Need software advice for frustrated Studio 8 user

[ejm1385]

Working on cataloging episodes of a favorite TV series and to put 3 episodes on each DVD, add a custom menu with a link (button) to each episode.

Steps I am currently using:

1) Epsiodes are captured by a friend with a PVR in his PC and converted to MPEG2.
2) Convert raw MPEGs to AVI in Pinnacle Studio 8
3) Add 3 AVI's to new project. Edit out commercials and add a custom menu with a custom background, wav file and custom size and position buttons.
4) Convert back to MPEG2 / DVD compliant and burn using Pinnacle.

Seems like a lengthy process, when I could just as easily edit the MPEG's. But, when doing that, chapter links on final DVD are all wrong. So, I deal with the extra steps.

When converting/burning w/Pinnacle - some OOS problems later in the disc. Thought this should not happen w/AVIs.

Considering using new software, but I like studio's menu flexibility. I tried a number of trial software and none seem to allow me to resize and place the menu buttons exactly where I want them like Studio allows.

Any recommendations? This project should be simple as I don't think I am trying to do too much. It's all about the ability to convert and the menu creations.

Thanks.

[BobK]

> Seems like a lengthy process, when I could just as easily edit the MPEG's. But, when doing that, chapter links on final DVD are all wrong.

When I suffered with Studio 8 for 6 months the chapter links were always wrong. I finally burned some test DVDs and figured out exactly how far off they were so I could adjust when I added them.

> I tried a number of trial software and none seem to allow me to resize and place the menu buttons exactly where I want them like Studio allows.

Have you tried TMPGEnc DVD Author? It will allow you to size and place the menu buttons.

> Any recommendations? This project should be simple

Get some different software- nothing is ever simple with Studio 8 (at least it's never as simple as it would be if Studio 8 actually worked the way it was supposed to).

[donpedro]

Try Womble MPEG-VCR for mpeg2 cutting. Than save as mpeg2 and author with PS8. No conversion in process at all.

[DaBarrister]

I also had difficulties with Studio 8. It is the easiest editor to use (I absolutely LOVE the scene detection it uses), but somehow "easy" does not seem to comport with "stable" in the DV field. The OOS problem has been documented for quite a while, with no stable fix in sight.

[Augster]

If the files you already have are MPEG-2, and you only need to edit out the commercials, use Womble as suggested. There is a guide at Lordsmurf.com. It's the guide labeled "removing commercials in MPEG".

A SIMPLE author program you could try is TMPGenc DVD Author. It's simple, and easy, just like your little project should be.

[DaveS]

ejm1385 - just one thing in addition to all the other responses, you probably don't want to go mpeg -> avi -> mpeg ... you are probably better off editing the mpegs at that point (as above)

[ejm1385]

Thanks for the advice. Actually, the reason I am taking the extra work of going mpeg->avi->mpeg is because Studio has problems (so I have read) with edited mpegs. From my research, it has been suggested that Studio is better at editing .avi's, thus the extra conversion on my part. This is all a workaround to the chapter linking problem I have had where the preview is fine, but on the final DVD, when I click on a button in the menu, it goes to the wrong chapter.

As I have been trying to find a solution to this, I am wondering if the scene detection process when I import the MPEG into studio has something to do with the erroneous chapter linking. I allow it not to detect scenes and just use 1 MPEG clip, vs. auto-detect scens when there are about 200 short clips to each MPEG. Has anyone had any experience like this?

[northcat_8]

I have also had my share of issues with Studio 8. I have had it for quite a while now and still cannot get it to give me a DVD...not even written to HD.

I primarily use S8 for capture and editing. Once I am done capturing and editing a section of video (basically a title set in a DVD). I render the entire thing with S8 and I usually render it to the MPEG-2 format.

Once I have all the MPEG-2 files for the project I use Ulead DVD Workshop to make the DVD. Workshop is not quite a fully functional as S8 but it will give me a DVD and it will allow me to write an oversized DVD to the HD is I need to. Workshop does support motion menu's and really there isn't anything that I've WANTED to do in S8 that I couldn't do in DVDWS.

[Gazorgan]

Capture in MPEG2 complient video and import directly into TMPG Author. You can cut out commercials, as well as set Chapter points. It's actually pretty fast once you do it a time or 2. Be aware of your GOP structure, TAD is sensitive to GOP size.