Nero Vision Express, good, bad?

[reboot]

After multiple coasters attempting a workable menu in vcdeasy (which isn't so easy), trying to set up chapters and a menu that actually did something, I switched to NVE.
Now I have spectacular menus, chapter points that work, video that plays, and reasonable quality.
To ensure highest quality input, I have cut avi's down to no more than 40 minutes each using divx5.11pro, encoded 2pass vbr in tmpgenc (which seems to underestimate filesize by 150 meg all the time), then allowed NVE to transcode, and either produce a finished .nrg or do the burn directly.
The only complaint I have, is the audio sync. It just doesn't seem to stay synced through the whole clip, and not on every one. Some are perfect, some are out the smallest bit at the end (progressive sync loss?), and others are out by my estimate, around 3/10ths of a second, enough to be very noticable.
Thinking it was something in my process, I re-encoded in mainconcept, maxing out filesize at 798 meg, to get the highest bitrate (files end up being about 615 meg, which is baffling like tmpgenc), and continued through NVE's transcoding etc...
The avi's are in perfect sync, the mpegs, though quite different in quality between the two encoders, are also in sync, so it must be in NVE's transcoding where it all goes awry.
I dearly love the way NVE makes the process easy for an old dude like me, and just can't seem to grasp vcdeasy's method.
Any one else have similar problems, any suggested fixes, or recommended software that has NVE's type of id10t proof wizard, to get a decent WORKING menu on my SVCD's?
(I'd like to get this sorted before I purchase a dvdr, and end up making just more expensive coasters).
TIA

[Sefy]

Regarding VCDEasy, i'm working with it's Author on how to make menus in the easiest way. Hopefully will be available soon

Regarding NVE, persoanlly I liked the way it does things, but I did not like the transcoding of perfectly compatible video files. Didn't like it's quality either, as for issues with it, I haven't had any sync, so it's hard to say.

[jimmalenko]

...encoded 2pass vbr in tmpgenc ...then allowed NVE to transcode...

Is NVE transcoding or re-encoding ?

You could save some time by skipping TMPGEnc.

[Sefy]

As far as I know it's Transcoding, although I don't quite understand the difference between Encoding and Transcoding to be honest

[teegee420]

As far as I know it's Transcoding, although I don't quite understand the difference between Encoding and Transcoding to be honest

You'll find some good explanations(and somewhat of a debate) on the subject in this thread.

[Sefy]

Dear lord, that is even more confusing now!

Transcoding differs from the encoding and decoding processes in that both the input and output of the transcoder are MPEG video streams

If I were to do an SVCD from a DVD, which both use MPEG2 compression, exactly what would be the difference then ? it's still encoding them 8)

Or I could also say, even if I do DVD to VCD, they are both MPEG Video Streams, so is that encoding or transcoding ? I think someone invented a new word just cause he didn't want people to think transcoding reduces the quality like encoding, but the end result is the same, they both reduce quality of the movie :P

[reboot]

Well, I'm glad to hear that VCDEasy is going to get easier. I've used it many times, and other than it's menu/chpater creation, it's great. Every time I tried to get chapters and interactivity, I got errors about "detected non-mpeg 1 stream", which is stupid when I'm making SVCD from a fully compliant mpeg 2 SVCD as output by tmpgenc or mainconcept. I also got beautiful menus, with nice buttons, and little pictures, but that's all it did. No actual playing of the thing in my standalone, no matter what buttons I pushed.
As for saving time by "skipping TMPGEnc", no way! Nero's encoder really does suck, and I just won't use it until they come up to, at LEAST, the quality of mainconcept single pass, and I won't get into the other issues nero's encoder has. I just load up 5 or 6 avi's and let tmpgenc do it's thing overnight, so time is not an issue, and the 2pass vbr quality is worth it.
"Regarding NVE, persoanlly I liked the way it does things, but I did not like the transcoding of perfectly compatible video files. Didn't like it's quality either, as for issues with it, I haven't had any sync, so it's hard to say."
Exactly! I was assuming (correct me if wrong) that NVE had to transcode to put in the chapter points corresponding with the menu. If it's simply transcoding (love that word...NOT), to Nero's mpeg2 svcd specs, then is there a way to NOT transcode, and simply burn me the svcd with the menu and chapters intact? (am I pissing in the wind here?) I haven't had exceptionally good quality results either, but they are acceptable, given the ease of making a menu/chapters, a tradeoff, and still far better than VCD.
As I understand, from reading the other thread, Encoding is making an mpeg from an avi (or other format). Transcoding is making a different mpeg from another mpeg source.
This doesn't really help much. What is (insert any authoring program here) doing, transcoding a perfectly good, already svcd compliant, mpeg?

[Sefy]

I Agree with you completly on this! hopefully during this or start of next month, the Menus section for VCDEasy will be in my guide 8)

[reboot]

Cool Sefy I'll keep my eyes open for it.
BTW, if it weren't for your guides, I probably would NEVER have burned my first SVCD, and actually have it work in my standalone.
Have come a long ways since, but still refer (myself and others) to your excellent guides

[Sefy]

Thanks Reboot! that is very much appriciated!!