New software or updates to my process?

[Neisse]

Folks,

I'm curious if there's a better/faster way to perform my video projects. As always, software gets better over time, and the stuff I'm using is a little older now.

Here's my equipment/software:

Create initial DVD-R/-RW with a Panasonic DMR-ES40V set-top recorder (movies and TV episodes).
Computer is an older one: AMD Athlon Socket A 950 MHz, 512 MB PC-133 RAM, Seagate 120 GB HD
OS is Win XP

Software process:
Rip with DVD Decrypter 3.5.4.0
Edit out commercials/leadins-outs with MPEG-VCR v. 3.14 & save as MPG
Author with DVD-Lab Pro 1.53 & compile DVD
Test with PowerDVD if necessary
Shrink to -R size if needed with DVD Shrink 3.2 in deep analysis mode
Create ISO image from DVD Shrink or DVD-Lab Pro with ImgTool Classic 0.91.7
Burn ISO image to disc with ImgBurn 1.1.0.0

I've been attached to the multi-step process as it made it easier to learn the steps involved, and gave me maximum control over things, especially if something went wrong somewhere it's a simple matter of going back a step and recovering the project from there. However this does mean that this is a time-consuming process and I must be in attendance of the computer a lot, switching a project in between the different software.

So, is there now better software out there that helps to automate the process better, but yet isn't confusing to use and, most importantly, creates 100% COMPLIANT discs that will play in virtually any set-top player one can find?

Oh, yeah. In case you didn't notice from the above software, I greatly prefer Free software! When you're using 6 or 7 different programs in one project, you just can't afford $50 per application! (or more) I might be willing to shell out $50 for ONE app, that does everything and does it extremely well, or that does 80-90%.

Tips? Suggestions? I'm all ears. Thanks for your time.

[redwudz]

No, your process is OK. I would avoid using Shrink unless you really need it. It will cause some quality loss. Better to have the proper size from the encode. You might be able to edit the VOBs directly, though I'm not sure which editor to use for that. I usually run VOB2MPG to extract the MPG from the VOBs, but Decrypter does it well enough.

With ImgBurn, you don't need a ISO and you could eliminate that step. Just use 'Build' mode instead in ImgBurn and select your VIDEO_TS folder.

[guns1inger]

I don't know what level of granularity you have with your model of DVD Recorder. I can set my recording length in 5 minute increments, so I generally record most TV shows based on 95 minutes per disc. I trim the ads on the HDD before burning, which gives me two episodes per RW when I transfer them. I clean up the edits on the PC in Womble, then author. No need to shrink because I know they will fit. More and more now I find that rather than author, I use AutoGK, batch encode overnight at around 550 MB per 42 - 45 minute program, and put 7 - 8 Xvid encoded episodes per disc.

[Neisse]

guns1inger, I honestly have no clue what you're talking about.

redwudz, yes I do keep Shrink's use to a minimum, but it's there if I need it, and sometimes I do!

I do edit the VOB's in MPEG-VCR. Directly. When it saves the edited file, it saves it as an MPG. Simple.

Yeah, I know I don't REALLY need to do an ISO image. However, I started using burners in the old 1x CD days, and I swear I have all kinds of problems even today if I burn ANYTHING other than an ISO. At least, this way I don't wind up with a friggin' coaster, even if it takes an extra 10 minutes.

I find the biggest bottleneck in DVD-Lab Pro. It insists on demuxing the video and audio, then remuxing it when the DVD is compiled. As most of my stuff already has menu templates, I could do 5 or 6 discs an hour if it wasn't for the muxing junk. I'm sorely tempted to try a disc without all of that and see how it comes out.

[AlanHK]

guns1inger, I honestly have no clue what you're talking about.

Making AVI files.

Yeah, I know I don't REALLY need to do an ISO image. However, I started using burners in the old 1x CD days, and I swear I have all kinds of problems even today if I burn ANYTHING other than an ISO.

Try ImgBurn. You really have to be creative to make coasters using that. And it's worth a dollar or two to get a couple of DVDRWs to experiment with, either burning or testing your video or menus, etc.

[mats.hogberg]

If you don't have the urge to create really fancy menus and navigation, all you'd need is TDA - It can import a DVD, trim commercials & leadin/out and output to file structure (to burn with ImgBurn) or even burn to disk in one session. On the whole tho, I find capturing with a capture card (Hauppauge cards, that capture to DVD compliant MPG) delivers a much simpler process if you're not satisfied with the DVD your DVD recorder outputs as it is. It's a little "ass backwards" to create a Video DVD just to take it apart to be able to create a Video DVD the way you want it.

/Mats

[guns1inger]

What I am talking about is planning ahead. I set the recording level of my recorder so that the videos it produces fit exactly on a disc without having to be re-encoded or worse, transcoded with something like Shrink.

If you want to use a real authoring tool then you need to demux and let it do the muxing while authoring. If you don't you risk audio sync issues and other problems, especially from edited footage. If you want something faster, use a toy instead. People tell me NeroVision is nice. Even TDA de/remuxes behind the scenes.

If you get coasters when you burn anything but ISOs then you have other problems that should be sorted out. However if creating ISOs all the time is easier than solving the real problem . . . . . .

[BobT]

Neisse,
The software you are using looks fine. If you are interested you could easilly add subtitles to the DVD,s your are authoring. This will, of course, make it easier to use the DVD,s on a portable player and view the subtitles instead of or in addition to the sound. You can also overlay the subtitles onto the video with software such as Super or Auto Gordian Knot for use in and MP4 player or a pocket PC. I'm assuming you live in the US as no country is shown in your profile.
The Panasonic recorder you are using, I am fairly certain, also records the Closed Captions (CC) and embeds this information into the MPG video. I use MPEG-Vcr quite a bit and it will have the CC info in the finished video. I know nothing about DVD Lab Pro, but from what I read at the website, it appears that you should have the CC available on the finished DVD. You can easilly check this by turning on CC on your tv and playing a DVD.
Almost all of the TV shows in the US now have CC. There are normally two types of CC, Popup and Rollup. The Popup CC are almost always used on prerecorded shows and are the easiest to turn into DVD subtitles. Rollup CC seem to be the exclusive domain of live shows, news, sports, etc. The rollup CC are VERY difficult to transform into DVD Subtitles because of the repetition. You can download the two programs needed by going to the TOOLS section.
The first one is called CCextractor. It is based on the excellent series of CC software done by McPoodle and works very well. CCextractor is a DOS based command line program but is very easy to use. I use the command string CCextractor -bo -srt filename.mpg (or Mpv). You would use CCextractor after processing the video with MPEG-Vcr.
The second program is Subtitle Workshop. AFter using CCextractor you will have a text file of the CC with timecodes in SRT format. Since DVD Lab Pro can only use Subtitles in SCC format Subtitle Workshop is used for this. Run the SRT file in Subtitle Workshop since the files will have some CC verbage that you may not want you can clean it up with Tools/Information & Errors/Information & Errors then click on the box "Fix Errors" until they are all corrected. Then save the file in SCC format
Give this a try and with a little time investment you can add Subtitles to your DVDs.
[/b]

[Neisse]

BobT,

THAT'S why the darn CC never shows up on my finished DVD's, eh? I thought for sure it was something the Pana set-top was or wasn't doing. Hmmmm....

I'm familiar with Subtitle Workshop. I've used it in past to add subs to a couple of miniseries I've recorded, and found the subs online. I felt it was a major PITA to adjust the timecodes usually to get the audio and the subs to sync up, so I stopped using it except for specific projects.

Yes, I'm in the US. Sorry my profile isn't well filled-out, I don't stop by here too often.

guns1inger, I do try to plan ahead as well as I can with my file sizes. However, the DMR-ES40V Pana is quite limited in what it can do (forget about editing ANYTHING unless all you want to use is DVD-RAM discs!). So, I do the initial record on the Pana, then I import the video into the computer to edit and make up a semi-decent menu for the disc (at least, something that lets me recognize what's on it, unlike the Pana's BS menu). I always did want CC to show back up once the discs were done, but it's never happened. I'll try Bob's method and see.

As for using a TV card in the computer to import: I've tried it in the past. In fact, ALL three of my computers (one's a Mac) have TV cards! I just find that they're more trouble than the Pana set-top box. The Pana records in real-time, with no dropped frames. The video needs no tweaking - it's 100% compliant. I don't have to futz with bitrates, re-encoding, or any of that. Also, when I've imported via the TV cards in the past, the computer would always have some kind of problem: lockups, sync errors, whatever you can think of. Not to mention I'd have to take my entertainment system apart to get my DVR over to the computer every time I wanted to import video! Naw... I'll just throw it on a -RW and import it when I feel like it.

I don't think that my current computer would burn a toaster, even if I skipped the ISO stage. I just don't want to risk it. An 8 minute extra step is cheap insurance.

Yes, the audio sync issue is why I've let DVD-Lab Pro continue as it has. When I first started with video, I had all kinds of sync problems, and I really do not want to start messing with all of that again! I do think I'll try ONE project as a test, though, just to see if it'll even happen for me, or how bad it is. I don't even need to put it on a disc, just run the PowerDVD test.

[BobT]

Neisse,
The Panasonic manual talks about CC but I don't own one so I can't say for sure it captures CC. Of course a quick five minute recording with a DVD RW and if the CC show up then it does record! I found that if you want to keep the CC, once recorded, that you have to be very careful of the software used. Most of the commercial DVD authoring software that I have tried will strip off the CC data during the DVD authoring. There are also several Demux software that will also Strip the CC data. I use MPEG-Vcr quite a bit and it does not strip CC data. Here is the way I currently process TV video. Pioneer DVR531, to DVD-RW to Computer, TMPGENC DVD Author Ver 1.5.15 into Computer, Take out commercials etc with MPEG-Vcr, CC to SRT file with CCextractor, Cleanup SRT file and convert to LC with Subtitle Workshop, Author to DVD with either DVD Flick or GUI for DVD Author, and if its a little too big use DVD Shrink, then burn to DVD. This process keeps CC on the finished DVD and adds Subtitles.
You will have trouble seeing CC on your DVDs with PowerDVD. It requires a flag be set in the VTS IFO file on the DVD. All commerical DVD's have this but none of the authoring software I have seen will set this bit. You can set it with IFOEDIT.EXE. Bring the IFO file into IFOEDIT.EXE and click twice on the video line below "Title Set" a box will come with the attributes, on the right side of the box is "CC for line 21", select "Field 1 in GOP", then save the file. Now when you play the video in PowerDVD the CC will display if it has been enabled (you can't enable CC in PowerDVD if it can't see the enabling bit!)

[Mariot]

The CC are muxed inside mpeg file. If you have them there already no version of DVD-lab will remove them, you can get gcedit and set the flags for Line21 and they should appear if the player output them to video connector and TV supports them. (that is the hard part...) Also the CC may not always be transmitted through all conectors from player, usually if they are they go through composite. DVI or HDMI - that would in most cases cut out all CC.