Help to finish a basic DVD project with menu, chapters and videos?

[mikeli]

Hi Everyone,

I am just doing a typical DVD project. My video source is from the 3 mini-DVDs taken by a Panasonic camcorder and I just want to consolidate them to 1 DVD with basic menu with link to each chapter, background photo and music for the DVD menu. I have Cyberlink PowerProducer v3, Roxio MyDVD Basic 9, Nero Essential v7 and Windows Movie Maker on a Windows Vista laptop (unfortunately I did not buy the laptop earlier when it still came with Windows XP!)

I managed to use Cyberlink PowerProducer v3 to download most chapters from the mini-DVDs. But PowerProducer v3 does not let me put background photo and music for the DVD menu. I thought I just live with that. But then when I burn the DVD, there is NO SOUND at all!

I then tried using Roxio MyDVD Basic 9. It does not let me download chapters from the mini-DVDs so I just used the video files I downloaded with PowerProducer. As soon as I imported any video files, it shows message that it DOES NOT support AC3 audio in my video file and the DVD will have NO SOUND!
I downloaded an AC3 Filter after research online, but it did not make any difference.

Then I tried the Windows Movie Maker comes with Vista. I managed to create a DVD with menu and chapters. However I expected link to each chapter should have a thumbnail image as in every DVD movie. Instead each chapter link is shown as same black box so I cannot really tell which chapter I am picking!

I know this should not be that hard! Please help all the experts out there. I really hope to use any of these software I already have instead of exploring new ones.

Thanks!
Chuen

[Baldrick]

No, it's easy with Tmpgenc dvd Author. Test the trial at least.

[stars]

Hi..

You can do it all with gui for dvdauthor and its free...

stars

[tinker]

TMPGEnc DVD Author is good and for reasonable price.
If you have Nero or Roxio they also make DVD. You have Basic version that may not have all the features. In all authoring applications you can make chapters by yourself with corresponding button to get to them from menu.
You will need AC3 for NTSC compliant DVD, but filter is only for play not for encode.
I do not know Windows Movie maker, but in most apps you should be able to drag or import the chapter picture into the box (button).

[LJB]

You may want to also try the demo of Ulead DVD Movie Factory.