Toast 6 First Impressions?

[ojedapaco]

Greetings from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

I just read in the Roxio web site (www.roxio.com) about Toast 6, which is now available. It seems to be a major upgrade, as it allows DVD authoring, as well as SVCD support. It also includes software that creates movies in any format from still photos with backgrounds music, transitions, etc.

In short, it seems to do all kinds of things I've been attempting to do with different programs.

If anybody out there takes it out for a test ride would you share your first impressions? I'm particularly interested in its ability to create SVCD movies, as DVD media continues to be expensive and difficult to find in Mexico.

Regards,

Paco Ojeda

[galactica]

its an overall nice app
Worth the update - yes

down fall... cant put same size mpeg files into svcd as you could if you made the image of them youself and burn with something like MMB or FirestarterFX, same for dvd

the encoding process is a little slower that it sould be. It takes a good while to actually get your finished product

but, it does what it says...
It was worth every penny as far as Im concerned.

[AntnyMD]

I like the .bin/.cue support, although I have burned .bin disc images in Toast 5.2 and they played fine in my standalone SVCD player.

I like the fact it now has direct support for SVCD.

Making photo slideshows in VCD and SVCD is so easy it was finished before I blinked. I took my pictures folder and dragged it into a VCD project, and it was ready to burn in seconds. I added a few more folders of pictures to see how it would react. The finished VCD organized the pictures folders in a menu the same way (and order) I'd dragged the photo folders into the project. Once each folder's playback was complete it went back to the menu. I saw VCD features on this particular player not even mentioned in the player's manual!

I don't like that it will automatically re-encode already in-spec SVCD and DVD MPEG-2 files. This is a major flaw in my opinion.

[galactica]

I agree with AntnyMD, however its just as easy to burn .bin/.cue with MMB or Firestarter so I wouldnt base the purchase just on that aspect alone.

Im really satisfied with it, and the people who see me in school with my toast tee shirt think im ohhh so cool 8)

[terryj]

Well as a long time Sizzle .01 user, I have to say Toast 6 is good,
but it can't beat Sizzle .01 in the interface category.

In what it accepts, yes, it will take any non compliant MPG and try to,
notice I said try to, convert it to Toast preferred MPG-1.
I burned a SVCD, with slide shows, a splash start image, and
3 sets of 6 mpg files both using the Toast 6 SVCD creation
and the tried and true Sizzle 0.1 creation.

Sizzle created the Splash menu proper, I was able to cue to start the files
in order, and view the slide show (option 4) at the end.
My only drawback: I had to demux one set of mpgs, re-process
through ffmpegx to create a good mpg file, before sizzle would take it.

with Toast 6, it converted all files, even the error set, to proper
Toast preferred mpg files. But, it threw my splash screen into
the folder with the other photos, and it became part of the slideshow.
And the navigation menu it gave me, was horrendous!
A table listing with little pictures on the left, and descriptions that
say the first name of the first file in each folder set!
UGLY!

However, toast 6 is still a world class burning application,
although for some reason now, the cheaper silver/silver CDs
I use on and off with my Samsung 48x24x48x drive,
Toast 6 has problems with verification every other disc now (1/1),
although they play back fine in the RCA 5240P. Go figure.....
oh well, as long as it doesn't start having problems with
Teon/kHypermedia media, I'd still:

a. reccommend it as an viable update over Toast 5--yes.
b. reccommend it as a viable alternative to iDVD or sizzle 0.1--no.
c. reccommend it overall as a worthy purchase in your arsenal--yes.

[pusa]

I love Toast. HEHEHE Toast 6 that is.
I must say that I'm glad I bought Toast 6. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!
Lots of cool stuff to use.

[schwinn]

Well you may already have an idea of what I think from other posts .
If a person already has Toast 5 and perhaps uses Missing Media Burner to burn bin/cue files and already has a way of Authoring DVD's. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!
I'm amazed people are singing it's praises like it's something really new and great! They either have money to burn or own stock in the company IMHO
Sure it works fine and is a small upgrade and improvement over Toast 5 but small upgrade is the key word. It likely also works differently on different hardware. My G3 550MHz takes forever to author a DVD with it and seems limited to 60 min. Before you tell me my machine is too slow for DVD...Capty DVD which came with my drive works great. A full 3 hours of DVD authored and burned in less then 2 hours. Also has great custom menues. Toast 6 takes 4 hours plus for 60 min .You have no control over the menues or buttons other then lableing the buttons.
SVCD's burned as bin/cue files is really the only big improvement other the lame DVD authoring. SVCD's burned as mpg files are missing two folders on the disk which means fast forwarding and reversing doesn't work on many DVD stand along players. So to me this means it doesn't met standards for SVCD's. The same SVCD mpeg files burned as bin/cue do include all the correct folder files.
If they would refund my $89.00 I'd be happy to send back the T-shirt!!!
So if you've got money to burn go for it!!!!!!!!