A Beginner with Ulead DVD Workshop needs help

[modem]

I just got my hands on a copy of Ulead's DVD Workshop and I have to say I am very impressed with it. Very easy to use and yet very powerful at the same time. This does present me with a few questions about it.

The biggest question I had is that after I have begun to author my menus, backgrounds, etc I goto the Finalize option to get a preview of what this will look like. Everything looks and works great except that within 3-4 seconds of viewing the preview, it automatically throws me into the movie. I would like for those menu options to sit there indefinately with audio playing in the background until the user chooses to begin the movie. Is that possible? Am I don't something wrong?

[Nolonemo]

That may be a function of the preview. I know for motion menus and motion buttons it will only render a little bit for the preview.

Also make sure that you have selected the correct menu end time (or no end time) I believe the program uses 20 or 30 seconds for the default, that may be what's happening.

[terjeber]

This is not really a function of the preview, it is a feature, and you can turn it off. I am not in front of my DVD stuff right now, but you can set the automatic timeout of menus somewhere on the left side of the DVD Workshop I think, and then the menus will play indefinitely.

You may also run into the "problem" that when a portion of your movie, available through a menu, has been played, you are dropped back into the main menu. This is the default behavior for DVDWS, you right-click the clip in the editor and choose next-clip or some such stuff and you are fine...

[modem]

Thanks that solved the problem after I found that option.

That brings me to my next question... how do I use DVD Workstation to save my project into the *.VOB files and data structure so as to use Nero 5.5.10 to burn it with?

[solarfox]

When you get to the final step in "Make DVD", you should see three options with checkboxes next to them: "Make disc image", "Make DVD directory", and "burn disc". (Going from memory here, as my video-editor system is currently crunching video in ULead Media Studio Pro at the moment so I can't fire up DVDWS to check. )

"Make DVD Directory" is the one you want to check (leave the other two unchecked). Then provide it with the location of a temporary directory to write the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS directories & .VOB files to.

However -- since you have DVD Workshop already, why bother burning the disc in Nero? Why not just burn straight from DVDWS? Seems like unnecessary extra effort to me, unless DVDWS doesn't support your particular writer...

[Craig Tucker]

However -- since you have DVD Workshop already, why bother burning the disc in Nero? Why not just burn straight from DVDWS? Seems like unnecessary extra effort to me, unless DVDWS doesn't support your particular writer...

I have found DVD workshops burning engine a bit fussy with what discs it will write to. It wrote to a pioneer disc I had no problem, but when I try to burn to zero defex discs it does not even aknowledge that there is a disc in the drive. If I create a disc image, I can then burn this with Nero.

[modem]

Thanks for the help. I followed those instructions and now it's making the VIDEO_TS folder and such. Although it's appearing like it will take a few hours being that its going so slow. The detailed progress seems to really take forever when it says "Converting video title". I assume thats normal?

[ukcalibrauk]

Can this program be use to make VCD also with Menus.....

Thanks

[Craig Tucker]

Can this program be use to make VCD also with Menus.....

Thanks

Yes, although I have never tried it.

[leebo]

Although it's appearing like it will take a few hours being that its going so slow. The detailed progress seems to really take forever when it says "Converting video title". I assume thats normal?

If your video files are DVD compliant, you can check a box that says "Do not convert compliant files".

[modem]

I checked throughout the program and couldn't find an option that said not to convert DVD compliant files. All of mine have been made DVD MPEG2 via TMPGEnc earlier this week.

[leebo]

The option is on the Finish page, the page where you go to burn your project.

[modem]

I checked again and still didn't see it. Maybe I'm missing it or something, but when I click finish and can preview my project, the only options that are there (outside of the preview) is "Make Disc", "Burn Disc Image", "Save", "Save As". I went to the Make Disc option and it immediately asks me to select what type of compression/quality I want. When I choose low-quality for example it takes me to a new window where I can create the DVD directory, make an iso image, or record to the disc. Nothing in there gives an option not to convert.

When I choose "Burn Disc Image" it takes me to a window asking me to select an ISO image file for it to burn from.

Am I missing something? Need a better version...?

[leebo]

When I choose low-quality for example it takes me to a new window where I can create the DVD directory, make an iso image, or record to the disc. Nothing in there gives an option not to convert.

When I choose "Burn Disc Image" it takes me to a window asking me to select an ISO image file for it to burn from.

That exactly where the option should be (from ver. 1.2 on).
But select "High quality" instead of low quality, otherwise WS will have to re-encode your clips down to a lower bitrate.
Selecting higher quality will not make WS re-encode.

[modem]

That exactly where the option should be (from ver. 1.2 on).

AH! Thats my problem then, I'm using 1.0.

[Nolonemo]

If you select a higher bitrate than you encoded in TMPGEnc (when you first go to the finish tab), then v 1.0 should not reencode.

[modem]

Thanks, I didn't realize that. I'm on my way to burning my first dvd.

[solarfox]

ukcalibrauk -- Yes, DVD Workshop will also create VCD and SVCD with menus. You just select what kind of disc you wish to make when you first start a new project. I've done it several times, and the result works just fine.

Craig -- That's interesting; I've never had DVDWS refuse to burn to any discs in my Pioneer A-04, and I've loaded several cheap-brand discs into it... (mostly Ritek 1X and Fry's "GQ" brand.) I can't say I've ever heard of "Zero Defex", though... I pretty much stick with TDK's these days anyway; most of what I'm burning to DVD-R (and the main reason I bought the A-04 in the first place) is out-of-print and "was only broadcast once" VHS tapes; the last thing I want to do is entrust rare and near-irreplacable material to dodgy discs!

[modem]

That exactly where the option should be (from ver. 1.2 on).But select "High quality" instead of low quality, otherwise WS will have to re-encode your clips down to a lower bitrate.Selecting higher quality will not make WS re-encode.

I just wanted to make an update. Yesterday when I was choosing a higher bitrate than what I encoded in (I encoded in 4500, so I choose 8000 in WS) it worked fine not re-encoding but rather just built the directory structure before burning. Now today I'm trying it again using another movie I encoded last night, only this time it's not working. What I mean is that WS is trying to encode my project at 8000 bitrate instead of leaving the 4500 alone like before. I haven't changed anything other than just using a new movie. Is something wrong or do I need to make a change with something??

[leebo]

Are you certain the video is DVD compliant? 720X480, 704X480, 352X480, ETC.?

You aren't using WS to remove a bit of the video, even by accedent?

If you're making motion menus, that could take a bit of time to encode.

[modem]

Yup it's DVD MPEG2 compliant. I made it with the same template settings as I did the movie before it. I also checked to make sure WS wasn't removing anything and it's not. It's really got me boggled as to why it all of a sudden wishes to want to re-encode. Although instead of trying to spend all day figuring it out, I may just go ahead and re-encode from scratch from the orginial divx movie instead.