Adding Commentary Track

PeterWright wrote on 3/5/2007, 8:16 PM
I'm getting in a mess here and would appreciate some help. Using DVDA 4.0a

I have a clip with its "normal" audio track - no problems.

On a submenu I want the same clip, but with a commentary audio instead of the original.
I copy the clip from the first menu to the sub-menu, double click to open it on the timeline - all ok so far .... BUT .... as soon as I click in the Timeline header to add an audio track, the space used jumps from 4.6 Gb to 7.5, even before I've dropped the actual audio commentary in.

Seems I'm doing something wrong, but can't find what it is!

Any help appreciated.

Peter

Comments

johnmeyer wrote on 3/5/2007, 8:36 PM
You have to "think different" (to borrow that fractured phrase from Apple).

The DVD architecture is set up to let you have multiple audio tracks for each video asset. This is different from most other video delivery vehicles. For instance, on videotape, if you wanted a different audio track, you could put it on the linear track, but for most situations, you had to create a different tape with the alternate audio channel.

Now what confuses this further, is that you can, in DVDA, drag the same video to the project list more than once, and the project doesn't get any bigger. That is because all that this does is give you a different way to navigate into the same video. However, as soon as you attach different audio to one of those "instances," it will become a different entity, much like having two videotapes, and your project will double in size.

Enter "think different."

The DVD spec lets you attach different audio tracks to the same video. So, the solution is to only drag the video into the project once, but then on the timeline, add a second audio channel to that same instance. Then, create a navigation menu that lets the user select which audio channel they want to play. This is actually trivial. You can have one button that says "Play Spanish" and another that says "Play English." You will find that, in the right-side of DVDA, there is a setting for each button where you can have DVDA set the audio channel before play begins.

Sorry, I'm in a hurry, so I just typed quickly and let it ramble. It takes too long to keep it short.
PeterWright wrote on 3/5/2007, 11:33 PM
Much appreciated John - I shall have another go after I've had another swim - it's 46 degrees in Perth today and I've been swapping between editing and plunging into the pool every half hour!

Peter

Edit - now done - stays at 4.5 Gb Thanks so much John.