DVD Burning software options

[BarnabasB]

Hey Everyone,

I'm new here, so I thought I would introduce myself.
I'm a recently graduated animation and I'm looking for DVD burning software to export an animated demo reel I plan on sending out to Animations studios.

These are the main qualities I'm looking for.

1. Easy to use (accepts a wide variety of files, like Quicktime, Avi)
2. Can burn good quality DVD's that won't have problems playing in DVD players
3. Not too expensive. $50 or less would be ideal.
4. Has a feature that allows a DVD to autoplay when stuck in a DVD player. Also, it would be nice if it looped or went to a menu after the initial demo reel part.

So far, I've been trying Trial versions of the following.

Movie Edit Pro 12 and 14. $50
Seems like a good deal for the money. I've burned 1 or 2 DVD's with it already. The only problem I had was my contact info at the end of the DVD seemed to flicker and get cut short on the last DVD I burned. I think it will autoplay if I choose "no menus" option.

Nero 8 $80
I don't think I actually got around to burning a DVD with this. The trial version doesn't like the H.264 encoding I used to Export my Quicktime Movie file. Maybe I could do an uncompressed version. Still can't find the option to let it autoplay.

Adobe products.
I've tried Premeire and After Effects and neither seem to be able to directly burn a DVD within the program itself. I know you can use Adobe Encore, but that doesnt' seem to have a 30 trial version. I've also heard of Adobe Elements 4.0. I tried to get the trial version but it didn't download. I guess I'll try again.

[aedipuss]

if you want cheap and converts about anything to dvd, then maybe convertxtodvd might fit. accepts about any input and does a decent job for a one click wonder. looks like it has all the qualities you ask for.

[BarnabasB]

Hey thanks man,

I dl'ed a trial version. It seems to be very easy, but my machine froze during the burning process...which is probably more of a problem with my PC than the actual software. I took the DVD out and tried to play it....it played but the sound was out of synch, so I'm not sure if that's because it froze during the finalizing process...or something related to the software. Regardless....it looks very easy to use.

But, I'm curious if anyone has used Movie Edit Pro or knows anything about it. It seems like a good deal since you can also edit movies and stuff. I bought Movie Edit Pro 12, but I decided not to open the box just yet. Please let me know what you guys think if you have any experience with it.

[aedipuss]

instead of letting convertxtodvd burn the disc, set it to export the video_ts and audio_ts folders in the options tab. then you can play the results on the computer and burn with the free imgburn application if you want. imgburn is the best out there even if it is free

never heard of movie edit pro or the company that makes it. i've used a lot of video programs so i'd be skeptical of that one.

[bourboner]

Movie Edit Pro gets good reviews around here, it's excellent value for money, feature-packed too.

[BarnabasB]

instead of letting convertxtodvd burn the disc, set it to export the video_ts and audio_ts folders in the options tab. then you can play the results on the computer and burn with the free imgburn application if you want. imgburn is the best out there even if it is free

never heard of movie edit pro or the company that makes it. i've used a lot of video programs so i'd be skeptical of that one.

"


Geez....this seems really complicated. So you're telling me I have to export it to Audio and Video TS folders...but then get a whole different program to burn them to a DVD?

I've heard people tell me that iDVD has all those options and is real easy to use. As much as I hate those Mac vs PC commercials...I'm almost beginning to wish I had one.

Anyways, Magix makes Movie Edit Pro. It looks like a good program, but I just wanted to make sure it does what I need before I open the box. Right now my only problem with it is that it seems to cut short at the end, when I want to display my name and contact info as a still. It flickers or cuts out as soon at that appears.

[guns1inger]

iDVD won't convert a wide range of formats, so don't start spending money on new kit. You can burn with ConvertXtoDVD. It has a reasonable burning application built-in. However it is generally accepted that Imgburn is the best DVD Video burning tool in existence, and many prefer to do that.

Personally, I like to actually test the contents of a DVD before burning, so I never convert and burn in a single pass.

The real question is what do you want to get out of this exercise, and what are you prepared to put in. If you just want to take a sausage machine approach, and shove all sorts of offal in one end and get a mystery bag out the other, you can do this. ConvertXtoDVD is probably the best and most complete of these. You won't get the the best quality, it won't edit any footage, but it works pretty well.

If you want to produce the best quality output you can from your source, there are better options, but they will take more steps on your part.

[BarnabasB]

Hey Guys,

I just downloaded ImgBrn, but I can't figure out how to load the Video and Audio_TS folders into IMGBRN so I can burn it to DVD. Can anyone help me out with this?

[Midzuki]

guns1inger wrote:

If you just want to take a sausage machine approach,
and shove all sorts of offal in one end and get a mystery bag out the other,
you can do this.

[bourboner]

Hey Guys,

I just downloaded ImgBrn, but I can't figure out how to load the Video and Audio_TS folders into IMGBRN so I can burn it to DVD. Can anyone help me out with this?

http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=4632

also check here:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=c18zU79e2m8

[steptoe]

Its being suggested to use IMGBUrn instead of theinternal burning engine of ConvertXtoDVD as IMGBUrn is very good at what it does and produces more compatable burns than other software, which is what you need if sending out a DVD to people as you don't want them saying it won't play on their players

I have used the internal burning engien with ConvertXtoDVD and my player refused to even recognise the DVD was in the player, so used IMGBurn as usual and it played straight away, thus proving that not all DVD burning software is equal

Avoid using Nero to burn DVD's as well, plenty have no problems, but plenty do have problems, including me. Thats what made me stop using Nero for burning video DVDs a long time ago. Nero has an issue in that the software tries to decide it knows best and alters the actual specs of the DVD pointers which screws things up

I proved it when DVds refused to play correctly or skipped or stuttered so bad a sto make the discs totally unplayable, used what was DVD Decrypter at the time (now IMGBurn) and every single DVD that had problems now played 100% perfect as always has done regardless of what DVD player I use or try playing my DVDs on

It was exactly the same media, same burning speed (x4) same spindle exactly the same source. All I changed was the burning software, again proving that not all DVD burning software is the same


Burn your DVDs as slow as possible as well (x4 should be fine), some players struggle to play DVDs correctly if burnt as fast as possible



Yes, its not that simple to get DVDs to play on virtually any player, and some still don't like DVD+R media, so stick to 'quality' DVD-R media, not buy a 100 get a 100 free media. You WILL regret it, spend a bit more on media and get near 100% burn quality with very few, if any 'coasters'

[BarnabasB]

I have used the internal burning engien with ConvertXtoDVD and my player refused to even recognise the DVD was in the player, so used IMGBurn as usual and it played straight away, thus proving that not all DVD burning software is equal

Avoid using Nero to burn DVD's as well, plenty have no problems, but plenty do have problems, including me. Thats what made me stop using Nero for burning video DVDs a long time ago. Nero has an issue in that the software tries to decide it knows best and alters the actual specs of the DVD pointers which screws things up

I wish it were that easy. I've tried to use IMGBRN 3 times after using ConvertXtoDVD. I followed the simple step by step instructions linked by Bourboner above. I used the build option and it said "Operation Successful" but it doesn't play in any DVD players so far.

I'm pretty sure the problem is with ImgBrn to, and not ConvertX. I used Nero8 to burn it, and it actually played, but the sound was waaaaay off (like 5 sec off-synch).

I really want to use the best quality program, but so far this Imgbrn isn't proving to be very effective. Am I doing something wrong?>

[Jim44]

Am I doing something wrong?>

Undoubtedly, we just don't know what it is yet.

Posting a log of your last burn from ImgBurn will help. Go to "Help" -> "ImgBurn Logs" and cut-n-paste the log here.

I'm far from an expert with ImgBurn (only burned a few hundred DVDs ), but can help with the basics.

The vast majority of "problems" with ImgBurn usually end up being computer/hardware issues or using less-good media, clues to these issues are usually in the logs.

[CBC]

to make it easier to use ImgBurn (at least for me), you can also grab the cool ImgBurn Shell Extension that ChrissyBoy came up with

http://www.svcd2dvd.com/


you do have to have NET. Framework 2.0 installed for it to work

But after ConvertX2DVD has created your DVD folders, all you have to do then is right click on the VIDEO_TS folder & pick Burn with ImgBurn & off you go.

[BarnabasB]

Okay, thanks for the offers to help me with this.


Here is the log for the last 2 attempts I believe

; //****************************************\\
; ImgBurn Version 2.4.1.0 - Log
; Friday, 06 June 2008, 13:04:31
; \\****************************************//
;
;
I 12:49:32 ImgBurn Version 2.4.1.0 started!
I 12:49:32 Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600 : Service Pack 2)
I 12:49:32 Total Physical Memory: 2,095,536 KB - Available: 1,518,660 KB
I 12:49:32 Initialising SPTI...
I 12:49:32 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices...
I 12:49:32 Found 1 DVD±RW/RAM!
I 12:52:24 Operation Started!
I 12:52:24 Building Image Tree...
I 12:52:24 Checking Directory Depth...
I 12:52:24 Calculating Totals...
I 12:52:24 Preparing Image...
I 12:52:24 Checking Path Length...
I 12:52:24 Contents: 7 Files, 2 Folders
I 12:52:24 Size: 66,963,456 bytes
I 12:52:24 Sectors: 32,697
I 12:52:24 Image Size: 67,534,848 bytes
I 12:52:24 Image Sectors: 32,976
I 12:52:35 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:00:11
I 12:52:35 Operation Started!
I 12:52:35 Source File: -==/\/[BUILD IMAGE]\/\==-
I 12:52:35 Source File Sectors: 32,976 (MODE1/2048)
I 12:52:35 Source File Size: 67,534,848 bytes
I 12:52:35 Source File Volume Identifier: BarnabasB
I 12:52:35 Source File Application Identifier: IMGBURN V2.4.1.0 - THE ULTIMATE IMAGE BURNER!
I 12:52:35 Source File Implementation Identifier: ImgBurn
I 12:52:35 Source File File System(s): ISO9660, UDF (1.02)
I 12:52:35 Destination Device: [0:0:0] SONY DVD RW DW-G120A MYR5 (D (ATA)
I 12:52:35 Destination Media Type: DVD-R (Disc ID: SONY16D1) (Speeds: 6x, 8x, 12x, 16x)
I 12:52:35 Destination Media Sectors: 2,297,888
I 12:52:35 Write Mode: DVD
I 12:52:35 Write Type: DAO
I 12:52:35 Write Speed: 4x
I 12:52:35 Link Size: Auto
I 12:52:35 Test Mode: Yes
I 12:52:35 OPC: No
I 12:52:35 BURN-Proof: Enabled
I 12:52:35 Filling Buffer... (40 MB)
I 12:52:35 Writing LeadIn...
I 12:52:55 Writing Session 1 of 1... (1 Track, LBA: 0 - 32975)
I 12:52:55 Writing Track 1 of 1... (MODE1/2048, LBA: 0 - 32975)
I 12:53:04 Synchronising Cache...
I 12:55:14 Cycling Tray after Test Write...
I 12:55:19 Exporting Graph Data...
I 12:55:19 Graph Data File: C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Application Data\ImgBurn\Graph Data Files\SONY_DVD_RW_DW-G120A_MYR5_FRIDAY-JUNE-06-2008_12-52_PM_SONY16D1_4x.ibg
I 12:55:19 Export Successfully Completed!
I 12:55:19 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:02:43
I 12:55:19 Average Write Rate: 8,244 KB/s (6.0x) - Maximum Write Rate: 8,244 KB/s (6.0x)
I 13:04:31 Close Request Acknowledged
I 13:04:31 Closing Down...
I 13:04:31 Shutting down SPTI...
I 13:04:31 ImgBurn closed!
;
;
; //****************************************\\
; ImgBurn Version 2.4.1.0 - Log
; Friday, 06 June 2008, 11:03:13
; \\****************************************//
;
;
I 10:54:06 ImgBurn Version 2.4.1.0 started!
I 10:54:06 Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600 : Service Pack 2)
I 10:54:06 Total Physical Memory: 2,095,536 KB - Available: 1,552,804 KB
I 10:54:06 Initialising SPTI...
I 10:54:06 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices...
I 10:54:07 Found 1 DVD±RW/RAM!
I 10:54:24 Operation Started!
I 10:54:24 Building Image Tree...
I 10:54:24 Checking Directory Depth...
I 10:54:24 Calculating Totals...
I 10:54:24 Preparing Image...
I 10:54:24 Checking Path Length...
I 10:54:24 Contents: 7 Files, 2 Folders
I 10:54:24 Size: 66,963,456 bytes
I 10:54:24 Sectors: 32,697
I 10:54:24 Image Size: 67,567,616 bytes
I 10:54:24 Image Sectors: 32,992
I 10:54:24 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:00:00
I 10:55:46 Operation Started!
I 10:55:46 Building Image Tree...
I 10:55:46 Checking Directory Depth...
I 10:55:46 Calculating Totals...
I 10:55:46 Preparing Image...
I 10:55:46 Checking Path Length...
I 10:55:46 Contents: 7 Files, 2 Folders
I 10:55:46 Size: 66,963,456 bytes
I 10:55:46 Sectors: 32,697
I 10:55:46 Image Size: 67,534,848 bytes
I 10:55:46 Image Sectors: 32,976
I 10:55:48 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:00:02
I 10:55:48 Operation Started!
I 10:55:48 Source File: -==/\/[BUILD IMAGE]\/\==-
I 10:55:48 Source File Sectors: 32,976 (MODE1/2048)
I 10:55:48 Source File Size: 67,534,848 bytes
I 10:55:48 Source File Volume Identifier: BarnabasDemo
I 10:55:48 Source File Application Identifier: IMGBURN V2.4.1.0 - THE ULTIMATE IMAGE BURNER!
I 10:55:48 Source File Implementation Identifier: ImgBurn
I 10:55:48 Source File File System(s): ISO9660, UDF (1.02)
I 10:55:48 Destination Device: [0:0:0] SONY DVD RW DW-G120A MYR5 (D (ATA)
I 10:55:48 Destination Media Type: DVD-R (Disc ID: SONY16D1) (Speeds: 6x, 8x, 12x, 16x)
I 10:55:48 Destination Media Sectors: 2,297,888
I 10:55:48 Write Mode: DVD
I 10:55:48 Write Type: DAO
I 10:55:48 Write Speed: 4x
I 10:55:48 Link Size: Auto
I 10:55:48 Test Mode: Yes
I 10:55:48 OPC: No
I 10:55:48 BURN-Proof: Enabled
I 10:55:48 Filling Buffer... (40 MB)
I 10:55:49 Writing LeadIn...
I 10:56:09 Writing Session 1 of 1... (1 Track, LBA: 0 - 32975)
I 10:56:09 Writing Track 1 of 1... (MODE1/2048, LBA: 0 - 32975)
I 10:56:17 Synchronising Cache...
I 10:58:27 Cycling Tray after Test Write...
I 10:58:33 Exporting Graph Data...
I 10:58:33 Graph Data File: C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Application Data\ImgBurn\Graph Data Files\SONY_DVD_RW_DW-G120A_MYR5_FRIDAY-JUNE-06-2008_10-55_AM_SONY16D1_4x.ibg
I 10:58:33 Export Successfully Completed!
I 10:58:33 Operation Successfully Completed! - Duration: 00:02:43
I 10:58:33 Average Write Rate: 8,244 KB/s (6.0x) - Maximum Write Rate: 8,244 KB/s (6.0x)
I 11:03:13 Close Request Acknowledged
I 11:03:13 Closing Down...
I 11:03:13 Shutting down SPTI...
I 11:03:13 ImgBurn closed!
;

[Jim44]

Turn "Test Mode" off.

From the guide located:
http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=6392

"Test Mode

'Test Mode' will fake a burning. Every step involved in a real burning will be carried out, except turning on the laser. 'Test Mode' is not supported for +RW media."

Also, those discs won't burn at the low speed of 4X that you selected. As you can see, Imgburn went ahead and burned at 6X (the lowest rating on those discs). Go ahead and select any of the speeds that those discs support:

I 10:55:48 Destination Media Type: DVD-R (Disc ID: SONY16D1) (Speeds: 6x, 8x, 12x, 16x)

Basically, though, turn off Test Mode and you should be fine.