Sony VCD-MC6 DVDirect and its menu generation

[redgiant]

I understand why these standalone burners have next to no real customization offered for the menuing they generate. Whatever prepackaged backgrounds, layouts and chapter timings they decide to manufacture into it is it (with the odd memory stick/CD input of an alternate background image as about the only "customization").

I have burned a few DVD+Rs using the DVDirect's Full and Manual modes from a DV input. I have yet to see my Auto Chapter setting of 15 minutes honored (it should be generating a new chapter menu entry every 15 minutes is my assumption of the feature).

I _always_ get a single menu entry for the start of the entire recording, never a second or subsequent one.

Does anyone with experience with these boxes know under what circumstances they have seen more than a single menu entry generated?

Is there PC software that can muck with a disc once the DVDirect has burned it? Does its 'Finalize' option have anything to do with this? Or is it already "too late" to mess with the menus already in place?


EDIT: On a side note, I also found that using my Sony DCR-TRV340 Handycam as a DV passthrough from my VCR into the DV in of the DVDirect unit gave a better picture quality than just going directly into the composite inputs from the VCR itself. I guess the camcorder does a better job of a2d than the box does, or something. It isn't 'bad' on the box, just slightly softer-looking and not quite crisp like the tape when viewed directly or via the passthrough recording.