Pinnacle Express it's possible??? ;)))

[borgis]

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW - YOUR PERSONAL VIDEOS ON DVD PLAYERS

Ever wanted a quick, easy solution for watching your home videos on your TV screen ? This will soon be possible. With the new Pinnacle Express, you can burn your favourite videos on a CD-R, CD-RW or DVD-R. Then simply insert the CD or DVD into your DVD player, and let your friends or family navigate the magical DVD menu you have created in just a few minutes. It's ideal for people who do not have time for video editing. More info in coming weeks.

[borgis]

Ooooops (( It's not my text, it's from http://www.pinnaclesys.de

[Vorlon]

From what is "expressed" by your message is that this will indeed do true menu authoring just like the commerical DVD do? Is this correct?

Will it work for VCD, XVCD, SVCD, XSVCD, miniDVD and DVD with similiar menu structure, etc?

I guess what I am really interested in is using one mpeg file with multiple entry points other than what I have seen in previous postings. I want to use picture menus that could accept animated gifs (hence the multiple mini-movies for each chapter that run in the menues), plain bmp/jpeg, etc, and also a mpeg.

I want to eliminate the pauses that occur between chapters (which I have seen on also DVDs when they go from one special item to another, but not during the movie)

On VCD, will it be 2.0 standards, 1.0, or neither?

Thanks for any info.

[Fred Stokkel]

Vorlon,

You can find answers to most of your questions at Pinnacle Express' web-forum. See: http://webboard.pinnaclesys.com/read_forums.asp?WebboardID=6&SectionID=56&lng=1

For the general info you can check: http://www.pinnaclesys.com/ProductPage.asp?Product_ID=485

I learned there that menu authoring is included for all the CD and DVD types you mention. But it seems to be limited to only one menu level.

For the rest of your questions I don't have any anwsers. I would recommend to ask the real user at the Pinnacle Express' web-forum.

[Vorlon]

Thanks Fred,

I appreciate your quick response. I had discovered the existence of the product there at pinnacle system and although the price is very reasonable ($49 with one place having it at around $29), the terminology that they were using made the available features seem vague.

I guess I can try that forum for more detail.

BTW, I currently use Roxio (Adaptec) VideoCD Creator. You said that Express was limited to a one level menu. I am thinking that Roxio can create a menu that can call a menu (a 2 level menu) - correct?

If you are saying a one-level menu, then it could not call a another menu as one of the items?

Thanks for clarifying this for me.

[chrismc]

Hi there, I find this discussion very interesting because I am thinking about getting Pinnacle Express.

I have looked at Pinnacle's and other web sites and the terms that keep coming up are "input from DV" and "import from AVI". I have an MP10 which allows me to capture video from VHS player, edit and then save as .mpg or .avi.

Do you know if I will be able to get an hour of captured video on to a CD-R that can then be played on a DVD using this software? Do you know of any alternative packages for getting my video onto a DVD player?

Many thanks


Chris

[Vorlon]

I tried to get information on Pinnacle site, but hard to get responses. I found Express at CompUSA for $49.95 and bought it. However, when I opened the package and read the book - I discovered that it only wants to create one level menues, one chapter per mpeg - so you have to create separate mpegs to have more than one chapter. Not much different than Roxio or Nero. I think there was some talk about having special keys, though. However - it only wants to work with a storyline, automatic scene detection, and wants to do its own transcoding (encoding) - can't use another encoder like TMPGEnc, etc. (Well, there is a way to trick it, but the work around is a real hassle. I don't remember what it was, but found it on a web site.)

If it can't do seamless chapters, I didn't have any use for it. It only imported AVI, but wanted DV. Automatic Scene detection - what a pain in the "you-know-what"!! Who ever thought of scene detection, must like to drive down the road with one eye closed and the other covered with a patch.

I had not installed the software, so I was able to return it and get my money back. What a waste!

However - I would have put up with it if it could do the seamless chapter creation -- especially if it allowed mpeg for menues like Roxio VCD Creator does. If only Roxio VCD Creator did SVCD like Nero does!!

Roxio!! Nero!! Get with it - Allow Seamless chapters and allow mpeg menues (Roxio does, but not for SVCD)!!!

If only there was a tool that did animated GIFS and could take about 10-20 secs of a chapter and insert the resulting GIF into a larger bit map menu (about 4 gifs to a bit map - top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right). Create a mpeg from the bit map like MGI VideoWave can (including music)- bingo! A menu that could have 2 to 4 chapters that each had its own moving menu item!!!