How to convert multiple avi's to DVD with chapter points between each?

[Pierre1]

I have several mini DV tapes that I want to convert to DVD. I have Sony Vegas Studio Platinum version 6, incorporating DVD Architect. I have successfully captured from the camcorder, and end up with several avi clips from the tape, total time length 1 hr 2.5 minutes. I do not want to bother with any fancy editing etc. All I want to do is to make a high quality DVD with a title and a picture icon which when clicked starts the first clip and then goes through them in sequence.

All this I've been able to do using DVD Architect as follows: I imported the avi's from the camcorder first with Studio, but doing nothing else with Studio. Then I imported the avi files into DVD architect and made a playlist + a pic link on the DVD to this. Then I made a DVD to iso, and it works. However, the problem is that the "jump" or "skip" button to jump to next chapter does not work, so I've tried manually putting in chapter breaks at the beginning of each avi clip, but again no result.

When I burn my camcorder on the under-TV DVD recorder, it automatically puts in chapter breaks approx every 5 mins, which works fine for skipping forward quickly. Ideally I'd prefer them every avi clip. How do I do this? Should I used DVD Architect, or would Nero be better. I believe from reading forums that ConvertXtoDVD is good but it looks like that also inserts chapter breaks approx every 5 mins.

It would be great if there's a package that you can click a button such as "automatically put in chapter breaks between multiple avi clips"!

Thanks, Pierre

[guns1inger]

You can do it with DVD Flick, but the quality will be better if you do it in Vegas.

In theory you should be able to load all the clips onto a single timeline, then put markers (Ctrl+M) at the start of each clip. File -> Render As and select Mpeg-2. Tick the box marked Save Project Markers in Media File (or similar).

Again, in theory, if you load this file into DVD Architect it should turn those markers into chapter points. Even if it doesn't, putting them in manually takes all of 5 minutes.

Your problem at the moment is that you are importing separate clips into DVD Architect, which treats them as separate titles. DVD Architect doesn't allow you to append clips because it expects you to have done this in your editor (that is what it is there for).

If you want to do it in DVD Flick then add your first clip to create a title, then open this title and append the rest in order. By default DVD Flick will add a chapter point at the start of each new clip.

[Pierre1]

Thanks for that, I'll give that a bash in the next few days. Hopefully I can reimport the avi files back into Studio and then do as you say below. Couple of extra questions for you though....

When I'd originally captured the dv from the camcorder, I had originally saved the project since I figured I could do it all in DVD Architect and I was unsure of what to select from some of the options in which to save the project from Studio, particularly the deinterlacing options such as Blend etc. I noticed that DVD Architect had no such options and just wrote to the DVD with user specified bit rate.

Do you know what DVD Architect does with regard to deinterlacing? Does it leave the source as is?

I still have an old widescreen CRT TV and would like the DVD to play smoothly on this as well as the PC, but also on newer progressive TV's in the future. I had assumed it would be simplest to leave the footage as interlaced but I notice the default setting in Studio is Blend, although I worry this may not be good on my CRT TV.

What setting do you recommend of me to select with regard to deinterlacing if I have to save the project from Studio, and then presumably import it into Architect afterwards (hopefully this is easy!).

Thanks again,

Pierre

[guns1inger]

Turn off deinterlacing. You don't need to deinterlace, and you don't want to deinterlace when you are working with DV and going to DVD. Even on LCD televisions, interlaced footage is not an issue.