

[mazinz]

in a previous post for this topic, someone mentioned that on windows xp when they used vp5 the screen flashed blue (on mine its when it goes to burn the disc) and the system restarts. They mentuion using the wizard to fix it. What settings(os) did you re set it to as im getting the same problem. i loved vp4 and hopefully will get as much use with vp5 thanks--

[Chip]

Mazinz, I've had to reinstall VP5 a couple of times mainly to get the emulator working correctly. There may be a shorter method but here's how I get VP5 with emulator working everytime:

Install complete Roxio VideoPack5; REBOOT

Add new Hardware Wizard will show and give warking about SCSI HOst.
Click Continue Anyway

Install XP-Wizard.exe; REBOOT
Install vp5fix1.exe; REBOOT
Install uniDRV_1_4_2.exe; REBOOT

Click Start, Programs, VideoPack5, Add & Remove, Modify, Next
Click the + by Tools and make CD-Rom Emulator Unavailable; REBOOT

Click Start, Programs, VideoPack5, Add & Remove, Modify, Next
Click the + by Tools and make CD-Rom Emulator Available; REBOOT

Add new Hardware Wizard will show and give warking about SCSI HOst.
Click Continue Anyway

If anyone knows a better sure-fire way, please post but this has always worked for me under XP and VP5 doesn't crash now.