Buying a dvd author program.....Questions!!

[kcsport]

For the last month I have used Tmpgene DVD Author 1.6 and liked it alot. In fact I'm about to lay down the $70 to keep using it. I have always tried to find the freeware instead of using the pay-for software. (I guess I'm a tight wad ) Is DVD author going to be my best choice. I've not tried many other programs, I try to find one that works for me and stick to it. Thanks for any help or advice you can give!

[BobK]

TMPGEnc DVD Author is the only authoring program I've been using consistantly for the last 18 months. It's easy to use and does everything I need to do well.

But, the subject line on your post says "Editor". DVD Author is not a very good editor- it will only cut at key frames and it has no other real editing capabilities.

So if you're happy with it for authoring then it's probably well worth the $70 for you. If you're actually looking for an editor there's probably better options.

[mats.hogberg]

Yes, editing and authoring is two entirely different beasts - even if many apps (tries to) do them both...
Take a look at DVDAuthorGUI before deciding tho... Good and free

/Mats

[theDruid]

I've only just started messing about with authoring DVDs, as I stuck to CVD/(S)VCD for a long time until DVD burners became a lot cheaper, so I'm not an expert, but...

There are lots of apps around that are GUIs for the freeware DVDauthor.

I found the GUI for dvdauthor to be the best for my purposes so far, but some of the others have slightly different features.

Have a look at the tools page for DVD Authoring software on this site. There are quite a few freeware apps there - many of them are just different GUIs for DVDauthor.

You are unlikely to find one that's as simple and hassle-free as a commercial (i.e. payware) app, but it won't cost you anything to try them out and see if you're happy with any or all of them.

Be prepared to have to use a few other tools etc.. as well though (n.b. bbMPEG is a very good MPEG2 multiplexer for example) - as I say the freeware packages are less likely to have everything you need under one roof.

With that in mind, if you want an easy life, paying for TMPGEnc DVD Author may be the best solution for you - there's no harm in trying out some of the alternatives first though.

cheers,
theDruid.

[kcsport]

Thanks for all the info guys! Yea I ment authoring of the dvd's.

[reboot]

Give DVDLab a try. Free for 30 days.

[glenpinn]

hi guys

for $70 u will be very happy with tmpgenc dvd author, i use it all the time for my basic authoring, unless my clients want all the fancy transitions, added audio or music or a better selection of thumbnail frames, then i use dvd-lab pro 1.0, but its a whole lot more complex to use than tmpge dvd author.

tmpge dvd author editor is ok for basic cutting, and thats all u need anyway, as we all know (well should know) that your editing should be done before you do your encoding to dvd mpeg-2 format anyway as editing mpegs is not as good as doing it in avi etc (hence i use tmpgenc 3.0 xpress to edit then encode mu dv-avi vids, and if i encode my dv-avi vids first, i edit the mpeg-2 using tmpge mpeg editor befor authoring)

for me, tmpge dvd author saves a lot of time, is so dam easy to use, is very quick, and has a built in burning tool, unlike some other authoring software, which uses nero as its default burner if u got it installed.
the only bug with tmpge in theres not a good selection of thumbnail frames, or background images, but i only ever use a photo of the subject or topic the dvd is about anyway for my menu background themes, looks nicer and my clients like it that way.

if u got $200, do yourself a favor and get dvd-lab pro, or for $99, get dvd-lab 1.3 if u want an authoring program with better scope and more variety, but for me tmpge dvd author is brilliant basic authoring.

good luck.....GLEN (i might go get a few freeware authors and try them out) but im just a lover of anything TMPGEnc has to offer, and i have a complete suiteof its programs on my pc, for me, thay are up there with the best on the market and for a fraction of the cost.

appologies to my reference to dvd-lab not having its own burning tool, i actually meant to delete that bit when i realised what i said, so i now deleted reference to it in this post.

[reboot]

DVDLab, nor DVDLab Pro use Nero as the default burner. They have their own built in, and DVDLab Pro can also use CopytoDVD to burn.
BTW, the price on DVDLab has dropped. IIRC it's $79 and much more versatile than tmpgenc dvd author.

[glenpinn]

hi again.
totally agree that dvd-lab or dvd-lab pro are a much better choice than tmpge dvd author, but you wont find an easier and simpler "basic" authoring program to use than tmpge, if u can then tell me because its the easiest out of lots that i tried. dvd-lab is much better as far as what it will do, but its a whole bunch harder to learn to use, and for basics without wanting transitions and all the other fancy stuff, tmpge is perfect.

how cheap does this stuff get, i saw dvd-lab 1.3 for sale at thier website for $99, dvd-lab pro was $199, i guess retail its getting cheaper, but can u get a retail bundle of several programs like u can directly from the developers website by buying from other outlets, i havent seen them so far.
last time i saw tmpge dvd lab at pegasys it was $49 i think, so u get what u pay for in the end, but value for money, dvd-lab pro for under $200 is probably the best "stand alone" authoring program u will get (in my opinion that is)

anyway, good luck with whatever u decide to buy....GLEN