Prof. authoring software- what does the industry use?

[nuzumaki]

we are working now on releasing a dvd here in germany and i wanted to author the master-dvd by myself (DVD maestro, lab pro or ENCORE), that if you use such a dvd-r (authored with this software) the outcoming dvds will not work in every dvd player.

is that true?
and what kind of prof. authoring software are the companies using?

[BJ_M]

#1. DVD Studio Pro (Apple)


and in no order:

Scenarist (sonic)

DVD maestro (still fine)

Encore (compliant adobe)

DVDA (compliant sony)

[BJ_M]

btw -- you dont author a master dvd-r in most cases , you author a dvd and load it onto DLT tapes ... this is the pro method and all the programs above support such a method ..

[nuzumaki]

what we want to do, in order to safe some money, is to author a DVD-R (dvd9), then send it to the company and get the copies pressed. would that work?
i already heard about the tapes, but actually i cant do that on my home PC.

PS: i also heard the DVD Studio Pro causes trouble if you press from a source which was authored with it. can that be true?

[BJ_M]

DVD Studio Pro is prob. the most popular authoring package out now for high end authoring other than scenarist ... so no , it is not true. maestro and dvd studio pro share the same beginings.

burning to a dvd-9 can be done if the pressing plant will accept them - they will redo it though , as it may have errors and is not very pro.

DLT can be done at home - rent a machine for a day, buy two tapes , get a scsi card ... and go for it ... i do it at home all the time ..

you need 1 tape per layer - hence two tapes ..

[Cornucopia]

FWIW, you don't necessarily have to go to pressed DVD.

Sure, pressed DVD's are 99.999% compatible (nothing's 100%), assuming the same TV system (PAL or NTSC).
and
DVD±R's are ~92% compatible,
with DVD±RW's being ~75% compatible.

Unless you're doing mass dubs (Thousands) and need the "official DVD-Forum seal-of-approval", you can probably get by with DVD-R's. Depends on your clients' needs...

You'll likely have more compatibility issues with TV system (PAL vs. NTSC) anyway.

Scott

note: those apps are still the better ones to work with anyway...

[nuzumaki]

we thinking about 2000 copies and the dvd will be for sale officially. it's a japanese film and i will use the original jap. dvd as source. so i have to recode the mainfeature, the extras and the menu to PAL. that will be done via CANOPUS PRO CODER or CCE, but at the moment i gues PCP will be the better choice. what you think?
i am still on contact with the right owner... maybe we can stick to NTSC and don't have to recode everything.

what i don't understand is why they record the DVD stuff onto DLP tapes? what are DLP tapes exactly for? and what happens to stuff like menu and extras??? a tape is actually very analog- isn't it?

i already wrote the pressing plant an email- and asked which software they are using and if it is a problem if i author the dvd9-r with encore or maestro. they already told me that they accept dvd9-r... guess they do the transfer onto DLP tape themselves.

guys... thx so far!

[Cornucopia]

DLT = Digital Linear Tape (or Transport?), so it is digital.

It's part of the standard PC tape backup & archive family (Data DAT, Exabyte, AIT, etc).
It's been around for ages (early/mid '90s!) and while the total available on the tape has grown, and the speed has increased, the amount used per tape (for DVD mind you) is still gonna be the same--4.7GB (give or take).

What goes on the tape is equivalent to a finished DiscImage file. Not a standard discimage, but one that can contain the space needed for the 2054byte sectors needed for copy protection. (Even though the copy protection keys will be added only at the factory)
There are also some control files, some technical metadata/project files, and some error correction files.

It is similar to WindowsNT/2k/XP's "Backup", but using a completely different protocol/filesystem (so it ISN'T compatible). You can think of it like that, 'cuz what the replication factory will do is "Restore" from the tape back to a discImage.

BTW, if this is "official", how come you're using the dvd as source instead of original DigiBeta/BetaSP/DV tapes? Quality would be much better that way.

[nuzumaki]

thx for the information!

if we would use the original source, we would have to import the 35mm from japan... thats actually quite expensive and for mastering and transfer we would have to pay even more. thats why we use the original japanese dvd of the film. well, its in NTSC so we will have to reencode all the content, but its much cheaper and the outcome will be very good- hopefully.
i hope canopus procoder can encode the NTSC- to PAL proberly.
once i read about different problems when encoding something from NTSC to PAL...

[Cornucopia]

I understand your reasoning and not wanting to incur extra expense and all, but if I were a consumer of this DVD, I would be pretty upset at getting a 2nd generation cross-system encode. Maybe even enough to not want to buy it.

Going NTSC <--> PAL is not (Edit: WITHOUT) difficulty, no matter what you do.

Is the NTSC Telecined with Pulldown? (That might make your job easier).

Scott

[jman98]

Most of the world's DVD players are capable of correctly displaying an NTSC image. In fact, such PAL areas as Brazil and Hong Kong/Macau make NTSC DVDs, not PAL DVDs, simply because almost everybody there can play them anyway and it has the nice advantage of being able to export them to the USA. Unfortunately, it is possible in the USA to find DVD players that can't convert PAL to NTSC, but it's rare to find PAL DVD players that can't display or convert an NTSC image. I have always felt that too many people worry needlessly about NTSC->PAL conversions when most of the time it's not really necessary.

[nuzumaki]

well... we are quite a young company and we have to pay a lot for the rights. in the moment we are discussing, if it would be possible to release it in its original NTSC format. most, or 99% of the DVD players in europe can handle NTSC and i think most of the TV sets as well. actually i doubt it, that we get the rights for a NTSC dvd.

what i want is to release the dvd in PAL and adding eng. subs, but the american market would be the most interesting one, and i am not sure if americans can really deal with a PAL signal... even if the region code is 0, i don't think that many TV sets can display this format correctly. or am i wrong?

maybe the guys who import such special interest dvd will have the equipment to play everything correctly.

@scott

---Is the NTSC Telecined with Pulldown? (That might make your job easier).

well, actually i don't know exactly. i don't have the dvd here right now. but why would that make it easier?

[sdsumike619]

Just to add, we sell duplicated DVDs to countries all over that I encode using the encoder in Vegas for NTSC. Yes there are duds when you duplicate. However, I've yet to send a DVD to anyone in which they had a PAL player and couldn't play my NTSC DVD. There have been defective DVDs so I just send a replacement and it works fine. So I would not worry about countries that use PAL and just go with NTSC for everything.

Oh yeah, Ulead DVD Workshop was left out of the list. It's the only program I've been able to use to quickly create an authored DVD. With other programs you have to create the menu in Photoshop or something and then import it. DVDWS lets you do everything in one program. Just drop in your encoded MPEG2 and AC3 files and you're good to go.

[nuzumaki]

i used maestro for quite a long time, but because of the workflow i changed to encore. it can edit and import PSD files and thats quite important for making really good looking menus. espeacially when it comes to prof. menus.

the problem we might have is that we won't be allowed to use NTSC on our discs, cause we are based in europe- our format is PAL and the right owner maybe wants to sell the titel to american companies as well. and those will pay less, if they know that there is a NTSC dvd already out.

we will see... i will have to contact the jap. company again. maybe we can really stick to the NTSC.

does anybody know if there are DVD players in europe which can't play NTSC dvds??? i never heard about that. I know about region problems, but never heard about PAL players which cant play a NTSC disc.

[sdsumike619]

What's the learning curve like from Ulead DVD Workshop 2 to Adobe Encore?

[nuzumaki]

ahh... this is like if you compare windows movie maker and adobe premiere pro

no, actually i don't know Ulead, but if you are used to the Adobe (photshop, premiere, golive) workflow you can into it after a couple of hours (or days). It's not really that complex, but far more prof.

i can also recommend for home use: DVD Lab Pro

[Cornucopia]

I've been quite happy lately using DVDA, for pressing (using DLT) and burning (DVD±R/W).
Also works with PSD files, also can easily setup menu template without importing menus just by dragging titles to the menu. Easy learning curve. Best of both worlds (consumer + pro).

re: NTSC w/Pulldown
If the original NTSC has pulldown, you should be able to run it through IVTC to get back the original PROGRESSIVE 24fps file. Then it's a breeze to go from 24fps to 25fps (2:2 interlace pulldown, change flag from 24fps to 25, and then apply TimeCompression to audio)--that's the standard Fillm to PAL steps.

BTW, for those Ulead guys out there, can it write a DLT? Does it do dual-layer (not just burned discs, but pressed)? Does it support copy protection? Does it support Multiple Subtitle, Audio, or Video streams? Does it allow for manipulation of GPRMs?

For somebody used to the capability of Maestro (like the OP), it would be a letdown if it didn't support these things when you needed them. 'Course, if you never need them, who cares as long as the final disc is compliant...

Scott

[sdsumike619]

I only use Vegas for my NLE, yet unfortunately, I couldn't get DVD Architect to do anything at all for me.. I don't use DLT, but I think I read that Ulead supports writing to tape. It also supports macrovision and css copy protection.. I'm surprised how easy Vegas was to start working with instantly but how un userfriendly DVD architect is.. Perhaps I need to try it again or find a guide for it..

[nuzumaki]

ahh... i can remember DVD Architect, but actually i never used it. For quite a long time i was looking for an authoring program which can import SRT sub files, cause maestro and encore don't. Finally i tried DVD Lab, which is btw. quite good, and importing ripped subtitels works perfectly.

i would not be that sure if Ulead supports DLT... i doubt it, but who knows?!

@Cornucopia
thanks for the information regarding NTSC/PAL
could you please let me know which program supports IVTC?

i found this guide (works with Tmpeg):
http://www.divx-digest.com/articles/tmpgenc_ivtc.html

thx

[GeorgeW]

BTW, for those Ulead guys out there, can it write a DLT? Does it do dual-layer (not just burned discs, but pressed)? Does it support copy protection? Does it support Multiple Subtitle, Audio, or Video streams? Does it allow for manipulation of GPRMs?

Hi Scott,

Here's a link to their product comparison (WS 1.x to WS 2.x). Most of your questions are addressed there (no, it does not allow manipulation of GPRM's, or multiple video streams).

Ulead DVD WS 2.x Feature Comparison

NOTE: I have seen one user comment on another forum that his replicator has an issue with Dual Layer DVD's from DVD WS 2.x.

Regards,
George