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  1. Member
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    Well, I spoke to a rep at Roxio who told me they would not release it in stores, so I ordered it on-line (at full price!).

    It arrived Monday (10\22). I installed it and have used it for only one day, which is why this is only a mini review.

    My initial impression is... It rocks! And it better, for $499 US.


    If you've used a recent version of WinOnCD, you'll be a bit familure with the user interface.
    It's devided into two parts: top and bottom. Each of these parts is seperated into two halves.

    The top half, left side, is a folder tree (like Windows Explorer). The right half shows the media in whichever folder you've selected.

    The bottom left side is where you build your disc, dragging media files from the top right window.
    Bottom right is where you make editing decisions for things like buttons, chapter points, etc.

    Placing chapter points is easier than any authoring program I've used so far. Your video shows up as a film strip. Since only a small section of your video will fit here, there is a way to scroll to the desired section: an icon shaped like a movie projecter. You drag it along the film strip and you can view each frame, from begining to end.

    Drag a clip from the media window to the lower left disc build window, then place a chapter point on the film strip in the lower right edit window.

    In this edit window, you can show all frames as you scroll, or only keyframes.
    When you're within a few frames of where you want the chapter point, you click a button that inserts a chapter point in the film strip, then drag it to the exact frame you want (in practice, I had to fine tune these points after burning a test disc, they were 10 to 15 frames off).

    You can make motion menus and slide shows, but it'll be a few weeks b4 I get there.

    You can make an image, mount it into a virtual CD drive, and test it with player software provided by Roxio. (The SVCD I made would'nt play with the software VCD player. I'll have to call Roxio (perhaps it can't play mpeg2).

    The software had no problem recognizing my Yamaha 16X burner.

    My only complaint (so far) is the manual: it dosn't tell you how to do anything other then a basic VCD w/o chapters.
    The on-line help is pretty good (though it dosen't really tell you how to build a disc either), it even includes sound explainations.

    It's nice to finally be able to use my DVC II files w/o having to run them through TMPEGen.
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  2. Hi leebo, thanks for the info on videopack 5. I've been looking into buying it myself (That or videowave 5 or ulead dvd editor). If you have any more info can you plse mail me . Also you mentioned you've used various other software which are they, and what are they like and one other thing whats the thing you mention about "DVC" files.
    Thanks
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  3. Member
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    Thanks for the info Leebo...

    On this issue of the chapter placement being imprecise, and you having to fine tune this afterwards.... at a guess, I'd say that the GUI is allowing you to mark any frame as a chapter entry point, but in fact it can only be the first I-frame in a GOP. Chapter placement would be much more precise if there was an option to show only I-frames in the filmstrip. Is there not such an option?
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    You can only choose between all frames and only key frames. No I frame option.

    The DVC II is an Mpeg 1 and 2 PCI card sold by Dazzle. It produces good quality mpeg files. Though not as good quality as some software encoders, I think the quality is very good, and you can fit about an hour of mpeg 1 or 2 video on a CD. It sells for $249 US.

    VP4 however, was not compatible with Mpeg2. I had to process the files with TMPEGen b4 I could use them.

    To place chapter points with VP4, you have to use an external mpeg player to find the timecode for the place you wanted to put a chapter point. Then you had to go back to VP4 and manually type in the timecode (and hope it was close).

    DVDit PE has you do basically the same thing, except it is capable of playing the files itself. Using their timeline to place chapter points is very inaccurate. Also, it dosen't do VCD or SVCD.

    Ditto with Spruce Up (which isn't available anymore).
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    <TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
    On 2001-10-24 13:35:36, leebo wrote:
    You can only choose between all frames and only key frames. No I frame option.
    </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

    "Key frames" and "I-frames" mean the same when discussing MPEG video; sorry, I shouldn't have assumed you'd be familiar with the term. Anyway, try selecting the keyframes only option, and that *should* then give you accurate chapter placement.
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    Ah.

    Well then, you can only get as accurate as that. But thats a good option then.
    Only way I know to get more accurate is to use Pioneers Pro DVD player with barcodes. It lets you access to the frame.
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  7. Hey, I'd really like to hear about the animated menus when you get there. Also, isn't this software supposed to offer an alternate audio track? I'd also like to know if the graphics used in menus come out sharper than in DVDit! PE.
    Thanks.
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    Haven't seen anything about a second audio track.

    This is from the help file:

    Camera angle (MultiAngle), multi-language audio tracks (MultiLanguage) and subtitles (Subtitle) are not supported. VideoPack always generates MPEG stereo audio data. However, should you have a DVD-compatible video file with DTS or AC3 audio track (VOB file), then you can use it.
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  9. Well, what gave me the idea that you could have alternative soundtracks?? How about this:

    http://www.roxio.com/en/company/news/archive/prelease010918.html

    The third paragraph down it says, "And thanks to VideoPack 5’s (de)multiplexers, alternative soundtracks can easily be combined with the source material."
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    My inference from that would be that you can REPLACE the original soundtrack.
    After all, you wouldent demux/mux to add a second track, right? There would have to be a way to do it in the authoring, and I don't see any.
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  11. The Goods:
    1. Good Tools Section, for Multiplex/Demultiplex/Converting.

    2. Can accept many file formats, especially for DVD authoring
    - can take MPEG1 VCD files and convert the audio automatically to 48k, making it MPEG1 DVD compatible.
    - can even accept VOBs

    3. Very easy to use/handle, nifty way for viewing connections.

    4. Seems like it can reside along with Nero, i have nero already installed and there seemed to be no drivers conflicts.


    The Bads (mostly for DVD, which was what i tried):
    1. No multi audio. No, no way to put 2nd audio track. Even if you have a multiplexed VOB/MPEG with 2 audio tracks, it automatically mix the 2 (stero) audio tracks to 1 (stereo).

    2. You can link titles to titles so that the NEXT button works, just like you do with VCDs, so after a title ends it jumps to the next title (which SpruceUp cannot do).

    But since "the DVD-Video Specification defines this function in such a way that the DVD player will not display play time if these links are used." (this is from the Spruce Maestro manual)

    So what it means - you can join and make have the Next button functions as skipping through titles, but this results in no "Time" display on the dvd player. My DVD player just display the word PLAY, no timing counter.

    3. The menu buttons always have a large number display with it, unless i think you have to goto the registry to edit the visibility of the buttons, I just couldn't be bothered. The menu/button part of this program isn't very serious.

    There are some more bits and pieces that i won't go into details. I think for basic VCD/SVCD or very simple DVD authoring, it might be a good choice. But beware, it really cannot go much further to any more advanced level.

    anyway...

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    "3. The menu buttons always have a large number display with it, unless i think you have to goto the registry to edit the visibility of the buttons, I just couldn't be bothered."

    Simply click on the number in the Button Editor window and the number dissappears. Very easy.

    "I think for basic VCD/SVCD or very simple DVD authoring, it might be a good choice. But beware, it really cannot go much further to any more advanced level."

    You don't consider motion menus advanced?
    It's all in what you're looking for. For me, I'd much rather have motion menus then a second audio track.

    As I said b4 (and it relates to your problem with the numbers), my biggest complaint is the manual. It dosen't explain how to use every feature. You have to basically teach yourself through trial and error.
    But it gives you much more control over authoring than DVDit.
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  13. I havn't seen where you can create motion menus for SVCDs yet. Chaptering seems relatively easy enough, though. If you come up with any helpful guides for authoring menus please post again.
    Ulead's DVD MovieFactory is ok. It's real easy to make a menu and chapter, but the unfortunate thing is that the chapters can only be accessed from the menu. Ulead also has problems with 23.976 mpg's which use pulldown. It gets confused when making the chapters and often will tell you that "Some chapter entry frame numbers exceed the total frames." If they could work this out it would be a great piece of software.
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  14. Member
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    "I havn't seen where you can create motion menus for SVCDs yet. Chaptering seems relatively easy enough, though."

    Try this for a motion background:
    Make a short clip (10 to 15 seconds) and drag it into the project. Drag your first movie into the project as a subclip to the motion background. Click on the motion background clip to make it active, then click on the button editor tab over in the right hand side window.
    There you will find a still from your motion background, with one button on it.
    Click on the triangle at the right side of the button and select "Preview".

    If you now click the play button to preview your work you will see your motion background play with a motion button!

    By playing with the next/back/return, etc. settings over in the project editing window, you can make the background loop over and over until a viewer makes a selection.

    "If you come up with any helpful guides for authoring menus please post again."

    I hope to, but it will be a while. Have to learn it myself.
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  15. OK, leebo, Motion Menus are pretty advanced (and fancy).

    As I've said, it depends on what you do and it might suit you or it might not. To have motion menu in sacrifice for 2nd language, subtitles and most important of all, play time display (if titles are linked)... i'm finding a bit of love and hate. Yes, i think I need to investigate more.

    Also i need to correct myself - the drivers still conflict with Nero - after using videopack5, if i start Nero, my win2k gets bluescreen, fault with cdr4_2K.sys.

    Ah well, we can never win or have everything...

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  16. Video Pack 5 really rocks. I am impressed with this. I have not burned any cd's. But I looked on each features. Very nice. Making menus are real easy like any DVD authoring s/w (Spruceup, Sonic). Motion menu is awesome.
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  17. Gee, you guys are easily impressed...

    I don't consider motion/animated menus advanced at all. If you are going to have a menu, then it MUST either be an animated one (video clip background) or still (still image background).

    The fact that it can't do more than one soundtrack I would consider very disappointing. Now THAT's an advanced feature. Indeed, multi-angles and subtitles are an advanced feature too and I note that it isn't supported either.

    For almost $US 500, it seems to be somewhat short on features...

    Regards.
    Michael Tam
    w: Morsels of Evidence
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    Cool program..

    Installed it, made a VCD with menu within minuets..

    Love the CD ROM Emulator, test out your cd before you burn...
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    "Gee, you guys are easily impressed..."

    After using DVDit PE for the last year...Yes.

    BTW, these motion menus include MOTION BUTTONS! These are clickable buttons showing previews of whatever videos they are pointing to. Like you see on a Hollywood DVD.

    I like the program, but like I said, it depends on what you're looking for.

    For my own videos I'm not going to need subtitles or a second audio track.

    What got me to buy VP5 was my experience with VP4. I love the routing system. It's the most intuitive and logical I've seen (haven't used any of the over $1000 programs).
    You can see at a glance the relationships between menus and clips, and you can change them around incredibly easily.

    My biggest gripe is no AC3, which would save space on the disc.

    Anyway, when was the last time you bought or rented a DVD with multi-angles?

    <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: leebo on 2001-11-04 13:52:41 ]</font>
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  20. Will someone be posting a 'How to' on creating Menus with this software?
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  21. <TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
    On 2001-11-04 13:35:46, leebo wrote:
    Anyway, when was the last time you bought or rented a DVD with multi-angles?</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

    Well, in fact the last two I rented had multiangles (Star Wars Episode 1 and Shrek).

    Regards.
    Michael Tam
    w: Morsels of Evidence
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  22. Ok I don't kno what im doing wrong but this program seems to suck pretty badly. I am running it under win2k and diddnt install the emulation stuff.
    I burned a picture dvd first.. It wont play in anything ok fine.

    I then made a SVCD from a captured 5 min clip from my recorder in DV format(I let it convert it on its own to SVCD) put some chapter stops in and it plays but only from the last chapter stop on and with no audio!..

    ok the heck with it I made my own SVCD compliant file from the DV clip and tried to burn that. It plays at least but this time there are no chapter stops (i added about 4 this time) and it cut off the first segment.

    I am at the point of giving up on this thing. Did any of you actually burn anything that works? If so let me know cus it looks like wasted cash to me and the Roxio web site has 0 info on anything except selling it.. no help there...


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    <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: nerv2112 on 2001-11-05 01:57:58 ]</font>

    <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: nerv2112 on 2001-11-05 02:01:07 ]</font>
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  23. <TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
    On 2001-11-04 13:35:46, leebo wrote:
    BTW, these motion menus include MOTION BUTTONS! These are clickable buttons showing previews of whatever videos they are pointing to. Like you see on a Hollywood DVD.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

    If it can make these, that's a nice touch.

    <TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>You can see at a glance the relationships between menus and clips, and you can change them around incredibly easily.</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

    The problem with this is it can very easily become unwieldy once you create larger structures. I mentioned this at the end of one of my guides in terms of problems with GUIs.

    One of the average VCDs that I would make will have an "intro", an "extro", main menu, 3-4 scene select menus and then about 12 chapters, and perhaps some extra "special feature" stuff as well -- each as their own <selection>. That's probably 20-30 items. When you consider that if you author it with some degree of complexity (i.e., using next, prev, return, default, timeout), that's 5 or more links from each item to something else. With VP4, it becomes a mass of arrows and lines and becomes very hard to debug. Unless VP5 does something revolutionary (or dumb down the interface), I don't see this changing.

    As I stated before, for $500, there is a lot that is missing from DVD authoring. Multiple soundtracks, multi-angles, seamless branching, subtitles, AC-3 and DTS tracks are the things which make a DVD so much cooler than a S/VCD for the point of view of creative authoring.

    It sounds like VP5 is no more than a S/VCD authoring package with DVD tacked on as an afterthought.

    Regards.

    _________________
    Michael Tam

    <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: vitualis on 2001-11-05 02:48:43 ]</font>
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  24. Member
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    Like I've said several times b4, my biggest gripe about this software is the manual (or lack, thereof).

    That being said, if you don't install the emulator, you're likely to find yourself wasting a lot of time (and blanks).

    I can only guess at what questions to ask you, nerv, since you don't give a lot of detail.

    Regarding your chapter stop problems:

    Did you set the relationship between your buttons and clip correctly?
    The first thing added to your project will be your first play. That should have it's "next" connector attached to your first menu (assuming your first play isn't your menu). To see this click on the "Routing" button at the top of the program window. Your routings will appear in the navigation window (lower left had side).

    Click on your menu element and then go over to the button editor window (lower, right hand side window). Click the Button editor tab. Your menu graphic will show up under it.

    Hold down your left mouse button and drag on the menu graphic. a dialogue opens asking if you want a button or text. Click on button, and, in the navigation window (lower left hand side), a blank element appears with a number in it that matches the number in the button you've just created. Now drag a clip to this blank element.

    Right click on the right most arrow on your first play element and you can choose which routings to show: Next, back, return, all, etc.

    Each button needs to have it's relationships set so your remote will work properly.

    By setting your menu as it's own "play next" element, it will loop forever until the viewer makes a selection.
    Adjusting it's "play lenth" (10 seconds, 15 seconds, etc., determines how long your motion buttons preview their related clips.

    As for your video not playing from the begining:

    Be sure the red flags (in the editor window) are placed where you want your clip to start and end, otherwise, part of your clip will be cut out. Try putting a chapter stop at the begining of the clip also.

    <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: leebo on 2001-11-05 03:25:33 ]</font>
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  25. Member
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    Vitualis, I'm not working for Roxio, I promise.

    Yes, they've cleaned up the relationship connectors.
    You can choose to show only the next connectors, only the return connectors, etc.
    Also, you can collapse or expand trees to keep things simple.

    Oh, let me know when you make your first Star Wars!


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  26. Thanks for the info.. ya I diddnt think to put a chapter stop at the beginning I figured it would know I wanted that part to play as thats what the red arrow is for.

    Also I diddnt actually make a menu with buttons or anything. All I wanted was it to make chapter stops so when I hit next on the remote it goes to the next segment. I figured I could just drop some blue arrows in between the red ones and it would make a vcd from red arrow #1 to red arrow #2 with all the blue arrows being chapter stops.

    But that was less of a problem then the actuall encoding features that diddnt work. It cant seem to convert a DV file to SVCD without hosing the sound (the picture looked good though). So with this problem I diddnt bother to try and learn the menu system. Maybe ill try to make a regular VCD and see how that goes.

    One question I have for you guys and this is a newbie question. It seems like it should be possible to make a DVD on a regular CD.. Of course you wont get much on it but at least it should work right? This software let me do it but my DVD player wont play it at all..

    Thanks for the help and if ya don't work for Roxio you should be on the payroll.. I get better support here then from them lol..

    Later

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    "One question I have for you guys and this is a newbie question."

    You're right. That is a newbie question.

    Most DVD players wont recognize a DVD file if it's burned onto a CD. The only one I know that will play it is from Sampo.

    The disc should play fine on a computer though ( using DVD playing software).

    BTW, I've had a problem with VP5 hosing sound from Mpeg2 files created with the Dazzle DVC II.
    Roxio tech support is aware and have bought their own DVC II for testing.
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  28. Leebo - can u please elobrate on problems with DVC2 files.
    I have had some problems loading these files into other dvd authoring software. Is there a 'problem' or does it not work altogether?

    thanks
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  29. Member
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    VP5 loads and previews mpeg2 files created with the DVC II just fine.
    The problem is with the audio. VP5 reports that the files contain audio with 44.1 and 224 (or 48 in the case of the DVD template), but 0 channels!

    If you preview these clips fron within VP5 the audio plays fine, but afer creating an image file and then playing these files with the emulator, the audio is gone.

    The only DVC II template that dosen't have this problem is the SVCD template.

    For a work around, I can use the SVCD template but change the frame size, bit rate, and audio properties to whatever I want, and the captured file gives VP5 no problems.

    Roxio tech support has told me that they've purchased a DVC II for testing.

    I'll give them a few more weeks b4 checking back.
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  30. Well, I have DVDit! PE and I've been told for $500 I can upgrade to ReelDVD. So, if that's true VP5 can take a hike.
    ReelDVD is my next authoring package.
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