All Quiet on the DVDA Front

DJPadre wrote on 9/12/2006, 10:12 AM

Im yet to hve a go at v7 for a full project... but in a week i wil lknow... for me now though, the intriguing part is how DVDA4 works...

Obviously it doesnt support HD DVD or BluRay, which is a major bummer for me, but scritpting woudl come to use as we can throw down "autochapters at every 5 minutes'

Buttons on video... if they behave the way Encore work, where they can be animated onto teh screen AS video, then set to BECOME a button, then i'll be all for or...
Ill be messing with DVD tomorrow in any ase, as to me, if i was to upgrade, i woudl have more use from DVDA than V7... I want to see what improvements additions to the filtering they have made. I do alot of colouring, so for me, filters are as important as the render engine..

bStro wrote on 9/12/2006, 10:19 AM

but scritpting woudl come to use as we can throw down "autochapters at every 5 minutes'

Hate to disappoint you, but it's not that kind of scripting. This is DVD-scripting, not application-scripting. From the product description:

"DVD Architect 4 software supports the ability to create and run scripts in final DVD design. With scripting you can build robust interactivity into your DVD projects."

If you're rendering in Vegas, you could, of course, use a script for the same thing there and just save the markers to the media. Or use one script to auto-marker and another script to save the markers to a new file.

Rob

RBartlett wrote on 9/12/2006, 12:24 PM

Indeed, if you do try the demo - you'll see it is an introduction to scripting that could evolve to be more but currently serves interactivity/kiosk apps better than authoring automation.

I've been demuxing the prepared files from DVD Architect into the original basic version of DVDLab. This (although the demux needs to be on a local drive for speed) allows you to do a fairly good scene detection chapter marking with a minimum interval. Occasionally this comes in handy if the project is too long to scrub through or when I've done no such pre-prep in Vegas. DVDLab isn't as stable as I'd like and I've resisted upgrading it to DVDLabPro2. This is a fix workflow rather than a planned one, but if it is this type of marking that you require, it might serve you whilst we await DVD-Architect 5 to fathom this valuable function for the authoring environment.

DVDA4:
DV->MPEG-2 8Mbps does seem faster at the .m2v preparation (compression) phase.

bStro wrote on 9/12/2006, 1:35 PM

I just had a look through the new features list at the top of this forum, which covers more ground than the DVDA product page.

1) It does say "Application scripting" -- is this a misnomer, since it's my understanding that the "scripting" in DVDA would be just DVD-related, not DVDA-related (as in Vegas); or can we actually script DVD Architect functions as we can in Vegas to some extent? To be honest, I'm not sure I felt DVDA needs application-level scripting since it's not nearly as complex as Vegas. Though I know many will disagree, and that's okay.

2) Check out the last item: "Improved DVD size estimation." Good to know! That should cut "WTF??" posts here by about 20%. ;-)

Rob

RBartlett wrote on 9/12/2006, 4:13 PM

No it isn't advertising DVD-A scripting, it is DVD-related scripting but with a limited command/variable set. The "application" is a notional engine that you include on your delivered disc that goes from state to state like cogs and linkages in a machine. The remote control and what occured leading up to each command you set is what makes it what it is.

Whereas being able to say - I want 5 minute interval chapter points isn't a procedure you'd expect to drop into an IFO file by way of programming anything in DVD-A. However you might have an in-built function in DVD-A to do this or an application script that allowed you to (but you'd probably just write the necessary time entries into a text file that you ammended for length before applying it to a clip/media-insertion).

There are some serious use additions in DVD-A. There is though still room for more improvements and DVD features to be added - it is fair to say there always would be. Even with all the functions in there, the approach to authoring is a clean sheet of paper for the developer. So an alternative tack is always an option for an improved product. DVD-Architect4 is a progression and a fairly good one over DVDA4 at that.

Kanst wrote on 9/15/2006, 12:46 AM

I'm can't understand why:
- DVDA4 still can't import DTS sound track?
- DVDA4 haven't multiple video streams in menu for switching between menu pages backgrounds without changing audio background? (I'm understand, that now I can realise this through buttons over video, but why not in menus?)
- Why DVDA4&V7 haven't an abitity to plug an a higher quality third-party MPEG renderers (such CCE or Procoder)?

ScottW wrote on 9/15/2006, 5:55 AM

DTS - can't say. However, with all new releases there are usually more features on the wish list than there are resources to implement. These features then get prioritized and a line is drawn. Anything below the line doesn't make the new release. DTS would appear to be one of those below the line features.

Menu/audio - it's a limitation of the spec - you can't do this with any authoring package. BOV's have limitations as well. If all you're looking at is having the button change the video angle, then you can probably have a seamless transition; otherwise... In addition, the restriction with a BOV only appearing at a chapter mark, coupled with the fact that many players consider the button to be inactive after use within the chapter, well, it may be fairly hard to construct a reasonable menu. BOV's weren't designed to replace the functionality of a menu.

You can use 3rd party encoders, just not as plug-ins. I use CCE basic all the time for my movie titles. What advantage would a plug-in encoder provide too me? The only advantage I can see is when encoding the menu video associated with a motion menu, and frankly I'd just as soon that DVDA didn't screw with that video and just placed the masks like I wanted.

--Scott

Kanst wrote on 9/15/2006, 6:39 AM

Menu/Audio
I have seen a DVD compiled in Sonic Scenarist with such menu realised. But in comparison with DVDA it so hard to understand.

ScottW wrote on 9/15/2006, 7:18 AM

Is this a commercial title, because I'd like to see that? My understanding is that the spec doesn't allow this, and from what I've read of the unofficial DVD guide, it seems to be confirmed.

bStro wrote on 9/15/2006, 8:00 AM

Scott, do you think Sony's partnership with Dolby has anything to do with the resistance to have DTS support in DVDA?

Kanst, I'd also be really interested to know what DVD that was or even seeing a clip of someone switching from one menu to another. I may not own the largest DVD collection in the world, but I do have around 200 or so -- and not one of them does what you describe. And I've never heard of one that does.

And, really, supposing you have found one DVD like that: I haven't kept track, but last I looked at Scenarist, it ran somewhere between $1500 and $2000. I could certainly "understand" it being able to do something that DVDA, a much cheaper program, can't. ;-)

Rob

ScottW wrote on 9/15/2006, 8:43 AM

The relationship between Sony and Dolby could have something to do with it - it could also be simply the fact that DVDA is designed to work with Vegas (after all, you can't even purchase DVDA standalone) - so one argument might be that since Vegas cannot encode DTS audio, there's no reason for DVDA to support it. It could also be that there's simply not enough interest. I know I'm certainly not interested in DTS delivery - mainly because it's not universally playable - but every player extant in the US will play dolby. Hence no desire to further reduce my available DVD space by providing a DTS and Dolby track, and certainly no desire to invest in a standalone DTS encoder. That's just me though.

Where did you find scenarist for that cheap? Usually it's running around $20,000 to 25,000.

--Scott

bStro wrote on 9/15/2006, 10:42 AM

Where did you find scenarist for that cheap? Usually it's running around $20,000 to 25,000

Oi. I must've been thinking of something else, though I don't know what. Maybe ReelDVD back in its heyday.

I can't find anyplace online that actually sells Scenarist, but I am seeing quotes of between $8000 and $22,000. I guess the $8000 is a less-featured version.

Rob

DJPadre wrote on 9/15/2006, 10:01 PM

"do you think Sony's partnership with Dolby has anything to do h the resistance to have DTS support in DVDA? "

I dont know about resisteance, but more than likely its a compliance issue..
the fact that DVDA doesnt even support MPG audio is baffling... i guess were stuck with the mandatory audio formats for DVD, as oppsed to being offer (or een leving open) the ability to author using other codecs... considering these codecs and encodes (if donte properly) arent even manipulated once theyre in DVDA....

Kanst wrote on 9/20/2006, 2:07 AM

If I put multichannel .wav to DVDA 4, can it transpose every channel to the same channel while ac3 5.1 encoded?

DataMeister wrote on 9/23/2006, 9:23 PM

"do you think Sony's partnership with Dolby has anything to do h the resistance to have DTS support in DVDA? "

Or perhaps DTS is a more expensive licensing standard?

Or, does anyone know, could DTS require that the source files start out as 24bit-96Khz for purely quality and company image issues? I don't know. I'm just theorizing here.