Need your authoring help plz!

[ABAB]

Ok, I know you will say 'look at the guides' but I've done that and have failed......D'oh.
What I'm trying to do is convert a .avi file to DVD with chapters.
I've tried this....
Convert to DVD compliant Mpeg2 with procoder, convert the audio with besweet to AC3 and feed it all into IFOEdit and try to create some chapters and VOB's......(save the chapter points by saving in notebook)

This happens, get VOB's but no chapters and also I get some strange sound issues such as having to change sound channels on my stand alone half way through the film........

Does anyone have some good guidance for me, I'm stepping up from the SVCD thing and need educating.

Many thanks

[mkelley]

Are you opposed to using an authoring program?

I know you *can* create DVD compliant files with tools such as IFOEdit, but I don't know why anyone would want to when authoring programs make the whole process *so* much simpler (kind of like the difference between doing all your word processing in notepad versus using Word). There are a lot of cheap solutions on the market right now, and most have free trials. Why don't you give one (or more) of them a try?

[ABAB]

Please give me the benefit of your knowledge, can you suggest one for me to try, I am fumbling in the dark at the moment.

Thx for your reply, and I understand your analogy It's just that I don't know my way around the DVD thing at the mo'.

Thx

[mkelley]

Personally I wouldn't use anything other than DVDLab (fully functional 30 day trial) but if you are *completely* new to DVD authoring you might want a program that holds your hand a little. Any of the Ulead products will do this (although as soon as you get competent you'll realize they are very limited in what they can do -- then you'll want to switch to DVDLab :>).

Ulead also has free demos, although they tend to be crippled in some manner. But at least you'll be able to start getting your feet wet. You also might try the new TMPGEnc authoring app (I've never used it so I can't recommend it one way or the other, but I've read good things about it).

[Don2050]

you could try ULead DVD movie factory...it is the easiest authoring app I have used or Ulead DVD workshop..which offers more versatlitly. Some people dont like Ulead products though.... I personally have not had any problems and think movie factory is good for quick authoring if you are not concerned with creativity.

Sonic ReelDVD offers a good range function but is expensive.

DVDLabs is one that everyone seems to like, I just downloaded the demo though so cannot comment too much yet on it. They also offer DVDMenu which is supposed to help create menus.

[Vejita-sama]

DVD Lab is the best choice for newbies. It's a fully function demo (30days) and fairly cheap. However, it supports motion/still menus, elementary streams, multiple titles, etc.

I'm not sure what the problem is with IFOEdit (you should be able to author a simple DVD with one video/audio stream). But the programs that are written just to author are much easier to work with (personally I use DVD Maestro).

[ktnwin]

I heard about DVD Lab quite a bit lately, can it encode audio to AC3 ?

[Vejita-sama]

No, DVD Lab is an authoring program. You have to encode the video and audio files seperately. You can generate ac3 files with either headac3he or BeSweet:

http://www.doom9.org/audio-guides.htm

Once you have all your elementary streams ready you can author them in DVD Lab.