Does anyone here actually know how to author a blu-ray disc?

[armyofquad]

I've asked several times for help - but all I get are bits and pieces that do nothing, and have come up empty every time!

Guided to encode to AVC files - DVD Architect crashes if you use too many AVC files - no help there - no explanation - dead in the water.

Look for more popular software - test with Nero - nero DOESN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE AVC FILES AS A VALID FORMAT!!!!!!

WHAT THE HELL!!!!!



Please, for the love of almighty, HOW IN THE HECK IS ONE SUPPOSED TO GET THEIR CONTENT THEY SPENT HOURS WORKING ON ONTO A DAMN DISC!!!!!!!!!!!

[dannyboy48888]

Look into multiavchd. Been a while since I've used it but it does author to avchd and Blu-ray.

[armyofquad]

I've installed multiavchd, opened it, click the button to add video files - AVC IS NOT IN THE LIST OF SUPPORTED FILES

Again - HOW IN THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO GET MY HOURS OF WORK ONTO A DAMN DISC WHEN NO ONE HERE SEEMS TO HAVE A CLUE HOW TO AUTHOR A DAMN DISC!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Santiago]

Authoring Works 7 has a free trial version. This program can work with AVC video files. It does re-encode the videos. However, I have not seen any loss of video quality.

[armyofquad]

I'm not interested in re-encoding.

That the program will not even try to recognize or give the option to import compliant video and not re-encode is a red flag to me, it suggests gross incompetence of the programmer. With such incompetence, I can only image what a dumpster fire their programming may be.

[_Al_]

To accept avc files, they must be encoded by BD specs and even then it is not a guaranteed that a software would accept it without re-encoding. I would not trust magix to encode a valid BD stream if that is your case.

Please, for the love of almighty, HOW IN THE HECK IS ONE SUPPOSED TO GET THEIR CONTENT THEY SPENT HOURS WORKING ON ONTO A DAMN DISC!!!!!!!!!!!

You don't, especially Blu-Ray, because that was created with top corp., to deliver their content, not yours. It was never meant to be too much helpful or tapping into all BD's capabilities (for free) for masses since the beginning. Blu-ray is not a folk delivery format, never was, unlike DVD.

About DVD Architect, you perhaps ran into a bug, so no one can help you, just those who wrote it and that is perhaps no priority for them at all, at magix atm, they just might work on current BD tools (movie studio and others if they are), their latest software.

If you insist, expect some limitations here or there and check Blu-Ray authors here:
https://www.videohelp.com/software/sections/authoring-bd-hd-dvd

You might already know that page, yes, lots of them have some limitations.

No one sane actually produces BD with menu now unless your life depends on it.

How did you obtained those avc streams?

You might actually help yourself, posting a 5s video obtained by the same workflow you obtained your avc.
Some kind person might load it into "his" BD authoring software and tell you that it works here or there , or might tell you that avc stream has no 100%avc specs.

[poisondeathray]

I've installed multiavchd, opened it, click the button to add video files - AVC IS NOT IN THE LIST OF SUPPORTED FILES

Try renaming .avc to .264, or .h264 . These are all valid extensions for AVC elementary streams

But I have a feeling some other issue is going to come up for you

[Santiago]

Your other choices are to put the videos on a flash drive or send them using wetransfer.com. You can send up to 2 gigabytes for free.

[armyofquad]

The AVC files were encoded from Sony Vegas utilizing configurations built into the app specifically for use with Sony DVD Architect.

DVD Architect has allowed me to import the AVC files, and testing was successful with a small number of videos.

Once I added my 8th video to the project, it reached a state that any further changes crash the application. If I try to add a new image to a button for the 7th video, or try to add an 8th video, the program freezes, never to unfreeze.

Googling led me to a thread from someone else that experienced the same issue, and referenced a "known" limitation that DVD Architect cannot handle more than 2.5 hours of AVC content. They referenced encoding to mp4 instead.

Someone responded on one of my threads here that they are able to successfully author to DVD Architect with more than 2.5 hours of AVC content - although without being able to see what/how they were doing it, I cannot speak to the legitimacy of that claim. Could've been non-compliant video that DVD Architect had flagged to re-encode, which it may treat it differently. Dunno at all. I can only speak to that what I can see in front of me - which is a dumpster fire of a program that freezes when I reach more than 2.5 hours of AVC content that doesn't require re-encoding, which aligns with other online reports.

If I could encode to mp4 and just import that, that would be fine and dandy - except that all profiles in Sony Vegas that encode to blu-ray compliant video only encode to AVC, and no one has chimed in on how to encode blu-ray compliant mp4 files.

My content is SD - however, I've de-interlaced my content, so I need to encode to a 60fps format that is blu-ray compliant, and has resulted in my encoding to a 1280x720 60fps progressive format.

This whole hot take of "you don't" create blu-ray is a load of bullshit, and just plays into the corporate game of taking away ownership of purchases from the customers! DVD is a horribly obsolete format, created for standard definition TVs playing back with interlacing, and can only hold a fraction of the amount of data that current technology supports. Even if you put aside the interlacing bullshit that there's no good reason to utilize when no modern TV requires that anymore, handing someone a pile of discs is ridiculous when you can hand them a single disc. And while someone like me has a media server that I can just put files on and stream to any TV in my house, this is not the norm, not by far. A person handing someone a pile of VHS-C tapes to convert will likely find it way more convenient to be handed a disc that pops in their player connected to their TV, than to be handed a usb thumb drive that they likely can only view on a laptop with a small screen and tiny tinny speakers.

We must not let the greedy industry continue their forced obsolescence of physical media! We need ways to continue to be able to actually own a physical copy of something, not the temporary rights of a file on a server that can be removed or altered without notice or warning. We need the ability to provide simplicity of insert object, hit play, for customers that just want to watch a video.

The world needs a simple way to author a blu-ray disc. Otherwise, we all lose!

[Santiago]

Have you tried the free trial version of Authoring Works 7?

[johns0]

No one here authors to blu-ray here anymore since most videos we watch are streaming,just cause you want to author doesn't mean there needs to be away.

[armyofquad]

I've installed multiavchd, opened it, click the button to add video files - AVC IS NOT IN THE LIST OF SUPPORTED FILES

Try renaming .avc to .264, or .h264 . These are all valid extensions for AVC elementary streams

But I have a feeling some other issue is going to come up for you

Well, that seems to solve the problem of using AVC content in multiavchd. Although I find it absolutely stupid for a medium to have multiple extensions for the same thing, and for an application to be programmed to ignore any of them. Which again calls into question the competency of the programmer.

But the next thing is.....is this actually a Blu-ray authoring application?

It doesn't look like a blu-ray authoring application.

It doesn't look like much of anything. It lets me bring in my videos. And......and then what?

What is it creating? How is it creating? Are there menus? Where are there menus? How do I lay out menus?

This is one of those programs that was laid out with absolutely no logic or intuitiveness at all! Not surprising given that it was programmed by a dumbass that couldn't even include multiple extension types for files.

[armyofquad]

I found a checkbox to create a top menu - and it is bitching at me to reinstall avisynth.

Something that OTHER PROGRAMS RELY ON, and anytime something else that uses it touches it, IT BREAKS THOSE THINGS!!!!


Ok - this is a hot mess!

I want a simple program that I import files, lay out a menu, hit burn. Why is that so difficult?

[poisondeathray]

There are step by step tutorials for multiavchd and menus.

It hasn't been updated in many years

If you don't like it, don't use it. It's as simple as that. Not as if you paid the author anything for it

Have you tried the free trial version of Authoring Works 7?

That's probably the ticket for him



Nobody uses BD anymore, it's more obsolete than DVD in some ways . Retail DVD's actually sell more than BD's today



People just stream or use USB Drives, and plug directly into TV's

[_Al_]

This whole hot take of "you don't" create blu-ray is a load of bullshit, and just plays into the corporate game of taking away ownership of purchases from the customers! DVD is a horribly obsolete format, created for standard definition TVs playing back with interlacing, and can only hold a fraction of the amount of data that current technology supports. Even if you put aside the interlacing bullshit that there's no good reason to utilize when no modern TV requires that anymore, handing someone a pile of discs is ridiculous when you can hand them a single disc. And while someone like me has a media server that I can just put files on and stream to any TV in my house, this is not the norm, not by far. A person handing someone a pile of VHS-C tapes to convert will likely find it way more convenient to be handed a disc that pops in their player connected to their TV, than to be handed a usb thumb drive that they likely can only view on a laptop with a small screen and tiny tinny speakers.

We must not let the greedy industry continue their forced obsolescence of physical media! We need ways to continue to be able to actually own a physical copy of something, not the temporary rights of a file on a server that can be removed or altered without notice or warning. We need the ability to provide simplicity of insert object, hit play, for customers that just want to watch a video.

The world needs a simple way to author a blu-ray disc. Otherwise, we all lose!

That's actually a deja vu from 15 years ago, and right then everyone started to understand it is better to ditch BD's as home users. Thumbdrive was an example, you can get a nice portable disk also, it is cheap nowadays. That is much better than to just get a BD's. Media players started to pop up and anyone realize there is no fight for BD anymore. Also all tv's started to have USB ports.
It is all physical media, what are you talking about.
BD's alone are useless for back up, because no one would simply back them up! Folks are not having BD mechanics anymore and will not bother to get even cheap external ones. And you are delivering laser burned Blu-Ray. They do not last forever.
I have not seen a TV for 10 years without an USB port.

[armyofquad]

This whole hot take of "you don't" create blu-ray is a load of bullshit, and just plays into the corporate game of taking away ownership of purchases from the customers! DVD is a horribly obsolete format, created for standard definition TVs playing back with interlacing, and can only hold a fraction of the amount of data that current technology supports. Even if you put aside the interlacing bullshit that there's no good reason to utilize when no modern TV requires that anymore, handing someone a pile of discs is ridiculous when you can hand them a single disc. And while someone like me has a media server that I can just put files on and stream to any TV in my house, this is not the norm, not by far. A person handing someone a pile of VHS-C tapes to convert will likely find it way more convenient to be handed a disc that pops in their player connected to their TV, than to be handed a usb thumb drive that they likely can only view on a laptop with a small screen and tiny tinny speakers.

We must not let the greedy industry continue their forced obsolescence of physical media! We need ways to continue to be able to actually own a physical copy of something, not the temporary rights of a file on a server that can be removed or altered without notice or warning. We need the ability to provide simplicity of insert object, hit play, for customers that just want to watch a video.

The world needs a simple way to author a blu-ray disc. Otherwise, we all lose!

That's actually a deja vu from 15 years ago, and right then everyone started to understand it is better to ditch BD's as home users. Thumbdrive was an example, you can get a nice portable disk also, it is cheap nowadays. That is much better than to just get a BD's. Media players started to pop up and anyone realize there is no fight for BD anymore. Also all tv's started to have USB ports.
It is all physical media, what are you talking about.
BD's alone are useless for back up, because no one would simply back them up! Folks are not having BD mechanics anymore and will not bother to get even cheap external ones. And you are delivering laser burned Blu-Ray. They do not last forever.
I have not seen a TV for 10 years without an USB port.

It's a sad commentary on the quality of tech that you don't expect to encounter TVs older than 10 years old.

[armyofquad]

This whole hot take of "you don't" create blu-ray is a load of bullshit, and just plays into the corporate game of taking away ownership of purchases from the customers! DVD is a horribly obsolete format, created for standard definition TVs playing back with interlacing, and can only hold a fraction of the amount of data that current technology supports. Even if you put aside the interlacing bullshit that there's no good reason to utilize when no modern TV requires that anymore, handing someone a pile of discs is ridiculous when you can hand them a single disc. And while someone like me has a media server that I can just put files on and stream to any TV in my house, this is not the norm, not by far. A person handing someone a pile of VHS-C tapes to convert will likely find it way more convenient to be handed a disc that pops in their player connected to their TV, than to be handed a usb thumb drive that they likely can only view on a laptop with a small screen and tiny tinny speakers.

We must not let the greedy industry continue their forced obsolescence of physical media! We need ways to continue to be able to actually own a physical copy of something, not the temporary rights of a file on a server that can be removed or altered without notice or warning. We need the ability to provide simplicity of insert object, hit play, for customers that just want to watch a video.

The world needs a simple way to author a blu-ray disc. Otherwise, we all lose!

That's actually a deja vu from 15 years ago, and right then everyone started to understand it is better to ditch BD's as home users. Thumbdrive was an example, you can get a nice portable disk also, it is cheap nowadays. That is much better than to just get a BD's. Media players started to pop up and anyone realize there is no fight for BD anymore. Also all tv's started to have USB ports.
It is all physical media, what are you talking about.
BD's alone are useless for back up, because no one would simply back them up! Folks are not having BD mechanics anymore and will not bother to get even cheap external ones. And you are delivering laser burned Blu-Ray. They do not last forever.
I have not seen a TV for 10 years without an USB port.

I gotta say, if this were true, it would be great.

But alas....this is not the reality of the average user, not by a longshot.

I do know that my 2 oldest LCD TVs have USB ports on them, but I know this because they're the most useless USB ports in the existence of the technology's history. They aren't there to be functional - only for servicing purposes. Which is cool if they can be used by someone at some point - but who services TVs anymore? I did service one of them......by completely replacing the board, which is an economical method of prolonging the life of the TV since it's the LCD that holds any value. So....when did those service USB ports ever get used?

Well.....they got used when people tried to use them to power those garbage HDMI sticks, and found out that they do not provide adequate power to power them. For a long time, one of these TVs powered my fire stick just enough to make me think it was working....until I'd be trying to throw something on to sleep to at 1am and would get the screen flashing off and on, which is exactly when I don't want to be troubleshooting crap tech. I actually found a scam device on amazon, a usb power cord for a fire stick with a built in battery, the theory being that the battery charges when power consumption is low, and provides that extra boost needed when power consumption requires more than the TV could output. Did it work? Maybe.....maybe it did.....except for when it didn't. Did it improve the situation? Maybe......maybe it did....maybe it didn't. Real answer...NO, OF COURSE IT DIDN'T! F-ing scammers...

But what does that have to do with TVs less than 10 years old? Not much.....except that it put me in a state where I haven't even thought to try to do a thing with a USB port on my current TVs. To be honest, I have no idea if my newer TVs even have USB ports. I know at least one of them have the worlds most annoying composite/component input, in the form of 1/8" jacks that require special adapters that weren't even included in the box and required weeks of badgering Samsung support to acquire, not that I use them anymore, but it's nice to have them....although.....damn it, where did I put those? Oh well...

Maybe they have USB ports on them, but if they do, they certainly aren't on the front or anywhere remotely easy to access. I'd have to start leaning against my wall and peeking behind the TVs to even look if they have USB ports back there, maybe I can add an extender to them to make something easy to access.

And mind you, this is the mindset of someone that regularly rips my discs, to my media server, which also runs plex, so I can stream all my content anywhere. I love old tech, but I love new tech, and I love making all my things do whatever they can. But, I have absolutely no idea if my newer TVs have usb ports or how they function, and I cannot think of the last time I saw someone connect a usb drive to a TV to view media. I think maybe this past summer my sister got some wedding photos on a drive, and the TV we were near had a DVD player with a USB connection for media that we decided to try and see if we could look at the files....although they cycled out of order. It worked...but it was hardly an everyday normal intuitive occurrence.

We've all made this tech way too complicated.

VHS - insert tape, press play
DVD - insert disc, press play
blu-ray - insert disc, press play, read error code, google error code, download firmware update to usb drive.....

....ok, maybe you're onto something with the whole usb thing after all......

[_Al_]

Then give a person a media player with all cords and cables, remote control included, with thumbdrive in it. It is cheap. Next TV will have USB.
You do not want to fight windmills.

You can also give a person more disks, no menu, done. Notking better that simple disk with simple title. Or limit menu to 6 items, heck, all engineers avoid problems on daily basis, nothing is ideal.

[_Al_]

Also, did not try that, but would simple male to female USB cord work as well if access to an USB port is a problem?

[Santiago]

I only make Blu-ray discs for my family. For anyone else, the videos are sent through wetransfer.com. They can view the videos on whatever devices they choose.

[armyofquad]

I do not think my 4 year old Samsung TV has a functional USB port for displaying content. It has a usb port, it's labeled with power information implying it's primarily for power uses, but I don't know for sure. I downloaded the manual, since I don't feel like reaching back there and messing with the cables that I actually need to stay connected, and the manual doesn't even talk about the USB port. It does talk about using an app to mirror things to the TV, which is convenient, but not exactly a standard practice of the average end user in my experience.

I suppose I will discuss with the end user what they have in their home and how they normally consume media to check what options I have.....but I miss the days of a simple standard you could count on, author to, and hand off.

No one cares about functionality anymore.

[armyofquad]

Also, did not try that, but would simple male to female USB cord work as well if access to an USB port is a problem?

Yes, that was what I was implying with extender when going off on my stream of consciousness rant.

If the USB ports on my newer TVs were functional, I'd probably set that up and make use of it - but my initial research is suggesting they aren't functional in that way. I might have to play around some more when I'm more in a mood to fiddle with wires in dark places.

The point of the rant being, circumstances unfolding as they did put me in a state where I cared so little about the concept of USB ports for media viewing that I never even considered it or even kept track of the ports existing. And I don't expect many ever did. But I could be wrong, for all I know the average end users are using USB ports on TVs all the time. But that's not been my observation. But....I have no idea what kinky things the kids are into these days.

[armyofquad]

I only make Blu-ray discs for my family. For anyone else, the videos are sent through wetransfer.com. They can view the videos on whatever devices they choose.

I agree. I happen to be converting things for family.

[Alwyn]

I downloaded the manual, since I don't feel like reaching back there and messing with the cables that I actually need to stay connected, and the manual doesn't even talk about the USB port.

What's the model number? We can peruse it as a second set of eyes. Maybe you missed osmething.

would simple male to female USB cord work as well if access to an USB port is a problem?

That is how I am set up. My TV's jammed in a tightish hole and I have a USB cable with female socket hanging out from underneath.

Re BDs, it sounds to me, based on the posts here on VH and a recent discussion we had on the Magix forum that using your own MP4s is probably a bridge too far. In my experience, if the master is in good quality, a recode will not result in much quality loss. The perfectionists may disagree, but if it means the difference between making a BD or not, I wouldn't be too concerned by a recode.

As I mentioned on your other topic, Magix Movie Studio (not the older Vegas Movie Studio) will author BDs. I don't know whether the trial allows you to do so, nor whether it has a 2.5hr limit or >8 movie limit. Unfortunately I will not be at my BD machine for some time.

[tigerman8u]

I never heard of this program untill about 1 1/2 years ago. I now use it alot and it seems to work real good.
Leawo Prof. Media

http://www.leawo.net

[Incorrigible]

I don't bother with any of this.

Years ago I came up with a different way of doing things, basically I created my own YouTube like page, I rented a server, put up a simple password protected webpage, wrote a simple JS player, converted all my files to high quality VP9, uploaded the files to my server and now I can access them from anywhere that has an internet connection.

Of course I kept the originals backed up to an external hard drive.

If you don;t want to do all this work, just create a private YouTube page and upload your stuff there.

[_Al_]

And I don't expect many ever did. But I could be wrong, for all I know the average end users are using USB ports on TVs all the time. But that's not been my observation. But....I have no idea what kinky things the kids are into these days.

They use phones, ..., for everything, if you are 30 years and younger. Things had changed. They want to click a link and have it instantly on, anytime, anywhere. Visiting somebody, showing it someone at any time, even on the bus, waiting rooms, whatever..
I had set up web site with built in player as well, from scratch, just renting a place on a server. That needs some care at all times, so I ended up with links to mediafire.com.
That's kids preference. You just might send them a link and they just might click on it or not.
Blu-Rays do not exist for them

[armyofquad]

And I don't expect many ever did. But I could be wrong, for all I know the average end users are using USB ports on TVs all the time. But that's not been my observation. But....I have no idea what kinky things the kids are into these days.

They use phones, ..., for everything, if you are 30 years and younger. Things had changed. They want to click a link and have it instantly on, anytime, anywhere. Visiting somebody, showing it someone at any time, even on the bus, waiting rooms, whatever..
I had set up web site with built in player as well, from scratch, just renting a place on a server. That needs some care at all times, so I ended up with links to mediafire.com.
That's kids preference. You just might send them a link and they just might click on it or not.
Blu-Rays do not exist for them

This is an interesting topic.

But for me it's interesting (befuddling) to watch the modern streamers on the streaming platforms, knowing nothing of running sound, try to "take calls" as I would refer to it.

Bringing up some app or discord for someone to "call in", and basically relying on the automated cancelling to deal with the loopback they are creating. Because they don't have an f-ing clue what they're doing. Yet...these are the kids that do kinda have a clue.

But no one uses mixing boards anymore. So what can one do, but rely on tech to fix the errors.

Anyways, we're way off topic. And I'm filled with the holiday "spirits". Some suggestions and thoughts have come out on these threads, so I'll digest that and review other options, and find my way through this mess.

Love you guys. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.

[_Al_]

As I mentioned on your other topic, Magix Movie Studio (not the older Vegas Movie Studio) will author BDs. I don't know whether the trial allows you to do so, nor whether it has a 2.5hr limit or >8 movie limit. Unfortunately I will not be at my BD machine for some time.

I just tested it, it looks like Blu-Ray creation is some kind of simple bulletproof scheme, it can burn BD or create ISO but it is only MPEG2 for video, PCM for audio, so not good at all. I could not hear audio for created ISO and MPC-HC said there is no audio. Maybe ISO playback limitation/problem, not sure. Some parameters for video could be set. It always re-encodes of course. It creates menu, I think it can get chapters from chapters that were set in edit mode, that's the best part of it I guess, if someone wants menu. But overall just simple interface, not to mess anything.

[Alwyn]

No. It has full H264 and AC3 support, as well as full Chapter and Movie menu features and customisation.


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