Arhitect or ReelDVD with Vegas?

kdi001 wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:47 AM

I will be using Sony Vegas 5.0 and either DVD Architect 2.0 or ReelDVD 3.0.

I know Architect is meant to be a complement with Vegas, but which of the two will produce the superior looking DVD (the most professional looking): Architect or ReelDVD?

Anyone that uses ReelDVD and Vegas, please tell me your experience.

Dale

Comments

Orcatek wrote on 4/15/2005, 9:49 AM

I'd wait until next week after DVDA 3 is release and we can see what it can do.

PAW wrote on 4/15/2005, 10:03 AM

Reel DVD has not been updated in a long time which always looks odd, how much life has it got

What kind of stuff do you want to author?

Paul

JJKizak wrote on 4/15/2005, 11:03 AM

I have a copy of Reel DVD with Dongle that has been on the shelf for almost 2 years because it is way too hard to use. DVD-A2 suits me just fine.

JJK

busterkeaton wrote on 4/15/2005, 11:12 AM

Do you already own Vegas 5? Because the upgrade from Vegas 4 (no DVD) to Vegas 5 + DVD was a really sweet deal last year.

If you just bought Vegas 5 retail, you are eligible for the a free upgrade to Vegas 6. I'm sure Sony will talk about that after next week.

Jsnkc wrote on 4/15/2005, 11:42 AM

I'll take that copy of Reel DVD off your hands if you have no use for it :)

dpvollmer wrote on 4/15/2005, 11:52 AM

I too have ReelDVD that I have never used.

Jsnkc wrote on 4/15/2005, 12:45 PM

Well, someone can mail me their copy if it is just there collecting dust....I might be able to do a trade for something else as well if you're interested, I produce background video loops similar to Digital Juice if you might need something like that :). Jason (at) jcmediaservices (dot) com :)

PAW wrote on 4/15/2005, 12:49 PM

jason drop me a line at paul at whitebalance dot uk dot net a trade sounds good

Paul

kdi001 wrote on 4/15/2005, 1:46 PM

Architect 3 is coming out next week?
And Vegas 6 some time next year?

Jsnkc wrote on 4/15/2005, 2:06 PM

I'm used to using Sonic Fusion here at work so it would be really easy for me to pick up ReelDVD for home use, I know it's more advance than the current version of DVD-A, I guess we'll have to wait and see for the next version to see what it brings to the table.

p.s. PAW-email is on the way...let me know if ya don't get it.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 4/15/2005, 3:02 PM

Both are coming out next week.

kdi001 wrote on 4/16/2005, 4:37 AM

Great! I could be wrong, but didn't version 5 and Architect 2 come out this year too? Seems very quick to come out with a new version, but I'm not complaining--

Dale

jetdv wrote on 4/16/2005, 4:42 AM

Vegas5+DVDA2 was released at NAB 2004 (April 2004)

kdi001 wrote on 4/16/2005, 5:55 AM

And what about Scenarist?

What I'm getting at is this: In a side by side comparison would the average person be able to tell the difference between a dvd made with Architect and one made with say Scenarist? Other than the learning curve, what makes the higher end Scenarist superior other than a few more toys?

Dale

Jay Gladwell wrote on 4/16/2005, 10:13 AM

Other than the learning curve, what makes the higher end Scenarist superior other than a few more toys?

Not being a "tech" person, I'm probably the least qualified person here to answer this. So just let me share my opinion.

All of us, in one form or another or one way or another, have enormous egos and a strange loyalty to different products for different reasons. Some are big into "status symbols"--if it cost more, then it has to be better. The more complicated it is, the more professional is it. Well, I'm not moved by those kinds arguements.

Vegas and DVDA have given me exactly what I need. The results I'm getting look great, to my eye, and more importantly to my clients' eyes. The images are beautiful and I see little, if any, loss in picture quality. Too, I've seen some stunning DVDs authored in DVDA (not by me) with menus that I never dreamed were possible with DVDA--as good as anything I've seen from a major studio.

So, would the average person be able to tell the difference? I seriously doubt it.

riredale wrote on 4/16/2005, 12:10 PM

No, the average person can't tell the difference. What a more-sophisticated authoring tool gets you is the ability to do more things with it. But the actual output will look the same, in terms of image quality.

For several years the top two authoring tools were Scenarist and Maestro. Both could be used to assemble incredibly complicated DVDs. In 2001 Apple bought the company that made Maestro, and took that product off the market (it's still around, though--I bought a copy on eBay a couple of years ago). That left Scenarist. All the other authoring tools had limitations in some form or other. Some wouldn't let you design your own menus. Others wouldn't allow multiple languages, or subtitles. Others wouldn't allow branching.

Over time, those other authoring tools have gotten more sophisticated. Although I haven't used it, DVD-A in its latest incarnation apparently allows pretty much anything a prosumer would want to do. There might be a couple of things it still can't do (such as conditional branching or command sequences, or whatever) but very few people might have a need for such nuances of the DVD protocol.

But, again, the "quality" of the output would be the same.