recommended program?

[246810]

i've got some old minidv tapes and i finally got my butt in gear to start transfering them to dvds. i used nero express 3 which is easy BUT i suspect the video quality is less than what it could be and i'm not able to create my own chapter buttons, etc. so my question is fairly simple and straightforward.

with ease, good video quality, and user control as my three most important criteria, is there a program or programs that you can recommend that i consider using instead of nero express 3?

if i'm wishing for a nonexistant program, i don't mind being told that. in effect, what you'd be saying is that nero express 3 is as easy and as good as it gets for something quick and dirty. being unfamiliar with the host of other programs around (ulead, vegas, etc), i don't know if i should be using something else.

thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[mats.hogberg]

Read on here.
/Mats

[246810]

thanks for the reply. yes, i know there are other options but i was hoping for someone with personal experience with a single program to say something like, "i've used nero express 3 but _______ can do all of that and more and do it better."

like i said, nero express 3 is pretty simple and straightforward. it can handle everything from video capture to making chapters, titles, backgrounds, etc. but i was just wondering if there's another single package that can do all of that better.

anyway, thank you very much. i've taken a quick look at the page you directed me to and i'll read it in greater detail tonight.

[thecoalman]

Try Ulead DVD Workshop, it's only drawback is that it has limited editing capabilities.

AFAIK there's no all-in-on that has fully customized menus excepy DVD Workshop. It's main focus is DVD Authoring, the other stuff is additional fetures. Unless you need something that can do more than just add transitions that will work fine. It's not chepa though.

[jimmalenko]

NeoDVD impressed me as far as all-in-one capture/encode/author solutions go. Personally I'd still go the ScenalyzerLive/Virtualdub/TMPGEnc Plus/TMPGEnc DVD Author route for most projects, but for the quick n dirty jobs, NeoDVD gets my vote.

[edDV]

ULead DVD Workshop is built on a solid foundation and is faily easy to use. Sort of a Honda Civic of DV transfer.

[246810]

THANKS! that's the kind of feedback i was hoping for. i'll do some searches cuz i'm unfamiliar with the programs you guys mentioned.

for your info, in case you don't know, nero express 3 really isn't bad. as i wrote, it's an all-in-one package; very easy. the one main drawback is that it doesn't give you some options (like the ugly chapters); it'd be great if allowed you to create (e.g., using photoshop) your own chapter images.

thanks again for your help!

ps: to jim, your method probably produces good results but i'm way too busy to have to learn how to use each of those programs to get a final dvd. on the other hand, do you think they're all pretty easy to learn?

[thecoalman]

it'd be great if allowed you to create (e.g., using photoshop) your own chapter images.

You'll get excellent results using DVD Workshop, it goes far beyond making your own chapter images. You can import any type images for buttons backgrounds etc. You start with a blank canvas, that's how customizable it is. You can even import gif animations

It does include a templated menus too which you can use or customize to your liking. Other big features include motion menus, mainconcept encoder, AC3 encoder,.... It really is a big list of what it can do for DVD creation.

What it can't do is advanced editing.

[246810]

coalman, your reply is exactly the kind of feedback i was hoping for. i've never heard of dvd workshop before but it sounds pretty capable. the only part that hurst a little is the price! $440 from amazon. by comparison, nero's selling for something like $78.

of course, that's not going to kill that option immediately but it did make me pause. i'll definitely look into it.

surprisingly, the link you provided to dvd workshop shows a rating of only 7 out of, i presume, 10. still, i know that 20 opinions isn't much....

thanks again for your helpful suggestion! i really appreciate it.

[edDV]

Then look at ULead Movie Factory
http://www.ulead.com/dmf/dmf_stand/features.htm
Better than Nero by far for DVD authoring

[246810]

coalman, sorry to bother you but i just checked amazon and saw a link to ulead dvd moviefactory for $43. is that like a lite version of dvd workshop? similar to premiere vs elements?

thanks. just wondering. oh, and the amazon comments for dvd movie factory are awful; mainly about poor to nonexistent tech support!

[thecoalman]

coalman, sorry to bother you but i just checked amazon and saw a link to ulead dvd moviefactory for $43. is that like a lite version of dvd workshop? similar to premiere vs elements?

I'm not familair with the current version of MF, you don't get a blank canvas but a templated one. I'm pretty sure you need to purchase a AC3 plugin for AC3 support too. The menus would only be customizable to the extent they allow you. They all have free trials....... Try out Video Stuido too. That has an excellent editor for entry level app.

[246810]

edTV and coalman, thanks so much for your suggestions. i'll check 'em out

[SearchQuality]

Just one important point about Ulead products such as Video Studio and Movie Factory. VS is good for editing and MF for authoring. They are quite robust products, but they have one common problem. To produce multiple thumbnails-chapters at the top menu level you have to divide your movie into separate clips each representing the chapter you have in mind before importing or capturing them into the Ulead product. Otherwise you always end up with a single thumbnail-chapter at the top level with all the thumbnails-chapters you desired and created under it at the second level. This is something quite annoying. If DVD authoring with chapter creation is of paramount importance for you please keep this in mind.

[edDV]

I agree and concur, but you can separate chapters for a single file at the second level.

This is a reason to move to a higher end program.

[edDV]

I agree and concur, but you can separate chapters for a single file at the second level.

This is a reason to move to a higher end program.

[SearchQuality]

Certainly you can have chapters at the second level. Before moving to a higher-end program consider Sonic MyDVD. It is very good at handling menus at all levels, quite robust and flexible. Worth trying.

[edDV]

I had extremely bad experiences with Sonic DVD It (as packaged with Adobe Premiere 6.5), but that program may have improved since. I can't begin to tell you how awfull that one was.

It was bad enough to make me abandon Adobe for Vegas+DVD.

[246810]

thanks again for all your comments and feedback. i really appreciate and value real people's experiences over what each company will claim about its own product for obvious reasons. that's part of the reason that i like places like amazon cuz it gives me the buyer a chance to hear from fellow customers and to avoid the bad stuff. granted, someone could have had an atypical experience but i'd like to know about it anyway.

you guys are great! thanks.