Thank you PeterDuke. This method worked for me to create a DVD-R (DVD5) that plays HD videos with menus on my Panasonic Blu-ray Player. Yea!

Note that the Panasonic did not care whether the CERTIFICATE folder was present, but my LG Blu-ray Burner only recognized the DVD when it had the CERTIFICATE folder.

Also, I had a hard time finding AVCHD Patcher. Your link was to a Chinese site that I translated with Google, but couldn't find a workable download link there. I finally found it at:
http://www.videohelp.com/download/AV...tcher_1.06.rar

which downloads an .rar file that needs expanding. You can use the free Stuffit Expander at:
http://www.stuffit.com/win-expander-download.html

With the latest version 1.06 of AVCHD Patcher, you no longer have to use a digital editor to modify the two files - that is done automatically now.

Thanks again for the help - Curt

"Also, I had a hard time finding AVCHD Patcher. Your link was to a Chinese site that I translated with Google, but couldn't find a workable download link there."

Yes, I couldn't find the link anymore. They must have changed something.

In the translation near the top of the writeup for each version, there is a statement "?¦ Please download the public folder to the left". I think I may have clicked there to access the downloads, but it doesn't work if that is what I did. I downloaded versions 1.04, 1.05 and 1.06 at the time. Not to worry, you found another site.

INDX 0100 setting seems to be more compatible, from what I have read. I have never seen an explanation for the HDD option. Most people just leave it unselected. It may be to make the file structure similar to that of an HDD camera rather than an optical disc camera (or flash card camera) which differ somewhat. I guess if it doesn't work for you unchecked, you try it checked.

Your comment about the CERTIFICATE folder is worth remembering.

An alternative to AVCHD Patcher is deank's gobd tool. I have not tried it.

http://forum.doom9.org/showpost.php?p=1255353&postcount=30

So that I can remember it when I do it again in three months:

PROCEDURE FOR CREATING AVCHD DVD FOR PANASONIC DMP-BD BLU-RAY PLAYER

This will create a DVD on a conventional DVD writer that will play about 30 min of HD video, with menus on a Panasonic DMP-BD Blu-ray player, using inexpensive DVD5 disks. DVD9 (dual layer) disks would hold about 54 min of HD video. These also play on LG BH10 Blu-ray Writers and may play on other Blu-ray BD players. They will not play on conventional DVD players.

1. Gather the required software:
a. Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0 ("SVMS10P")
b. DVD Architect Studio 5.0 ("DVDAS5")
c. Virtual CloneDrive (free) by Slysoft:
http://www.slysoft.com/en/virtual-clonedrive.html
d. AVCHD Patcher (free):
http://www.videohelp.com/download/AV...tcher_1.06.rar
e. Stuffit Expander (free) to expand AVCHD Patcher .rar download file:
http://www.stuffit.com/win-expander-download.html
f. ImgBurn (free):
http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

2. Use SVMS10P to edit your video(s)
a. Total video length no more than 38 min (DVD5) or 68 min (DVD9 dual layer).
b. Click "Make Movie", select "Burn it to a DVD or Blu-ray Disk", "Next", select "Blu-ray Disk", "Next", confirm output file location, Next
c. Video will render to four files (.m2v, .m2v.sfl, .m2v.sfvx, .w64)

3. Use DVDAS5 to prepare your DVD Menus and create an .iso file.
a. Drag the .m2v files to the desired menu screen
b. Adjust button sizes, location, appearance, linking and end-action
c. Create appropriate title and caption text
d. Add menu background music
e. Click on "Make Blu-ray Disk", "Prepare", verify output file location, "Next"
f. Review build messages, click "Optimize"
g. Click "Project Properties", click "Target media size (GB)", open choices and select "4.7" (or "8.5" for dual layer)
h. Click "Video Format", open choices and select "AVC"
i. Click "Bit rate (Mbps)", click box and input "15", Enter
j. Click on "OK", "OK", "Finish" to create an .iso file

If DVDAS5 returns an error message about "Video buffer underflow", go here":
http://www.custcenter.com/cgi-bin/sonypictures.cfg/php/enduser/popup_adp.php?p_faqid=4293&p_created=1220625816

4. Open Windows Explorer and select your My Documents\DVD Architect Studio 5.0 Projects in the left column. Create a new folder under this with your project DVD name.

5. Open Virtual CloneDrive. Reopen Windows Explorer and find your .iso file. Right click on the .iso file and select "Mount VCD .... .iso))". Your DVD will open in a window and start playing. Pause it.

6. Reopen Windows Explorer, select Computer and look for the Clone Drive "BD-ROM Drive (?:) VOLUME_01" and select it in the left column under Computer. This will display BDMV and CERTIFICATE folders in the right column. Select both these folders and copy them to your My Documents\DVD Architect Studio 5.0 Projects\project DVD name folder.

7. Select My Documents\DVD Architect Studio 5.0 Projects\project DVD name folder\BDMV in the left column.

8. Open AVCHD Patcher. Drag the index.bdmv file from the Windows Explorer right column onto the AVCHD Patcher window. A new window will pop up that the file has been patched. Close AVCHD Patcher.

9. In Windows Explorer, delete the index.bdmv.bak file in the right column.

10. Copy the revised index.bdmv and MovieObject.bdmv files in the right column to the BACKUP folder in that directory. Copy and Replace the files already there.

11. Open ImgBurn.
a. Review the lower Log for errors
b. Select "Write files/folders to disc"
c. In Windows Explorer select My Documents\DVD Architect Studio 5.0 Projects\project DVD name folder in the left column.
d. Drag the BDMV and CERTIFICATE folders from the right column to the ImgBurn upper "Source" window.
e. Load a DVD5 or DVD9 into your DVD Writer
f. Under "Destination", open the selection and select your DVD Writer drive letter
g. Deselect "Test Mode" and select "Verify"
h. Select "Device" on the upper tabs, check info, "AWS" speed, and desired number of "Copies:"
i. Select "Options" tab. Confirm "File System:" "UDF", and "UDF Revision:" "2.50"
j. Click on the Folder to Disc icon top window lower left. ImgBurn will offer a volume label, click "Yes", then a burn summary window, click "OK". Your AVCHD DVD5 will be created.

This procedure works for me on my stuff - something I've been trying to do for a few years. Thanks to Tom Roper, alluringreality, KenJ62, Melachrino, and PeterDuke for their suggestions and consultations. Is this a great forum or what! Please advise of any suggested improvements to this procedure and I'll edit it. Hopefully Sony will fix DVDAS5 to do this for us as a menu choice.

Curt

The only comment I would make is that at 15 mbps video data rate I can get about 40 mins on a 4.7 GB DVD. Your 30 mins looks a bit too conservative. Overheads for menu could vary a bit, so actual value is a bit rubbery. Allowance for audio is also dependent on your choice of coder.

Yes, interesting observation about the CERTIFICATE folder. Nero Vision creates what they call an AVCHD disk (and SCS calls a Blu-ray on DVD) with the Blu-ray folder structure but no CERTIFICATE folder! Those Nero Vision disks play perfectly on my Sony BDP-BX2 but I haven't tried them on my friends LG BD200 so I don't know if there is consistency - but I think I should find out.

PeterDuke - "The only comment I would make is that at 15 mbps video data rate I can get about 40 mins on a 4.7 GB DVD. Your 30 mins looks a bit too conservative. Overheads for menu could vary a bit, so actual value is a bit rubbery. Allowance for audio is also dependent on your choice of coder."

I looked again at the length of my three 720p videos and they total 32 min. I added a single-page menu with a play list and three buttons, plus menu background music. Explorer reads the BD-R5 disk as 3.952 Gb. Although the disk appears fully written, the extra space should allow 38 min of video on a 4.70 Gb DVD5 disk.

With my success in creating a (AVCHD) BD-R5 disk, I decided to see what I am giving up not using full BD-R25 disks, and also to compare with a normal DVD.

So I went back to VMS10P and created normal DVD .mgp and .ac3 video files from my videos and photos. Then I built a normal DVD using these files in DVDAS5. I then played both the BD-R5 and DVD versions of the same material, viewed on a 73" Mitsubishi DLP 1080P TV. The BD-R5 version was noticeably crisper in photos, video, captions and menus. It makes me not want to go back, although not everyone has Blu-ray to play the BD-R5, and it may not play on all Blu-ray players.

I had also rendered a normal Blu-ray BD-R25 disk with 720p-24 .m2v and .w64 versions of the same material. When I played the BD-R25 and BD-R5 versions against each other, I could see a slight advantage to the BD-R25 version, especlly with panning or zooming photos, where the BD-R5 would show some slight shimmering. I suspect this is the lower bit rate of the red laser showing up. But this was only evident with direct comparison with the full Blu-ray BD-R25. The BD-R5 was still delightful.

As a final test, I decided to see if I could do even better with a 1080i BD-R25 (I wanted to build 1080P, but that choice wasn't available in VMS10P). I used VMS10P to rebuild my .mv2 and .w64 video files using the 1080i-50 settings, then built a new Blu-ray DVD with those files using DVDAS5. I expected the photos (12 Mp source) to be clearer. However when I played the 720P BD-R25 and the 1080i BD-R25 disks against each other, I could see no difference in the photos. In fact, I picked up some shimmering with the 1080i version when the photos were panning of zooming. And the videos also looked more jumpy with the 1080i version, perhaps from being converted from 720p source .avi videos.

So as long as I have a 720p camera (Casio Exilim EX-S12), my plan is to use the matching 720p-24 settings, then use DVD5 or BD-R25 media as needed to fit the production Blu-ray DVD. I'll get some DVD9 media too if I can find it with printable surface. I guess it would be nice to have BD-R50 too, but I can't imagine making any DVD that large.

That's enough for now - time for some football! (Padres are already out of it) Curt

1080p (25, 30, 50 or 60 fps) is not part of the Blu-ray specs yet, so even if you could burn it, you may not be able to play it on a standalone player. 1080p at 24 fps is supported, however.

The only ways I know to view 1080p at higher fps are to direct feed a video cam to your TV, or use a hardware media player.

If you are starting off with progressive material and plan to view on a progressive screen, then avoid going to regular interlaced at all costs. You can however convert 25p (30p) to pseudo 50i (60i) to put on a normal Blu-ray disc. The second field of the frame has the same time instant as the first field, not delayed 1/50 (1/60) sec. as in regular interlaced video. In principle, true 50i (60i) would be better for fast pans if viewed on an interlaced CRT TV, but by the time you de-interlace (in the player or TV) for progressive TVs you lose this advantage.

Hey Curt, your tests and the description of it were very nicely done. Your humongous TV should reveal any anomalies with the resultant burned media. As for me, my 32 inch 720p LCD is the biggest set I have ever owned and the rather smallish house we now live in couldn't take one much bigger. I find that it is "good enough" but it is great to know that the techniques have been tested on larger and more demanding equipment. Thanks!

-=Ken=-

Just wanted to post to say thank you very much. I have made over a dozen coasters before I read this post and it worked!

The quality is so good. Only made a daft test without proper editing but looking forward to saving hours of rendering time.

Using Movie Platinum 13 with DVDA 5 so if anyone knows if this method has since been finessed, I'd appreciate the update.

As an aside, I saw various posts that included the need for Hex Editors. Thankfully, didn't need to worry about that.

Many thanks.