TDA -vs- Ulead MF3: TDA takes 2x longer to output to disc

[iamjcl]

Just wondering what other's experience might be, but comparing DVD authoring packages, I really want to like TDA, it has a lot going for it.

But, one of the things that have really made me not want to use it is the fact that for the same 4.2 Gig file, with 1 menu, no motion, using 2 diff. drives to read the .mpg and write the .vobs to, TDA takes 9:15 to write the Video_ts / Audio_ts folders. Ulead set the same way produces the two directories in 5:34. Thats a big difference. Maybe I'm missing something, but both of these directories produce the same DVD, from the same single large .mpg file.

Again, In both cases I read the .mpg from D: drive, and write the output files to F: drive (obviously reading and writing to the same drive will slow things considerably).

Any ideas, or is TDA just slow in this way?

- Chris

[iamjcl]

Anybody else notice this behaiviour?

I have now read where DVD-Lab has 2 "selectable" vob multiplexer settings "fast and accurate" or something to that effect.

It says if you have "normal" mpgs, or compliant mpgs, that "fast" should be fine, and the other is to tame off-standard Mpgs.

I wonder if the Ulead product uses a "faster" multiplexing routine, and the Tmpgenc DVD author is using a more "accurate" routine.

In any event, the DVD folders created by either program produces perfect results on a SW player, or , when burned to disc, all the set-top players I can try. Its just that Ulead does it in almost exactly half the time !

- Chris

[canadateck]

Tmpgenc is known to be slow but Very good.

[wwjd]

I have not used Ulead MF3 but I have and still use Ulead Video Studio 8 as well as TDA for authoring.

In my own quick time tests TDA was faster than VS8 for authoring compliant mpeg files with little to no editing. The difference, as I recall was not huge but TDA was as fast or faster. The one that TDA blows VS8 away with it that it is frame accurate when trimming and or cutting mpeg files. VS8 is not, which means that sooner or later you will have audio sync issues. VS8 is great for avi but marginal when it comes to editing mpeg.

[iamjcl]

I do understand that Tmpgenc Encoder has a reputation for slow encoding, but I'm not doing any - just writing the DVD file structure and .VOBs from the .MPGs that are the source.

Doing this same thing in Ulead is much faster no matter what I do - I don't quite get it - they are doing the same thing.

Also, using VS8 or MF3, I can't even clip off 5 seconds from the end of my compliant .mpg video without incurring a total project re-encode. What are your .mpg parameters when editing in VS8 ?

- Chris

[wwjd]

iamjcl,

I do not usually cut any part of an mpeg using VS8 because it is not frame
accurate for mpeg. I will give it a try this weekend and let you know whether cutting or trimming a small portion of a compliant mpeg requires re-encoding when authoring. My recollection is that it did not but it has been a while since I tried that.

I do know for a fact that cutting and trimming compliant mpegs in TDA does NOT require re-encoding. I will say again that when authoring compliant mpegs TDA is as fast or faster than VS8. With TDA there are no mpeg settings to worry about when authoring but in VS8 you do need to be sure the mpeg settings for authoring match the source mpeg in every way, audio and vidio.

Typically when using VS8 my mpeg settings are very generic. Bitrate=CBR (6000-8000kb), audio is mp2 level 1 at 48Khz, 256.

As I mentioned previously, I really like VS8 for cutting, trimming, editing and authoring DV .avi. It has a realatively fast mpeg encoder that does a decent job. When I want better mpeg encoding I cut/trim and encode my DV using CCE Basic. I can then drop these compliant mpegs into VS8, carefully add transitions and then author. By matching source mpeg settings to VS8 mpeg settings there is no re-encoding. But when I do not need or want transitions I just use TDA for the authoring.

[nic2k4]

What's the rush? Just play freecell while you wait.